CNN 2009-03-06

Good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Reggie Aqui. Thanks for checking in, here is what's happening Now In The News.

President Obama set to lay out an ambitious yet expensive plan to overhaul¹ the country's health care system. The Obama Administration is hosting a summit today focusing on reducing and containing cost as well as expanding coverage². The president is seeking to set aside 634 billion dollars in a health care reserve fund over the next ten years.

A rare bit of good news on the job front. New unemployment claims dropped more than expected last week to 639,000. That is according to a report by the Labor³ Department. After five straight weeks of record highs, continuing claims also fell slightly but still near last week's record high.

It's an annual report. The nation's largest auto⁴ maker⁵ says its auditors⁶ have serious doubts about its ability to continue operating. General Motor says Chapter 11 bankruptcy⁷ is a possibility if they can't execute a major restructuring. The Obama Administration is now reviewing the auto maker's request for another 30 billion dollars in federal loans.

The California State Supreme⁸ Court will begin hearing arguments on the challenge to the state's ban on same-sex marriage today. Voters passed Proposition 8 in November which stopped same-sex marriages in the state. Up to 80,000 same-sex marriages could be declared invalid⁹ if the court decides to uphold the ban.

Former first lady Barbara Bush is recovering from heart surgery this morning. A family spokeswoman says Mrs. Bush is fine following a surgery at Methodist Hospital in Houston. She is expected to stay there 7 to 10 days. According to hospital officials the surgery was done as a precaution step, a precautionary step after Mrs. Bush experienced shortness of breath last week.

Michael Jackson/ fans could be in for a real treat as the king of pop is expected to announce a return to the stage today. Jackson is expected to perform at least 10 concerts in London this year and will reportedly get paid 10 million dollars to do it. Jackson has rarely been seen in public since he was acquitted¹⁰ on child molestation¹¹ charges back in 2005.

Those are your headlines right now. Please stick with us here at CNN and CNN.com/live as we bring you the news throughout the day.

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

7 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

10 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

11 molestation   

n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨

参考例句：

• Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation. 2003年的今天，迈克尔·杰克逊因被警方指控有儿童性骚扰行为而被捕。 来自互联网
• Jackson pleads not guilty on the molestation charges. 2004年：杰克逊认罪不认罪的性骚扰指控。 来自互联网