美联社新闻一分钟 2007-06-24

1. It's been a day of gains and losses for the military in Iraq. Officials say they have captured two top al-Qaeda leaders there. However they also say seven troops have been killed in roadside bombings.

2. Federal investigators¹ working in South Carolina say they have pinpoint²ed where a deadly fire started. They say the blaze that killed nine firefighters ignited in a loading dock. However, they are not saying if they have determined⁴ the cause of the fire.

3. Lady Bird Johnson is said to be resting well in a Texas hospital. The former First Lady was taken there a couple of days ago with a slight fever. Her family says she is doing well and is undergoing more tests.

4. Er , there is not much more you can say about this poor mutt except that he is indeed the world's ugliest dog. Elwood won that title yesterday in a contest in California. Along with one thousand dollars, it could help pretty him up a little.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. pinpoint: [transitive]
to discover or explain exactly the real facts about something or the cause of a problem

2. dock: [countable]
a place in a port where ships are loaded, unloaded, or repaired

3. mutt: [countable]
a dog that does not belong to any particular breed

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

3 pinpointed   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的过去式和过去分词 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice. 他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。
• Computers pinpointed where the shells were coming from. 计算机确定了炮弹发射的位置。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。