美联社新闻一分钟 2007-07-04

（单词翻译）

1. President Bush is defending his decision to commute¹ a 30-month prison sentence for Lewis "Scooter" Libby. He's leaving open the possibility of a pardon, but insists Libby is not getting off scot-free.

2. Another terrorism suspect has been arrested in connection with the foiled terror plots in the UK. The 27-year-old doctor was arrested in Australia with a one-way ticket. He is the eighth suspect held in the case.

3. Tuberculosis² patient Andrew Speaker has a lesser³ form of the disease than originally diagnosed. Federal officials have announced that the man who caused an international health scare is responding to medications. That means he has multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and not extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.

4. Some folks in Spain may be feeling more relaxed. Psychologists armed a team of thirty stressed-out people with mallet⁴s and hard hats and set them free inside a Madrid hotel. The goal? Let off some steam by trashing ten of the hotel's rooms as part of a refurbishment plan.


WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. commute: verb
to change the punishment given to a criminal to one that is less severe

2. scot-free:
completely free from obligation, harm, or penalty

3. stressed-out :
suffering from high levels of physical or especially psychological stress

4. mallet: N-COUNT
a hammer with a typically barrel-shaped head

5. let off stream:
to get rid of your anger, excitement, or energy in a way that does not harm anyone by doing something active

6. trash: transitive verb
to destroy something completely, either deliberately⁵ or by using it too much

7. refurbishment:
the decoration and repair of something such as a building or office in order to improve its appearance