AP美联社一分钟新闻 2008-09-21（在线收听）

1. The Bush administration and Congress are working through the weekend to hammer out a Wall Street rescue plan. President Bush is asking lawmakers to let the government buy 700 billion dollars in bad mortgages from US financial institutions for the next two years.

2. Police in Pakistan say at least 40 people have died in a massive explosion that destroyed the luxury Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. Dozens more are feared dead inside. Witnesses describe a large truck driving toward the hotel's gate before exploding and engulfing the building in flames.

3. Four passengers are dead after this Learjet crashed shortly after takeoff. Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein, also known as DJ AM are critically injured. An FAA spokesman says air traffic controllers reported seeing sparks right before the plane went off the runway.

4. And call it up penguin "meet and greet". It's the start of mating season for Magellanic penguins in southeastern Argentina. Thousands of the birds stride along the shorelines in what local media calls "The Penguin's Vigil".

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. hammer out: phr v.

If people hammer out an agreement or treaty, they succeed in producing it after a long or difficult discussion.

2. air traffic controller: n.

someone at an airport whose job is to give instructions to pilots by radio.

3. mating: n.

sex between animals.

4. vigil: n.

A vigil is a period of time when people remain quietly in a place, especially at night, for example because they are praying or are making a political protest.

5. Learjet: n.

里尔喷射机（Learjet） 为一在民用及军用广泛使用的商务喷射机系列。里尔喷射机在1950年代，由威廉‧鲍威尔‧里尔（又名比尔‧里尔）所设立的里尔喷射机公司（Learjet Inc）所设计及生产。1990年，破产的里尔喷射机公司被加拿大庞巴迪公司收购，成为庞巴迪宇航公司。目前里尔喷射机系列称为庞巴迪里尔式喷射机系列。