美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-13

1. Sunday marked the day of remembrance for the families of those who died in the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 5 years ago. Two hundred sixty-five people died when that plane crashed moments after taking off from New York's Kennedy Airport heading for the Dominican Republic.

2. Israel's prime minister is beginning a 5-day visit to the United States. Topping Ehud Olmert's agenda is the nuclear threat posed by an openly defiant¹ Iran. Israel fears the Arab state won't scale back off its nuclear ambitions unless consequences are feared.

3. Iraqi authorities report finding 75 bodies in Iraq on Sunday, an unusually high number, even in recent days marked with much bloodshed. Most bodies are victims of sectarian fighting and often go unidentified.

4. The sky over the Florida Keys was tart²ed Sunday with parachutes as jumpers participated in the Keys Boogie annual skydiving festival. Various jump styles are attempted at the event which is considered the most visually stirring experience available for avid⁴ fans of the sport.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. scale back : PHR-V
If you scale down something, you make it smaller in size, amount, or extent than it used to be..

2. tart : VERB
To dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish⁵ way. Often used with up.

3. skydiving : N-NUCOUNT
Skydiving is the sport of jumping out of an aeroplane and falling freely through the air before opening your parachute.

4. stirring : ADJ
A stirring event, performance, or account of something makes people very excited or enthusiastic.

1 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

2 tart   

adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇

参考例句：

• She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。
• She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了，用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。

3 tarted   

vt.将某人打扮得妖艳，将某物装饰得俗气（tart的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The old man tarted up his shop so much that I couldn't recognize it. 那个老人把他的小店装饰得我都认不出来了。 来自辞典例句
• Old Mrs Jones was all tarted up for the vicar's garden party. 琼斯老太太打扮得花枝招展去参加教区牧师举行的游园会。 来自互联网

4 avid   

adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的

参考例句：

• He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
• She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

5 garish   

adj.华丽而俗气的，华而不实的

参考例句：

• This colour is bright but not garish.这颜色艳而不俗。
• They climbed the garish purple-carpeted stairs.他们登上铺着俗艳的紫色地毯的楼梯。