美联社新闻一分钟 2006-05-18(在线收听

1. The fates of Enron founder Ken Lay and his right-hand man are now in the hands of jurors. Lay and Jeffrey Skilling each face long prison sentences if convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges for the collapse of the energy giant.

2. The damage estimates from days of flooding in New England could go into the millions. The waters are slowly starting to recede after four days of rain. From Boston to Maine, roads, homes and businesses are underwater. Some residents are only returning to their homes today.

3. It's over for Sir Paul and his wife Heather Mills McCartney. The two called it quits after four years of marriage and one child. They said the media pressures were just too great, and he is taking issue with suggestions that the former model only married him for his one-billion-dollar estate.

4. The USS Oriskany is now at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The Navy intentionally sank the retired aircraft carrier to make the world's largest created reef. The carrier is the first ship set for reefing under the Navy's new program to dispose of old warships

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. right-hand man : n-count
Someone's right-hand man is the person who acts as their chief assistant and helps and supports them a lot in their work.
e.g. He is Rupert Murdoch's right-hand man at News International.

2. hands : n-plural
If you say that something is in a particular person's hands, you mean that they are looking after it, own it, or are responsible for it.
e.g. He is leaving his north London business in the hands of a colleague.

3. call it quits : phrase
If you say that you are going to call it quits, you mean that you have decided to stop doing something or being involved in something.
e.g. They raised $630,000 through listener donations, and then called it quits.

4. take issue with : phrase
If you take issue with someone or something they said, you disagree with them, and start arguing about it.
e.g. I will not take issue with the fact that we have a recession.
= argue

5. USS ------美国海军战舰代号前缀
USS is an acronym for United States Ship

6. aircraft carrier : n-count------航空母舰
An aircraft carrier is a warship with a long, flat deck where aircraft can take off and land.

7. reef : n-count
A reef is a long line of rocks or sand, the top of which is just above or just below the surface of the sea.
e.g. With great difficulty, the fisherman maneuvered his small craft close to the reef

8. warship : n-count
A warship is a ship with guns that is used for fighting in wars.

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