美联社一分钟新闻 2008-07-01(在线收听

1. Coastal fog has brought hope of relief to firefighters battling Northern California's wildfires. More than 1,400 fires are still burning in that state. The fires were mostly started by lightning storms but quickly spread because of dry conditions.

2. The Pentagon is charging a Saudi Arabian man with organizing and directing the bombing of the USS Cole. And the military is seeking the death penalty against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Seventeen American sailors were killed in the 2000 attack.

3. The death of a pregnant Fort Bragg soldier is now being treated as a homicide. Army specialist Megan Touma was found dead in a Fayetteville, North Carolina motel last week. Police say they have a person of interest in that case.

4. And Floyd Landis has lost his final chance to retain his 2006 Tour de France title. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld previous rulings. Landis's positive doping test was valid. The American cyclist was banned from the sport for two years for cheating.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. USS Cole: “科尔”号战舰

USS

United States Ship; letters which go before the name of a ship to show that it belongs to the American government.

The second USS Cole (DDG-67) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. The Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945. The ship was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and delivered to the Navy on 11 March 1996.

On October 12, 2000, the Cole was damaged by a suicide attack while harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden.

2. Fort Bragg: 布雷格堡(基地)

Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.

3. homicide: n.

Homicide is the illegal killing of a person.

= murder

4. retain: v.

To retain something means to continue to have that thing.

= keep

5. Tour de France: 环法自行车赛

a famous bicycle race that takes place in France each year. The race goes all over France and continues for about three weeks. On each day the rider who is leading the race wears a special yellow shirt.

6. The Court of Arbitration for Sport: 国际体育仲裁法院

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; Tribunal Arbitral du Sport or TAS in French) is an arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sports. Its headquarters are in Lausanne; there are additional courts located in New York City and Sydney, with ad-hoc courts created in Olympics host cities as required.

7. positive: adj.

If a medical or scientific test is positive, it shows that something has happened or is present.

8. doping: n.

the practice of using drugs to improve performance in a sport.

doping scandal/ban/test etc
 

9. person of interest:

Person of interest is a phrase used by law enforcement when announcing the name of someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not yet been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It is often used as a euphemism for suspect, and can sometimes result in a trial by media.

 

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