CNN 2009-01-26

Hello to you, I'm Creshon Saunders at the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta, here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Sri Lanka's military says it has seized a key rebel stronghold forcing the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels out of their last military base. There's been no communication from the rebel so far. The move could mean the government is on the verge¹ of ending one of the world's longest and bloodiest² civil wars.

Authorities say at least 10 mountaineers were killed in an avalanche³ at a ski resort in Turkey. So far rescue workers have pulled out at least seven people from under the snow. The group was hiking the area when the avalanche happened.

The aunt of cult⁴ leader David Koresh is in custody⁵ today charged in the stabbing death of Koresh's mother. Bonnie Clark Halderman was found stabbed to death at her sister's house on Friday. That's about 175 miles north of Houston. The two women were the only ones there when police arrived after someone called 911.Police say there's no word on the motive⁶. Back in 1993, you may remember federal agents tried to arrest Koresh for allegedly stockpiling explosives and weapons at his Branch Davidians' ranch⁷ outside of Waco Texas. After a 51-day standoff, the complex was burned to the ground. Koresh and about 80 of his followers⁸ died.

 The Wichita Eagle Newspaper is reporting two people were shot dead, seven others wounded at a wake in Wichita Kansas, investigators⁹ say the ceremony was going on in a private home when somebody started shooting from outside that home. It's unclear how many shooters were involved or what the motive may have been. Police are looking for a green pickup¹⁰ truck that witnesses saw leaving the scene.

 Firefighters in Coatesville Pennsylvania finally got a 7-alarm house fire under control early this morning. Coatesville is about 45 miles west of Philly. Officials say one firefighter suffered a broken ankle battling that blaze, officials say no other injuries were caused by the fire. No word yet on what touched off the blaze.

Those are the headlines this hour, for more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV, even when you're on the go.

1 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

2 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

3 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

4 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

7 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

8 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。