美联社新闻一分钟 AP NEWS 2007-10-29

1.Firefighters in California are trying to hold on to the gains they made battling wildfires that have ravaged¹ the southern part of the state. Officials say they are cautiously optimistic about making progress. More than 4,000 people remain in shelters.

2.Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery can cross another item off their "to-do" list: a second spacewalk. Two astronauts spent six and a half hours unhooking a girder from the International Space Station. That started the delicate process of moving a giant solar power tower to another part of the orbiting outpost.

3.Air France flight attendants are striking for a fourth day, disrupting travel and agitating² customers. The flight attendants are striking over pay and working conditions.

4.It's been billed as the highest ever rock concert. A cancer awareness³ group held the concert at the foothills of Mount Everest---the world's highest mountain. They performed at more than 18,000 feet.

1 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

2 agitating   

搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论

参考例句：

• political groups agitating for social change 鼓吹社会变革的政治团体
• They are agitating to assert autonomy. 他们正在鼓吹实行自治。

3 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。