美联社新闻一分钟 2007-06-28

1. The White House is not saying if it will comply with subpoenas² from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee is ordering President Bush and Vice³ President Dick Cheney to turn over key documents on the president’s controversial eavesdropping⁵ program. Both offices have three weeks to comply.

2. Even more residents in Central Texas may be forced to evacuate⁶ after waking up to 18 inches of rain Wednesday morning. The heavy downpours resulted in flash floods, trapping dozens of people. Officials blamed 11 deaths on storms over the past week and forecasters are predicting more rain.

3. Wildfires in California are being supercharged by high winds threatening to push this blaze over fire lines. The governors of California and Nevada toured the damaged neighborhoods They say they are concerned about the ongoing⁷ threat but praise the local firefighters. "It could have been much worse, if we wouldn’t have had such well-trained firefighters."

4. Actor Bruce Willis is donating memorabilia from his "Die Hard" movies to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Objects include a poster, a shirt worn by the film’s hero, and an original script from the series’ forth⁸ film, "Live Free or Die Hard."

 

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. subpoena¹: N-COUNT
A subpoena is a legal document telling someone that they must attend a court of law and give evidence as a witness.

2. eavesdrop⁴: VERB V on n, V
If you eavesdrop on someone, you listen secretly to what they are saying.

eavesdropping: N-UNCOUNT

3. comply: VERB V with n, V
If someone or something complies with an order or set of rules, they are in accordance with what is required or expected.

4. flash flood: N-COUNT
A flash flood is a sudden rush of water over dry land, usually caused by a great deal of rain.

5. supercharged: ADJ
If a car engine is supercharged, it has more air than normal forced into it so that the petrol burns more quickly and the car has more power.

6. blaze: N-COUNT usu sing
A blaze is a large fire which is difficult to control and which destroys a lot of things. (JOURNALISM)

7. memorabilia : N-PLURAL
Memorabilia are things that you collect because they are connected with a person or organization in which you are interested.

8. wake up to: PHRASAL VERB V P P n
If you wake up to something, you become aware of it.

1 subpoena   

n.（法律）传票；v.传讯

参考例句：

• He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。
• Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

2 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 eavesdrop   

v.偷听，倾听

参考例句：

• He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里，以便偷听。
• It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。

5 eavesdropping   

n. 偷听

参考例句：

• We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
• Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间，一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。

6 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。