BBC news 2011-11-24 加文本

短语讲解：

1. Three times Yemen's president has agreed to step down; three times he's gone back on his word.

step down辞职，下台
例句：The manager had to step down on account of poor health.
那位经理由于身体不好, 只能辞职不干。
go back on违背; 食言，毁约，违约
He said he would loan money to us, and then went back on his promise.
他说他会借钱给我们，后来他食言了。

2. But even if this time the president does stick to his word and leave office, this will not be the end of Yemen's troubles.

stick to遵守, 坚持
例句：You must stick to your promise.
你必须遵守诺言。

3. The latest attempt to restore calm in an area of Tahrir Square in Cairo, where there have been violent clashes between demonstrators and police, has broken down.

break down粉碎, 压倒
例句：They broke down all opposition.
他们镇压了一切反对行动。

4. Leaders from a local mosque had appealed for a truce, but police have again used tear gas against the protesters.

appeal for呼吁
例句：He appealed for his parents' forgiveness.
他恳求他的双亲宽恕他。

5. But a short distance away in a Shia neighbourhood of Bahrain, they were burning tyres and calling for the king to step down.

call for要求
例句：The letter calls for an investigation of the facts.
来信要求对这些事实进行调查。

6. Speaking with Professor Bassiouni after the speeches, he admitted it will very much depend now on what Bahrain's king does with the report: will he push for reform and remove hard-liners from his government, or will he use the report as window dressing to appease opinion in America and Europe.

depend on依赖, 依靠
例句：You can't depend on your parents forever.
你不能永远依赖你的双亲。
push for急切、强烈地要求, 为…奋力争取
He pushed me for an answer.
他催我作出答复。
remove from将(某人)撤〔免〕职
He was severely criticized and removed from his post.
他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。

7. Mr Erdogan is the first Turkish leader to apologise for the killings, which took place when the military used aerial bombardment and poisonous gas to pacify Kurds in central Turkey.

take place发生;举行
例句：When will the basketball game take place?
篮球赛何时举行?

8. And now it does look like some investors are more reluctant than they were to hold even German government debt.

look like很可能出现〔引起〕(某事、做某事)
例句：The party looks like being a success after all.
无论怎么说这次聚会看起来是成功的。

9. This includes the checklist which helped the crew return to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded on board.

on board在船〔火车, 飞机, 汽车〕上
例句：When all the people were on board, the boat bore away.
当所有人都上船后, 那艘船离岸了。