美联社一分钟新闻 2008-07-15（在线收听）

1. President Bush has lifted an executive ban on offshore oil drilling. But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well. The ban has stood since his father Bush Senior, was president.

 2. Authorities in North Carolina have charged the husband of a Fort Bragg Army nurse with murder. Police discovered her remains in a brush fire three days after she went missing. They've also charged 23-year-old Marine Corporal John Wimunc with first-degree arson.

 3. The Federal Reserve has adopted new rules designed to protect homebuyers from dubious mortgage lending practices. The move would restrict prepayment penalties imposed on borrowers who pay off a loan early. The Fed is also stopping mortgage companies and brokers from making loans without proof of a borrower's income.

 4. And three rare white lion cubs made their debut at a safari park in Germany. A total of seven were born to two different mothers in what the park staff called "a giant surprise" . That's because the mothers had not given birth at the same time in at least 40 years.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. lift: v.

If people in authority lift a law or rule that prevents people from doing something, they end it.

 2. stand: v.

If a decision, law, or offer stands, it still exists and has not been changed or cancelled.

 3. corporal: n. 【军】下士

a low rank in the army, air force etc.

 4. dubious:  adj.

If you describe something as dubious, you mean that you do not consider it to be completely honest, safe, or reliable.

 5. safari park:  n.

A safari park is a large enclosed area of land where wild animals, such as lions and elephants, live freely. People can pay to drive through the park and look at the animals.