美联社新闻一分钟 2005-12-23

1. Striking New York City transit¹ workers take steps to return to work while contract talks resume, a deal that could pave the way for service to return.

2. On a surprise visit to Iraq, Defense² Secretary Rumsfeld hints at a possible cut in US forces there below the baseline of 138000 troops.

3. Elsewhere in Iraq, Saddam Hussein's trial was adjourned⁴ until next month. The judge says no proof verifies Saddam's claims of abuse while in US custody⁵.

4. In a city in Russia's Far East, the dreaded⁷ moment has arrived - a toxic⁸ spill from China caused by a chemical plant explosion 5 weeks ago.

5. And Spain's Christmas lottery⁹, sprinkles more than 2.4 billion dollars in holiday cheer around the country

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. take steps to do sth
= try to do sth

2. pave the way for someone/something
to make it easier or possible for for someone or something to follow.
e.g. The procedure helped pave the way for successful open heart surgery using the heart-lung machine.

3. hint at
暗示

4. adjourn³ / adjournment¹⁰ n [U and C]
vi.延期, 休会, 换另一 个地方
1 [I and T] if a meeting, parliament, law court etc adjourns¹¹, or if the person in charge adjourns it, it stops for a short time: --It was almost noon when the meeting adjourned.
adjourn for/until
--Congress has adjourned for the November elections.
--His trial was adjourned until May.
2 adjourn to sth: to finish an activity and go somewhere - often used humorously
--The rest of us adjourned to a nearby pub for some refreshments¹².
--We sought an adjournment of the proceedings¹³.

5. dreaded
adj also dread⁶ literary [only before noun] making you feel afraid or anxious - often used humorously
　--She couldn't put off the dreaded moment forever.

6. sprinkle
1. to scatter¹⁴ small drops of liquid or small pieces of something: sprinkle sth with sth: sprinkle the top with cheese.
2. be sprinkled with jokes/quotations etc: to be full of jokes etc
The book is liberally sprinkled with cliches.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 adjourn   

v.（使）休会，（使）休庭

参考例句：

• The motion to adjourn was carried.休会的提议通过了。
• I am afraid the court may not adjourn until three or even later.我担心法庭要到3点或更晚时才会休庭。

4 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

7 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

8 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

9 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

10 adjournment   

休会； 延期； 休会期； 休庭期

参考例句：

• The adjournment of the case lasted for two weeks. 该案休庭期为两周。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case. 律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

11 adjourns   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Congress adjourns in 3 weeks, we can't do this alone. 距国会开会只有3个星期，我们不能单干。
• And so, at six in the morning, a victorious Convention adjourns. 这样，早上六点，胜利的国民议会休会了。

12 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

13 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

14 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。