美联社新闻一分钟 2005-08-03

1.President Bush thanks the Discovery crew for its courage as the astronauts prepare for their unprecedented¹ mission to repair the space shuttle while in orbit.

2.Muslim leaders and Saudi princes jam a Riyadh mosque² to bid farewell to Saudi Arabia's King Fahd who is laid to rest in an unmarked desert grave.

3. John Bolton presents his credentials³ as US ambassador to the UN a day after the controversial diplomat⁴ received the recess⁵ appointment from President Bush.

4.Violent mobs again filled the streets in Khartoum Sudan, a day after 36 people died in riots sparked by the death of Sudan’s vice-president.

5.In her first interview since splitting with Brad Pitt , Jennifer Anniston says she was shocked by the breakup and is trying to pick up the pieces amid a media circus.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. unprecedented :ADJ;unprecedented
If something is unprecedented, it has never happened before.
eg. Such a move is rare, but not unprecedented.
eg. In 1987 the Socialists⁶ took the unprecedented step of appointing a civilian⁷ to command the force.

2. credentials :N-PLURAL: usu poss N;credentials
Someone's credentials are a letter or certificate that proves their identity or qualifications.
eg. Britain's new ambassador to Lebanon has presented his credentials to the President.

3.media circus: A media circus is an event that occurs when an aspect of a popular news event receives almost ludicrously high levels of media attention.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

4 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。

5 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

6 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。