美联社新闻一分钟 2007-06-21

1. South Carolina Coroner's Office says a combination of smoke inhalation and burns killed the nine firefighters inside a burning furniture store in Charleston. They died after the roof collapsed¹ on top of them. Investigators² say arson³ is not suspected.

2. President Bush's vetoed the latest version of an embryonic⁵ stem cell research bill. The bill would have eased restraints on federally funded research. Even though this legislation was a top priority of Democrats⁶, they don’t appear to have the votes to override⁷ the veto.

3. Four Palestinians are dead after Israel launched its first military action in Gaza today. The attack marks the deadliest military offensive since Hamas militants⁸ took control of the coastal⁹ strip. Israel has also allowed in a few sick and wounded Palestinians of the hundreds who fled the violence.

4. A security guard at Walter Reed Army Medical Center is in police custody¹⁰ after firing up to ten shots Wednesday. Police say the guards were arguing when one opened fire near a busy hospital entrance. No one was injured in the shooting.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. coroner: N-COUNT
A coroner is an official who is responsible for investigating the deaths of people who have died in a sudden, violent, or unusual way.

2. inhalation: N-VAR
inhalation is the process or act of breathing in, taking air and sometimes other substances into your lungs. (FORMAL)

3. embryo⁴: N-COUNT
An embryo is an unborn animal or human being in the very early stages of development.

4. restraint: N-VAR usu with supp, oft N on n
Restraints are rules or conditions that limit or restrict someone or something.

5. override: VERB v n
If someone in authority overrides¹¹ a person or their decisions, they cancel their decisions.

6. custody: PHR after v
Someone who is in custody or has been taken into custody has been arrested and is being kept in prison until they can be tried in a court.

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

4 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

5 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

6 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》

7 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

10 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

11 overrides   

越控( override的第三人称单数 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要

参考例句：

• The new rule overrides all the previous ones. 新规则使以前的所有规则失效。
• The application configuration file setting overrides the machine configuration file setting. 应用程序配置文件设置重写计算机配置文件设置。