u.s. secretary of state antony blinken arrives in saudi arabia for talks with arab leaders on the gaza war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with Arab leaders on the issue of the war in Gaza.
the u.s. defense department confirms secretary lloyd austin remained in the hospital sunday, but was continuing his duties after an unnamed operation.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remained in hospital on Sunday but continued to perform his duties after an unnamed operation.
a piece of a boeing 737 passenger jet that broke off in flight is recovered in oregon, as **iation officials investigate.
Aviation ** is investigating, and Oregon has found fragments of a Boeing 737 airliner that broke in flight.
and a robotic lander built by a private american company launches on a mission to the moon.
A robotic lander manufactured by a private American company was launched to carry out a mission to the moon.
the spacecraft developed a fuel leak hours after liftoff.
The spacecraft suffered a fuel leak hours after liftoff.
new words and expressions:
secretary of statenoun[ c ]uk/ˌsek.rə.tər.i əv ˈsteɪt/
in the uk, a member of parliament who is in charge of a government departmentSecretary of State (UK).
she became secretary of stateforeducation after spending three years as environment secretary.After three years as Minister of the Environment, she became Secretary of State for Education.
in the us, an important government official who has responsibility for relationships with the governments of other countriesSecretary of State.
saudi arabianounuk/ˌsaʊ.di əˈreɪ.bi.ə/
a country in western asia
Saudi Arabia (West Asian country).
defensenounuk/dɪˈfens/
protection or support against attack, criticism, or infectionProtect, protect;Defense;Plead.
the rebels' only form of defenceagainstthe soldiers' guns was sticks and stones.The rebels had to defend themselves against the soldiers' bullets with sticks and stones.
the war has ended but government spending on defence (= the country's armed forces) is still increasing.The war is over, but the defense spending of ** is still increasing.
departmentnoun[ c, +sing/pl verb ]uk/dɪˈpɑːt.mənt/
a part of an organization such as a school, business, or government that deals with a particular area of study or workDepartments, departments, divisions, sections, and offices (in an organization or institution).
the chemistry department/the departmentofDepartment of Chemistry.
confirmverbuk/kənˈfɜːm/
to make an arrangement or meeting certain, often by phone or writingConfirm, confirm (schedule or meeting).
that ] six people h**e confirmedthatthey will be attending and ten h**en't replied yet.Six have confirmed their participation and 10 have not yet responded.
flights should be confirmed 48 hours before departure.Flights should be confirmed 48 hours before departure.
dutynoun[ c or u ]uk/ˈdʒuː.ti/
something that you h**e to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to doResponsibility;Obligation.
the duty of the agency is to act in the best interests of the child.The responsibility of this institution is to work in the best interests of the child.
to infinitive ] i felt it was my dutytotell them the truth.I felt it was my duty to tell them the truth.
unnamedadjectiveuk/ʌnˈneɪmd/
an unnamed person or thing is talked about, but their name is not known or mentioned.Unnamed, anonymous.
the article quoted an unnamed source from the white house.The article cites an anonymous source in the White House.
operationnounuk/ˌɒp.ərˈeɪ.ʃn/
the fact of operating or being activeOperation, implementation, work.
there are several reactors of the typeinoperation (= working) at the moment.Several such reactors are currently working.
an occasion when a doctor cuts a body for medical reasons in order to repair, remove, or replace an unhealthy or damaged partSurgery.
a major minor routine operation.
an abdominal cataract transplant operation.
he has toh**ean operationonhis shoulder.He had to have surgery on his shoulder.
to infinitive ] we will know in a couple of days if the operationtorestore her sight wassuccessful.In a few days we will be able to find out if the surgery to restore her vision was successful.
phrasal verbwith breakverbuk/breɪk/
to separate a part from a larger piece, or to become separateBreaking;(make) disconnect;Apart.
he broke off a piece of chocolate.He broke a piece of chocolate.
recoververb[ i or t ]uk/rɪˈkʌv.ər/
to become completely well again after an illness or injuryFull recovery (after illness or injury).
it took her a long time to recoverfrom/afterher heart operation.It took a long time for her body to recover after her heart surgery.
to get back something lost or spentLost and regained, regained.
she went into a coma and died without recovering consciousness.She fell into a coma and never woke up.
she was astonished to see me, but she soon recovered her composure/herself(= soon g**e the appearance of being calm).She was shocked to see me, but quickly calmed down.
police only recover a very small percentage of stolen goods.*Only a small portion of the stolen goods were recovered.
*iationnoun[ u ]uk/ˌeɪ.viˈeɪ.ʃn/
the activity of flying aircraft, or of designing, producing, and keeping them in good conditionAeronautics (Learning);Flight (Technique);Aviation industry.
The British Civil **iation Authority.
The US Federal **iation Administration.
*iation Fuel.
investigateverb[ t ]uk/ɪnˈves.tɪ.ɡeɪt/
to examine a crime, problem, statement, etc. carefully, especially to discover the truth(especially for uncovering the truth) investigation, censorship.
police are investigating allegations of corruption involving senior executives.*Allegations of alleged ** against senior management are under investigation.
question word ] we are of course investigatinghowan error like this could h**e occurred.We are certainly investigating why such errors occur.
roboticadjectiveuk/rəʊˈbɒt.ɪk/
relating to or like a robotRobotic;Robot-like.
robotic dancing is dancing in which you make short sudden movements with your arms and legs like the actions of a robot.Robot dance (a type of dance).
landernoun[ c ]uk/ˈlæn.dər/
a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of a planet or moonLanders, landing capsules, landing vehicles.
the european space agency was scheduled to place a lander on mars.The European Space Agency had planned to launch a lander to Mars.
they descend into darkness like astronauts in a lunar lander.They descended into darkness like astronauts in a lunar lander.
privateadjectiveuk/ˈpraɪ.vət/
only for one person or group and not for everyonePrivate;Private.
she has a small office that is used for private discussions.She has a small office for secret conversations.
i caught him looking through my private **s.I bumped into him flipping through my private papers.
the sign on the gate said "privateproperty- no trespassing!"The sign at the gate reads "Private Mansion - No Idlers Enter".
launchverbuk/lɔːntʃ/
to begin something such as a plan or introduce something new such as a productLaunch, rollout, launch.
the programme was launched a year ago.The program was launched one year ago.
the airline will launch its new transatlantic service next month.The airline will open a new transatlantic route next month.
to send something out, such as a new ship into the water or a spacecraft into spaceLaunching (the new ship);Launch (rocket).
a spokesman for the dockyard said they hoped to launch the first submarine within two years.A spokesman for the shipyard said that they want to launch the first submarine within two years.
to launch a missile
fuelnounuk/ˈfjuː.əl/
a substance that is used to provide heat or power, usually by being burnedFuel;Incendiary.
wood, coal, oil, petrol, and gas are all different kinds of fuel.Timber, coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas are different kinds of fuels.
plutonium is a fuel used to produce nuclear energy.Plutonium is a fuel used to produce nuclear energy.
nuclear