AP美联社一分钟新闻 2008-12-22（在线收听）

1. All but one runway at Denver's airport reopened as authorities continue to investigate yesterday's plane accident. Thirty-eight people were hurt when a Continental Airlines jet veered off a runway and caught fire. The conditions of the two most seriously hurt have been upgraded.

2. From the Pacific Northwest to New England, it's a cold and snowy start to winter. Seattle had a wind chill of 15 degrees this morning as residents braced for up to eight inches of snow. In Chicago, homeless people flocked to shelters amid a wind chill of 29 below.

3. Vice President Dick Cheney says he's confident Republicans will rebound from this year's election losses. But in an interview on “Fox News Sunday”, he says he is not sure if Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be the candidate to lead the comeback.

4. A giant panda suffering from a dense cataract on its left eye is recovering from surgery. Chinese video shows the panda injected with anesthetics before the procedure. Officials say the bear partly regained his vision Sunday.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. brace for: phr v.

If you brace yourself for something unpleasant or difficult, you prepare yourself for it.

2. flock to: phr v.

If people flock to a place, they go there in large numbers because something interesting or exciting is happening there.

3. cataract: n. 【医】白内障

Cataracts are layers over a person's eyes that prevent them from seeing properly. Cataracts usually develop because of old age or illness.

4. anesthetic: n. 麻醉剂

a drug that stops you feeling pain