2013年经济学人 美国举行抗议控枪游行 华盛顿州发生核泄漏

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

这里是华盛顿NPR新闻，我是科尔瓦·科尔曼。

President Obama is urging congress to compromise to avoid the upcoming across the board spending cuts known as the sequester¹. In his weekly media address, Obama says if the sequester takes effect, hundreds of thousands of people will be hurt, from teachers to airline controllers. In the republican's media response, senator John Hoevan of North Dakota urged the president to approve the key stone exile pipeline². He says promoting the pipeline will create new jobs and help expand the economy.

奥巴马总统呼吁国会达成折衷方案，以避免即将到来的全面自动减支计划。奥巴马在每周例行讲话中表示，如果自动减支计划生效，将会有数十万人受到影响，包括教师和航空调度员在内。共和党发表每周例行讲话时，来自北达科他州的参议员约翰·荷凡敦促总统通过“拱心石”石油管道项目。荷凡表示，推动石油管道项目将创造新的就业机会，有助于经济发展。

Rallies are going on across the country in what organizers call, a nationwide day of resistance to support the second amendment³. NPR's Allison Keyes tells US demonstrators want to protect their gun rights.

示威活动在美国各地举行，组织者称今天是全国抵制控枪，支持第二修正案的日子。据NPR新闻的艾莉森·凯斯报道，美国的示威者希望保护他们的持枪权利。

At one such rally in Concord⁴, New Hampshire. "Lay free; Lay Free."

这里是新罕布什尔州首府康科德的一处游行现场。“自由；自由！”

Protesters cheered and clapped as speaker, such as Jeff Checkster, word their opposition⁵ to president Obama's 23 executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence.

示威讲演者杰夫·查克斯特代表示威人群发表言论时，示威者鼓掌欢呼，杰夫对奥巴马总统就减少枪支暴力提出的23项行政命令表达了抗议。

"From my cold dead hands, they will not take what is yours."

“即使死了以后，他们也无法拿走你们的枪。”

Organizers say they chose the date partly because the 223 as the caliber⁶ of ammunition⁷ the gun crowd will recognize. But they say they did not intend to capitalize on recent mass shootings. That caliber of ammunication was used in both the Sandy Hook and Aurora⁸ shooting. Allison Keyes NPR News.

组织者表示，他们选择今天举行示威的部分原因是因为223口径枪支，持枪人群会很容易识别。但是组织者也说，他们的意图并不是要利用近期发生的大规模枪击案。桑迪胡克枪击案和奥罗拉枪击案中都使用了223口径的枪支。NPR新闻，艾莉森·凯斯报道。

Obama administration healthcare officials are holding firm on the provision in the health care law that limits the difference in premiums⁹ that can be charged to older and to younger adults. As NPR's Julie Rovner reports there is reaction on both sides of the debate.

奥巴马政府的医疗官员坚持医疗保险法案中的条例，该法案限制了支付给老人和青年人的保险费用差价。NPR新闻的朱莉·罗夫纳报道了双方就争议所发表的回应。

Currently many states to allow insurers to charge older often sick adults as much as five times more than younger usually healthier people. Under the health law, starting next year, older people can be charged no more than three time as much. Insurer say that will lead to something called rich shock from younger people, will have to pay higher rates just they are being required to to purchase coverage¹⁰ for the first time. Groups representing younger people, saying many may pay the loss fine rather than buying insurance. But the AARP was pleased the administration opted¹¹ not to feeze in the change. It's said too many older people are ready to have trouble paying for their own insurance. Julie Rovner NPR News, Washington.

目前，许多州允许承保人向经常生病的老年人支付的费用最高可比向年轻健康人群支付的多五倍。根据明年开始实施的医保法，老年人可以得到的保险费用不能多于年轻人的三倍。承保方表示，这项规定将带来“高额冲击”，年轻人在第一次购买保险时不得不支付更高的利率。代表年轻人的组织表示，大多数年轻人可能会支付损失费用，而不是购买保险。但是美国退休人员协会表示，他们很高兴政府在改革中没有设定处罚。该协会表示，大部分老年人已准备好面对支付保险的困难了。NPR新闻，朱莉·罗夫纳华盛顿报道。

Officials say there are now six tanks leaking radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state. The Energy Department says there is no immediate¹² threat to public health. However the news is triggering new calls for attention to the Hanford nuclear site. Cleanup efforts are billions of dollars over budget and they are behind schedule . The tanks that are holding radioactive waste are much older than their 20-year life span. Oregon senator Ron Wyden says he will ask for an investigation¹³ into Hanford's tank monitoring and maintenance programs.

