AP 2010-11-03_在线英语听力室_免费在线英语听力学习网站

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1. The White House says President Barack Obama isn’t giving up on the House of Representatives even amid dire¹ predictions and poor polls for Democrats². Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the president is still working to hold onto control of the chamber³ in his last few days before the midterm elections.

2. A top University of Notre Dame⁴ official says there was what he called an extraordinary burst of wind on the football field just before a tower crashed to the ground, killing⁵ a student. Declan Sullivan was videotaping practice at the time of the incident.

3. An official says the death toll⁶ from a tsunami⁷ off western Indonesia has risen to 370. The disaster management official says the number is climbing as search and rescue teams reach remote villages on islands slammed by the ten-foot-high waves.

4. The London Zoo has welcomed a new member. A baby gorilla⁸ was born there Tuesday. The unnamed animal is the first baby gorilla to be born there in 20 years.

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收听单词发音

1 dire
adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的
参考例句：
There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。 We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 democrats
n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。 The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。来自《简明英汉词典》

3 chamber
n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所
参考例句：
For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。 The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 dame
n.女士
参考例句：
The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。 If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

5 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 toll
n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)
参考例句：
The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。 The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 tsunami
n.海啸
参考例句：
Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。 Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

8 gorilla
n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手
参考例句：
I was awed by the huge gorilla.那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 A gorilla is just a speechless animal.猩猩只不过是一种不会说话的动物。