3 Win World's Largest Lottery

 　　The rush to buy tickets for what U.S. officials say is the world's largest lottery¹ jackpot is about to pay off. Mega Millions lottery officials say there were three winning tickets for the record $640 million jackpot sold in three states.

　　In the hours leading up to the Mega Millions drawing, there was a rush on tickets like lottery officials have never seen.

　　"Last night, between the hours of, oh, 5 to 10 o'clock, around the country, we were selling Mega Millions tickets at the rate of about $1 million a minute.  Never before have we seen that kind of frenzy," noted² Mega Millions lead director Gary Grief³.

　　And then the fateful moment arrived. Lottery officials say three tickets - each worth about $213 million before taxes - have the winning numbers.  One of the winning tickets was sold at a store in Baltimore County⁴, Maryland, 60 kilometers north of Washington.

　　Most of those buying tickets to the Mega Millions lottery Friday knew their chances of winning were slim.

　　"It's the idea of a dream," said Lottery ticket buyer Andy Morenstern.  "I think it's just another way of living the American dream.  To have a lottery available here like this is pretty amazing. And everybody thinks that, 'One day if I win the lottery, what will I do with it all?'"

　　For some lucky Americans, the time to answer that question for real is here.

1 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 grief   

n.悲伤，悲痛，悲伤的事，悲痛的缘由

参考例句：

• Don't allow yourself to sink into grief,it can do no good.不要使自己陷入悲哀之中，这样一点好处也没有。
• After her mother died,she abandoned herself to grief.母亲死后，她沉浸于悲痛之中。

4 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。