News story | Words | Meanings |
Mr Netanyahu told Mr Obama that to suggest a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders did not "take into account certain changes that have taken place" in the intervening 44 years. During the frosty public show, the Israeli premier told Mr Obama that any peace deal "based on illusion will crash on the rocks of Middle East reality". Israel, he insisted, "can't go back to the 1967 lines". Although Mr Obama also spoke of land swaps that would allow Israel to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Mr Netanyahu said the proposal would leave Israel "indefensible". American officials were dismayed that a speech they intended to be remembered for its high-minded embrace of human rights in the Middle East had immediately been embroiled in controversy as a result of Mr Netanyahu's incandescent reaction. | take into account | consider; bear in mind |
intervening | existing between | |
frosty | unfriendly | |
illusion | a false idea or belief; delusion | |
swaps | exchanges | |
annex | take control of; seize | |
settlements | areas where groups of families live together | |
indefensible | defenseless; impossible to defend from military attack | |
dismayed | disappointed; disheartened | |
high-minded | strong moral principles; noble | |
embroiled in | mixed up with | |
incandescent | extremely angry |
Model sentences and idiomatic expressions with “illusion”:
• She's under the illusion that (= believes wrongly that) she'll get the job.
• I have no illusions about her feelings for me (= I know the truth is that she does not love me).
• He could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.
• I don't want to have my illusions shattered!
• They suffer from the illusion that they cannot solve their problems.
• She was under no illusion that he loved her.
• It is an illusion that the Arctic is dark in winter.
• I'm under no illusions (= I understand the truth) about the man I married.
Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the following words:
1. takes account of 2. swap 3. illusions 4. frosty 5. have a stake
1. The company . . . . . . environmental issues wherever possible.
2. The latest proposals were given a . . . . . . reception.
3. The new president has no . . . . . . about the difficulties facing her country.
4. Let's do a . . . . . . . You work Friday night and I'll do Saturday.
5. Germany . . . . . . Austria in 1938.
Answer key: 1. takes account of 2. frosty 3. illusions 4. swap 5. annexed
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