美联社新闻一分钟 2006-10-11

1. Following a wave of school shootings, the White House hosted the conference Tuesday on school safety. President Bush called the recent violence incredibly sad and challenged the nation to become proactive in preventing another tragedy.

2. A former congressional page at the center of the scandal focused around former Congressman¹ Mark Foley was questioned by the FBI Tuesday. Foley abruptly² resigned last month when ABC News confronted him about lurid³ instant messages he had allegedly sent to a former male page.

3. Members of the UN Security Council have been looking at a US draft resolution on North Korea following its reported test of a nuclear device. China's ambassador says North Korea must face some punitive⁴ action for the reported test.

4. This video from a school bus security camera shows an aggressive attack on a student in New Mexico. Two teenage sisters were charged with battery and disorderly conduct.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. proactive:adj. creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it.

2.abruptly: adv. suddenly; without continuity; steeply

3.lurid:adj. (of a description) shocking or sensational⁵.

4. battery:n.[Law] the infliction⁶ of unlawful personal violence on another person, even where the contact does no physical harm.

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

2 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

3 lurid   

adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的

参考例句：

• The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。
• The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。

4 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

5 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

6 infliction   

n.（强加于人身的）痛苦，刑罚

参考例句：

• Don't immerse yourself in the infliction too long.不要长时间沉浸在痛苦经历中。
• Instead of rivets there came an invasion,an infliction,and a visitation.但是铆钉并没有运来，来的却是骚扰、混乱和视察。