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Happy New Year ! Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed a ___1___ Times Square for the descend of the famous Waterford crystal ball on Wednesday, eager to say goodbye to 2008 and hoping to put the nation's economic troubles in the past.

Arab leaders are calling on the United Nations to help bring about an end to the violence in Gaza. They have called on the Security Council to get behind the legally binding and ___2___ resolution demanding a ceasefire.

The fire swept through a high-class nightclub in Thailand ___3___ with several hundred New Year's revelers early Thursday, killing dozens of people and injuring more than 200, officials said. A number of foreigners were among the casualties from the blaze that erupted shortly after midnight in Bangkok.

The Obamas are coming to Washington early. After ____4____ a Hawaii vacation on Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife and daughters will arrive in Washington this weekend and move into one of its most prestigious hotels.

Answers  Press Ctr+A

 

1. frigid ( extremely cold )

2. enforceable ( capable of being forced )

3. jammed ( unable to move )

4. wrapping up ( finish )

Play3

Nearly 370 people are dead and more than a thousand have been injured after three days of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. The assaults come in response to rocket attacks by the militant group Hamas. One Hamas official is ruling out any talk of a ___1___ until Israel stops the air strikes and reopens the Gaza crossing.

After an extensive search, the Coast Guard has suspended looking for a missing cruise ship passenger. The woman’s family says Jennifer Seitz had previous emotional issues and may have jumped from a ___2___ to her death. Police say surveillance shows someone going overboard Christmas night.

Police in western Canada’s backcountry have recovered the bodies of several men who were hit by back-to-back avalanches over the weekend. Out of 11 ____3____ who ____4____ into the dangerous conditions, three managed to escape the snow slides.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a grandmother. According to People magazine, her 18-year-old daughter Bristol gave birth to a baby boy named Tripp.

Answers   Press Ctr+A

 

1. ceasefire ( an agreement, usually between two armies, to stop fighting to allow discussions about peace )

2. balcony ( an area with a wall or bars around it that is joined to the outside wall of a building on an upper level)

3. snowmobilers ( a person who rides on a tracked vehicle for travel on snow having skis in front )

4. ventured out ( to risk doing something )

Play4

Israel widened its air offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers Sunday, pounding smuggling tunnels and a central prison and sending tanks and artillery toward the Gaza border. Israel says the goal is to end, ______1______, Palestinian rocket fire on Israel.

Across the Arab world, thousands of protesters hit the streets to ___2___ Israel’s assault against Hamas. In Europe, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in London. All protesters in France gathered near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

A suicide bombing outside a polling station in northwestern Pakistan has left more than 30 people dead. It happened when a suicide bomber pretended to need help with his car and ___3___ a crowd toward him before setting off the explosives.

Workers have put the finishing touches on a ___4___ new Waterford Crystal ball. It will drop in Times Square to signal the start of the new year. Officials say the bigger, brighter ball will stay on this place throughout the year to celebrate other holidays including Valentine’s Day and the 4th of July.

Answers  Press Ctr+A

 

1. once and for all ( permanently )

2. denounce ( to criticize strongly )

3. lured ( to persuade someone to do something )

Play5

Los Angeles' authorities say 8 bodies have been found at a house where a gunman dressed as Santa Claus, open fire during a Christmas Eve party and then set the house ___1___ . Police said the suspect in the mass killing, 45-year-old Bruce Pardo, committed suicide.

Authorities say 14 people including 6 children were hurt when a car crashed into a building where an Orthodox Jewish group was holding a Hanukkah celebration. Police have not released the cause of the crash, but say the motorist was a 78-year-old man, who ___2___ lost control of his vehicle.

(It) looks like the ___3___ economic predictions about this year's holiday sales are turning out to be correct. Preliminary figures released by division of MasterCard indicate total retail sales are down anywhere from 5.5 - 8% from a year ago. More figures will be released during the next 2 weeks.

A family friend of Eartha Kitt says the ___4___ singer, dancer and actress has died of colon cancer at age 81. During her career she won 2 Emmys and was also nominated for 2 Tony Awards and Grammy.4. dazzling ( eAnswers Press Ctr+A

 

1. afire ( on fire )

2. apparently

3. gloomy ( loss of hope )

4. sultry ( sexually attractive in a way that suggests sexual desire )xtremely attractive )

Play6

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. The vote was 14 - 0 with the United States ___1___.

