美联社新闻一分钟 2006-07-12

1. The death toll¹ is growing by the minute in India where eight explosions hit crowded commuter² trains during rush hour. At least 147 people are dead, hundreds wounded. Indian officials blamed terrorists, but no one has claimed responsibility.

2. Boston's "Big Dig" tunnel is closed and now the Massachusetts governor wants to oust³ the man who oversees⁴ the project, this after 12 tons of concrete fell from the tunnel ceiling crushing a woman in a car. The governor says he's taking legal action to remove the head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

3. New York investigators⁵ say the gas line leading into a building that exploded was tamper⁶ed with. At least 15 people were injured in Monday's blast. The building was owned by a doctor going through a messy divorce.

4. Forget extreme, this is supreme⁸. Participants competed this week in the Mountain Bike Bog⁹ Snorkelling¹¹ Contest in Wales, two laps through 60 yards of a dirty bog, the bikes are specially¹² weighted and a rider wears a lead weight around the waist. The winner came in and just under a minute.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. tamper : verb
If someone tampers¹³ with something, they interfere¹⁴ with it or try to change it when they have no right to do so.

2. messy : adj
If you describe a situation as messy, you are emphasizing that it is confused or complicated, and therefore unsatisfactory.

3. bog : n-count
A bog is an area of land which is very wet and muddy.

4. mountain bike : n-count
A mountain bike is a type of bicycle that is suitable for riding over rough ground. It has a strong frame and thick tyres.

5. snorkel¹⁰ : n-count
A snorkel is a tube through which a person swimming just under the surface of the sea can breathe.

6. lead weight: n-count
a lead weight is a balance weight on a wheel rim¹⁵. Also called wheel weight

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

3 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

4 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

7 tampered   

v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• The records of the meeting had been tampered with. 会议记录已被人擅自改动。 来自辞典例句
• The old man's will has been tampered with. 老人的遗嘱已被窜改。 来自辞典例句

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 bog   

n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖

参考例句：

• We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
• The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

10 snorkel   

n.泳者所戴的通气管，潜水艇的吸、排气装置

参考例句：

• With a snorkel,however,a diver can stay under water for quite a long time.潜水员携带一根通气管就可以在水下呆很长时间。
• I did buy a mask and fins and a snorkel.我买了面镜、蛙鞋和一个呼吸管。

11 snorkelling   

v.使用水下呼吸管潜游( snorkel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The planned snorkelling was cancelled due to rough waves. 原计划进行的潜泳因巨浪而被迫取消了。 来自互联网
• Snorkelling was amazing, daily seeing reef sharks, parrot fish and sting rays. 浮潜是惊人，每天看礁鲨，鹦鹉鱼和魟鱼。 来自互联网

12 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

13 tampers   

n.捣棒( tamper的名词复数 )；打夯机；夯具；填塞者v.窜改( tamper的第三人称单数 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• If anyone tampers with this door it trips the alarm. 要是有人撬这扇门，就会触响警报器。 来自辞典例句
• I do not approve of anything which tampers with natural ignorance. 我不赞成损害与生俱来的愚昧的任何事物。 来自互联网

14 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

15 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。