CNN 2009-08-06

Hi, there! Good to see you, I m Virginia Cha at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a look at what s happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

The nightmare is finally over for two American journalists who have been held in North Korea since March. Laura Ling and Euna Lee arrived in California today accompanied by former President Bill Clinton, emotional, emotional reunions there. He of course negotiated their release. Both women were arrested in North Korea in March charged with entering the country illegally. They ve been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor¹.

Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. Witnesses say hundreds of protesters and police gathered outside the Iranian parliament during the ceremony. After taking an oath,  Ahmadinejad criticized United States and other Western countries for not congratulating him. The widely disputed presidential election led to deadly clashes between protesters and police in Iran.

Police say the man who shot and killed three women in a crowded gym was a member there. They say 48-year-old George Sodini injured at least nine other women at an LA Fitness outside Pittsburgh last night. Witnesses say he quietly pulled two guns from a bag and then fired about 50 rounds, Sodini then killed himself.

Singer Chris Brown will be sentenced today for brutally² beating his ex-girlfriend pop star Rihanna. He s expected to get 5-year probation³ and six months of community service. The judge may let him serve his probation in Virginia where he s from. In June, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault just before a preliminary hearing where Rihanna was expected to testify.

 

Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol⁴. In a Twitter message, she said with sadness in her heart, she has decided⁵ not to return. She said she will miss being part of the show She helped from Day One become an international phenomenon. Last month her manager told the LA Times, producers haven't given her a contract proposal. Show auditions⁶ start tomorrow.

And those are the headlines for you at this hour. Stay with CNN for more on those stories and all your other news of the day.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

3 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

4 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 auditions   

n.（对拟做演员、歌手、乐师等人的）试听，试音( audition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Find modeling auditions, casting calls& acting auditions, all in one place. 找一个立体感试听，铸造呼叫和表演试听一体的地方。 来自互联网
• We are now about to start auditions to find a touring guitarist. 我们现在准备找一个新的吉他手。 来自互联网