BBC news 2011-12-21 加文本

词汇讲解：

1. descend v. 下来, 下去
例句：They descended the slope towards the hamlet.
他们顺坡下山, 向那个村子走去。

2. potential adj. 潜在的, 有可能的
例句：It's important to draw out a child's potential capacities.
发掘孩子的潜在能力是很重要的。

3. confession n. 表白，承认;自首, 供认
例句：I’ve got a confession to make, I scraped your car when I was parking mine.
有件事我得向你讲出来, 我在停放汽车时把你的车子刮坏了。

4. fabricate vt.编造, 捏造, 虚构; 伪造；建造
例句：The excuse for her absence was obviously fabricated.
她缺席的借口显然是瞎编的。

5. halt n. 停住, 停止, 暂停
例句：The car came to a halt just in time to prevent an accident.
汽车及时停了下来, 避免了一场车祸。

6. frustrate vt.使不成功, 挫败, 阻止；使受挫折, 令人沮丧
例句：The police frustrated the bandit's attempt to rob the bank.
警方挫败了匪徒抢劫银行的企图。

7. impasse n. 绝境, 僵局, 停顿
例句：Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.
谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

8. dismay n. 诧异；惊愕；灰心；丧气
例句：I am filled with dismay at the news.
我对这个消息极为震惊。

9. disappoint vt.使(人)失望
例句：I promised to buy my son a new bicycle but I had to disappoint him.
我答应给儿子买辆新自行车, 可我不得不让他失望了。

10. uphold vt. 支持, 维护
例句：They upheld our opinions.
他们支持我们的意见。

11. flawed adj.有缺点的;有缺陷的；错误的
例句：The study was methodologically flawed.
这项研究在方法上有缺陷。

12.  fine vt. 处…以罚金
例句：They fined him ten dollars.
他们判他10美元罚金。