美联社新闻一分钟 2006-01-23

1. Masked Kurdish demonstrators set a bus on fire in Turkey Sunday to protest the solitary¹ confinement² of a Kurdish rebel leader. Kurdish guerrillas have been fighting for autonomy since 1984.

2. West Virginia governor Joe Manchin is calling for major safety improvement laws at the state and federal level following the deaths of 14 miners in 2 tragic³ accidents.

3. In Portugal, voters are picking a new president. No candidate captures more than 50 percent of the vote. A second round between the top two candidates will be held Feb. 12th.

4. And here she is, Miss America. Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry was crowned Miss America Saturday night. The 22-year-old senior at the University of Oklahoma is an aspiring⁴ teacher. The struggling pageant⁵ was held in Las Vegas. It's the first time in 85 years the event was held outside Atlantic City, New Jersey⁶.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. solitary confinement : noun [U]
when someone is kept in a room alone, usually in a prison 单独监禁

2. aspiring: adj.
hoping to be successful in a particular job, activity, or way of life:
e.g. aspiring young writers

3. pageant : noun [C]
a competition for young women in which they are judged on their beauty and other qualities:
e.g. a beauty pageant

1 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

2 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

5 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。