美联社新闻一分钟 2006-07-25

1. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Jerusalem on a high-stakes diplomatic mission. Her first stop was Beirut where leaders were disappointed that her trip did not bring about an Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire.

2. A Texas jury is deciding if Andrea Yates was insane when she drowned her 5 children in the bathtub in 2001. Her attorneys claim she was delusion¹al and believed killing³ her kids was the only way to save them from hell.

3. Newly released amateur video shows an incident in which a 14-year-old boy got sucked to the bottom of a hot tub. Authorities say a grate at the bottom became dislodged creating a strong suction that pulled the teenager down. Doctors expect a full recovery.

4. One daredevil's attempt to break his own world record for a longest motorcycle jump ends in a crash in Oklahoma. The promoter says a carburetor problem may have caused the accident. The daredevil was taken to a local hospital.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. high stakes
if the stakes are high when you are trying to do something, you risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous if you fail.

2. attorney: n-count
In the United States, an attorney or attorney at law is a lawyer.

3. delusion: n-count
A delusion is a false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness.

4. grate: n-count
A framework of parallel or latticed bars for blocking an opening.

5. dislodge: verb
To disloge means to move it from where it was fixed⁴ or held.

6. suction: n-count
It means a force that causes a fluid or solid to be drawn⁵ into an interior space or to adhere to a surface because of the difference between the external and internal pressures.

7. daredevil: n-count
A daredevil is one who is recklessly bold and adventurous⁶.

8. promoter: n-count
A promoter is a financial and publicity⁷ organizer.

9. carburetor: n-count
A carburetor is the part of an engine, usually in a car, in which air and petrol are mixed together to form a vapour which can be burned.

1 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

2 delusional   

妄想的

参考例句：

• You became delusional and attacked several people trying to escape. 你产生了错觉并攻击了许多人还试图逃走。 来自电影对白
• He is incoherent, delusional, suffering auditory hallucinations. 他出现无逻辑的，妄想的，幻听的症状。 来自电影对白

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

7 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。