美联社新闻一分钟 2006-09-15

1. President Bush's first Secretary of State Colin Powell says he doesn't agree with Bush's anti-terror fight. Powell was opposed to the president's plans for harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists.

2. Ford¹ is offering buyouts to more than 75,000 of its unionized workers in the US. The plan is aimed at cutting costs in light of slump²ing sales.

3. A woman who identified herself as the mother of the Montreal gunman says he was a good man. She told a reporter to ask the neighbors, but neighbors say the gunman was a loner who wore dark clothing.

4. Anna Nicole Smith's attorney says she supports a formal inquest into the death of her 20-year-old son. The attorney says Smith wants people to ''not jump to conclusions'' in the investigation⁴ into how her son died.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. interrogate⁵: verb
If a police officer interrogates⁶ someone, they question the thoroughly⁷ for a long time in order to get some information from them.

2. buyout: n-count
A buyout is the buying of a company, especially by its managers or employees.

3. unionized: adj.
Unionized workers belong to trade unions. If a company or place is unionized, most of the workers there belong to the trade unions.

4. slump: verb
If something such as the value of something slumps⁸, it falls suddenly and by a large amount

5. loner : n-count
If you describe someone as a loner, you mean they prefer to be alone rather than with a group of people.

6. inquest: u-count
When an inquest is held, a public official hears evidence about someone's death in order to find out the cause.

7. jump to a conclusion: phrase
If someone jumps to a conclusion, they form an opinion or judgment⁹ hastily.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

3 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 interrogate   

vt.讯问，审问，盘问

参考例句：

• The lawyer took a long time to interrogate the witness fully.律师花了很长时间仔细询问目击者。
• We will interrogate the two suspects separately.我们要对这两个嫌疑人单独进行审讯。

6 interrogates   

n.询问( interrogate的名词复数 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询v.询问( interrogate的第三人称单数 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• Blade interrogates Danny then kills him after he directs him to Boone. 刀锋审问了Danny然后在Danny带他去找Boone之后杀了他。 来自互联网
• The cop who made the drug arrest at Rick's place interrogates Kimberly. 在里克的屋子里将他们逮捕的警察对金伯利进行审讯。 来自互联网

7 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

8 slumps   

萧条期( slump的名词复数 )； （个人、球队等的）低潮状态； （销售量、价格、价值等的）骤降； 猛跌

参考例句：

• Deflation could emerge from simultaneous slumps in the world's three major economies. 如果世界经济三大主体同时衰退，通货紧缩就会出现。
• This is the cycle of economic booms and slumps. 这是经济繁荣和经济萧条的周期变化。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。