美联社新闻一分钟 2005-10-26

1. Floridians line up for water, gas, ice and generators¹ outside the few stores opened after Hurricane Wilma cuts a costly² deadly swath across the peninsula.

2. Election officials say Iraq's constitution was adopted by a majority in a fair vote during the October referendum with Sunni opponents failing to defeat it.

3. Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern Civil Rights movement dies of natural causes. She was 92.

4. The White House sidesteps questions about whether Vice³ President Dick Cheney passed his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe.

5. And a thrill-seeking grandmother in Australia celebrates her 92nd birthday in high style by making her very first tandem⁴ skydive jump

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. swathe
4 swathe
If a person or thing cuts a swathe through something, they pass through it causing great destruction or change.
The storm cut a swathe through southern England.
Keegan's team have been cutting an irresistible⁵ swathe through the first division.
PHR: V inflects, PHR n The noun is also spelled swath

2. thrill
1 thrill thrills
If something gives you a thrill, it gives you a sudden feeling of great excitement, pleasure, or fear.
I can remember the thrill of not knowing what I would get on Christmas morning.
It's a great thrill for a cricket-lover like me to play at the home of cricket.
...the realization⁶ that new adventures, new thrills, and new worlds lie ahead.
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n/-ing

3. tandem
3 tandem
If one person does something in tandem with another person, the two people do it by working together.
He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.
PHR: usu PHR after v, oft PHR with n

4. skydiving
skydiving
Skydiving is the sport of jumping out of an aeroplane and falling freely through the air before opening your parachute.
N-UNCOUNT

1 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 tandem   

n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的

参考例句：

• Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
• He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。

5 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

6 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。