美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-06

1. President Bush says marriage between a man and a woman is one of the most important institutions and he's proud to support a constitutional amendment¹ to ban same sex marriages. He spoke² today as the Senate begins three days of debate on the proposal.

2. Leads are pouring in from across Texas but so far Lubbock police have not found Priscilla Nicole Maldonado. Police say a woman posing as a nurse befriended the five-day-old infant's mother and abducted³ her Sunday. Police have issued an Amber⁴ alert.

3. Utah National Guard members have begun their work on the Arizona-Mexico border. They are providing support like extending fences and improving roads. It's part of President Bush's plan to crack down on illegal immigration.

4. A baby born with two left arms in China will have one of the appendage⁵s removed Tuesday. Tests show neither of the arms is fully⁷ functional⁸, but doctors say the one closer to his chest is less developed and will be removed. The surgery is expected to last 3 to 5 hours and the biggest risk is nerve damage.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. lead : n-count
A lead is a piece of information or an idea which may help people to discover the facts in a situation where many facts are not known, for example in the investigation⁹ of a crime or in a scientific experiment.
e.g. The inquiry¹⁰ team is also following up possible leads after receiving 400 calls from the public.

2. pour : verb
If something such as information pours into a place, a lot of it is obtained or given.
e.g. Martin, 78, died yesterday. Tributes poured in from around the globe.
= flood

3. befriend : verb
If you befriend someone, especially someone who is lonely or far from home, you make friends with them.
e.g. The film's about an elderly woman and a young nurse who befriends her.

4. amber : color-----琥珀色
Amber is used to describe things that are yellowish-brown in color.
Amber alert : noun
A message that conveys information about a recently missing or abducted person, usually displayed on electronic signs positioned along roadways and broadcast by mass media, intended to enlist¹¹ the public's help in finding the abducted person and often in catching¹² the abductor. AMBER is a backronym for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response," and was named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas in 1996.

5. crack down on : phrasal verb
to try harder to prevent an illegal activity and deal more severely¹³ with those who are caught doing it
e.g. Police are cracking down on drug dealers¹⁴.

6. appendage : n-count
An appendage is something that is joined to or connected with something larger or more important. (FORMAL)
e.g. the growing demand in Wales for recognition that it was not just an appendage to England

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

4 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

5 appendage   

n.附加物

参考例句：

• After their work,the calculus was no longer an appendage and extension of Greek geometry.经过他们的工作，微积分不再是古希腊几何的附庸和延展。
• Macmillan must have loathed being judged as a mere appendage to domestic politics.麦克米伦肯定极不喜欢只被当成国内政治的附属品。

6 appendages   

n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等）

参考例句：

• The 11th segment carries a pair of segmented appendages, the cerci. 第十一节有一对分节的附肢，即尾须。 来自辞典例句
• Paired appendages, with one on each side of the body, are common in many animals. 很多动物身上有成对的附肢，一侧一个，这是很普遍的现象。 来自辞典例句

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

11 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

12 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

13 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

14 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。