美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-14

1. President Bush told Iraqis today that their future is up to them. On a surprise visit to Baghdad, he met with Iraq's new prime minister. Bush said he was impressed by the prime minister's cabinet.

2. Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall today southeast of Tallahassee, Florida. After two days of rain, many Florida's streets are flooded and some residences are without power.

3. Congressman 1 Patrick Kennedy pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of prescription 2 drugs. He was sentenced to court-ordered drug treatment and a year of probation 3 today in Washington. Kennedy says he looks forward to moving on with his life.

4. Nike will honor Tiger Woods's late father with a special Father's Day national commercial. The tribute features a childhood slide show of Tiger with his dad. Tiger said he hopes the commercial will help people recognize and appreciate fathers everywhere.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. up to : prep-phrase
If you say that it is up to someone to do something, you mean that it is their responsibility to do it.
e.g. It was up to him to make it right, no matter how long it took.

2. landfall : n-var
Landfall is the act of arriving somewhere after a journey at sea, or the land that you arrive at.
e.g. By the time we had made landfall the boat looked ten years older!

3. Driving Under the Influence : (DUI) legal term
Driving under the influence, drunk driving, or drink-driving, is the act of operating a motor vehicle (and sometimes a bicycle or similar human-powered vehicle) after having consumed alcohol (ethanol) or other drugs, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired 4. In addition to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of other drugs, a third "DUI" offense 5 consists of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and other drugs. The drugs causing or contributing to the impairment need not be illegal, but can consist of lawfully 6 prescribed or over-the-counter medication. Anti-drunk-driving advertising 7 campaigns have aimed to raise awareness 8 of the legal situation and the dangers of driving while intoxicated 9. Drunk-driving is responsible for a very large number of deaths, injuries, damage and accidents every year.

4. prescription drug ---处方药
A prescription drug (or POM Prescription Only Medicine, in UK) is a licensed 10 medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over the counter（OTC---非处方药）drugs which can be obtained without a prescription. Different jurisdictions 11 have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug. As a general rule, over the counter drugs are used to treat conditions not necessarily requiring a doctor's care and will have been proven to meet higher safety standards for self-medication by patients. Often a lower dosage of a drug will be approved for OTC use, while higher dosages will remain the province of a doctor's prescription; a notable case is ibuprofen, which has been widely available as an OTC pain killer 12 since the mid-1980s but is still available in doses up to four times the OTC dose for use in cases of severe orthopedic pain.

5. court order : n-count
An order issued by a court that requires a person to do or refrain from doing something.
e.g. She has decided 13 not to appeal against a court order banning her from keeping animals.

6. probation : n-uncount
Probation is a period of time during which a person who has committed a crime has to obey the law and be supervised by a probation officer, rather than being sent to prison.
e.g. The thief was put on probation for two years.

7. late : adj
You use late when you are talking about someone who is dead, especially someone who has died recently.
e.g. the late Mr. Parkin.

8. commercial : n-count
A commercial is an advertisement that is broadcast on television or radio.

9. tribute : n-var
A tribute is something that you say, do, or make to show your admiration 14 and respect for someone.
e.g. The song is a tribute to Roy Orbison.

10. feature : verb
When something such as a film or exhibition features a particular person or thing, they are an important part of it.
e.g. This spectacular event, now in its 5th year, features a stunning 15 catwalk show.
= include

11. slide show
A collection of images from a digital camera arranged in sequence for presenting to an audience. Photo editors generally provide a self-contained slide show that can be burned onto a CD-R disc along with the viewer and sent to friends and family.