AP美联社一分钟新闻 2008-08-10（在线收听）

1. A deadly stabbing has cast a shadow over the Olympic Games in Beijing. A suicidal man stabbed two tourists from Minnesota. Todd Bachman was killed, his wife Barbara hospitalized. Their daughter is a former Olympian, Elizabeth Bachman. She's married to Hugh McCutcheon who coaches the US men's volleyball team.

2. The president of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia is calling for a ceasefire. This comes as the conflict with Russia escalates in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia's foreign minister says 1,500 people have been killed so far.

3. Actor and comedian Bernie Mac has died. He passed away Saturday morning at a Chicago area hospital. His publicist says he had complications due to pneumonia. Mac was 50 years old.

4. Michael Phelps breezed through his first day of Olympic competition, swimming in a preliminary heat for the 400-meter individual medley. Phelps sweep(s) the field by almost one and a half seconds.

WORDS IN THE NEWS:

1. cast a shadow/cloud over sth
literary to make people feel less happy or hopeful about something.

2. pneumonia:  n. 【医】肺炎
a serious illness that affects your lungs and makes it difficult for you to breathe.

3. breeze through:  phr v.
If you breeze through something such as a game or test, you cope with it easily.

4. heat:  n.
a part of a race or competition whose winners then compete against each other in the next part.

5. medley:  n. 混合泳
In sport, a medley is a swimming race in which the four main strokes are used one after the other. 

6. sweep:  v.
To win overwhelmingly in.