美联社新闻一分钟 2006-10-18

1. US and Asian officials say it appears that North Korea may be preparing to test its nuclear capabilities¹ 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 killing² 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 physically³ or emotionally.

3. tetanus : N-UNCOUNT
Tetanus is a serious painful disease caused by bacteria getting into wounds. It makes your muscles, especially your jaw⁴ muscles, go stiff.

4. abscess : N- COUNT
An abscess is a painful swelling⁵ containing pus.

1 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 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。

3 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

4 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

5 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。