美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-24

（单词翻译）

1. A curfew was in effect in Baghdad after a deadly attack left more than 150 people dead. Suicide¹ car bombers² exploded devices³ in the Sadr City neighborhood. Police say Sunni militants⁴ are to blame.

2. In Chicago, police say an armed man has held 2 women hostage⁵ in an apartment building for more than 12 hours. Negotiators are trying to communicate with the gunman. Police can't say what started the situation.

3. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are celebrating Thanksgiving thousands of miles from home. The soldiers and sailors aren't with their families, but say even a little taste from home is a welcome distraction⁶ from the wars.

4. How even Mother Nature could ground the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons? Snoopy, Scooby-Doo and others made their way down Broadway. Gusty⁷ winds had threatened to ground the famous balloons before New York emergency managers gave the go-ahead at the last minute although the balloons did fly lower than usual.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. distraction: n-count
A distraction is something that turns your attention away from something you want to concentrate on.

2. Mother Nature: n-uncount
Mother Nature is sometimes used to refer to nature, especially when it is being considered as a force that affects human beings.

3. ground: verb
If something is grounded, they are made to stay on the ground and are not allowed to take off.

4. gusty: adj.
Gusty winds are very strong and irregular.

5. go-ahead: n
If you give someone or something the go-ahead, you give them permission to start doing something.