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1. In Afghanistan, the Pentagon is extending the tour of more than 2,000 Marines after insisting the unit would come home on time. Military leaders say they need more troops. So now the unit is due home in early November.

2. Hostages released in Colombia are reuniting with family members after rebels held them in the jungle for years. One-time presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt embraced her children. Three American military contractors² are recuperating³ at an army hospital in Texas.

3. Federal prosecutors⁴ in Vermont file charges against a man whose 12-year-old niece was found dead. The charges carry the death penalty. Authorities say the man tricked the girl into going to a party, planning to initiate⁵ her into a child sex ring.

4. A branch of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum opens in Germany with the likes of Hitler, Beethoven and Carl Marx on display. All of these lifelike figures can be touched and photographed. Everyone except Hitler.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

extend [intransitive + adverb/preposition,transitive]v.

to continue for a longer period of time, or to make something last longer

tour [countable]n.
a short trip through a place to see it
tour of/around/round

Marine¹ [countable]n.
a soldier who serves on a ship, especially a member of the Royal Marines or the US Marine Corps⁶

unit[countable]n.
a thing, person, or group that is regarded as one single whole part of something larger
eg.a Russian army unit

due[not before noun]
expected to happen or arrive at a particular time
due to do something

jungle[uncountable and countable]n.
a thick tropical forest with many large plants growing very close together

one-time[only before noun]adj.
former

recuperate[intransitive]v.
to get better again after an illness or injury [= recover]
recuperate from
eg.Coles is recuperating from a sprained⁷ ankle.

trick[transitive]v.
to deceive someone in order to get something from them or to make them do something:
trick somebody into doing something
eg.He claimed he was tricked into carrying drugs.

initiate[transitive]v.
to tell someone about something or show them how to do something
initiate somebody into something
eg.Those kids were initiated⁸ into heroin⁹ use at a young age.

ring[countable]n.
a group of people who illegally control a business or criminal activity
Madame Tussauds（杜莎夫人蜡像馆）is a famous wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor¹⁰ Marie Tussaud.

the likes of somebody/something spoken

used to talk about people of a particular type

lifelike adj.

a lifelike picture, model etc looks exactly like a real person or thing

photograph [transitive]v.

to take a photograph of someone or something