1. US and Asian officials say it appears that North Korea may be preparing to test its nuclear capabilities again. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is planning to spend several days in Asia, shoring up support for the UN sanctions against the North that were approved over the weekend.

2. A 22-year-old car salesman charged with killing his parents and 3 sisters on Saturday made his first appearance in an Iowa courtroom Tuesday. A judge kept the bond for Shawn Bentler at 2.5 million dollars.

3. Two homes near a set of railroad tracks in San Antonio, Texas were all but destroyed Tuesday morning when 18 cars of a Union Pacific freight train derailed. The train was traveling under the speed limit at the time. Nobody was hurt.

4. Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association documents a series of complications from tongue piercing. The list includes excruciating pain, tetanus, heart infections and brain abscesses. Some body piercing artists insist the procedure is safe when performed correctly.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. shore up : PHR-V
If you shore up something that is weak or about to fail, you do something in order to strengthen it or support it. (形象地理解为:将落水者推上岸)

2. excruciating : ADJ
If you describe something as excruciating, you are emphasizing that it is extremely painful, either physically or emotionally.

3. tetanus : N-UNCOUNT
Tetanus is a serious painful disease caused by bacteria getting into wounds. It makes your muscles, especially your jaw muscles, go stiff.

4. abscess : N- COUNT
An abscess is a painful swelling containing pus.