美联社新闻一分钟 2007-01-01

1. The US has hit a grim milestone¹ in Iraq. The Pentagon announced that at least 3,000 American soldiers have died in the war in Iraq. At least 111 service members have died in December alone, making it the deadliest month this year for the military in the war.

2. Saddam Hussein was buried today in the Iraqi town where he was born. Mourners, including his relatives, cried and mourned his death. Gunmen called for revenge for the execution. A woman said she will teach her children to take revenge on Americans.

3. It's been a deadly end to 2006 in Thailand. Nine bombs exploded across the country killing² at least 2 people. Dozens are injured. Authorities cancelled public New Year's Eve celebrations after the blasts.

4. Hundreds are remembering former president Gerald Ford³ in Washington DC. He is lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda⁴. Some visitors say they waited in long lines just to pay their respects. A funeral service is planned for Tuesday.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. grim: adj.
A situation or a piece of information that is grim is unpleasant, depressing, and difficult to accept.

2. lie in state: phrase
If the dead body of an important person lies in state, it is publicly displayed for a few days before it is buried.

3. service: n-count
A service is a religious ceremony that takes place in a church.

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

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 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

4 rotunda   

n.圆形建筑物；圆厅

参考例句：

• The Capitol at Washington has a large rotunda.华盛顿的国会大厦有一圆形大厅。
• The rotunda was almost deserted today,dotted with just a few tourists.圆形大厅今天几乎没有多少人，只零星散布着几个游客。