美联社新闻一分钟 2005-12-13

1. As Iraqi patients, soldiers and prisoners cast early ballots¹ for this week's parliamentary elections, at least a dozen people are killed in new violence.

2. The Supreme² Court agrees to review a Texas congressional map engineered by Congressman³ Tom DeLay that helped Republicans gain congressional seats.

3. A mistrial is declared in the first federal lawsuit⁴ over the painkiller⁵ Vioxx, after a jury fails to agree on the case of a Florida man who died after taking the drug.

4. A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker is killed in a Beirut car bombing. Lebanon blames Syria for the bombing--a charge Damascus denies.

5. An Ecuadorian woman with 5 kids, 4 grandkids, 9 great-grandkids, and 2 great-great-grandkids is confirmed as the oldest living person at 116.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. mistrial
2 mistrial mistrials
A mistrial is a legal trial which ends without a verdict, for example because the jury cannot agree on one. (AM)
The judge said he would declare a mistrial if the jury did not reach its verdict today.
N-COUNT

2. painkiller
painkiller painkillers⁶
A painkiller is a drug which reduces or stops physical pain.
N-COUNT
= analgesic

1 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》

2 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。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

5 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。

6 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分