大家覺得看新聞很難，很大的一個原因是好像到處是單字。但我們攤開中文報紙，看到密密麻麻的中文字，我們會不會覺得單字很多呢？不會吧，那麼看英語新聞單字太多，就代表我們的水準不夠、層次不夠。我經常告訴同學們，當你看新聞英語的時侯，你的基點不要擺在語言這個層次上。你要提昇至常識、知識、甚至經驗上。
因為你已不是一張白紙，你對社會事務有一定的認識，你要運用你的常識、知識與人生經驗，來協助你理解英語新聞。我們發現，如果你的基點愈是擺在語言這個層次上，那麼語言對你來說就愈是問題。可是如果你的基點往上提高的話，你會驚奇的發現：語言不再是問題了！
咱們開始看新聞。新聞出處：http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/big5/aReadArticle.jsp?id=26662
Rice’s trip to Beijing comes a week after China’s rubber-stamp parliament passed an anti-secession law that authorizes the use of force against Taiwan if it moves toward independence.
萊絲是在北京橡皮圖章式的國會，通過了一項反分裂法之後來到北京；這項法案授權使用武力對付台灣，假如它朝向獨立的話。
The Bush administration, which has said it would do whatever it took to help the island defend itself, fears the new law will ratchet up tensions in the region.
布希政府已經說它將盡一切可能來協助台灣自衛，布希政府害怕這項新的法律將會提昇在這個地區的緊張。
Rice said, “The anti-secession law was not a welcome development because anything that is unilateral and increases tensions, which clearly the anti-secession law does – is not good. China and Taiwan are not going to be able to resolve this alone. They are going to eventually need each other to resolve this. And so while we remain absolutely committed to a “One China” policy, we also recognize that the most useful path ahead at this point would be to have means that reduce tension between the two sides.”
萊絲說：「反分裂法是不受歡迎的發展，因為反分裂法升高緊張，是不好的。中國和台灣都不能單獨解決這個問題，他們最終需要共同解決問題。所以美國在信守一個中國政策的同時，美國也承認此時最有用的途徑是採取降低緊張的辦法。」
Beijing considers the island democracy of 23 million people a part of Chinese territory and has vowed to bring it back to the fold, by force if necessary.
北京認為2300萬人民主的台灣是中國領土的一部份，並且誓言如果必要的話，將以武力收復。
Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979, but the Taiwan Relations Act mandates that the United States supply the island with defensive weapons.
華盛頓在1979年與台北斷交，而轉與北京建交，但是台灣關係法規定美國應該提供台灣防禦性武器。
Rice also said a European Union plan to lift an embargo on arms sales to China might alter the military balance in Asia, where the United States stations armed forces.
萊絲也說，歐盟計劃解除對中國的武器銷售禁運，可能會攺變亞洲的軍事平衡，美國在亞洲有駐守軍隊。〈待續〉@
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