defense secretary [dI5fens5sekr[terI]国防部长After resisting for many years，Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is embarking on his first visit to Beijing in an effort to increase dialogue and improve relations between China and the United States（.（NBC）democrat [5dem[krAt]民主党党员Amid talk of a possible compromise，the Senate‘s second-most powerful Republican and Democrat each claimed on Sunday to have enough support for their side’s position as the chamber neared a showdown over theminority party‘s right to block a president’s judicial nominees（.NBC）
dictatorship [dIk5teit[FIp]独裁That gang is one of three well-organized pirate groups on the 1，880-mile coast of Somalia，which has had no effective government since opposition leaders ousted a dictatorship in 1991and then turned on each other，leavingthe nation of 7million a patchwork of warlord fiefdoms（.NBC）
dispute [dIs5pjU：t]争辩Roberts has said publicly that the“Phase 2”investigation is under way by committee staff.But Sen.Carl Levin，a Michigan Democrat on thepanel，disputed that account（.CNN）
document [5dCkjUm[nt]文件Iran also has handed over documents and granted interviews with several senior officials believed linked to black market purchases of uraniumenrichment technology，the diplomats said（.CBS）
executive [Ig5zekjUtIv]行政官、高级官员chief executive （officer）最高行政长官；执行总裁、首席执行官The former chief executive of Refco Inc.，one of the world‘s biggest commodities brokerages，engaged in a conspiracy that caused Refco to sell$583million in stock to the public based on “false and fraudulent”
statements of its finances，an indictment charged Thursday（.NBC）
Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy is due to visit India as Westernsupermarkets plan to enter the Indian marketplace（.BBC）
federal government [5fed[r[l]联邦政府“Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government，”Bush said at joint White House news conference with the president of Iraq.
“To the extent the federal government didn’t fully do its job right，I takeresponsibility，”Bush said（.NBC）
the House of Lords 上议院（英）the House of Commons 下议院（英）the House of Representatives 众议院（美）Media tycoon Conrad Black，a member of the UK House of Lords，denies charges of fraud in the US（.BBC）
British Prime Minister Tony Blair faces a political fight to pass the legislation.Last week the government only avoided defeat by one vote in the House of Commons -the closest it has come to losing during its eightyears in power（.AP）
The Associated Press reported that Howard later Wednesday introduced an amendment to counterterrorism laws in the House of Representatives，ina bid to boost intelligence agencies‘powers（.CNN）
filibuster [5fIlIbQst[]议事的阻挠；阻碍议案通过“That is a bad decision for the security of the United States，”the president said.“I call upon the Senate to end the filibuster and to pass this important legislation so that we have the tools necessary to defend the country in a time of war.”（AP）Democrats shouldn’t filibuster Samuel Alito‘s nomination to theSupreme Court unless he really bungles the hearings（.NBC）
law-maker 立法者Parliament agreed to consider a proposal by the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia for greater autonomy from Madrid.The lawmakers voted 197to 146to open negotiations over the proposal，and the hours of passionate speeches preceding the vote underscored the seriousness of thedebate ahead（.NYT）
legislation [9ledVIs5leiF[n]立法legislator[5ledVIsleit[]立法者The government is seeking urgent passage of the legislation，which has raised concerns over its“preventative detention”provisions and restrictionson freedom of expression（.CNN）
Iraqi lawmakers adjourned in protest Tuesday and demanded an apology after a Shiite legislator linked to a radical anti-American cleric tearfully said he was handcuffed and humiliated at a U.S.checkpoint.Two Americansoldiers were killed in a car bomb attack（.NBC）
lobby [5lCbI]游说lobbyist [5lCIIst]活动议案通过者、说客Kerry was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War and went to Washington for a week in April，1971to protest，lobby Congress，even to return hundreds of medals and service decorations -thrown into a heap onCapitol Hill（.NBC）
Jack Abramoff，the disgraced lobbyist at the center of a Washington corruption scandal，was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years in prisonfor fraud in the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line（.AP）
minister [5mInIst[]部长acting minister [5AktIN]代理部长deputy minister [5depjUtI]副部长defense minister [dI5fens]国防部长finance minister [fai5nAns]财政部长foreign minister [5fCrIn]外交部长interior minister [in5ti[ri[]内政部长prime minister [praim]总理、首相（premier）[5premi[]总理Young people will get an opportunity to question a government minister in Liverpool this week.Beverley Hughes，the Minister for Children，Young People and Families，will attend a conference，sponsored by the Universityof Liverpool（.BBC）
Three people were killed and 44injured，16critically，when a car bomb detonated in Srinagar near the passing motorcade of Usman Majeed，aformer deputy minister for planning，authorities said（.CNN）
Israel and Egypt have agreed a deal on re-opening key Gaza bordercrossings，the Israeli defence minister says（.BBC）
Brazilian Finance Minister Antonio Palocci prepared to defend himself against corruption allegations before the Senate on Wednesday in a hearingbrought forward to calm jittery financial markets（.Reuters）
Israel’s foreign minister on Tuesday underlined the Jewish state‘s gains from its withdrawal from Gaza，disclosing that he met with his counterpartsfrom more than 10Arab and other Muslim nations this week（.FOX NEWS）
The French interior minister orders the expulsion of all foreignersconvicted of taking part in two weeks of riots（.BBC）