短语讲解：

1.“From a diplomatic standpoint, it’s a tremendous message, and from a technical standpoint it shows that there are possibilities of actually mounting a type of defense that will knock at least some inter-continental ballistic missiles out of the sky before they reach their intended targets.”

at least 至少
例句：He's been away for at least a week.
他走了总有一个星期吧。

2.The U.S. test took place after North Korea tested a short-range missile on Monday.

take place 发生，举行
例句：Earthquakes take place far underground.
地震则发生在地球的极深处。