美联社新闻一分钟 2007-08-21

1. Preparations are underway in Mexico as Hurricane Dean makes a beeline for the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters say the massive storm with top winds of 150 miles an hour will likely be a Category 5 when the center hits somewhere south of Cancun early tomorrow morning.

2. A possible last-resort attempt to rescue the six trapped miners in Utah is too risky¹. Officials say they will not drill a three-foot-wide hole into the mine to lower a rescue capsule. Families of the six men say their loved ones are being abandoned.

3. His lawyer says Atlanta Falcons² quarterback Michael Vick will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy³ charges. Vick faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A plea hearing is set for next Monday.

4. Amazingly no one was injured after this China Airlines jet exploded at Japan's Okinawa Airport. All 157 passengers and eight crew members scramble⁴d to safety before the plane was engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire is still unknown.



WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. make a beeline for sb/sth: informal
to go quickly and directly towards someone or something

2. last resort:
what you will do if everything else fails

3. capsule: noun
a small pressurized compartment⁷ or vehicle (as for space flight or emergency escape)

4. hearing: noun
a meeting of a court or special committee to find out the facts about a case

5. scramble: verb
to move somewhere in a hurried awkward way

6. engulf: verb
to completely surround or cover something

1 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

2 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

3 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

4 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

5 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。