An Illinois House panel has voted unanimously to recommend Governor Rod Blagojevich be ___2___ for allegedly trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich is blasting the vote. But the Illinois House could vote on it later today. Meanwhile his pick for that seat, Roland Burris, testified in Springfield that he did not make any deals to get the appointment.

Thousands of residents in Washington state have ___3___ their homes because of severe weather. Melting snow and heavy rains have closed many highways and produced some of the worst flooding on record.

An Alabama sheriff spent a night in jail after a federal judge decided he purposely fed his inmates ___4___ meals and then pocketed the profits. The sheriff says an Allstate law allows the practice. But the judge released him only after the lawman's attorney promised some changes.

Answers

 

1. abstaining ( to refrain from voting )

2. impeached ( being  charged (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal )

3. fled ( to run away )

4. skimpy ( inadequate, not enough )

Play7

Roland Burris says he expects he will be a US Senator soon. The man Rod Blagojevich appointed Illinois vacant seat met with Senate Democratic leaders this morning. Majority leader Harry Reid said the Senate is waiting to see how other proceedings ___1___ from Blagojevich's corruption scandal play out.

President-elect Obama has had a busy day. He first held the news conference to announce Nancy Killefer as his administration's chief performance officer, creating a new White House position aimed at ___2___ government waste and improving efficiency. He then met with President Bush and former presidents at the White House.

Israel is sending an envoy to Cairo to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza as it continues its offensive in the coast territory. Israel says any ___3___ must guarantee an end in militant rocket fire, and prevent Hamas from re-arming.

A Virginia boy is recovering after a minor car accident. But this wasn't an ordinary ____4____ . Police say the 6-year-old was behind the wheel at the time, and say he decided to drive himself to school after missing the bus.

Answers

 

1. stymied ( being prevented something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose )

2. eliminating ( to remove )

3. truce ( a brief interruption in a war or argument )

4. fender bender ( a collision between motor vehicles that produces minor damage )

Play8

President-elect Barack Obama says the economy is very sick and getting worse. Obama is hoping to get a massive stimulus plan through Congress to help things get _____1_____. The overall package could be in the range of $800 billion.

Roland Burris is hoping to be sworn-in later today, but several officials say that’s not going to happen. ___2___ calls from Congressional leaders, embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to the Senate seat, vacated by Obama last week.

Ohio police say this man has confessed to be involved in a ___3____ murder of a 29-year-old woman and the kidnapping of her 4-year-old son. The child, who was discovered unharmed at a highway rest stop, gave officers his address and a description of the suspect.

Actor John Travolta is preparing to return to the US after the death of his 16-year-old son. According to his death certificate filed Monday, Jett Travolta was killed by a ___4___. The teen collapsed in a bathroom at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas back on Friday.

Answers

 

1. back on track

2. defying ( to refuse to obey )

3. brutal ( cruel, violent and completely without feelings )

4. seizure ( a very sudden attack of an illness involving unconsciousness or violent movement )

Play9

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama’s commerce secretary. Obama has accepted Richardson’s withdrawal. A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a ___1___ New Mexico state contract.

Backed by tanks, artillery and aircraft, thousands of Israeli soldiers have been advancing through Gaza, effectively cutting the coastal territory into two and surrounding its biggest city. The ____2____ in Gaza stands at more than 500.

President-elect Barack Obama shouldn’t expect Congress to have an economic recovery plan waiting for him when he takes office. House majority leader Steny Hoyer says it would be tough to get a _____3_____ together that soon. Hoyer hopes that something will be available for Obama to sign by mid-February.

Former employees and clients of disgrace financier Bernard Madoff are hoping to ___4___ some of their losses by selling Madoff memorabilia on eBay. Madoff put his investment firm’s name on hats, T-shirts, beach chairs and umbrellas. Dozens of the keepsakes are now being offered on the internet auction site.

