美联社新闻一分钟 2006-09-22

1. Authorities hunting the source of a nationwide E-coli outbreak are focusing on nine California farms after discovering what could be a crucial clue -- an opened bag of spinach¹ left in the refrigerator of someone sickened by the bacteria.

2. The woman accused of slashing² a young mother's throat and kidnapping her baby convulsed in sobs³ during her arraignment⁴ in Missouri. 36-year-old Shannon Torrez has pleaded not guilty.

3. Despite fears that mysterious floating debris⁵ may have damaged the exterior⁶ of the space shuttle Atlantis, the craft touched down early Thursday in what officials are calling a by-the-books landing. "Touch down!"

4. And a new book is taking a look at sketches⁷ from former commanders-in-chief, from the geometric designs of Herbert Hoover to the sailboats of JFK. "Presidential Doodles" chronicles two centuries of Oval Office artistry.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. convulse: verb
If Someone convulses, their body moves suddenly in an uncontrolled way.

2. arraignment: n-count
Arraignment is when someone is brought before a court of law to answer a particular charge.(LEGAL)

3. by-the-books: adj.
By-the-books means strictly⁸ according to the rules.

4. chronicle: verb
To chronicle a series of event means to write about them or show them in broadcasts in the order in which they happened

1 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

2 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

3 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

4 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

7 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。