美联社新闻一分钟 2006-05-08

1. Iran is threatening to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty if the United States does not stop pressuring that country to end its nuclear program. The U.S. says it will go to the United Nations for a vote, but Iran says any UN action is illegal and will force a confrontation¹.

2. Three construction workers died while working on a high-rise condominium in Bal Harbour, Florida. Apparently², a wooden frame collapsed³ and the men became trapped in quick-drying concrete. Structural⁴ engineers are investigating to try and figure out what happened.

3. The FBI is searching for this man, Warren Steed Jeffs. Jeffs is a leader and self-proclaimed prophet of a polygamy sect⁵. He is wanted on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor⁶, conspiracy⁷ and unlawful flight. Jeffs is considered armed and dangerous.

4. The legendary⁸ Blue Angels flew through the sky at the South Florida this weekend for an Air & Sea Show. It continues on Sunday, about 4 million people are expected to watch the show.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. confrontation : n-var, oft n with/between n
A confrontation is a dispute, fight, or battle between two groups of people.
e.g. The commission remains⁹ so weak that it will continue to avoid confrontation with governments.

2. high-rise : adj
High-rise buildings are modern buildings which are very tall and have many levels or floors.
e.g. high-rise office buildings.

3. condominium : n-count
A condominium is an apartment building in which each apartment is owned by the person who lives there. (AM)

4. frame : n-count
The frame of an object such as a building, chair, or window is the arrangement of wooden, metal, or plastic bars between which other material is fitted, and which give the object its strength and shape.
e.g. He supplied housebuilders with modern timber frames.

5. trap : verb
If you are trapped somewhere, something falls onto you or blocks your way and prevents you from moving or escaping.
e.g. The train was trapped underground by a fire.

6. concrete : n-uncount
Concrete is a substance used for building which is made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones, and water.
e.g. They had lain on sleeping bags on the concrete floor.

7. self-proclaimed : adj
①Self-proclaimed is used to show that someone has given themselves a particular title or status rather than being given it by other people.
e.g. He is President of his own self-proclaimed republic.
= self-confessed
②Self-proclaimed is used to show that someone says themselves that they are a type of person which most people would be embarrassed or ashamed to be.
e.g. One of the prisoners is a self-proclaimed racist¹⁰ who opened fire on a crowd four years ago.
= self-declared

8. prophet : n-count
A prophet is a person who is believed to be chosen by God to say the things that God wants to tell people.
e.g. the sacred name of the Holy Prophet of Islam.

9. polygamy : n-uncount
Polygamy is the custom in some societies in which someone can be legally married to more than one person at the same time.

10. sect : n-count
A sect is a group of people that has separated from a larger group and has a particular set of religious or political beliefs.

11. count : n-count
In law, a count is one of a number of charges brought against someone in court.
e.g. He was indicted¹¹ by a grand jury on two counts of murder.

12. the Blue Angels ------(美国海军)蓝色天使(特技队)
The United States Navy's Blue Angels, or Navy Flight Demonstration¹² Squadron, was formed at the end of World War II, by order of Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Chief of Naval¹³ Operations, to keep the public interested in naval aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first flight demonstration less than a year later in June 1946 at their home base. The Blue Angels perform more than 70 shows at 34 different locations throughout the USA each year. Since 1946, they have flown for more than 260 million spectators.

1 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 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。

10 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

11 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

12 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

13 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。