美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-09

1. Donald Rumsfeld resigned Wednesday as Secretary of Defense¹. President Bush made the announcement during a press conference at the White House, saying he would nominate former CIA director Robert Gates to the post.

2. In Montana, Democratic challenger John Tester has won a very close US Senate race against incumbent² and Republican Senator Conrad Burns. With 99% of the precincts reporting, Tester had a lead of just over 3,000 votes.

3. Arabs are outraged³ over an Israeli attack that killed 18 people in a Gaza town. The Palestinian Health Ministry⁴ says among the dead are 8 children from an extended family. An exiled leader of Hamas has declared an end to the truce⁵ with Israel and says his group will retaliate⁶ "in deeds, not words".

4. And on Interstate 85 near Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 pickups carrying 2 very different kinds of cargo⁷ collided Tuesday, leaving a truck full of cows mingling⁸ on the road next to a steeple from a church. No one was seriously injured

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. precinct : N=COUNT
A precinct is a part of a city which has its own police force and fire service.

2. extended family : N-COUNT
An extended family is a family group which includes relatives such as uncles, aunts, and grandparents, as well as parents, children, and brothers and sisters.

3. steeple : N-COUNT
A steeple is a tall pointed⁹ structure on top of the tower of a church.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

3 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

6 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

7 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

8 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。