BBC news 2010-11-22 加文本

1.Above all, I want to assure the Irish people that we have a better future before us and that we continue to act together in the national interest now.

above all首要的是; 尤其

例句：He was above all a good and tireless writer.
      他首先是一位优秀的、不知疲倦的作家。

2.The Vatican has played down the importance of remarks by Pope Benedict appearing to temper the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to the use of condoms.

play down轻描淡写, 故意缩小…的重要性

例句：She tried to play down his part in the affair.
      她极力贬低他在这一事件中的作用。

      Somehow Harriet always tried to play herself down to her friends.
      不知为什么, 哈丽特总是竭力使自己在朋友们中间显得无足轻重似的。

3.But Fr Lombardi emphasised that Pope Benedict had never before referred to the use of condoms in a colloquial way rather than in his role as a teacher of Church doctrine.

refer to提及；涉及，谈到，提到；关系到

例句：Don't refer to the matter again.
      不要再提这件事了。

4.The International Committee of the Red Cross says the Sri Lankan government has asked it to scale down its work in the former war zone in the north of the country.

scale down按比例缩小,相应地减少

例句：The company has begun to scale down its operations in Asia.
      这家公司已开始减少在亚洲的业务。

5.The government hasn't yet given a reason, but the move is likely to fuel criticism that is turning a blind eye to reported human rights abuses.

turn a blind eye to熟视无睹

例句：Don't turn a blind eye to matters that concern the people's welfare.
      不要对民众的利益漠然置之。

6.The chief attorney at the follow-up trials, Benjamin Ferencz, said the memorial showed that Germany had come to terms with its history.

come to terms妥协，达成协议

例句：They tried to come to terms with him.
       他们设法和他达成协议。