CNN 2009-03-09

I'm Asieh Namdar at the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta, here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

We begin with the shooting at a church service in Maryville Illinois ten miles east of St. Louis Missouri. Five people including a church pastor¹ were shot inside the First Baptist Church of Maryville. Maryville police say the suspect was stabbed by parishioners who wrestled² him to the ground. The injured were flown by helicopter to St. Louis University Hospital. No word on the motive³.

In Baghdad, thirty people are dead, at least sixty others hurt after a suicide bombing outside a police academy. Iraqi officials said a bomber⁴ was armed with explosives and so was his motorcycle. Most of the victims were police officers and recruits. The same academy was targeted on December 1st in a double bombing that killed sixteen.

Good news for military families that U.S. military is announcing some 12,000 troops will be coming home from Iraq during the next six months. It is part of a gradual troop withdrawal⁵ that comes as a result of increased security and stability in the region. President Obama announced last month he will withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by August 2010.

North Koreans cast ballots⁶ in today's election where win by leader Kim Jung-il is considered certain. Analysts⁷ are waiting to find out whether Kim's 26-year-old son is running for a seat in parliament. He's seen as a possible successor to his father.

President Obama is looking for ways to help Mexico handle its violent drug wars. Joint⁸ Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen briefed the president on Mexico's crackdown on cartels along the border. Mullen has suggested that U.S. tactics in the fight against terrorism could be useful in the fight against Mexico's drug violence.

It's your first day to find deals on Blu-ray players and flat-screen TVs at Circuit City. All the remaining stores will close for good by the end of the day. At one point, Circuit City had 567 stores and 34,000 workers.

And those are the headlines this hour, for more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV or when you are on the go.

1 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

2 wrestled   

v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤

参考例句：

• As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
• Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。