美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-19

1. A new book claims that al-Qaeda was planning a poison gas attack on New York subway system. Investigative reporter Ron Suskind writes in his new book that al-Qaeda's No. 2 man called off the plot in 2003. The White House will not confirm or deny the account.

2. In Iraq, a farmer claims he witnessed the attack on U.S. troops Friday. Two soldiers are still missing, a third is dead. The witness said gunmen took the troops captive. U.S. military is searching for the two by air, ground and in the water.

3. US troops moved into the Afghan mountains in an offensive to stop Taliban insurgence¹. The units are in position to cut off key transport routes for the militants³. It's the largest military offensive in five years, militant² attacks have been on the rise in recent months.

4. Forget the World Cup, Robo Cup is where the action is. Hundreds gathered to watch Germany and Japan in the finals. Competition pits humanoid robots teamed against each other in a soccer match. The Germans took an early lead, but couldn't hang on as the Japanese came back to win 9-5.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. investigative : adj
Investigative work, especially journalism⁴, involves investigating things.
e.g. an investigative reporter

2. Ron Suskind
Ron Suskind was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal from 1993 to 2000 and is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer (1995, for Feature Writing). On January 13, 2004, his book with Paul O'Neill, The Price of Loyalty⁵: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill was published, revealing controversial details about the early years of the George W. Bush administration.

3. call off : phrasal verb
If you call off an event that has been planned, you cancel it.
e.g. The union threatened a strike but called it off at the last minute.

4. take somebody captive : phrase
If you take someone captive or hold someone captive, you take or keep them as a prisoner.
e.g. Richard was finally released on February 4, one year and six weeks after he'd been taken captive.

5. unit : n-count
A unit is a group within an armed force or police force, whose members fight or work together or carry out a particular task.
e.g. Two small Marine⁶ units have been trapped inside the city for the last 36 hours.

6. pit against : phrasal verb
to test somebody or their strength, intelligence, etc. in a struggle or contest against somebody/something else
e.g. Lawyers and accountants felt that they were being pitted against each other.

7. humanoid : noun, adj
a machine or creature that looks and behaves like a human

8. team : verb, usually passive
to put two or more things or people together in order to do something or to achieve a particular effect
e.g. He was teamed with his brother in the doubles.

9. come back : phrasal verb
to become popular or successful again
e.g. Long hair for men seems to be coming back in.

1 insurgence   

n.起义；造反；暴动；叛乱

参考例句：

• US troops moved into the Afghan mountains in an offensive to stop Taliban insurgence. 美军日前进军阿富汗山区阻止塔利班组织的一次暴动。 来自互联网

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

5 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。