BBC news 2010-07-30 加文本

1.This, combined with low water levels, caused it to hit an obstruction, possibly a sandbank or rock, and capsized.

combined with加上，连同

2.A French woman has confessed to suffocating eight of her babies shortly after they were born in an effort to hide the fact that she’d become pregnant, even from her husband.

in an effort to努力,试图

例句：She opened the purse in an effort to trace the owner.
      她打开钱包想弄清谁是钱包的主人。

3.Mr Cottrez has indicated to investigators that he never knew his wife was pregnant, or that she got rid of the children just after giving birth.

get rid of除掉, 去掉；摆脱

例句：It is difficult to get rid of insects.
      除掉虫子可不容易。

      How to get rid of these things is a big problem.
      如何清除这些东西是个大问题。

4.Several rivers burst their banks, washing away cattle, roads as well as bridges.

as well as既…又…,不仅…而且…,以及,除…外

例句：She is a talented musician as well as a photographer.
      她不但是摄影师还是个天才的音乐家。

wash away冲走, 清洗

例句：She washed away the stains.
      她洗去了污迹。

      A ship got stranded along the shore, but last night sea waves washed it away again.
      有条船在岸边搁浅了, 可昨天晚上海浪又把它冲走了。

5.Doctors said Guillermo Farinas had been near death when he broke off his hunger strike after more than 130 days.

break off停止; 断交

例句：He broke off in the middle of his story.
      他故事讲到一半就突然不讲了。

      When she came in, Bob broke off his talk with Jane.
      当她进来时, 鲍伯停止了和珍的谈话。