VOA常速英语:Jerusalem, Part 1: Why It Matters to Jews

短语讲解：

1. State-of-the-art trains crisscross the ancient landscape, their sound and their presence serving as reminders of why Israelis and Palestinians struggle for control of Jerusalem.

serve as充当, 担任
例句：We found that birch bark could serve as paper.
我们发现桦树皮可以作纸用。
struggle for为…而斗争
例句：We should help those who are still struggling for liberation.
我们应当帮助那些仍在为独立而斗争的人们。

2. Somehow, in the presence of the wild animals, we become human beings, and the zoo has become an island of sanity in this town.

in the presence of在……面前; 在…在场的情况下
例句：He made the accusation in the presence of witnesses.
他在有见证人在场的情况下提出了控告。

3. Israeli troops captured it from Jordan, along with the rest of the old city, in 1967.

along with和...一起[一道], 随着; 除...以外(还)
例句：Tobacco is taxed in most countries, along with alcohol.
除酒以外, 烟草在多数国家都要征税。

4. Israel belongs to the sons of Israel and this is the heart of Israel.

belong to属于
例句：Victory belongs to the most persevering.
胜利属于最有毅力的人。

5. All the holiness of the Holy Land comes from Jerusalem.

come from来自某处, 源自
例句：Knowledge comes from practice.
知识来自于实践。

6. Those who pray here believe Jerusalem is holy because God made it holy, and some believe prayers reach God more directly when made from here.

make from由…制成
例句：The natives make excellent boats from the tree trunks.
当地人用树干造出了非常漂亮的小船。

7. She recalls how Israel demolished Palestinian homes after the 1967 war to make way for this plaza.

make way for让路给;为…开路
例句：Automobiles must make way for a fire engine.
任何车辆都必须为消防车让路。

8. I would start with paying back and compensating every person who lived here at the Mughrabi neighborhood for this plaza.

start with以…开始
例句：He had nothing to start with
开始时他一无所有。
pay back偿还
例句：I am sure that he will pay back every cent he owes you.
我敢肯定他会分文不差地把欠款还给你。

9. Only then, I think, we'll be able to tread this wall and feel holiness.

be able to能,会
例句：Most children are able to walk before they are able to talk.
多数孩子在会说话前就会走路。

10. For her, it does little to bridge the gaps that remain.

bridge the gap缩小差距
例句：We have to bridge the gap between rich and poor people around the world.
我们必须要消除世界各地的贫富差距。