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1. Hurricane season begins today, but there are lingering doubts about whether the federal government is ready for what's ahead. New Orleans and other coastal communities are still recovering from last year's Hurricane Katrina.
2. In the wake of allegations that Iraqi civilians were murdered by US forces, Iraq's prime minister is calling for ground rules for raids and detentions. He is also denouncing the alleged killings at Haditha last November.
3. This deadly crash five weeks ago has families and friends in Indiana now reeling from a case of mistaken identity. Two young women with a striking resemblance were in the crash, one died, the other has been in a coma. But authorities mixed up their identities. The mistake was made public this week.
4. And Batwoman is making a comeback as a lesbian. The popular comic book character was killed off back in 1979. DC Comics is bringing her back in July as a gay crime fighter, an effort to reinvigorate the franchise and bring some diversity to the storyline.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. wake : n-count
The wake of a boat or other object moving in water is the track of waves that it makes behind it as it moves through the water.
e.g. Dolphins sometimes play in the wake of the boats.
in the wake of : prep-phrase
If one thing follows in the wake of another, it happens after the other thing is over, often as a result of it.
e.g. The governor has enjoyed a huge surge in the polls in the wake of last week's convention.
= following
2. reel : verb
If you are reeling from a shock, you are feeling extremely surprised or upset because of it.
e.g. I'm still reeling from the shock of hearing of it.
3. resemblance : n-var
If there is a resemblance between two people or things, they are similar to each other.
e.g. There was a remarkable resemblance between him and Pete...
= similarity
4. lesbian : adj, n-count
Lesbian is used to describe homosexual women.
e.g. Many of her best friends were lesbian.
5. Batwoman : n-count
Batwoman, or (less commonly) Bat-Woman, is the name of a fictional character, the female counterpart to DC Comics' popular superhero Batman. Her secret identity is Kathy Kane.
6. comeback : n-count
If something makes a comeback, it becomes fashionable again.
e.g. Tight fitting T-shirts are making a comeback.
7. comic : adj
If you describe something as comic, you mean that it makes you laugh, and is often intended to make you laugh.
e.g. The novel is comic and tragic.
comic book : n-count
A comic book is a magazine that contains stories told in pictures. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use comic)
8. kill off : phrasal verb
If you say that a group or an amount of something has been killed off, you mean that all of them or all of it have been killed or destroyed.
e.g. Their natural predators have been killed off.
9. gay : adj, usu adj n
A gay person is homosexual.
e.g. The quality of life for gay men has improved over the last two decades.
10. reinvigorate : verb
to give new energy or strength to something
e.g. We need to reinvigorate the economy of the area.
11. storyline : n-count
The storyline of a book, film, or play is its story and the way in which it develops.
e.g. The surprise twists in the storyline are the film's greatest strength.
= plot
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