美联社新闻一分钟 2006-02-27

1. The United Arab Emirates-based company that was sent to take over port operations in 6 major U. S. ports has agreed to a broader review before taking over operations. The move comes amid concerns from Congress about the deal.

2. The captors of kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll set Sunday as the day for their demands to be met, or they said Carroll would be killed. Carroll disappeared from a Baghdad street on January 7th while working for the Christian¹ Science Monitor.

3. Investigators² in Texas are trying to find out if a powdery substance found at the University of Texas, Austin, is ricin. A student found the substance in a dormitory but more tests need to be done to determine if it is the deadly poison.

4. Crowds gathered in New Orleans for a muted Mardi Gras this year. People lined famous Bourbon Street, packed with bars and restaurants, and caught some of the bead³s being thrown down from balconies along the street buildings. The party is considered a significant achievement, organized just 6 months after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf⁵ Coast.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. muted :adj.
subdued⁶ and understated
e.g. The speech received only a muted response from the unions.

2. Mardi Gras :noun [C usually singular]
the day before the beginning of Lent, which is celebrated⁷ in some countries with lots of music, colourful costumes and dancing in the streets

3. bead :
a small coloured often round piece of plastic, wood, glass, etc.
e.g. She wore a string of green glass beads⁴ around her neck.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

4 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。