美联社新闻一分钟 2007-03-10

1. FBI Director Robert Mueller says he's to blame for not putting more safeguards in place that could have prevented abuses of the Patriot¹ Act. An audit² found the FBI secretly got personal information about people in the United States improperly³ and in some cases illegally.

2. Traveling in Brazil, President Bush says the United States isn't ignoring Latin America's problems. He says the country cares about its neighbors. While in Brazil, Bush signed an ethanol agreement to boost the region's alternative fuels production.

3. A rise in the death toll⁴ of the Atlanta bus crash, claiming members of a college baseball team. An athlete has died from his injuries, bringing the number of deaths to seven.

4. It's time to spring forward this weekend, setting watches for daylight time. But the switch comes early this year and could throw off computers and electronic devices.

1 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

2 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

3 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。