美联社新闻一分钟 2006-03-16

1. The trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been put on hold until April after he refused to answer prosecutors¹' questions and gave a speech to the Iraqi people.

2. Joseph Smith, the man caught on videotape in Florida, leaving 11-year-old Carlie Brucia to her brutal² death in February 2004, received the death penalty Wednesday.

3. Searchers pick through debris³ in Hawaii after a dam broke Tuesday and swept away two homes. At least two people were killed. At least six others are still missing.

4. In Paris, a man who goes by the name of Spiderman climbed a 366-foot-tall building in less than 30 minutes. Alain Robert is known for climbing some of the world's tallest buildings with his bare hands and without a safety net.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. on hold :
on hold If an activity is on hold, it has been intentionally⁴ delayed:
e.g. The film's been put on hold until the financial situation improves.

2. go by the name of :
to give yourself a name which is not your real name:
e.g. In the business world he goes by the name of J. Walter Fortune.

3. safety net : noun [C]
a net put below people performing at a great height to catch them if they fall

1 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 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。

4 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。