D.I.C.T

Download mp3 Four ____1____ in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar have killed at least 30 people and hurt dozens more. The main target was the prison but no prisoners escaped. The Obama administration has unveiled its plan to radically change "No Child Left Behind" law championed by President George W. Bush. It calls for moving away from punishing schools that don't meet benchmarks, instead focusing on ___2___ schools for progress. A former Air Force sergeant and the ACLU have filed a privacy violation complaint against the Rapid City, South Dakota police department. The woman was discharged earlier this year under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law after police officers saw her marriage license to a woman in her home and ___3___ the military ___3___ her. The ___4___ statue of Christ with outstretched arms that overlooks Rio de Janeiro is getting a $4 million renovation. Heavy rains have eroded portions of the face and hands, and lightning strikes have also damaged the statue over the years.

Answers 1. suicide attacks 2. rewarding 3. told ... on - to give information about someone to a person in authority 4. iconic - very famous and popular

Downloadmp3 Senate moderates continue to work behind closed doors trying to ____1____ the economic stimulus package. The group of 20 Republicans and Democrats is trying to cut $100 billion from President Obama's plan. It now tops $937 billion. The unemployment rate is expected to jump today when the Labor Department releases its latest numbers. The new job lose rate is expected to be 7.5%, up from 7.2%. If the forecast is ____2____, it will be the highest rate in 17 years. Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has been suspended for 90 days by USA Swimming after a picture surfaced showing him using a ____3____. Cereal maker Kellogg’s also has said it will not renew its sponsorship contract with the swimmer. A pilot and five passengers had to swim to safety after the pilot guided the plane into a harbor in Australia. It's not clear why but the plane started experiencing engine trouble shortly after ___4___. Answers 1. trim down ( to reduce ) 2. on target ( If you are on target with a piece of work, you are advancing well and likely to achieve what you planned ) 3. marijuana pipe 4. takeoff ( If an aircraft, bird or insect takes off, it leaves the ground and begins to fly )

Download mp3 President Barack Obama is blaming himself for ___1___ the nomination of former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle withdrew his name Tuesday due to a growing controversy over failing to pay taxes. A woman arrested in Iraq for allegedly ___2___ young women to be terrorists is telling her story. She’s told the Associated Press that women who were raped would come to her for advice. She would tell them to become suicide bombers to reclaim their honor. A week after an ice storm knocked out power of much of Kentucky, officials say hundreds of thousands of homes ___3___ are still without power. The state governor say it will likely be weeks before some residents in Western Kentucky have the power restored. Fans in Pittsburg _____4_____, some even climbing trees to celebrate the Steelers coming home with a Super Bowl win. The Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals to win their sixth Vince Lombardi trophy. That’s the most in the NFL. Answers 1. mishandling 2. recruiting ( to persuade someone to work for a company or become a new member of an organization, especially the army ) 3. statewide 4. pack the streets

