美联社新闻一分钟 2007-02-20

1. Three stranded¹ climbers on Oregon's Mount Hood² are making their way down the mountain. The trio had fallen off a ledge³ Sunday and had to hole up until rescue crews could find them on Monday morning. None was injured.

2. At least 66 people died when two bombs exploded on a train headed for Pakistan from India. Officials said the attack was aimed at undermining the peace process between the two countries. Both nations are investigating the bombing.

3. It's a new day for gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey⁴. Today the state began offering civil unions for same sex couples. A hotel offered brunch⁵ for the newly legalized couples who started getting their licenses⁶ just after midnight this morning.

4. Do soft vinyl lunch boxes pose a danger to children? The Consumer Product Safety Commission says no. But when the Associated Press looked over the agency's documents, it found that two tests found contradictory⁷ results. One determined⁸ the amount of lead in the vinyl which was high; the second determined how much lead rubbed off the boxes which was low. The government focused on that test saying it was a more realistic test.

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. hole up: phrase
If you hole up somewhere, you hide or shut yourself there, usually so that people cannot find you or disturb you. (INFORMAL)

2. brunch: noun
Brunch is a meal that is eaten in the late morning. It is a combination of breakfast and lunch.

3. vinyl: noun
Vinyl is a strong plastic used for making things such as floor covering and furniture.

1 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

2 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

3 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 brunch   

n.早午餐

参考例句：

• They eat much the same thing for brunch every day.每天早午餐他们总是吃同样的东西。
• What did you have for your brunch?你早午饭都吃些什么？

6 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

7 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。