美联社新闻一分钟 2006-05-20

1. A lawyer at a firm representing 3 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay says given conditions there, it's hardly surprising that inmates¹ are attempting suicide. The U. S. military says a prison clash broke out yesterday when guards tried to stop the fourth suicide attempt in a day.

2. Catholic University is investigating its women's lacrosse program after photos were posted on the Internet allegedly showing a male stripper at a freshman² initiation³ party. The photos were posted on a Web site under the heading "Initiation Party 2006", but the site doesn't say when or where the party was held.

3. Another big step toward lift-off. The space shuttle Discovery has begun the slow four-mile ride to its Kennedy Space Center launch pad. Scheduled for July, the launch is only the second mission since the explosion of the shuttle Columbia.

4. It's been the buzz at this Illinois car dealership⁴. Hundreds of bees swarm⁵ed the bumper⁷ of this car for no apparent reason and stuck around for two days before finally flying off.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. initiation : n-var
Someone's initiation into a particular group is the act or process by which they officially become a member, often involving special ceremonies.

2. lift-off : n-var
Lift-off is the beginning of a rocket's flight into space, when it leaves the ground.
e.g. The lift-off was delayed about seven minutes.

3. space shuttle : n-count
A space shuttle or a shuttle is a spacecraft that is designed to travel into space and back to earth several times.

4. launch pad : n-count
A launch pad or launching pad is a platform from which rockets, missiles, or satellites are launched.

5. buzz : verb
If something buzzes or buzzes somewhere, it makes a long continuous sound, like the noise a bee makes when it is flying.
buzz : n-count; sound
Buzz is also a noun.
e.g. the irritating buzz of an insect.

6. dealership : n-count
A dealership is a company that sells cars, usually for one car company.
e.g. a car dealership.

7. swarm : verb
When bees or other insects swarm, they move or fly in a large group.
e.g. A dark cloud of bees comes swarming⁸ out of the hive.

8. bumper : n-count
Bumpers are bars at the front and back of a vehicle which protect it if it bumps into something.

9. stick around : phrasal verb
If you stick around, you stay where you are, often because you are waiting for something. (INFORMAL)
e.g. Stick around a while and see what develops.

1 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

3 initiation   

n.开始

参考例句：

• her initiation into the world of marketing 她的初次涉足营销界
• It was my initiation into the world of high fashion. 这是我初次涉足高级时装界。

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

5 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

6 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

7 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

8 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。