美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-08

（单词翻译）

1. Voters have been casting ballots¹ all day at polling places across the nation. At sunrise from Crawford Texas, President Bush urged all Americans to make their voices heard. At stake in Tuesday's midterm election are all 435 House seats, 33 seats in the Senate and 36 races for governor. With many Americans frustrated² over the Iraq war and disappointed with misbehavior in Washington, Republican control of Congress may be on the line.

2. Heavy rains began to subside³ by early Tuesday in Washington State following several days of severe flooding that killed at least one person and stranded⁴ many others. Mud and rockslides have blocked a number of highways in the Northwest.

3. A London judge sentenced a confessed al-Qaeda operative to life in prison Tuesday for planning to attack landmarks⁵ in London, Washington and New York. Officials warn this case has proved that terrorism is still a real threat.

4. And pop superstar Britney Spears has filed for divorce from Kevin Federline. A court's spokeswoman says Spears has filed legal papers today in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable⁶ differences.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. stake : N-COUNT
You can use stakes to refer to something that is like a contest. For example, you can refer to the choosing of a leader as the leadership stakes.

2. on the line : PHR
If something such as your job, career, or reputation is on the line, you may lose or harm it as a result of what you are doing or of the situation you are in.

3. subside : VERB
If fighting subsides⁷, it becomes less intense or general.