News Spotlight

News Spotlight¹

Politics

The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, has died at the age of 93. Reagan fought a ten-year battle with 1)Alzheimer’s disease and had been suffering from 2)pneumonia this past week. His three children and wife Nancy were called to his bedside after being informed the end was near.

The clues that the longest living President in U.S. history and the oldest to leave office was close to the end began coming in about 24 hours ago in 3)bits and pieces. Early in the morning, Ronald Reagan’s son, Ron Junior, arrived at the former first-family’s home in Bel-Air, California, followed by his sister, Patty, and then a nurse. Son Michael arrived a short time later. The international press corps² also began to 4)assemble. When word finally came in the afternoon, California time, that the 40th President of the United States was dead, one of the first to be notified was U.S. President George W. Bush, who was in Paris. He told his Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, “This is a sad day for America.”

Back at the White House, the flag was lowered to half-staff. Former First Lady, Nancy Reagan, issued a brief statement. “My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has passed away, after 10 years of Alzheimer’s disease, at 93 years of age. We appreciate everyone’s prayers.”

Political friends and 5)foes alike delivered farewell 6)salutes. Reagan’s body was taken in a flag-draped coffin³ to a local 7)funeral home to be 8)embalmed. Tomorrow, according to long-set plans, he will 9)lie in state at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, before being flown the next day to Washington to lie in state there. Barring last minute changes, a funeral service will be held at the National 10)Cathedral, and his body will be flown back to California to be buried on a hillside at the Reagan Library on Thursday.

Business

Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors is recalling over half a million 11)vehicles. They also apologize, late yesterday, for covering up twenty-six known 12)defects from regulators for years to avoid issuing recalls. Defective⁴ parts were used in the 1992 and ’93 models of the Lancer, Mirage⁵, and Libero, and it’s recalling 160,000 of those cars, mainly in Japan. Another 347,000 cars, made between October 1998 and February 2004, including the Pajero and Carisma 13)sedans, are being recalled globally for separate problems. In 2000, Mitsubishi reported and issued recalls for four defects. A special investigative team, set up last month as part of a new 14)revival⁶ plan, disclosed the additional problems.

Technology

Researchers have discovered a 15)protein that helps 16)mammals burn off stored fat.  They hope it can lead to an anti-17)obesity⁷ drug. Their findings are in the Journal of Nature.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology already knew that a protein in 18)yeast⁸ gets 19)activated when calories are restricted, so they decided¹⁰ to study a similar protein in mice. They found that, when food is 20)scarce, the protein glues itself to 21)molecules¹¹ on the surface of fat cells. The cells then give up their fat to be used as fuel. The researchers think the loss of fat slows down aging because fat puts out 22)hormones that 23)accelerate aging. To activate⁹ the protein, humans would have to go on drastic diets. That’s not a very practical way to lose weight or slow down aging. But the MIT scientists think it should be possible to make a drug that activates¹³ the calories-sensing protein and fool cells into giving up their stored-up fat.

Sport

The Detroit Pistons¹⁴ have won the NBA championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 100 to 87. 

At the beginning of the NBA finals last week, few sports fans around the country would’ve given Detroit a chance to win the championship. But the Pistons managed the task in just five games by using a 24)stifling¹⁵ defense¹⁶ to keep the Los Angeles Lakers in check. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring last night, with 21 points, Chauncey Billups scored 11 points and was named Most Valuable Player in the finals. The game-five victory gave Detroit its first championship since 1990, and vaulted¹⁷ coach, Larry Brown, into the history books. He’s the first coach to win titles in both the NCAA and the NBA. Brown led Kansas to a 25)collegiate championship in 1988.

新闻听力测试（听写练习）:
 
Five foreign aid groups have suspended operations in the northwest Afghan province of Badghis. ____, attackers threw a small bomb at the office of an Italian ____. No one was hurt in the explosion. However, ____workers from the aid group , Doctors Without Borders, were killed in an attack in Badghis last week. Taliban fighters ____ responsibility for that attack. Afghan police blamed the Taliban and their AL Qaeda allies for the ____ Sunday.

注释：
1) Alzheimer’s disease 阿尔茨海默氏病（老年痴呆症）
2) pneumonia [nju:5mEunjE] n. 肺炎
3) bits and pieces 零碎
4) assemble [E5sembl] v. 聚集
5) foe [fEu] n. 敌人，反对者
6) salute [sE5lu:t] n. 赞扬，致辞
7) funeral home 殡仪馆
8) embalm [im5bB:m] v. 给尸体防腐
9) lie in state 埋葬前任人凭吊
10)  cathedral [kE5Wi:drEl] n. 大教堂
11)  vehicle [5vi:ikl] n. 车辆
12)  defect [di5fekt] n. 过失，缺陷
13)  sedan [si5dAn] n. 轿车
14)  revival [ri5vaivEl] n. 复苏，复兴
15)  protein [5prEuti:n] n. 蛋白质
16)  mammal [5mAmEl] n. 哺乳动物
17)  obesity [Eu5bisiti] n. 肥胖
18)  yeast [ji:st] n. 酵母
19)  activate [5Aktiveit] v. 激活，活化
20)  scarce [skZEs] a. 不足的
21)  molecules [5mClikju:l] n. 分子
22)  hormone¹² [5hC:mEun] n. 荷尔蒙
23)  accelerate [Ak5selEreit] v. 加速
24)  stifling [5staifliN] a. 坚定的
25)  collegiate [kE5li:dViit] a. 大学的

