CNN news 2011-08-16 加文本

短语讲解：

1. First up today, we're going to look back and ahead.

look back回顾,倒退;回顾,追忆
例句：Grown-ups often look back to the old days. 
成年人常常回想过去的日子。 

2. The U.S. hit that limit earlier this year, and there were concerns that if the government went over that debt ceiling, it wouldn't be able to pay some of its bills.

go over超过
例句：Your spending should not go over your income.
你的支出不应超过你的收入。

3. It raised the U.S. debt ceiling and set up some government spending cuts to help lower the country's debt down the road.

set up 建立，建造, 准备; 安排
例句：All the arrangements have been set up for the newspapermen to meet the Queen.
新闻记者谒见女王的所有安排已经就绪。

4. Credit rating agencies give countries grades based on their ability or how willing they are to pay off their debts.

base on使建立在…基础上
例句：We must base ourselves on the interests of the people.
我们一定要从人民的利益出发。
pay off偿还
例句：My father worked himself to death to pay off the debt. 
我父亲为了偿还这笔债务只身奔忙到死。 

5. Now, we're gonna get back to that credit rating.

get back回到…上来
例句：Things will not get back to normal soon after the earthquake.
地震过后一切都不会马上恢复正常。

6. A debt rating is the risk associated with lending that company or that country money.

associate with与…交往, 联系
例句：The doctor was associated in the child's mind with injections and pains.
在孩子的心里, 医生总是使他联想到打针与疼痛。

7. You know, prior to this whole debacle, I think most people thought AAA was a battery size.

prior to在…之前
例句：The will was made two days prior to his death.
遗嘱是在他死亡前两天立的。

8. Around 8:45 p.m., a police captain got on stage to warn the crowd to find cover.

get on登(车);上(马)
例句：They got on at this station.
他们是在这个站上的车。

9. Just minutes later, a powerful storm blew in, causing the concert stage to collapse.

blow in吹进
例句：A little breeze is blowing in from the window.
微风从窗户里吹进来。

10. Witnesses said folks were trying to lift the scaffolding back up, while others searched for victims and pulled people back out of the wreckage

back up堵塞; 支持
例句：The accident backed up traffic.
事故使交通堵塞。
search for搜索, 搜寻
例句：We searched in vain for the missing child.
我们到处寻找那孩子, 但没有找到。
pull back (使)(某人, 尤指一组士兵)撤出阵地
例句：The platoon pulled back to safety.
这一排士兵撤回到了安全地带。