美联社新闻一分钟 2006-09-15

（单词翻译）

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.