BBC news 2011-06-22 加文本

短语讲解：

1. Protesters in Greece are again gathering outside parliament as the Prime Minister George Papandreou's government prepares for a critical vote of confidence one hour from now.

prepare for (使)为…作准备
例句：Right now they are preparing themselves for the Olympic Games.
眼下他们正在为参加奥运会作准备。

2. They are shouting slogans against austerity measures and the political classes in general.

in general一般而言, 总的来说, 从总体上看
例句：The class are, in general, very bright.
总的说来, 这个班级的学生都很聪明。

3. All the indications are that George Papandreou will win his vote of confidence with a handful of seats to spare.

a handful of一把；少数、几个、不多
例句：That factory employs only a handful of workers.
那家工厂只雇佣少数的工人。

4. Rebel Socialist MPs who forced him to reshuffle his cabinet have started to come off the fence and say that they will endorse the new cabinet.

come off脱落，掉下；分离
例句：His hair began to come off.
他的头发开始脱落。

5. For the first time in American history, he said, one generation was passing on to the next a country less powerful, compassionate, competitive and confident.

for the first time第一次
例句：They tasted defeat for the first time.
他们第一次体验到失败的滋味。
pass on传递; 传授
例句：The story is passed on from generation to generation in the village.
这故事在村民中世代相传。

6. Mr Huntsman has yet to spell out what solutions he's proposing. He also has some hurdles to overcome.

spell out阐明
例句：His speech spelt out his party's policy on foreign affairs.
他的演说阐明了他的政党的对外政策。

7. What these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right, but the effort belongs to them.

belong to属于
例句：Victory belongs to the most persevering.
胜利属于最有毅力的人。

8. A campaign group, Saudi Women for Driving, said their challenge to the authorities was inspired by the wave of protests sweeping through the Arab world.

sweep through (使)扫过…, (使)掠过…; (使)迅速传遍于…
例句：The news swept through the village like fire.
那消息像火一样在村中蔓延。

9. The brigadier comes from a family of soldiers and having served 32 years in the Pakistan army was due to retire in July.

be due to 应该，预计，预订
例句：The boat is due to arrive at 12.
船预计在12点到。

10. The Macedonian government commissioned the bronze monument as part of its efforts to claim the region's heritage. Greece objects strongly to Macedonia, a mainly Slavic nation claiming the ancient name and culture, and has blocked Macedonia's entry into Nato and the European Union.

object to反对
例句：They objected to me on personal grounds.
他们出于个人的原因反对我。