VOA常速英语:70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Approaches

短语讲解：

1. “I grew up in a family, a culture, where the point of reference for everybody in conversation was, before the war, during the war, and after the war.”Shirley recalls.

grow up长大, 成熟
例句：Tom wants to be a coach when he grows up.
汤姆长大后想当教练。

2. Everybody in my family had been involved directly in the war, whether civilian or military.

involve in使参与〔陷入, 牵扯到〕
例句：Don't involve yourself in unnecessary dispute.
不要把自己卷入无谓的争论中。

3. In his book, "December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World," Shirley dedicates each chapter to a day, starting on Dec. 1.

dedicate to写(某作品)以献给某人
例句：He dedicated his novel to his teacher.
他把他的小说献给了他的老师。

4. New buildings sprang up every place.

spring up突然开始; 突然产生; 快速增加〔增长〕
例句：New towns are springing up to house the increasing population.
新的城镇正迅速建起, 以容纳不断增长的人口。

5. While Shirley focuses mostly on what happened in the United States, another book, “December 1941: Twelve Days that Began a World War," offers an international perspective.

focus on集中于
例句：Many firms are focusing on increasing their markets overseas.
许多商行都专注于扩大国外市场。

6. “The 12 days are really pivotal in terms of the war as a whole and in the 20th century as well," says author Evan Mawdsley, a history professor at the University of Glasgow.

in terms of 就…而言, 从…方面说来
例句：He referred to your work in terms of high praise.
他对你的工作大加赞扬。

7. “America as a global power, the real beginning of that, I think, does date back to the shock of Pearl Harbor," he explains.

date back to 追溯到…; 从…开始
例句：The history of the town dates back to the Middle Ages.
这个城镇的历史可回溯到中世纪。