美联社新闻一分钟 2007-03-24

1. Rat poison has been found in pet food that's been blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs nationwide. The deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches¹ of food sold under 95 brand names.

2. All US combat troops out of Iraq by the fall of 2008. That's the vote from a divided House of Representatives. Democrats² want to limit the war. President Bush says the vote is ''political theater'' and could harm the troops.

3. Iran seizes 15 British sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf³. It happened in disputed waters. The move comes during tensions between the West and Iran. Britain is demanding the troops be released immediately.

4. Presidential spokesman Tony Snow is having surgery to remove a small growth in his lower abdomen⁴, a move done out of caution since he's had colon⁵ cancer. It will keep him away from the White House podium for weeks.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. political theater: n-count
Political theatre is drama or performing art which emphasizes a political issue or issues in its theme or plot.

2. growth: n-count
A growth is a lump that grows inside or on a person, animal, or plant, and that is caused by a disease.

3. colon: n-count
Your colon is the part of your intestine⁶ above your rectum.

4. podium: n-count
A podium is a small platform on which someone stands in order to give a lecture or conduct an orchestra.

1 pouches   

n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋

参考例句：

• Pouches are a peculiarity of marsupials. 腹袋是有袋动物的特色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under my eyes the pouches were heavy. 我眼睛下的眼袋很深。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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》

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

5 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

6 intestine   

adj.内部的；国内的；n.肠

参考例句：

• This vitamin is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.这种维生素通过小肠壁被吸收。
• The service productivity is the function,including external efficiency,intestine efficiency and capacity efficiency.服务业的生产率是一个包含有外部效率、内部效率和能力效率的函数。