美联社新闻一分钟 2007-06-27

（单词翻译）

1. Authorities say they discovered prescription¹ steroids in the home of pro² wrestler³ Chris Benoit. Police say the heavyweight champion strangled his wife and smother⁴ed his young son, leaving Bibles next to their bodies before killing⁶ himself perhaps a day later.

2. Some of the 1,000 Lake Tahoe residents evacuated⁷ from their properties are now catching⁸ first glimpses of what used to be their homes. Calmer winds last night gave firefighters a much-needed break in battling the raging inferno⁹ .

3. The Senate is rekindling¹⁰ the debate on immigration reform with a preliminary vote on legislation that would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants. Supporters think the bill has a chance to pass. President Bush says he is optimistic the bill will be approved by week's end.

4. Two teenage girls in Oklahoma City are thankful to be on dry ground. The two were rescued from their car after it stalled on a flooded road. The rushing water threatened to push the car over a small dam when firefighters used a raft to rescue the pair.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. steroid: countable¹¹ noun
a chemical that the body produces naturally or that can be made as a drug to treat illness and injuries. Steroids are sometimes used illegally by people doing sports to improve their performance

2. smother: transitive verb
to kill someone by putting something over their face to stop them breathing

3. raging: adj
very great and hard to control

4. inferno: countable noun
an extremely large and dangerous fire - used especially in news reports

5. stall: intransitive and transitive verb
if an engine or vehicle stalls, or if you stall it, it stops because there is not enough power or speed to keep it going

6. raft: countable noun
a small flat rubber boat filled with air, used for example if a boat sinks