美联社新闻一分钟 2006-07-04

1. Mission Control managers at NASA are trying to decide what to do about the space shuttle Discovery. A crack was found in the shuttle's insulating foam¹, and NASA is trying to figure out if they can go ahead with the planned 4th of July launch which has already been delayed twice.

2. A subway train derailed in Valencia, Spain Monday, killing² at least 30 people and injuring a dozen more. Officials say the accident may have been caused by a tunnel wall collapsing³.

3. Violence is escalating⁴ in the Gaza Strip as Israeli tanks move in. Palestinian militants⁵ say they'll give Israel until 6 a.m. Tuesday to meet their demands to release Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

4. Independence Day came early for rapper Lil' Kim. She was released from federal prison in Philadelphia Monday morning. After spending nearly a year in jail for lying under oath, Lil' Kim was released early due to good behavior and will spend the next 30 days under house arrest.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. crack : n-count
A crack is a line that appears on the surface of something when it is slightly damaged.

2. insulate : verb
If a piece of equipment is insulated, it is covered with rubber or plastic to prevent electricity passing through it and giving the person using it an electric shock.

3. Independence Day : n-uncount
A country's Independence Day is the day on which its people celebrate their independence from another country that ruled them in the past. In the United States, Independence Day is celebrated⁶ each year on 4th July.

4. rapper : n-count
A rapper is a person who performs rap music.

5. oath : n-sing
In a court of law, when someone takes the oath, they make a formal promise to tell the truth. You can say that someone is on oath or under oath when they have made this promise.

1 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。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

4 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 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。