美联社新闻一分钟 2006-04-24

（单词翻译）

1. Osama bin¹ Laden² issued new threats in an audiotape broadcast on Arab television earlier today. Bin Laden accuses the US and Europe of supporting a Zionist war on Islam by cutting off funds to the Hamas-led Palestinian government.

2. Roughly a third of New Orleans voters participated in the mayoral election. Some travelled hundreds of miles to help decide who will lead the city as it remakes itself from the ruin after Hurricane Katrina. Incumbent³ mayor Ray Nagin and Lieutenant⁴ Governor Mitch Landrieu will face off in a runoff May 20th.

3. An alleged⁵ school murder plot was uncovered in a small Alaska town. 6 middle school students were arrested yesterday on suspicion of plotting to bring guns and knives to school to kill their classmates and faculty⁶. The 7th-graders reportedly wanted to seek revenge for being picked on by other students.

4. R S's house is the buzz of his Miami neighborhood literally⁷. An exterminator⁸ discovered 3 million bees were living in an exterior⁹ wall of the house. The exterminator cut away the hive and removed the honeycomb before spraying to kill the rest of the insects.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. Zionism :noun [U]
a political movement which had as its original aim the creation of a country for Jewish people, and which now works to help the development of Israel
Zionist: adjective, noun [C]

2. remake :verb
to build or make something again
e.g. She remade her wedding dress to fit her daughter.

3. face off :phrasal verb
to fight, argue, or compete with someone, or to get into a position in which you are ready to do this
e.g. The two candidates will face off in a televised debate on Friday.

4. faculty :noun [C]
the people who teach in a department in a college

5. pick on sb: phrasal verb
to criticize, punish or be unkind to the same person frequently and unfairly:
e.g. He gets picked on by the other boys because he's so small.

6. the buzz :informal
unofficial news or information that is spread by people telling each other
e.g. The buzz is that Jack¹⁰ is leaving.

7. exterminator :noun [C]
somebody whose job is to kill unwanted insects and other animals

8. hive :group noun [C]
a structure where bees live, especially a beehive (= box-like container), or the group of bees living there

9. honeycomb :noun
a structure made by bees, which consists of many six-sided cells in which honey is stored