美联社新闻一分钟 2007-05-13

（单词翻译）

1. While firefighters¹ on California's Catalina Island wrapping² up their efforts to put out the 4,000-acre blaze³, others are battling a wildfire in Georgia and north Florida that's torched more than 280 square miles.

2. In the middle of the country, people who live along the Missouri River are doing what they can to hold off floodwaters. The river is expected to crest⁴ this weekend at near record levels.

3. Commencement exercises at Virginia Tech last night were bittersweet. College officials gave rings to the parents of 27 students killed by a gunman last month. They say diplomas⁵ will follow.

4. If you got a mail to send out, better do it today. It's the last weekend you can use 39 cents to send out a first-class letter. The cost goes up to 41 cents on Monday. The Postal⁶ Service has been selling Forever stamps for a couple of weeks. These 41-cent stamps will cover the new cost of a letter or any future letters even if the rate goes up again.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. crest: verb
Reach the top of (a hill, etc)

2. commencement: n-uncount
Commencement is a ceremony at a university, college or high school which students formally receive their degrees or diplomas.

3. bittersweet: adj
If you describe an experience as bittersweet, you mean that it has some happy aspects and some sad ones.