美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-25

1. Firefighters are making progress on this 4200-acre wildfire in northern Arizona. Some of the residents evacuated¹ from scenic² Oak Creek³ Canyon⁴ were allowed to return home Saturday.

2. Some English soccer fans may be wearing out their welcome at the World Cup. More than 120 people were arrested early this morning for throwing bottles and glasses at passers-by. German police were called in to break up two brief but violent disturbances⁵ involving the fans.

3. The mother of murdered child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey has died. Patsy Ramsey lost her long battle with ovarian cancer. She was thrust into the spotlight⁶ in 1996 when her six-year-old daughter was found beaten and strangled in the family's Colorado home.

4. TV producer Aaron Spelling has died after having a stroke earlier this month. His string of hits included "The Mod Squad⁷'", "Charlie's Angels" and "Melrose Place". He was 83.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. canyon : n-count, n-in-names
A canyon is a long, narrow valley with very steep sides.

2. wear out one's welcome : phrase
Visit for longer than one's host wants, as in "She wanted to stay another few days but feared she would wear out her welcome". This expression uses "wear out" in the sense of "exhaust" or "use up."

3. passer-by : n-count, also passerby⁸, pl. passersby⁹ also passers-by
A passer-by is a person who is walking past someone or something.
e.g. A passer-by described what he saw moments after the car bomb had exploded.

4. beauty queen : n-count
A beauty queen is a woman who has won a beauty contest.

5. ovarian : adj
Ovarian means in or relating to the ovaries.
e.g. .a new treatment for ovarian cancer.
ovary : n-count
A woman's ovaries are the two organs in her body that produce eggs.

6. strangle : verb
To strangle someone means to kill them by squeezing their throat tightly so that they cannot breathe.
e.g. He tried to strangle a border policeman and steal his gun.
= throttle¹⁰

7. hit : n-count
If a CD, film, or play is a hit, it is very popular and successful.
e.g. The song became a massive hit in 1945.

1 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

2 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

3 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

4 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

5 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

6 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

7 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

8 passerby   

n.过路人，行人

参考例句：

• We had our photo taken by a passerby.我们请了一个路人为我们照相。
• A passerby heard her screams and rushed to her aid.一个过路人听见她的尖叫，便冲过去帮助她。

9 passersby   

n. 过路人(行人,经过者)

参考例句：

• He had terrorized Oxford Street,where passersby had seen only his footprints. 他曾使牛津街笼罩了一片恐怖气氛，因为那儿的行人只能看到他的脚印，看不到他的人。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• A person is marceling on a street, watching passersby passing. 街边烫发者打量着匆匆行人。

10 throttle   

n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压

参考例句：

• These government restrictions are going to throttle our trade.这些政府的限制将要扼杀我们的贸易。
• High tariffs throttle trade between countries.高的关税抑制了国与国之间的贸易。