新闻聚光灯

政治

美国第40任总统罗纳德•里根逝世，享年93岁。与老年痴呆症抗争了十年的里根过去一周并发了肺炎。临终前，三个孩子和妻子南茜都守在他的病榻前。
里根是美国历史上寿命最长、离职时年龄最大的美国前总统，24小时前，关于他病危的消息就零零散散地传开了。一大早，罗纳德•里根的儿子罗恩就抵达了里根夫妇在加州贝艾尔的家，随后他的姐姐帕蒂和一名护士也相继赶来。里根的另一个儿子迈克尔稍后到达。各大国际媒体也开始聚集于此。加州时间下午时分，美国第40任总统逝世。最先获知该消息的包括远在巴黎的美国总统乔•布什。他对白宫主管安德鲁•卡德说：“这是令美国人民悲恸的一天。”
白宫下半旗致哀。美国前第一夫人南茜•里根发表了简短的声明：“我和我的家人要告诉全世界，在患上老年痴呆症10年后，里根总统已离开我们，享年93岁。我们感谢所有人的祈祷。”
里根的政友和政敌都对其致以最后的敬意。装着里根遗体的灵柩覆盖着美国国旗，灵柩被运往当地一个殡仪馆进行防腐处理，根据早已制订好的方案，明天民众将可以在加州锡米谷的里根图书馆瞻仰他的遗体。后天，遗体将被空运至华盛顿供人瞻仰。除非有其它临时变动，里根的葬礼将在国家大教堂举行。之后里根遗体将被空运回加州，下葬于里根图书馆旁的山坡上。

财经

日本三菱汽车公司正在召回超过50万辆轿车。昨天晚些时候，他们还为过去几年为避免召回产品而故意向政府管理部门隐瞒了26处缺陷向公众道歉。三菱公司召回16万辆92和93年产的蓝瑟、幻影和自由，这些车型的零部件都存在缺陷，并且大部分在日本销售。此外，于1998年10月到2004年2月间生产的34.7万辆帕杰罗和凯斯玛，也因为其它问题在全球范围内被召回。2000年，三菱公司曾公布检测报告，并因为其产品存在四种缺陷而实施召回措施。这些新问题是由上个月成立的特别调查组揭露的，这个小组是该公司重振计划的一部分。

科技

科学家最近发现了一种能帮助哺乳动物燃烧多余脂肪的蛋白质，他们希望这一发现能运用到减肥药物的开发和研制上。这项成果刊登在《自然》杂志上。
麻省理工学院的科学家早就发现当卡路里降低时，酵母里的蛋白质就会被激活，因此他们决定对老鼠身上相似的蛋白质进行研究。结果发现当食物供应不足时，这种蛋白质就会紧紧附着脂肪细胞表面的分子，接着这些脂肪细胞就会燃烧。研究人员认为脂肪燃烧有助于延缓衰老，因为脂肪会产生加速衰老的荷尔蒙。要激活这些蛋白质，人们必须严格控制饮食，这种减肥或延缓衰老的做法并不现实。但麻省理工学院的科学家认为，根据这个原理可望研制出一种药物，它可以激活体内能感应到卡路里多少的蛋白质，骗过细胞，令其释放储存的脂肪，从而达到减肥效果。

体育

底特律活塞队以100比87的比分击败洛杉矶湖人队，夺得NBA总冠军。
上星期NBA总决赛开赛的时候，全国没有多少球迷看好活塞队。但活塞众将凭借顽强的防守在五个回合中就让湖人俯首称臣。昨晚活塞队的里查德•汉密尔顿拿下本队全场最高分，21分。被评为总决赛最有价值球员的昌西•比卢普斯也有11分的进帐。第五回合的胜利使活塞队自1990年阔别总冠军后再次摘取此头衔。而教练拉里•布朗也创下了一个记录，成为第一个带领球队夺取NCAA和NBA总冠军的教练。1988年，他执教的堪萨斯队夺得美国大学篮球联赛冠军。

新闻听力测试译文：

　　五个外国援助机构暂停了在阿富汗西北部巴德吉斯省的救援行动。星期天晚上，袭击者将一枚小炸弹扔至一个意大利救援机构的办公室，爆炸没有造成人员伤亡。五名“无国界医生组织”的工作人员上个星期在巴德吉斯被袭身亡。塔利班武装分子已宣称对该爆炸事件负责。阿富汗警方把星期天的爆炸归咎于塔利班和基地组织。

 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

4 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

5 mirage   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景

参考例句：

• Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.也许我们都只是在追逐一个幻想。
• Western liberalism was always a mirage.西方自由主义永远是一座海市蜃楼。

6 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

7 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

8 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

9 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

10 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。

11 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

12 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

13 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

14 pistons   

活塞( piston的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some pistons have seating rings of metal or leather. 有些活塞上有金属或皮革的密封环。
• A pump uses valves and pistons. 泵使用阀和活塞。

15 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 vaulted   

adj.拱状的

参考例句：

• She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
• The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。