美联社新闻一分钟 2007-04-29

1. One of the holiest Shiite shrines¹ in all of Iraq has been hit by a car bombing. More than 50 people were killed in an explosion in Karbala. Another 70 were wounded.

2. A suicide bomber² has killed 22 people at a public meeting in northwestern Pakistan. The country's interior minister was in the room at the time and is among the 35 people who were injured.

3. "Scotty" has been beamed up. The ashes of actor James Doohan who played "Scotty" on "Star Trek³" were blasted off into space. The ashes of astronaut Gordon Cooper were also on board.

4. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell was the first player selected in this year's NFL draft. The LSU alumni faces the daunting⁴ task of reviving the Oakland Raiders franchise⁵. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson went second to the Detroit Lions.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. blast off: phrase
When a space rocket blasts off, it leaves the ground at the start of its journey.

2. alumni: n-count
The alumni of a school, college or university are the people who used to be students there.

3. franchise: n-count
A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to take part in an activity which the organization controls.

 

1 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

2 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

3 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

4 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

5 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。