美联社新闻一分钟 2006-09-02

（单词翻译）

1. As Ernesto moves north, tourists are returning to the beaches along the Carolinas where the surf is now calm. But further up the coast, communities are raising floodwalls and preparing for heavy rains from the tropical depression.

2. On the west coast, Hurricane John is now somewhat weaker, a Category 2 storm advancing on the tourist mecca of the southern tip of Baja California. For those who couldn't get the last flights out, hotels there were the only shelter to wait out the storm.

3. The teenager charged with murdering his father and firing shots at a school in North Carolina has released a videotape. "Once again I am sorry for what I did, but he's gone, he's dead." Alvaro Castillo talks about the incident on the tape and tries to explain his actions.

4. He's only 20 inches tall but he's 14 years old. This boy from Nepal is hoping his size makes him a Guinness World Record holder¹. Khagendra Thapa Magar weighs only 10 pounds. He and his family are currently² touring south Nepal

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. surf: n-uncount
Surf is the the waves of the sea as they break upon a shore or reef³.

2. floodwall: n-count
A floodwall is a wall built along a shore or bank to protect an area from floods.

3. depression: n-count 低压带：气压低的地区
A depression is a region of low barometric⁴ pressure.[Meteorology]

4. mecca: n-count
If you describe a place as a mecca or Mecca for a particular thing or activity, you mean that many people who are interested in it go there.

5. wait out: phrase
If you wait out an event, you wait till it ends.