美联社新闻一分钟 2007-04-16

1. The East Coast is getting a good [b]drenching. Rain, ice and snow are pelting³ the region as a strong nor'easter moves through. Already there are fears of flooding in New York City.

2. Attorney General Gonzales says in an op-ed piece today he did nothing improper⁴ in firing 8 federal prosecutors⁵. He is due to appear before Congress Tuesday where even some Republicans are questioning his ability to lead.

3. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are praising talks between their two leaders. For the first time in six years, they broached⁷ the topic of a Palestinian State. The two are said to get together again soon.

4. Anyone going to a ball game today can expect to see a lot of number 42s out on the field. Today is the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier. Many players are wearing his old uniform number as a way of honoring the Hall of Famer.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. drench¹: verb
To drench something or someone means to make them complete wet.

2. pelt²: verb
If the rain is pelting down, it is raining very hard.

3. op-ed: adj
In a newspaper, the op-ed page is a page containing articles in which people express their opinions about things.

4. broach⁶: verb
When you broach a subject, especially a sensitive one, you mention it in order to start a discussion on it.

5. Hall of Famer: verb
If you say that someone is a member of a particular Hall of Famer(Fame), you mean that they are one of the most famous people in that area of activity.

1 drench   

v.使淋透，使湿透

参考例句：

• He met a drench of rain.他遇上一场倾盆大雨。
• They turned fire hoses on the people and drenched them.他们将消防水管对着人们，把他们浇了个透。

2 pelt   

v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火

参考例句：

• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
• Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。

3 pelting   

微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的

参考例句：

• The rain came pelting down. 倾盆大雨劈头盖脸地浇了下来。
• Hailstones of abuse were pelting him. 阵阵辱骂冰雹般地向他袭来。

4 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 broach   

v.开瓶，提出(题目)

参考例句：

• It's a good chance to broach the subject.这是开始提出那个问题的好机会。
• I thought I'd better broach the matter with my boss.我想我最好还是跟老板说一下这事。

7 broached   

v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体

参考例句：

• She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句
• He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句