美联社新闻一分钟 2006-06-26

1. Arizona firefighters are making good progress against a blaze that has scorch 1ed 4,200 acres. Some residents of Oak Creek 3 Canyon 4 were able to return home Saturday night, but hundreds more homes are still in danger. Crews hope to have the entire fire contained by Wednesday.

2. Iraq's prime minister has presented a plan to put his country on the road to reconciliation 5. Nouri al-Maliki offered an olive branch and amnesty to insurgents 6 who have not been involved in terrorist activities. He also wants a timetable for Iraqi police and military to take over security.

3. Nearly 2,000 police officers are walking the streets of Stuttgart, Germany, hoping to prevent a repeat from English fans at the World Cup. Police arrested 500 English soccer fans for throwing bottles and chairs in the streets yesterday. England beat Ecuador today 1-0, so far no violence

4. It's just another weekend of sheep riding for pint-sized cowboys in Greeley, Colorado. Kids ages five to seven tried their hand in named Mutton Bustin' competition. Like the bronco riders, kids competed to see who could hang on for dear life and stay on the animal the longest.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. scorch : verb
To scorch something means to burn it slightly.
e.g. The bomb scorched 2 the side of the building.

2. olive branch : n-count
If you offer an olive branch to someone, you say or do something in order to show that you want to end a disagreement or quarrel.
e.g. Clarke also offered an olive branch to critics in his party.

3. amnesty : n-var
An amnesty is an official pardon granted to a group of prisoners by the state.
e.g. Activists 7 who were involved in crimes of violence will not automatically be granted amnesty.
= pardon

4. walk the streets : idm
to walk around the streets of a town or city
e.g. Is it safe to walk the streets alone at night?

5. pint-sized : adj
If you describe someone or something as pint-sized, you think they are smaller than is normal or smaller than they should be. (INFORMAL)
e.g. Two pint-sized kids emerged from a doorway 8.

6. try one's hand : phrase
If you try your hand at an activity, you attempt to do it, usually for the first time.
e.g. After he left school, he tried his hand at a variety of jobs–bricklayer, cinema usher 9, coal man.

7. bronco : n-count
In the western United States, especially in the 19th century, a wild horse was sometimes referred to as a bronco.
e.g. two cowboys riding bucking 10 broncos

8. for dear life : phrase
If you say that someone does something for dear life or for their life, you mean that they do it using all their strength and effort because they are in a dangerous or urgent situation. (INFORMAL)
e.g. I made for the life raft and hung on for dear life.