美联社新闻一分钟 2006-11-25

1. Dressed in camouflage¹, a gunman entered the Miami Herald's building Friday morning only to surrender to police hours later. Police said a disgruntled cartoonist was demanding to see an editor of the newspaper's Spanish-language sister publication. According to authorities, the incident ended without injury.

2. A former KGB agent who died from poisoning reportedly had a radioactive substance in his body. From his deathbed, Alexander Litvinenko accused Russian leader Vladimir Putin in his fatal poisoning, saying Putin has no respect for life, liberty or any civilized² value.

3. A 20,000-dollar reward is now being offered for information leading to the recovery of 2 missing brothers in northern Minnesota. The FBI says it's not clear if the boys wandered away or if a crime has been committed.

4. Retailers³ look forward to this day every year. It's Black Friday, a day unofficially designated the start of a holiday shopping season. All around the country, bargain hunters are rushing to snap up discounted versions of the season's most popular items and industry analysts⁴ expect robust⁵ sales overall.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. camouflage: n-uncount
Camouflage consists of things such as leaves, branches, or brown and green paint, which are used to make it difficult for an enemy to see military forces and equipment.

2. disgruntled: adj.
If you are disgruntled, you are cross and dissatisfied because things have not happened the way that you wanted them to happen.

3. deathbed: n-count
If someone is on their deathbed, they are in a bad and about to die.

4. bargain hunter: n-count
A Bargain hunter is someone who is looking for goods that are value for money, usually because they are on sale at a lower price than normal.

5. snap up: phrase
If you snap something up, you buy it quickly because it is cheap or is just what you want.

6. robust: adj.
Someone or something that is robust is very strong and healthy.

1 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

2 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

3 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。