美联社新闻一分钟 2007-07-08

1. Crowds gathered across the globe to listen to nonstop concerts with an eco-friendly message about global warming. The Live Earth concerts began in Australia, China and Japan, and continued throughout the day in Brazil, Germany, England and the US.

2. Scorching¹ temperatures continue to plague² much of the west, and forecasters predict little relief in the days ahead. The extreme temperatures are also raising concerns about wildfires in several states.

3. An Iraqi doctor has appeared in a London courtroom on charges that he and another man crashed a car into a terminal³ at Glasgow Airport. Bilal Abdullah is one of eight people charged in the failed car bomb attacks in Scotland⁴ and England.

4. Folks hoping to cash in on the so-called⁵ luckiest day of the century have headed to Las Vegas. The 7th day of the 7th month in 07 not only has gamblers excited but also thousands of couples hoping to be lucky in love.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. eco-friendly:
not harmful to the environment:

2. plague: transitive verb [usually passive]
to cause pain, suffering, or trouble to someone, especially for a long period of time

3. cash in :
to make a profit from a situation in a way that other people think is wrong or unfair

4. gambler:
a person who plays a game for money or property

1 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

2 plague   

n.瘟疫，鼠疫，祸患，灾难；v.烦扰，使痛苦

参考例句：

• Plague was then prevailing in that city.当时瘟疫正在该城流行。
• The plague once could wipe out a village.鼠疫曾一度可以夺走整个村庄村民的生命。

3 terminal   

n.终端机，终点，末端；adj.终点的，按期的，致死的

参考例句：

• The car has reached its terminal speed and can run faster no longer.这辆车的速度已达到了极限，不能再跑更快了。
• There's a taxi stand outside the terminal.在终点站的外面有出租车。

4 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

5 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。