VOA慢速英语:Syria, Russia Denounce US Threat of Strikes Against IS Militants

短语讲解：

1. The official added, "there must be a Syrian approval of any action whether it is military or not."

whether or not 无论; 是否
例句：The only wild card is whether or not russia will truly play by the wto rules.
唯一的不确定性因素是俄罗斯是否会遵守世贸规定。

2. Ms. Masipa said lawyers failed to prove that Mr. Pistorius meant to kill his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

fail to 未能…
例句：Fail to pay and they'll cut off the electricity. 
你（如果）不付款，他们就要断电。 

3. He says he thought he was shooting someone who broke into his house.

break into 打断; 闯入; 突然做
例句：We had to break into the house as we had lost the key. 
我们把钥匙丢了，只好破（或撬）门而入。 

4. The officials said China's southernmost territory was Hainan Island for almost 1,000 years leading up to the early 20th century.

lead up to 作为…的准备，导致
例句：These circumstances will lead up to war.
这些事件会导致战争。