美联社新闻一分钟 2006-10-09

1. The leaders of Japan and China agree that a North Korean nuclear test can not be tolerated. The White House is encouraging North Korea to improve relations with its neighbors and participate in 6-party talks.

2. A new opinion poll has bad news for the Bush administration. The Newsweek poll says President Bush’s approval rating reached a new low of 33%, a 3-point drop from August.

3. An Indian TV crew captured this skirmish between a bodyguard¹ for actor Brad Pitt and a British photographer. The incident happened outside a hotel where Pitt and actress Angelina Jolie were staying while in India to film a new movie. The photographer was trying to take a picture of the celebrity² couple.

4. A Thai snake charmer has kissed 19 highly poisonous king cobras in an attempt to set a world record. The cobras were released onto a stage set up in the resort town of Pattaya Saturday. An American set the record in 1999 kissing 11 venomous snakes.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. skirmish : n-count
A skirmish is a minor³ battle.
Border skirmishes between India and Pakistan were common.

2. snake charmer : n-count
A snake charmer is a person who entertains people by controlling the behaviour of a snake, for example by playing music and causing the snake to rise out of a basket and drop back in again.

3. venomous : adj
A venomous snake, spider, or other creature uses poison to attack other creatures

1 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。