Wounded U.S. Congresswoman breathing on her own: doctors

    LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was seriously wounded in Saturday's shooting incident in Tucson, Arizona, was breathing on her own three days after being shot in the head, doctors said on Tuesday.
    The congresswoman（国会女议员） is recovering from a devastating¹ head wound she suffered when a gunman opened fire at point-blank range on Saturday morning, The Arizona Republic reported.
    "I'm happy to say she is holding her own," Michael Lemole, University Medical Center's chief of neurosurgery, said at a briefing on Giffords' condition. "She is able to follow simple commands."Lemole said doctors are keeping a breathing tube in Giffords to clear her airways² of fluids and to prevent other medical problems such as pneumonia³.
    "She is breathing on her own. The only reason we keep that breathing tube in is to protect her airway," Lemole said.
    In addition to Giffords, five patients remain in the hospital with three listed in serious condition and two in fair condition after the shooting rampage, the report said.
    Giffords was presumably⁴ the major target in the shooting, which killed six people. In addition to Giffords, 13 others were wounded.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

3 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

4 presumably   

adv.据推测，大概，可能

参考例句：

• No reply from him yet,presumably he hasn't received my letter.他没有回信，想必没有收到我的信。
• Presumably she could be trusted to find a safe place.或许满可以相信她，找得到安全的所在。