美联社新闻一分钟 2007-05-12（在线收听）

1. On California Santa Catalina Island, firefighters turned back flames threatening the island's main city. About 3,800 people have been evacuated. Wildfire worries are easing with the favorable forecast and the arrival of fire trucks and tankers.

2. No bail for the 6 Muslim men suspected of plotting to shoot US soldiers at Fort Dix. Prosecutors said the men are a flight risk all born outside the United States. Court documents say Fort Dix was a target because it was familiar. One of the men delivered pizzas there.

3. It's graduation day at Virginia Tech a month after a shooting spree left 32 students and faculty dead. Today's events kept some families of shooting victims away. Others say they had no choice but to come. Graduate students were the first to receive degrees.

4. On a farm in Wisconsin, a breeder is calling this calf a freak of nature. It's got 2 noses, one on top of the other and they both work. A breeding specialist says the calf is just fine with the bonus nose.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. favorable: adj
Favorable conditions make something seem more attractive.

2. spree: n-count
If you spend a period of time doing something in an excessive way, you can say that you are going on a particular kind of spree.

3. freak: n-count
If you refer to someone as a freak, you mean that they are physically abnormal in some way. This use could cause offence.