CNN 2009-07-17

Good morning, I'm Melissa Long here at the CNN center in Atlanta. It's Thursday, July 16th and here's a look at some of the stories that are happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor will begin a final round of questioning from senators this morning, and then lawmakers will hear the people who have been in her courtroom. Yesterday Sotomayor vigorously defended what she said was her "unbiased" approach to the law. She also avoided giving her personal views on hot-button issues like abortion¹ and gun control.

An eighth suspect now under arrest in connection to the murder of a Florida couple that
had 17 children. The sheriff tells us Pamela Long Wiggins will be charged with accessory after the fact. Authorities expect to question two more persons of interest.

President Obama is heading to New York City tonight to address the NAACP as the organization's celebrating its 100th anniversary. As the nation's first black president, Mr. Obama's speech will be especially meaningful to the group. The NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States.

"3, 2, 1, booster ignition and lift-off of Endeavour. Completing Kibo…” The Shuttle Endeavor finally lifting off last night. And again, finally, but not without a glitch². NASA says some foam³ insulation⁴ fell off during the launch and hit the shuttle. The crew will be taking a closer look, but NASA said not to worry. The Endeavor will reach the International Space Station tomorrow after three weather delays. Of course, the launch's successful yesterday. Its crew is going to have five spacewalks to perform in order to build a platform for experiments.

You're up to date. Those are the headlines. Do stay with CNN, CNN.com for more on these stories or other news that develops today.

1 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

2 glitch   

n.干扰；误操作，小故障

参考例句：

• There is a glitch in the computer program somewhere.这个计算机程序中的某个部分有点小问题。
• It could just be a random glitch that can be solved by restarting the machine.可能只是一个小故障，重新启动主机就能解决了。

3 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

4 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。