美联社新闻一分钟 2006-12-15

1. Democratic Senator Tim Johnson is in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery to repair bleeding inside his brain. His illness leaves many wondering if Democrats¹ will lose their newly-won control of the Senate.

2. One of the three strand²ed climbers lost on an Oregon mountain in billowing snow has been turning his cell phone on and off. T-Mobile receives signals from the climber's phone, raising hopes for his rescue.

3. A sweeping⁴ police inquiry⁵ on Thursday ruled out a murder conspiracy⁶ in Princess Diana's death, saying the chauffeur⁷ in the 1997 car crash was drunk and driving at a high speed. The report also said Diana was not pregnant at the time of the crash, nor was she about to marry her boyfriend Dodi Fayed.

4. In a startling turnaround, breast cancer rates in the US dropped dramatically in 2003, and experts believe it's because many women stopped taking hormone⁸ pills. The 7.2% decline came a year after a big federal study linked menopause hormones⁹ to higher risk of breast cancer.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. strand: verb
If you are stranded³, you are prevented from leaving a place, for example because of bad weather.

2. billow: verb
When smoke or cloud billows, it moves slowly upwards¹⁰ or across the sky.

3. inquiry: n-count
An inquiry is an official investigation¹¹.

4. chauffeur: n-count
The chauffeur of a rich or important person is the man or woman who is employed to look after their car and drive them around in it.

5. turnaround: n-count
A turnaround is a sudden improvement, especially in the success of a business or a country’s economy.

6. menopause: noun
The menopause is the time during which a woman gradually stops menstruating, usually when she is about fifty years old.

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

5 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

6 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

7 chauffeur   

n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车

参考例句：

• The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
• She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。

8 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

9 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

10 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。