美联社新闻一分钟 2006-03-13

1. It seems Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack. That’s according to the preliminary autopsy¹ results. The former Yugoslav leader was found dead in his jail cell in the Netherlands Saturday, one day after he wrote a letter saying he feared he was being poisoned.

2. New York City police say they'll seek indictment² against Darryl Littlejohn for the brutal³ murder of 24-year-old grad student Imette St. Guillen. Police say they found blood and DNA⁴ evidence that links him to the crime. Littlejohn was a bouncer at the Manhattan bar where she was last seen alive.

3. A string of deadly tornado⁵ swept through the heartland. A married couple killed when a twister blew their pickup⁶ truck off a highway south of St. Louis and into a propane tank. The severe weather warning remains⁷ in effect in some areas.

4. Check up the rattlesnake roundup. The 39th annual event attracted a large crowd in this small Georgia town. Folks got a chance to be up close and personal with the slithery snakes.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. autopsy :noun [C or U]
the cutting open and examination of a dead body in order to discover the cause of death:
e.g. They carried out/performed an autopsy.

2. bouncer :noun [C]
someone whose job is to stand outside a bar, party, etc. and either stop people who cause trouble from coming in or force them to leave

3. twister :noun [C] US INFORMAL
a tornado or a whirlwind

4. pickup truck :noun [C]
a small vehicle with an open part at the back in which goods can be carried

5. propane :noun [U] 丙烷
a colourless gas used as fuel, especially in cooking and heating

6. rattlesnake :noun [C] (INFORMAL rattler) 响尾蛇
a poisonous snake found in southern parts of the US which, when annoyed, produces a loud noise by shaking its tail

7. roundup :noun [C]
a gathering⁸ together of people, cattle, things, etc:
The President ordered the round-up and imprisonment⁹ of all opposition¹⁰ politicians.

8. slithery :adj.
Something that is slithery is wet or smooth, and so slides easily over things or is easy to slip on.

1 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

2 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

6 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

7 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。

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。