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1. The head of Ford¹ says he is willing to work for a dollar a year, part of a push to get 25 billion dollars from Congress to help save the auto² industry. The push for money includes appearances by all the auto chiefs before Congress.

2. A recovery on Wall Street whose stocks up 270 points with investors³ calmed by the prospects⁴ of a bailout for automakers. But advances were not nearly enough to make up for yesterday's sell-off.

3. In California, a husband and wife are arrested and charged with torture after a 17-year-old boy shows up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle. Authorities said he was emaciated⁵ and terrified.

4. High in the mountains of Switzerland, time for the Santa Claus World Championship with contestants⁶ trying to do everything Santas do, from scaling chimneys to getting some donkeys to move--standing in for reindeer⁷. The winner gets money and bragging⁸ rights of course.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. advance: n.

an increase in the price or value of something - used especially to talk about the stock exchange

2. sell-off: n.

the sale of a lot of stocks or shares, which makes the price decrease

3. emaciated: adj.

extremely thin from lack of food or illness

4. stand in: phr v.

If you stand in for someone, you take their place or do their job, because they are ill or away.

5. reindeer: n. 驯鹿

a large deer with long wide antlers (=horns) , that lives in cold northern areas