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Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Testify at a Hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Zhouzhuang, China, A 900 year Old Water Town is considered the Venice of the East; Seal Slaps Kayaker With Octopus

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz. Welcoming you to CNN 10. This show begins with coverage of first day`s hearings on Capitol Hill.

They involve a college professor`s accusations against a U.S. Supreme Court nominee and the nominee`s response. While this show does not go into

graphic detail, it does include portions of the opening statements from the two main people involved. Those people are Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford, a

professor at Palo Alto University in California and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a U.S. Appeals Court Judge who`s President Donald Trump`s nominee to the

Supreme Court.

In late July, Dr. Ford gave a letter to Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein. In it the professor accused the judge of having sexually assaulted her

while they were high school students in 1982. Senator Feinstein shared the letter with the FBI in mid-September. At that time, the Senate Judiciary

Committee was preparing to vote on it`s recommendation to the full Senate on whether to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the High Court. The Judiciary

Committee put it`s vote on hold and invited both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh to discuss these accusations on Capitol Hill. They appeared

yesterday. Dr. Ford was the first to testify.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD, PROFESSOR AT PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY: My name is Christine Blasey Ford. I am a professor of psychology at Palo Alto

University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am

here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school. I understand and

appreciate the importance of your hearing for me directly about what happened to me and the impact it has had on my life and my family.
 

appreciate [əˋpriʃɪ͵et] v. 体会，领会

I don`t have all the answers and I don`t remember as much as I would like to. But the details about that night that bring me here today are the ones

that I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult. Brett`s assault on me direct
 

sear [sɪr] v. 打烙印

episodically [͵ɛpəˋsɑdɪklɪ] adv. 插曲式的，偶然发生的，短暂的

drastically altered my life for a very long time. I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone these details. But over the years, I went through

periods where I thought about the attack.

I had confided in some close friends that I had had an experience with sexual assault, but until July 2018, I had never named Mr. Kavanaugh as my
 

confide [kənˋfaɪd] v. 透露，吐露

attacker outside of therapy. This changed in early July 2018. I saw press reports stating that Brett Kavanaugh was on the short list of a list of

very well qualified Supreme Court nominees. I thought it was my civic duty to relay the information I had about Mr. Kavanaugh`s conduct so that those
 

relay [rɪˋle] v. 转发;转达

considering his nomination would know about this assault.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ: After a recess Thursday afternoon, Judge Kavanaugh testified before the committee.
 

recess [rɪˋsɛs] n. 休息；休会；休庭

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Less than two weeks ago Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing of wrongdoing at an event more than

36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, categorically and unequivocally. The day after the allegation
 

categorically [͵kætəˋgɔrɪklɪ] adv. 明确地；直截了当地

unequivocally [͵ʌnɪˋkwɪvək!ɪ] adv.【书】毫不含糊地；明确地

appeared, I told this committee that I wanted a hearing as soon as possible to clear my name. Unfortunately, it took the committee 10 days to get to

this hearing and those 10 long days as was predictable and as I predicted my family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed by

vicious and false additional accusations.

I know that any kind of investigation Senate, FBI, Montgomery County Police, whatever will clear me. This first allegation was held in secret

for weeks by a Democratic member of this committee and by staff. It would be needed only if you couldn`t take me out on the merits. When it was
 

only if (用以表示对现时或未来的愿望)要是...该多好；(用以表示与过去事实相反的愿望)要是; 只要

on the merits 根据是非曲直; 依法; 基于案情实质, 基于法定权利

needed, this allegation was unleashed and publicly deployed over Dr. Ford`s wishes. I`m here today to tell the truth. I`ve never sexually assaulted
 

unleash [ʌnˋliʃ] v. 释放

anyone not in high school, not in college, not ever. I`m not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person, in some

place, at some time. But I have never done this to her, or to anyone. That`s not who I am. It is not who I was. I am innocent of this charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ: Following the two testimonies yesterday, it was once again in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine whether to

recommend confirming Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That committee vote was scheduled for Friday.

10 Second Trivia. Which of these cities has the fewest number of bridges? Amsterdam, Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; New York, New York; or Venice,

Italy. Even though it`s an island city of canals with around 400 bridges, Venice has the fewest number of them on this list.
 

canal [kəˋnæl] n. 运河；河渠，水道

It`s still one of the most famous and picturesque cities on the planet. A historic, aquatic jewel that researchers say probably dates back to the

late 500`s A.D. That makes Venice a lot younger than China`s city of canals. A place some call the Venice of the East. Unlike the Italian city

which is located on the coast of Adriatic Sea, the Chinese city of Zhenyuan is located hundreds of miles inland but that doesn`t detract from it`s watery beauty.

Zhenyuan 镇远

detract [dɪˋtrækt] v. 減損，降低[（+from）]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 2,000 years ago, the city of Zhenyuan was built on a natural moat. Sandwiched between mountains intending to keep
 

moat [mot] n. 护城河，壕沟

intruders out but today tourists flow through the streets of the famous "Venice of the Orient". Built in 205 B.C. during the Chin Dynasty, the Woo

Yung River divides the city into two parts east and west. Numerous small canals, rivers and bridges dot the landscape of this ancient city. The

city also thrived from trade.

The silk road of the South went through this city because it was the only access point by ship from South China to the Central Plains. Merchant

ships were docked here from Vietnam, Thailand and India eager to move through the port to the capital. Today, you`ll find remnants of old and

new married perfectly in this ancient city. As day turns to night, the stunning views turn into a neon wonderland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ: Seal slaps kayaker with octopus. Friday`s are awesome. This is what happens when - - well actually this never really happens but it
 

slap [slæp] v. 摑……耳光

kayaker [ˈkaɪækɚ] n. 划独木舟者

occurred this once off the coast of New Zealand. Kayakers say they were watching the seal hunt the octopus when it caught it`s prey. And then

appeared to slap the kayaker with it when the seal was actually trying to chew the octopus` leg. The octopus then suctioned onto the kayak and it

eventually got away.

So maybe it kept it`s eight legs but surely lost one of it`s nine lives. It came out of the depths of danger to the crest of hope. If this seal`s

telling his buddies, I let him go. He might be "sealyin`". And if the octopus needs proof this happened, he can just watch our "cephalapodcast"

ya`ll. I`m Carl Azuz. Hope you have a great weekend ahead.

END