CNN 2009-04-23

I'm Melissa Long here at the CNN center in Atlanta with a look at some of the stories that are happening NOW IN THE NEWS on this Wednesday.

The acting¹ chief financial office for mortgage giant Freddie Mac was found dead in his home in Virginia this morning. A source familiar with the investigation² tells CNN that David Kellermann appears to hang himself. Kellermann had been at the acting CFO since September and was responsible for financial controls. The government took over Freddie Mac last fall.

Prosecutors³ say the suspect charged in the attack on the US cargo⁴ ship was the alleged⁵ ringleader. The Somali suspect was in federal court yesterday. Prosecutors say he was the first one to board the Maersk Alabama and fired a shot at the captain. The suspect is charged as an adult. His mom says he is a teen who was brainwashed by the older pirates.

Police say they found crucial evidence in the accused Craigslist Killer⁶ s apartment. They say they found a gun, duct tape and restraints. A neighbor says police escorted people into Philip Markoff's apartment yesterday about 20 minutes. Markoff is accused of killing⁷ a masseuse whom he may have met through Craigslist. His attorney says he is not guilty.

The high school dropout⁸ problem is getting better in some big cities. That s new this morning. A big city is often where you see the most dropouts. There is a new study that shows Philadelphia, Tucson, Kansas City, Missouri and ten other large cities did see a big improvement. One thing that s working: smaller classes and tutoring in math in the 9th grade, that s when children, of course, make the transition to high school.

Today is Earth Day, April 22nd, President Obama is using today to pitch his energy plan. He is traveling to Newton, Iowa hard hit by the economy, he will be touring a wind energy plant. The president also plans to talk about his plans to create environmentally friendly jobs and protect the environment.

And again April 22nd, Earth Day. Those are the headlines for you this hour. Do stay with CNN and CNN.com for the latest news.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

4 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。