美联社新闻一分钟 2006-09-05(在线收听

1. "But at least he died 'doing something that he loved.'" Fans spoke fondly of Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter", at the National Zoo in Washington D. C. Monday. The 44-year-old Australian was killed when a stingray's barb pierced him during the filming of a documentary of the Great Barrier Reef.

2. A Jordanian gunman opened fire at a crowd of foreign tourists Monday in the center of Jordan's capital. A man from Britain was killed and 6 other people were wounded near the city's Roman amphitheater, a popular tourist destination.

3. Iran said Monday it had tested a new air defense system to counter missiles and aircraft. The new test came just one day after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with Iran's president.

4. A surveillance camera at a Providence, Rhode Island laundromat captured a startling robbery, a grown man stealing a 20-dollar bill from a 7-year-old girl. Fortunately, the child was not hurt during the ordeal and officers eventually tracked down the suspect and arrested him.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. stingray: n-count
A stingray is a type of large flat fish with a long tail which it can use as a weapon.

2. barb : n-count
A barb is a sharp curved point near the end of an arrow or fish-hook which makes it difficult to pull out.

3. amphitheatre : n-count
An amphitheatre is a large open area surrounded by rows of seats sloping upwards. Amphitheatres were built mainly in Greek and Roman times for the performance of plays.

4. counter : verb
If you do something to counter a particular action or process, you do something which has an opposite effect to it or makes it less effective.

5. laundromat : n-count
A laundromat is a place where people can pay to use machines to wash and dry their clothes.

6. ordeal : n-count
If you describe an experience or situation as an ordeal, you think it is difficult and unpleasant

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