Download mp3 Thousands of ___1___ have been paying respects to Senator Edward Kennedy whose body is lying in repose at the John F. Kennedy memorial library in Boston. Late Friday, there will be a private memorial service for the late senator. A woman who police say was kidnapped 18 years ago when she was just 11 years old. And then ____2____ in a backyard compound has turned up OK in California.  Police have arrested 58-year-old Philip Garrido and his 54-year-old wife Nancy. Authorities in California have also found blood and other evidence of a violent struggle inside the car of Jasmine Fiore. Fiore’s mutilated body was found ___3___ in a suitcase earlier this month. And the suspect, her husband, fled to Canada where he committed suicide. Forecasters have issued a tropical storm watch for the North Carolina coast ahead of tropical storm “Danny”. Late Thursday, “Danny” was centered 485 miles from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Maximum ___4___ winds of 45 miles an hour. Answers 1. well-wishers 2. held isolation 3. stuffed 4. sustained Download mp3 Nestle has recalled all of its Toll House refrigerated ____1____ products after dozens of people who ate the dough raw have reported symptoms of E. coli. No one has died from the bacteria but 25 people have been hospitalized. The Pentagon has ordered a new missile defense system in Hawaii in an effort to deter North Korea from launching a test missile toward the state. The Defense Department says the move is a ____2____ and the North Korean missile probably couldn’t reach the islands. President Barack Obama has used his weekly radio and internet address to let his critics know he is ready for a fight over his financial overhaul plans. Obama says the current system has allowed big banks to ______3_______. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger safely backed on the ground today following an emergency landing last night near Los Angeles. A pilot put the governor’s plane down because of a ____4____. Afterwards Schwarzenegger used his Twitter account to tweet out the news that everything was OK. Answers 1. cookie dough 2. precautionary measure 3. leave consumers in the cold - to not allow consumers to become part an activity 4. smoky cockpit - a compartment for the pilot Download mp3 Congressional officials say President Obama plans to withdraw most American troops from Iraq by August of 2010. But tens of thousands will ____1____ to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests in that country. Obama's expected to make an official announcement today at Camp Lejeune. After a nearly two-decade ban Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it is OK for the media to take photos of ___2___ caskets, when the families of those killed in action agree. Details of the new policy are still being worked out. An FBI agent shot while trying to execute a search warrant. The incident happened during a ___3___ of suspects in an alleged cocaine distribution ring at this Buffalo-area home. Authorities say the wounded agent is in stable condition. Four members of a Georgia-based group have been charged with helping a cancer patient end his life last June. Investigators say the Final Exit Network which provides members with instructions on how to ___4___ themselves may have been involved in as many as 200 assisted suicides around the country. Answers 1. stay behind 2. flag-covered 3. round-up ( A gathering up, as of people under suspicion by the police ) 4. suffocate ( To kill or destroy by preventing access of air or oxygen ) Download mp3The number of swine flu deaths in Mexico has now topped to hundred. Another sixteen hundred people are sick there because of the virus. The deadly strain has now shown up in eight other countries. The latest is Spain. And the European Union Health commissioner was advising people against ____1____ travel to both Mexico and the US.The US has declared the public health emergency because of the ___2___ here. At least 20 cases have been confirmed in five different states. A New York city school will be closed for the next couple of days after eight students tested positive for swine flu. Chrysler has reached a ___3___ agreement with the United Auto Workers as it tries to stay out of bankcruptcy. The concessions by the Union were respected to make it easier for Chrysler to partner with Fiat. The UAW calls the concessions “painful”, but says they give Chrysler and its workers a second chance. Russian investigators say a Moscow police official has killed three people and injured seven others. Police say the officer killed the passenger in his car, then entered supermarket and killed the ___4___ and customer. Moscow’s police chief says the officer had family problems. Answers 1. non-essential 2. outbreak 3. tentative ( a plan done in a careful but uncertain way because you do not know if you are right ) 4. cashier Download mp3 President Barack Obama met with the Chinese premier today, saying the U.S. relationship with China is ______1______. After his meeting with the premier, the president visited the Great Wall of China before going on to South Korea. Somali pirates have attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time this year. Guards on the ship were able to ___2___ takeover this time. Back in April, pirates hijacked the American-flagged ship, taking Captain Richard Phillips hostage for five days. Afghan officials are ____3____ security in the capital ahead of tomorrow's inauguration of President Hamid Karzai for a second term. Dignitaries from 42 countries are scheduled to attend. Karzai has stayed away from large public appearances following a 2008 assassination attempt. West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd has now been on Capitol Hill longer than any other lawmaker. The senator will mark the milestone today, honoring Bryd's 56 years and 320 days of service. Bryd's almost 92 and it's unclear whether he will be able to make today's ceremony because of ___4___ health. Answers 1. beyond the trade and economic 2. repel - to force someone to move away or stop attacking you 3. ramping up - increase 4. frail - weak or unhealthy Download mp3 The US Navy is sending two high-tech devices to help find the black box flight recorders from last Sunday's Air France disaster. Meanwhile, a Brazilian military official says the bodies of two people and a briefcase and a ___1___ have been found close to where the plane is believed to crash in the Atlantic. President Barack Obama has paid tribute to the D-Day landings that broke Nazi Germany's grip on France and _____2_____ of history 65 years ago. Speaking at the American Cemetery in Normandy, President said the sheer improbability of this victory is part of what makes D-Day so memorable. At least 38 children have died in a fire -- a day care center in northern Mexico. And dozens more have been hospitalized, many with serious burns. The region's governor says the fire started at a tire and ____3____ next to the day care center. This year's Belmont Stakes was won for the birds. Summer Bird came from behind to win while favorite Mine That Bird ridden by Calvin Borel ___4___ to third. Borel won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on two different horses and hope to record his own personal Triple Crown this year. Answers 1. backpack - a large bag used to carry things on your back 2. turned the tide - cause a complete reversal of the circumstances 3. car warehouse 4. faded Downloadmp3 One of the Obama administration's first major military operations is underway in Afghanistan. Nearly 4,000 US marines and about 650 Afghan security forces started moving into the southern Helmand province to ____1____ the Taliban and despite full insurgent threats. A plan to bury Michael Jackson at his beloved Neverland Ranch has fallen apart, leaving hundreds of fans disappointed. Details about his funeral still _____2_____. Meanwhile, Jackson's newly unveiled will says his mother should raise his three children and if she is unable, custody should go to Diana Ross. Florida officials say to peers an 8-foot python broke out of its enclosure and strangled a little girl. After finding the pet in the ____3____, the snake's owner said he stabbed it until he was able to free the 2-year-old, but the girl was already dead by the time paramedics arrived. Detroit police say one of the suspects accused in a bus stop shooting has surrendered. Investigators say Jamel Turner and another man had been seen in this ____4____, running with semi-automatic weapons drawn. Seven people were injured by gunfire. Answers 1. clear out 2. up in the air - not settled 3. toddler's bedroom 4. surveillance video