美联社新闻一分钟 2005-12-18

1. President Bush defends a post-September 11th secret eavesdropping² program in the US, and slams senators blocking renewal³ of the Patriot⁴ Act.


2. Iraqi authorities ease some security measures imposed for this week's parliamentary elections, lifting the driving ban and opening most border crossings.


3. In Hong Kong, security forces use tear gas to scatter⁵ hundreds of protestors after they come close to storming into the WTO's meeting venue⁶.


4. Bolivians face a polarizing choice in a presidential vote set for Sunday between a leftist coca farmer and a conservative former president.


5. And at the Vatican, an 11-year-old Austrian boy who saved the life of a young relative, lights a towering Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. eavesdrop¹
eavesdrop eavesdrops⁷ eavesdropping eavesdropped⁸
If you eavesdrop on someone, you listen secretly to what they are saying.
The government illegally eavesdropped on his telephone conversations.
The housemaid eavesdropped from behind the kitchen door.
VB
= listen in
· eavesdropping
Eavesdropping is a pastime for the nosy⁹.
N-UNCOUNT

2. storm
4 storm storms storming stormed
If you storm into or out of a place, you enter or leave it quickly and noisily, because you are angry.
After a bit of an argument, he stormed out.
He stormed into an office, demanding to know where the head of department was.
VB
= charge

3. venue
venue venues¹⁰
The venue for an event or activity is the place where it will happen.
Birmingham's International Convention Centre is the venue for a three-day arts festival.
Peace talks failed to take place because of a dispute over the venue.
N-COUNT

4. polarize
polarize polarizes polarizing polarized
If something polarizes people or if something polarizes, two separate groups are formed with opposite opinions or positions.
Missile deployment¹¹ did much to further polarize opinion in Britain.
As the car rental¹² industry polarizes, business will go to the bigger companies.
The green debate tends to polarise into science-as-saviour versus¹³ science-as-devil camps.
V-ERG (BRIT) also polarise
= divide

USA PATRIOT Act (11/14/2003)

Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.
Some of these flawed provisions are set to expire at the end of the year. But President Bush wants to make them permanent, and the House and Senate have been holding hearings in preparation for votes that are expected in June and July.

1 eavesdrop   

v.偷听，倾听

参考例句：

• He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里，以便偷听。
• It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。

2 eavesdropping   

n. 偷听

参考例句：

• We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
• Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间，一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。

3 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

4 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

5 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

6 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

7 eavesdrops   

偷听（别人的谈话）( eavesdrop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

8 eavesdropped   

偷听（别人的谈话）( eavesdrop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He eavesdropped on our conversation. 他偷听了我们的谈话。
• He has just eavesdropped two sweethearts. 他刚刚偷听了两个情人的谈话。

9 nosy   

adj.鼻子大的，好管闲事的，爱追问的；n.大鼻者

参考例句：

• Our nosy neighbours are always looking in through our windows.好管闲事的邻居总是从我们的窗口望进来。
• My landlord is so nosy.He comes by twice a month to inspect my apartment.我的房东很烦人，他每个月都要到我公寓视察两次。

10 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

11 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

12 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

13 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。