美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-19

（单词翻译）

1. Authorities say a standoff with an armed patient at a suburban¹ Chicago hospital ended with the gunman dead. Reports from the scene say that gunfire was heard. A 71-year-old man was briefly² held hostage, but police intervened.

2. President Bush will continue to keep pressure on a defiant³ North Korea to prove that US is serious about the country dismantling its nuclear weapons program. Bush used a summit of Pacific Rim⁵ countries to talk to North Korea's neighbors about the threat.

3. In a fairy tale setting fit for royalty⁶, Tom Cruise and Katie Holms exchanged wedding vows⁷ Saturday evening in a glowing 15th century castle in a lakeside Italian town. Celebrity⁸ guests and a throng⁹ of media were present for the much-anticipated celebration.

4. A Dutch television show on Friday televised a new world record for the most dominos toppled on record. A little over four million dominos were knocked down in a chain reaction. Organizers say it took eight weeks to set up all the dominos

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. dismantle¹⁰ : VERB
To dismantle an organization or system means to cause it to stop functioning by gradually reducing its power or purpose.

2. throng : N-COUNT
A throng is a large crowd of people(LITERARY).

3. domino: N-COUNT
Dominoes are small rectangular blocks marked with two groups of spots on one side. They are used for playing various games.