美联社新闻一分钟 2007-02-26（在线收听）

1. Officials in Manatee County, Florida have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect wanted in the kidnapping of a teenager. Deputies say Vicente Ignacio Beltran Moreno abducted the teen at gunpoint and tied him to a tree. The teen used a safety pin to help him escape.

2. The Midwest is recovering from a strong winter storm that dumped snow in some areas and produced tornados in others. The storm disrupted air travel from Denver to Chicago.

3. A suicide bomber killed at least 41 people and injured dozens outside a Baghdad college Sunday. The attacker detonated the bomb near the school entrance.

4. Fans are lining up outside the Kodak Theater in Hollywood hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars arriving for the 79th Annual Academy Awards. Some experts say the race for Best Picture is wide open.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. safety pin: n-count
A safety pin is a bent metal pin used for fastening things together. The point of the pin has a cover so that when the pin is closed it cannot hurt anyone.

2. wide open: phrase
If you say that a competition, race, or election is wide open, you mean that anyone could win it, because there is no competitor who seems to be much better than others.