美联社新闻一分钟 2006-02-20

（单词翻译）

1. Power crews are working to restore electricity for hundreds of thousands of people in the northeast. A brutal¹ winter storm caused hurricane-force winds and temperatures to drop below zero. At least four deaths are being blamed on the storm.

2. Hundreds of Muslim protestors in Jakarta attack the U.S. embassy with rocks, tomatoes and eggs. The protestors claim the U.S. is behind the recent publication of cartoons depicting² the Prophet Muhammad.

3. There is a winning Powerball lottery³ ticket sold in the Nebraska worth 365,000,000 dollars. Saturday's jackpot was the largest in the country's history thus far. The winner has not yet been named.

4. The carnival⁴ season came early in Brazil this year. The Rolling Stones put on a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio. Millions of people took over the beach to stake out a good spot to watch the show.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. thus far :
as far as this or until now:
e.g. We haven't had any problems thus far.

2. carnival : noun [C or U]
(a special occasion or period of) public enjoyment⁵ and entertainment involving wearing unusual clothes, dancing, and eating and drinking, usually held in the roads of a city:
e.g. There's a real carnival atmosphere in the streets.

3. stake out : phrasal verb [M]
to show other people that you claim ownership, control or use of a particular area in a physical way
e.g. They arrived several hours early for the concert and staked out a place at the front of the queue.