美联社新闻一分钟 2007-07-01

1. "The first duty of the government is security and safety of all the British people." Britain's security alert level has been raised to critical, the highest possible level, meaning terrorist attacks are considered imminent¹. The heightened security comes in response to a fiery² crash at Scotland's Glasgow airport when a speeding vehicle slammed into the terminal. Two people were arrested. Yesterday two cars were found in London filled with gasoline canisters and nails.

2. The US is not raising its terror alert status. A White House spokesman says President Bush is being kept informed about the Glasgow and London situations while he is in Kennebunkport, Maine for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The President says some airports will tighten³ security but there is no credible⁴ threat to the US.

3. Investigators⁵ say an illegal campfire sparked the raging wildfire, south of Lake Tahoe in California. There is no evidence the fire was deliberately⁶ set.

4. Mixed reviews from some iPhone buyers. While many say the long wait was worth the coveted⁸ new gadget⁹, others are facing frustrating¹⁰ delays in getting the new phone activated¹¹.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

金山词霸
1. imminent: adj. 即将来临的, 逼近的

2. fiery: adj. 火的, 火焰的

3. slammed into : 猛烈撞击

4. terminal: n. 终点站

5. canister: n. 罐

6. credible: adj. 可信的, 可靠的

7. campfire: n. 营火, 营火会

8. spark: v. 发动；触发

9. deliberately: adv. 故意地

10. covet⁷: v. 垂涎, 觊觎

11. gadget: n. 小器具, 小配件, 小玩意, 诡计

12. frustrate¹²: v. 挫败, 阻挠, 使感到灰心, 阻止

1 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

2 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

3 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 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》

6 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

7 covet   

vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西)

参考例句：

• We do not covet anything from any nation.我们不觊觎任何国家的任何东西。
• Many large companies covet these low-cost acquisition of troubled small companies.许多大公司都觊觎低价收购这些陷入困境的小公司。

8 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

10 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

12 frustrate   

v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦

参考例句：

• But this didn't frustrate Einstein.He was content to go as far as he could.但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心，他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
• They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy.他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。