1.   In his weekly radio address, President Bush thanked U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families for their sacrifices.

在他的每周电台演讲中，布什总统感谢了在伊拉克和阿富汗服役的美国军队和他们的家庭为止做出的牺牲。

sacrifice

Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

牺牲：为了某个被认为更有价值或权利的人或物而放弃非常珍贵的东西

2.   We took steps to secure our country from terrorism, but bin Laden remains free, al-Qaida is growing stronger and the president's focus on Iraq has allowed conditions in Afghanistan to deteriorate.

我们采取了许多步骤来让我们国家免受恐怖主义的威胁，但是本。拉登还是逍遥法外，基地组织变得越来越强大。总统对于伊拉克的过度关注已经导致阿富汗状况恶化。

deteriorate

 become worse in quality or condition 变坏; 变质; 恶化:

* Leather can deteriorate in damp conditions. 皮革受潮可变质.

* The discussion deteriorated into a bitter quarrel. 这场讨论演变成了激烈的争吵.

3.   Japan has been under pressure from conservation groups, the United States, Australia and New Zealand not to hunt humpback whales - which are considered near extinction.

日本一直以来受到来自保护组织，美国，澳大利亚和新西兰的压力，他们要求日本停止捕杀驼背鲸，该物种被认为已接近灭绝。

extinction

 action of making extinct; state of being extinct 灭绝; 绝种:

* We may live to see the extinction of the whale. 人类或许能亲眼见到鲸的灭绝.

* a tribe threatened by/with extinction 受到绝种威胁的部落. 

4.   Although Tokyo vigorously defends the whale hunt as scientific research, whale meat - a delicacy in Japan - ends up in supermarkets.

该发言人称他希望其政府的决定会改善同澳大利亚的关系。虽然东京方面以科学研究为捕鲸辩护，而鲸鱼肉，在日本是一种美食，已经在超市终结。

delicacy

type of food thought to be delicious, esp in a particular place 珍馐, 佳肴（尤指有某处风味的）:

* The local people regard these crabs as a great delicacy.当地人认为这些螃蟹是珍馐美味.

5.   The North American Aerospace Defense Command, which normally uses its sophisticated radars to track missiles, has been helping to track Santa's progress every year since 1955.

北美航天宇宙防卫司令部通常用其精密的雷达来跟踪导弹，而自从1955年起，用他们来帮助跟踪每年圣诞老人的进度。

sophisticated  adj.（形容词）

Having acquired worldly knowledge or refinement; lacking natural simplicity or naiveté.

老于世故的：具备世故的知识或精细的；缺乏自然的单纯或天真幼稚的

Very complex or complicated:

非常复杂精密或尖瑞的：

* the latest and most sophisticated technology.

最新最尖端的技术:

6.   A simple click on any region of the map gives a quick update on what is described as "Santa's progress," complete with geographical information about the places he visits. 

点击网站地图的任何区域将会对被称作“圣诞老人进度”进行更新。该进度会处理完成自他所访问地区的地理信息。

update

bring (sth) up to date; modernize 更新（某事物）; 使现代化:

* update a dictionary, file, law 修订词典、 档案、 法律

* update production methods, computer systems 更新生产方法、 计算机设备.