美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-17

1. The House of Representatives said no to setting a date for pulling troops out of Iraq. Republican leaders forced members to go on record with their votes just a few months before the mid-term elections.

2. Washington-area sniper John Malvo has reportedly admitted to being involved in four more shootings. Malvo and partner John Muhammad are tied to ten murders in a two-week period in 2002. Both have been convicted of the sniper shootings. Now The Washington Post reports that the additional shootings were in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and California.

3. Doctors are keeping a close eye on Regina and Renata Salinas Fierros. Formerly 1 conjoined, the ten-month-old twins were separated yesterday. The girls are still on ventilators and being watched for infection from the surgery. The doctors say the first 48 hours are critical.

4. Call it reverse Goldilocks. A family in New Jersey 2 woke up to find somebody sleeping in their hammock: a great big black bear. He liked the hammock so much, when he fell out, he worked hard to get back in.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. ventilator : n-count
A ventilator is a machine that helps people breathe when they cannot breathe naturally, for example because they are very ill or have been seriously injured.

2. keep an eye on : phrase
If you keep an eye on something or someone, you watch them carefully, for example to make sure that they are satisfactory or safe, or not causing trouble.
e.g. I'm sure you will appreciate that we must keep a careful eye on all our running costs.

3. Goldilocks :
the main character in the children's story Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Goldilocks is a young girl with golden-colored hair who visits the house of the Three Bears while they are out. She tries sitting in each of their chairs, tastes each of their bowls of porridge, and lies in each of their beds until she finds the one she likes best. When the Bears come back, they realize that someone has been in their home. They each ask, "Who's been sitting in my chair?” "Who's been eating my porridge?” and "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" until they finally find Goldilocks asleep in the baby bear's bed. Goldilocks then wakes up and runs away.

4. wake up : phrasal verb
If something such as an activity wakes you up, it makes you more alert and ready to do things after you have been lazy or inactive.
e.g. A cool shower wakes up the body and boosts circulation.

5. hammock : n-count
A hammock is a piece of strong cloth or netting which is hung between two supports and used as a bed.