美联社新闻一分钟 2007-04-16（在线收听）

1. The East Coast is getting a good [b]drenching. Rain, ice and snow are pelting the region as a strong nor'easter moves through. Already there are fears of flooding in New York City.

2. Attorney General Gonzales says in an op-ed piece today he did nothing improper in firing 8 federal prosecutors. He is due to appear before Congress Tuesday where even some Republicans are questioning his ability to lead.

3. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are praising talks between their two leaders. For the first time in six years, they broached the topic of a Palestinian State. The two are said to get together again soon.

4. Anyone going to a ball game today can expect to see a lot of number 42s out on the field. Today is the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier. Many players are wearing his old uniform number as a way of honoring the Hall of Famer.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. drench: verb
To drench something or someone means to make them complete wet.

2. pelt: verb
If the rain is pelting down, it is raining very hard.

3. op-ed: adj
In a newspaper, the op-ed page is a page containing articles in which people express their opinions about things.

4. broach: verb
When you broach a subject, especially a sensitive one, you mention it in order to start a discussion on it.

5. Hall of Famer: verb
If you say that someone is a member of a particular Hall of Famer(Fame), you mean that they are one of the most famous people in that area of activity.