1、1. They were up late on the phone, and Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are expected to keep talking to avoid automatic tax increases and budget cuts set to go into effect with the New Year. But for now Republicans and Democrats are still at an impasse.2. Secreta
2、ry of State Hillary Clinton is at a New York hospital being treated for a blood clot. Doctors arent saying where in her body it is, but Clinton developed the clot after sustaining a concussion from a fall at home earlier this month.3. Nine people are dead after a tour bus crashed on a rural highway
3、in Oregon. The bus left the snow- and ice-covered interstate, crashing through a guardrail and going 100 feet down an embankment.4. Hundreds of believers visited a market in Mexico City Sunday to buy good luck charms to bring fortune, love, and health in 2013. People latched onto toy lambs, candles
4、and red or yellow underwear in hopes of attracting good fortune.生词：1. impasse: n.a situation in which it is impossible to continue with a discussion or plan because the people involved cannot agree2. sustain: v.If you sustain something such as a defeat, loss, or injury, it happens to you. (FORMAL)3. concussion:injury to the brain caused by a blow, violent shaking, etc, resulting in temporary unconsciousness 脑震荡4. latch: v.latch onto / latch onto sb/sthto become very interested in something