Answers

 

1. lucrative ( a business, job or activity that produces a lot of money )

2. death toll ( the number of people who die because of an event such as a war or an accident )

3. massive spending plan

4. recoup ( to get back money that you have spent or lost )

Play10

The offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza is in its seventh day. A mosque known as a Hamas ___1___ is among the buildings that have been destroyed. Air strikes have also hit about 20 homes belonging to Hamas operatives.

Police arrested the second man in the hypothermia death of an 11-year-old Idaho girl. The girl’s father was arrested earlier this week. She and her brother were allegedly allowed to attempt a 10-mile-walk along a ___2___ highway to their mother's house on Christmas Day.

Former 6-term Senator Claiborne Pell has died at the age of 90 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. The Rhode Island Democratic helped to ___3___ the Pell Grant program.

And his Hawaiian vacation is over. President-elect Barack Obama is back in Chicago. He and his family will travel to Washington on Sunday, where he's ___4___ to meet with congressional leaders on the economy.

Answers

 

1. stronghold ( a building or position which is strongly defended )

2. desolate ( a place that is unattractive and empty, with no people or nothing pleasant in it )

3. establish ( to start a company or organization )

4. scheduled

Play11

Happy New Year ! Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed a ___1___ Times Square for the descend of the famous Waterford crystal ball on Wednesday, eager to say goodbye to 2008 and hoping to put the nation's economic troubles in the past.

Arab leaders are calling on the United Nations to help bring about an end to the violence in Gaza. They have called on the Security Council to get behind the legally binding and ___2___ resolution demanding a ceasefire.

The fire swept through a high-class nightclub in Thailand ___3___ with several hundred New Year's revelers early Thursday, killing dozens of people and injuring more than 200, officials said. A number of foreigners were among the casualties from the blaze that erupted shortly after midnight in Bangkok.

The Obamas are coming to Washington early. After ____4____ a Hawaii vacation on Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife and daughters will arrive in Washington this weekend and move into one of its most prestigious hotels.

Answers

 

1. frigid ( extremely cold )

2. enforceable ( capable of being forced )

3. jammed ( unable to move )

4. wrapping up ( finish )

Play12

Nearly 370 people are dead and more than a thousand have been injured after three days of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. The assaults come in response to rocket attacks by the militant group Hamas. One Hamas official is ruling out any talk of a ___1___ until Israel stops the air strikes and reopens the Gaza crossing.

After an extensive search, the Coast Guard has suspended looking for a missing cruise ship passenger. The woman’s family says Jennifer Seitz had previous emotional issues and may have jumped from a ___2___ to her death. Police say surveillance shows someone going overboard Christmas night.

Police in western Canada’s backcountry have recovered the bodies of several men who were hit by back-to-back avalanches over the weekend. Out of 11 ____3____ who ____4____ into the dangerous conditions, three managed to escape the snow slides.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a grandmother. According to People magazine, her 18-year-old daughter Bristol gave birth to a baby boy named Tripp.

Answers

 

1. ceasefire ( an agreement, usually between two armies, to stop fighting to allow discussions about peace )

2. balcony ( an area with a wall or bars around it that is joined to the outside wall of a building on an upper level)

3. snowmobilers ( a person who rides on a tracked vehicle for travel on snow having skis in front )

4. ventured out ( to risk doing something )

Play13

Israel widened its air offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers Sunday, pounding smuggling tunnels and a central prison and sending tanks and artillery toward the Gaza border. Israel says the goal is to end, ______1______, Palestinian rocket fire on Israel.

Across the Arab world, thousands of protesters hit the streets to ___2___ Israel’s assault against Hamas. In Europe, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in London. All protesters in France gathered near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

A suicide bombing outside a polling station in northwestern Pakistan has left more than 30 people dead. It happened when a suicide bomber pretended to need help with his car and ___3___ a crowd toward him before setting off the explosives.

Workers have put the finishing touches on a ___4___ new Waterford Crystal ball. It will drop in Times Square to signal the start of the new year. Officials say the bigger, brighter ball will stay on this place throughout the year to celebrate other holidays including Valentine’s Day and the 4th of July.

Answers

 

1. once and for all ( permanently )

2. denounce ( to criticize strongly )

3. lured ( to persuade someone to do something )

4. dazzling ( extremely attractive )

 

 

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