美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-05

1. Sectarian violence rages in Iraq. Gunmen killed 21 people in Iraq Sunday, including 12 students on their way to take exams. Militants¹ also opened fire on a minibus carrying telecommunication² employees to work.

2. Iran's top leader is warning there may be a disruption in oil shipments from the Gulf³ if the U. S. uses military action against it. But Secretary of State Rice says not to put too much emphasis on the threat. Iran is the world's fourth-largest oil exporter.

3. Indianapolis police say Desmond Turner may have killed 7 members of a family because of a rumor⁴ that the family had money in the house. But the rumor was false. Turner brought some of his family members with him when he surrendered to police Saturday night.

4. Two races, two victories and two nearly identical times. Idaho Gem⁵, the world's first cloned equine and his brother Idaho Star, each won their heats in what scientists call the first professional races between clones. The mule⁶s will compete against each other and naturally bred animals later Sunday.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. rage : verb
You say that something powerful or unpleasant rages when it continues with great force or violence.
e.g. The war rages on and the time has come to take sides.

2. equine : adj, adj n
Equine means connected with or relating to horses.
e.g. an outbreak of equine influenza

3. heat : n-count
A heat is one of a series of races or competitions. The winners of a heat take part in another race or competition, against the winners of other heats.
e.g. the heats of the men's 100m breaststroke

4. mule : n-count
A mule is an animal whose parents are a horse and a donkey.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

5 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

6 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

7 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。