CNN news 2010-02-03 加文本

push for急切、强烈地要求, 为…奋力争取

例句：People living near the airport are pushing for new rules about night flight.
      住在机场附近的人们正强烈要求制订出夜航班机的新规。

      He pushed me for an answer.
      他催我作出答复。

2.But investments can take a while to pay off. When Spain built a high-speed rail line, it cost $35 billion and took 20 years.

pay off使得益; 有报偿

例句：The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.
      这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

      John studied hard before the examination, and it paid off.He made an A.
      约翰在考试前努力学习, 这没有白费, 他得了个A。

3.Luke compared the union to a battleground for squabbling children, saying, "President Obama seemed to take on the role of a teacher who needed to straighten out the quarreling in Washington."

compare to把…比作, 喻为

例句：Shakespeare compared the world to a stage.
      莎士比亚把世界比作舞台。

      Life is compared to a voyage.
      人生好比航海。

straighten out整理,收拾;解决,搞清楚

例句：We must get everything straighten out.
      我们必须把每一件事都弄清楚。