美联社新闻一分钟 2006-12-14

1. Braving blizzard-like conditions, searching will continue today for 3 missing climbers in Oregon. Sunday was the last day the men had been heard from when one of the climbers called on a cell phone to report trouble.

2. At least 2 dozen more people are dead in Iraq as a result of insurgent¹ attacks. A parked car exploded near a bus stop in a Shiite neighborhood near Baghdad during rush hour. In addition to the dead at least 27 were wounded, many of them women and children.

3. A flurry of reported talks among airlines could signal merger² mania³. A big announcement may come from United Airlines and Continental⁴ Airlines who are planning a possible combination.

4. "You are a trophy⁵ wife?"
Peter Boyle who gained fame playing the role of a curmudgeonly⁶ father on the TV sitcom⁷ 'Everybody Loves Raymond' has died. The Emmy award-winning actor was 71 years old.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. flurry : N-COUNT
A flurry of something such as activity or excitement is a short intense period of it.

2. merger : N-COUNT
A merger is the joining together of two separate companies or organizations so that they become one.

3. mania : N-COUNT
Violent abnormal behavior.

4. trophy wife : N-COUNT
An attractive, young wife married to a usually older, affluent⁸ man.

5. curmudgeonly : ADJ
If you describe someone as curmudgeonly, you do not like them because they are mean or bad-tempered⁹.

6. sitcom : N-COUNT
A sitcom is an amusing television drama series about a set of characters. Sitcom is an abbreviation for 'situation comedy'.

1 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

2 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

3 mania   

n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好

参考例句：

• Football mania is sweeping the country.足球热正风靡全国。
• Collecting small items can easily become a mania.收藏零星物品往往容易变成一种癖好。

4 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

5 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

6 curmudgeonly   

adj.小气的，不和悦的

参考例句：

• Under Mr Obama nobody will dare to seem so curmudgeonly. 在奥巴马时代，没有人敢表现得如此小气。 来自互联网

7 sitcom   

n.情景喜剧，（广播、电视的）系列幽默剧

参考例句：

• This sitcom is produced in cooperation with Hong Kong TV.这部连续剧是同香港电视台联合制作的。
• I heard that a new sitcom is coming out next season.我听说下一季会推出一个新的情境喜剧。

8 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

9 bad-tempered   

adj.脾气坏的

参考例句：

• He grew more and more bad-tempered as the afternoon wore on.随着下午一点点地过去，他的脾气也越来越坏。
• I know he's often bad-tempered but really,you know,he's got a heart of gold.我知道他经常发脾气，但是，要知道，其实他心肠很好。