美联社新闻一分钟 2005-07-30

1 Police raids in London and Rome, round up the last of the suspected attackers in last week's failed transit¹ bombings in Britain's capital.

2 Breaking with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Frist throws his support behind the Stem-Cell Bill, saying it's a matter of science.

3 An Iraqi judge says Saddam Hussein faced questions over a quashed Shiite uprising . Elsewhere a suicide blast kills Iraqi army volunteers.

4 North Korean nuclear disarmament talks stretch into their longest round yet, but the top US envoy² stresses this isn't going to be easy.

5 And NASA's chief says he isn't giving up on another shuttle launch this year, despite suspending flights to fix the foam³ insulation⁴ problem.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. quash :VB=put down;quash,quashes,quashing,quashed
To quash a rebellion or protest means to stop it, often in a violent way.
eg. Troops were displaying an obvious reluctance⁵ to get involved in quashing demonstrations⁶.

2. uprising :N-COUNT: usu sing=rebellion, revolt;uprising,uprisings
When there is an uprising, a group of people start fighting against the people who are in power in their country, because they want to bring about a political change.
eg. ...a popular uprising against the authoritarian⁷ government...
eg. Isolated⁸ attacks in the north-east of the country have now turned into a full-scale uprising.

3. insulation :N-UNCOUNT;insulation
Insulation is a thick layer of a substance that keeps something warm, especially a building.
eg. High electricity bills point to a poor heating system or bad insulation.
eg. A wet suit provides excellent insulation.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

4 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

5 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。