美联社新闻一分钟 2006-08-31

1. Ernesto is now a tropical depression as it moves north. The storm is expected to be in the Carolinas tomorrow. And there is concern it could spawn¹ tornadoes² and flooding. Meantime, Hurricane John is gaining strength as it threatens tourist resorts along Mexico's Pacific coast. John is a category four hurricane, which packs winds of between 131 and 155 miles per hour.

2. The husband of a woman crushed to death in Boston's Big Dig tunnels says he just wants justice. Angel Del Valle and his wife's daughter filed a lawsuit³. Milena Del Valle was killed last month when 12 tons of concrete fell on her car.

3. A New Orleans judge throws out a $50 million award against the makers⁴ of Vioxx. The judge says the figure is grossly excessive. More than 16, 000 Vioxx-related suits are pending⁵ against Merck.

4. And in Spain, tens of thousands of partyers got pasted. It's the annual tomato-throwing food fight festival.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. throw out : phrasal verb
If a judge throws out a case, he or she rejects it and the accused person does not have to stand trial.

2. pending : adj
If something such as a legal procedure is pending, it is waiting to be dealt with or settled. (FORMAL)

1 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

2 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

3 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。