1-meltdown 突然崩溃，危机

The worldwide meltdown caused by the coronavirus seems to be accelerating.

2-looming (令人担忧或危险的事情) 可能发生，即将逼近

3-tank 重创

On Monday, fears of looming pandemic, coupled with the biggest single drop in oil prices since the United States entered the 1991 gulf war, tanked global markets.

4-impending 即将发生的，迫在眉睫的

Economic analysts cite an increasing number of signs that point to the likelihood of an impending recession in the United States.

5-squarely 不偏不倚地

6-pin 把归罪于

7-spiraling 盘旋上升

Attention falls squarely on president Trump who in the face of spiraling crisis, keeps pinning the blame on his imagined enemies.

8-by one count 根据一次统计

By one count, the world's 500 richest people lost a combined $203 billion in the first 96 minutes of US trading.

9-skepticism 怀疑

10-inexorable 不可阻挡的，无法改变的

His skepticism about the scale of public health threat, though, contrasts with growing warnings from officials and epidemiologists over the virus seemingly inexorable spread through the United States and other parts of the world.

11-stoke 煽动，激起

12-grievance 抱怨，委屈

So far, Italy's sufferings has mostly stoked continental grievances, not solidarity.

13-stockpile 大量库存

Countries in the European Union have resisted Italy's pleas for emergency medical supplies and masks to preserve their own stockpiles.

14-cobble sth together 草草匆忙地制作，粗制滥造

15-conspicuously 显著地

At a meeting of the bloc's health ministers scheduled for Friday,officials will attempt to cobble together some form of joint strategy, which so far has been conspicuously absent.

16-fray 磨损

17-rankle 使人耿耿于怀，令人愤怒

In the European Union, national emergencies are fraying continental unity: Nationalists are questioning the merits of the open-border policy, and prospect of a major euro-zone bailout for Italy's stricken economy is likely to rankle public opinion elsewhere.