美联社新闻一分钟 2005-08-26

1:The Federal Base-closing Commission agrees to close Walter Reed Medical Center, crown jewel of the US Army's hospital system.

2:Tropical storm Katrina strengthens on its way toward Florida's heavily populated southeastern coast due to make a landfall overnight.

3:Iraq's Parliament speaker announces a one-day extension in the constitution talks, a fourth try winning Sunni support for the charter.

4:Hundreds of scavenger¹s swarm² over wreckage³ of a Peruvian airliner⁴ potentially undermining the probe into the crash that killed dozens.

5:And rescue workers conduct an airlift evacuation of a district in Switzerland's capital after flooding hits parts of central and southern Europe.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. crown jewel
2 crown jewel crown jewels
If you describe something as someone's crown jewel, you mean it is the most important or valuable thing they have.
The company is also willing to sell 20% of its crown jewel, its credit-card business.
N-COUNT: usu poss N

2. scavenge
scavenge scavenges scavenging scavenged
If people or animals scavenge for things, they collect them by searching among waste or unwanted objects.
Many are orphans⁵, their parents killed as they scavenged for food.
Children scavenge through garbage.
The foxes come and scavenge the bones.
Cruz had to scavenge information from newspapers and journals.
VB

· scavenger scavengers
...scavengers such as rats.
N-COUNT

3. wreckage
1 wreckage
When something such as a plane, car, or building has been destroyed, you can refer to what remains⁶ as wreckage or the wreckage.
Mark was dragged from the burning wreckage of his car.
N-UNCOUNT : also the N

4. airlift
1 airlift airlifts
An airlift is an operation to move people, troops, or goods by air, especially in a war or when land routes are closed.
President Garcia has ordered an airlift of food, medicines and blankets.
N-COUNT

1 scavenger   

n.以腐尸为食的动物，清扫工

参考例句：

• He's just fit for a job as scavenger.他只配当个清道夫。
• He is not a scavenger nor just a moving appetite as some sharks are.它不是食腐动物，也不像有些鲨鱼那样，只知道游来游去满足食欲。

2 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

5 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。