美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-03

1. The man suspected of setting a deadly wildfire in southern California is now facing murder and arson¹ charges in the deaths of five firefighters. Raymond Lee Oyler was already under arrest on suspicion of setting two other fires over the summer. If convicted, Oyler could face the death penalty.

2. In Iraq, violence marks the beginning of November following a very deadly October. At least 49 people were killed or found dead throughout Iraq Thursday, including seven people killed when a motorcycle rigged with explosives blew up in a crowded market in Baghdad.

3. In Virginia, the sheriff in Henry County and 12 of his current and former employees are under federal indictments² for an alleged³ drug-related racketeering conspiracy⁴. Five citizens, a probation⁵ officer and a US postal⁶ service worker were charged as well.

4. An aid in the fight against obesity⁷ may be found in a wineglass. Researchers say tests done in lab mice have shown that consuming large quantities of a red wine extract could counter the effects of a high-fat diet.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. arson: n-uncount
Arson is the crime of deliberately⁸ setting fire to a building or vehicle.

2. racketeer: verb
To racketeer means to carry on illegal business activities that involve crimes.

3. probation officer: n-count
A probation officer is a person whose job is to supervise and help people who have committed crimes and been put on probation.

4. counter: verb
If you do something to counter a particular action or process, you do something which has an opposite effect to it or makes it less effective.

1 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

2 indictments   

n.（制度、社会等的）衰败迹象( indictment的名词复数 )；刑事起诉书；公诉书；控告

参考例句：

• A New York jury brought criminal indictments against the founder of the organization. 纽约的一个陪审团对这个组织的创始人提起了多项刑事诉讼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These two indictments are self-evident and require no elaboration. 这两条意义自明，无须多说。 来自互联网

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

6 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

7 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。