美联社新闻一分钟 2007-03-18（在线收听）

1. Thousands of war protesters converged on Washington today. They marched from the Vietnam War Memorial to the Pentagon to observe the 4th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

2. Meanwhile the violence continues in Iraq. The military says there were three separate suicide bombings yesterday in Iraq's Anbar province involving trucks carrying chlorine. About 350 Iraqi civilians and six US troops have been treated for exposure to chlorine gas.

3. Winter isn't going away without a fight. A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain has pummeled the East Coast just days before the arrival of spring. The wild weather canceled hundreds of flights and caused a number of accidents on roads.

4. And Irish eyes are smiling today on Saint Patrick's Day. Thousands of revelers in New York City wore their green and hit the streets to enjoy the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. converge: verb
If people or vehicles converge on a place, they move fast towards it from different directions.

2. chlorine: n-uncount
Chlorine is a strong-smell gas that is used to clean water nd to make cleaning products.

3. pummel: verb
If you pummel someone or something, you hit them many times using your fists.

4. reveler: n-count
Revelers are people who are enjoying themselves in a noisy way, often while they are drunk. (LITERARY)