美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-22

1. The U.S. Marine¹ Corps² has charged seven Marines and one sailor with murder and kidnapping in the April death of an Iraqi civilian³. The unarmed man was allegedly pulled from his home and shot to death without provocation⁴.

2. President Bush is in Hungary, retracing⁵ the steps his father took nearly 20 years ago. He's expected to use the former Soviet⁶ bloc⁷ nation as an example for other countries struggling to make the transition from communism to free-market democracy.

3. Massive wildfires are raging in several western states including Arizona where about 180 people were allowed back to their homes today. Firefighters have burned off fuel ahead of a 2,500-acre blaze there and hope to keep the flames from jumping a highway.

4. And how far would you go to find a 3.5-carat diamond ring? A sanitation⁸ worker in Long Island, New York helped Betty Goldstein's husband dig through dozens of trash bags in 90-degree heat to find a ring that was accidentally thrown away

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. Marine Corps : noun abbr. MC
A branch of the U.S. armed forces composed chiefly of amphibious troops under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy.

2. provocation : n-var
If you describe a person's action as provocation or a provocation, you mean that it is a reason for someone else to react angrily, violently, or emotionally.
e.g. The soldiers fired without provocation.

3. free market : n-count
A free market is an economic system in which business organizations decide things such as prices and wages, and are not controlled by the government. (BUSINESS)
e.g. the creation of a free market.

4. burn off : phrasal verb
If someone burns off energy, they use it.
e.g. This will improve your performance and help you burn off calories.

5. carat : n-count
A carat is a unit for measuring the weight of diamonds and other precious stones. It is equal to 0.2 grams.
e.g. The gemstone is 28.6 millimeters high and weighs 139.43 carats.

6. sanitation worker : n-count
A person employed, as by a municipality or private company, to collect and dispose of garbage.

7. trash : n-uncount
Trash consists of unwanted things or waste material such as used paper, empty containers and bottles, and waste food. (AM; in BRIT, use rubbish)

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 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。

4 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

5 retracing   

v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We're retracing the route of a deep explorer mission. 我们将折回一个深入的探险路线中去。 来自电影对白
• Retracing my steps was certainly not an option. 回顾我的脚步并不是个办法。 来自互联网

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

8 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。