美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-18

1. North (Korea) denies reports that it's getting ready to test a long-range missile. But the U. S. and Japan are taking no chances. Both are urging the Koreans not to go forward with any testing.

2. Discovery has a July 1st launch date. NASA officials made the announcement today. This will be the first shuttle mission in nearly a year. Engineers have been working on fixing the foam¹ on the shuttle's external tank. Flying foam hit the wing of the Shuttle Columbia in 2003, causing the shuttle to disintegrate² on re-entry to earth.

3. Former Enron President Jeffrey Skilling says he thought about killing³ himself after his company crumble⁴d and the government began pressuring him. In an interview with the Wall Street Journals, Skilling says he went into a deep depression. Skilling will be sentenced in October for lying to investors⁶.

4. It's a day fit for Queen in England. Today was the last day of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday. Royal Air Force jets marked the occasion with a flyover⁷. The Queen was actually born in April, but celebration always happens in June when the weather is better.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. long-range : adj
A long-range piece of military equipment or vehicle is able to hit or detect a target a long way away or to travel a long way in order to do something.
e.g. He is very keen to reach agreement with the US on reducing long-range nuclear missiles.

2. take no chances ---不冒险, 力求万全
take a chance : phrase
When you take a chance, you try to do something although there is a large risk of danger or failure.
e.g. You take a chance on the weather if you holiday in the UK.

3. disintegrate : verb
If an object or substance disintegrates⁸, it breaks into many small pieces or parts and is destroyed.

4. re-entry : n-uncount
Re-entry is used to refer to the moment when a spacecraft comes back into the earth's atmosphere after being in space.
e.g. The station would burn up on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

5. crumble : verb
to begin to fail or get weaker or to come to an end
e.g. a crumbling⁹ business / relationship

6. flyover : n-count
A flyover is the same as a flypast. (AM)
flypast : n-count
A flypast is a flight by a group of aircraft in a special formation which takes place on a ceremonial occasion or as a display. (BRIT; in AM, use flyover)

1 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。

2 disintegrate   

v.瓦解，解体，（使）碎裂，（使）粉碎

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• The plane would probably disintegrate at that high speed.飞机以那么高速飞行也许会四分五裂。

3 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。

4 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

5 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

8 disintegrates   

n.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的名词复数 )v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Particles rain down from the slug and it finally disintegrates. 颗粒从上面纷纷下落，最后腾涌消失。 来自辞典例句
• When the uranium disintegrates, it changes into lead. 当铀蜕变时，它变成了铅。 来自辞典例句

9 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。