美联社新闻一分钟 2007-08-13(在线收听

1. Entertainment mogul Merv Griffin has died. The man behind "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" passed away Sunday from prostate cancer. He was 82 years old.

2. A bizarre shooting on a Dallas freeway leaves a police officer seriously wounded. The officer responded to what he thought was an accident, but was suddenly caught in crossfire. Three others including the gunman were killed.

3. Despite low turnout, Mitt Romney says he's happy with his victory in the Iowa Straw Poll. Romney got twice as many votes as closest rival Mike Huckabee. Three other top contenders skipped the event entirely.

4. Endeavour astronauts worked for a close look at the three-inch gash in the shuttle's underside. The crew used the robotic arm to scan the damage. Engineers at NASA will then determine whether a spacewalk will be needed to fix the tear.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. mogul: noun
a businessman or businesswoman who has great power and influence in a particular industry

2. prostate cancer:
前列腺癌

3. bizarre: adj
very unusual or strange

4. crossfire: n [Uncountable]
bullets from two or more opposite directions that pass through the same area

5. turnout: noun [singular]
the number of people who vote in an election

6. straw poll:
an informal test of several people's opinions to see what the general feeling about something is

7. gash: noun
a large deep cut or hole in something, for example in a person's skin

8. underside: noun [singular]
the bottom side or surface of something

9. tear: noun
a hole in a piece of cloth or paper where it has been torn
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