美联社新闻一分钟 2006-03-11

1. Could this storm over port security send a wrong message to moderate Arab countries? President Bush says he worries the flack over the Dubai deal could push away allies in the Middle East. But he said he remains¹ confident that handing major seaport² operations over to a Dubai firm would not have posed a threat.

2. After 5 years as interior secretary, Gail Norton has announced she is leaving the Bush Cabinet. Norton has led the administration’s initiative to open Western government land to more oil and gas drilling.

3. Federal inspectors³ have cleared workers to enter most of the West Virginia coal mine, where 12 miners died after a January explosion. A Mine Safety and Health Administration official says the international coal group will resume production at Sago Mine next week.

4. It’s Panda-Monium. Yes, in China Sichuan Province, researchers are trying out a kindergarten for a group of 16 giant panda cubs⁴. Separated from their mothers soon after birth, the pandas are living and playing together in a “school” and learning just how much fun recess⁵ can be.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. flack/flak :noun [U] INFORMAL
strong criticism or opposition:
e.g. She took some flak from her parents about her new dress.

2. try out :verb [M]
to use something to discover if it works or if you like it:
e.g. Don't forget to try out the equipment before setting up the experiment.

3. recess :noun [U] US
in school, a period of time between classes when children do not study
e.g. Her favorite things at school are music and recess.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。