美联社新闻一分钟 2005-07-04

1. Gunmen kidnapped the top Egyptian diplomat¹ in Iraq, in an apparent bid to discourage Arab states from bolster²ing ties with the US-backed government.

2. Saudi Arabia says its security forces have killed the nation's most wanted man, the head of al-Qaeda in the kingdom in a Riyadh gunbattle.

3. Iran accuses the United States and Israel of waging a smear⁴ campaign against its president-elect and warns Europe not to join in the mudslinging.

4. Democratic senators say they will use the filibuster⁵ if needed in a vote over the nominee⁶ to replace Supreme⁷ Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

5. NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft releases a probe that's to collide with a speeding comet to learn more about what's inside the icy bodies.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1.bid:n.an attempt to achieve or obtain something.
eg.a bid for power

2.bolster:v.to help someone to feel better and more positive.
eg.He is making a bold attempt to bolster the territory's confidence.

3.wage:v.to be involved in a war against someone, or a fight against something.
eg.he council has waged a vigorous campaign against the proposal.

4.smear campaign:a deliberate plan to tell untrue stories about an important person in order to make people lose respect for them - used especially in newspapers.
smear:n.an untrue story about a politician or other important person that is told in order to make people lose respect for them - used especially in newspapers

5.mudslinging:n.when someone says bad and often untrue things about someone in order to make other people have a low opinion of them.
eg.There has been a lot of political mudslinging in the battle for votes.

6.filibuster:n.the act of trying to delay action in Congress or another law-making group by making very long speeches.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

3 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

4 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。

5 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。