美联社新闻一分钟 2007-08-19（在线收听）

1. Hurricane warnings for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as Hurricane Dean bears down on the Caribbean islands. Dean is about 175 miles south of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, moving to the west-northwest at about 17 miles an hour.

2. The big storm is also prompting changes in space. NASA is cutting short the spacewalk today for Endeavour astronauts. They're giving the crew time to pack up and get ready for a possible one-day early return to Kennedy Space Center.

3. Michael Deaver, one of President Reagan's closest advisers, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 69. A family statement says he died today at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. Deaver was convicted in 1987 on perjury charges concerning his lobbying activities while at the White House.

4. After a month in rehabilitation, Bob the tortoise is home again. The 25-year-old pet had been tortured after he was stolen from his owner's yard on July 7th. For his first meal after having his feeding tube removed, Bob gobbled up hibiscus flowers and roses.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. bear down:
to move quickly towards a person or place in a threatening way

2. cut short:
to stop doing something earlier than you planned

3. pack up:
to put things into cases, bags etc ready for a trip somewhere

4. lobby: verb
to try to persuade the government or someone with political power that a law or situation should be changed

5. rehabilitation: noun
to help someone to live a healthy, useful, or active life again after they have been seriously ill or in prison
  原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/meilianshexinwen/2007/42514.html