官员表示，位于华盛顿州的汉福德核设施地下六个装有放射性废料的核容器发生泄漏。美国能源部表示，目前不会立即对公众健康产生威胁。但是这触发了新一轮对汉福德核工厂的关注。核工厂的清理工作花费了数十亿美元，远高于预算，而且工作还将延期。装有放射性废料的核容器已经超过了20年的使用寿命期。俄勒冈州参议员罗恩·怀登表示，他将要求彻底调查汉福德容器监测系统和维修程序。

You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

您正在收听华盛顿NPR新闻。

An Egyptian opposition leader is calling for a boycott¹⁴ of Egypt's parliamentary election. The elections are scheduled to begin in later April. As NPR's Leila Fadel reports Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei called for a boycott on twitter to quote exposed shamed democracy in Egypt. But as he added that he also calls for a boycott during the 2010 elections under the ex-dictator, Hosni Mubarak. Egypt's parliamentary elections are scheduled in the midst of political crisis. Protests against Islamist presient Mohamed Morsi have been ongoing¹⁵ for nearly a month. In the canal city of Port Said, residents are conducting a mess campaign of civil disobedience, and have repeatedly tried to shut down the port. Morsi's critics accused him of failing to rule inclusively, failing to reform a corrupt¹⁶ system and of using dictatorial¹⁷ methods. Leila Fadel, NPR news, Cairo.

埃及反对派领导人主张抵制埃及议会选举。选举定于四月下旬开始。据NPR新闻的莱拉·法德尔报道，诺贝尔奖得主穆罕默德·埃尔巴拉迪在推特上呼吁抵制选举，揭露埃及的“虚假民主”。他表示，2010年他也曾呼吁抵制独裁者胡斯尼·穆巴拉克进行的议会选举。埃及议会选举定于政治危机中举行。反对伊斯兰总统穆罕默德·穆尔西的抗议已持续了近一个月的时间。港口城市塞得港的居民正在进行大规模的“公民不服从”活动，他们曾多次试图关闭港口。穆尔西的反对者指责他未能掌控局势，未能改革腐败体系，采取独裁政策。NPR新闻，莱拉·法德尔开罗报道。

There has been more fighting in Mali, forces from Chad, where a part of the African contingent¹⁸, assisting French troops, say they killed 65 Islamist militants¹⁹ in northern Mali. Official say 13 Chadian soldiers died, and six were hurt. There are about 1800 Chadian troops participating in the French led military intervention²⁰ that started last month in Mali. Troops are trying to push Islamist fighters out of country.

马里境内爆发了更多的战斗，隶属非洲援助部队的乍得军队前往马里支援法国军队，乍得方面表示，他们在马里北部杀死了65名伊斯兰武装分子。官方表示，13名乍得军人死亡，另有6人受伤。约1800名乍得士兵参与了法国领导的军事行动，行动于上个月在马里境内展开。军队试图将伊斯兰武装分子赶出马里。

Microsoft has found and fixed²¹ the problem experienced yesterday with its online data store service. People were unable to access the site used by business customers. Microsoft says that the problem was a security certificate that lapsed²² which the company's now renewed. Microsoft also says it was recently hacked²³. Software company says has found no evidence that any customer data stolen.

昨天，微软发现并解决了其在线数据存储服务的问题。人们无法访问企业客户的网站。微软表示，问题是一个安全证书过期，现在公司已经完成了更新。微软还表示其最近经常被黑客攻击。软件公司表示，目前没有发现客户数据被窃的迹象。

I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

我是科尔瓦·科尔曼，这里是华盛顿NPR新闻。

划红精讲

1. hundreds of thousands of

几十万，无数

eg. The landscape scarcely altered for hundreds of thousands of years.

地形几十万年来几乎没有什么变化。

eg. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

那幅不大的画原来是柯勒乔的一幅未被发现的杰作，价值几十万英镑。

2. capitalize on

充分利用某事物；从某事物中获利；投机倒把；

eg. Everyone should capitalize on his opportunity.

每个人都应当利用机会。

]eg. To capitalize on the rival's mistake and win the game.

利用对手的失误赢得比赛。

eg. He is trying to capitalize on popular discontent with the government.

他正企图利用公众对政府的不满心理。

3. no more than

只是；至多；只不过；无非

eg. Most classes have no more than 30 students.

大部分班级不超过30人。

eg. Love is no more than pursuing happiness.

爱无非是要快乐。

eg. He is no more than a small potato.

他只不过是个小人物。

4. trigger

n.（枪）扳机；起动装置，扳柄；引发其他事件的一件事；[电子学]触发器，触发电器

vt.引发，触发；扣……的扳机；发射或使爆炸（武器或爆炸性弹药）

eg. The thieves must have deliberately²⁴ triggered the alarm and hidden inside the house...

盗贼肯定是故意触发了报警器，然后躲在房子里。

eg. The current recession was triggered by a slump²⁵ in consumer spending…

目前的经济衰退是由消费支出骤跌引起的。

eg. Stress may act as a trigger for these illnesses.

压力可能会成为引发这些疾病的原因。

5. behind schedule

落后于预定计划；晚点；误期；误点

eg. We were badly behind schedule in our work.

我们大大落后于工作计划。

eg. The train was half an hour behind schedule.

火车晚点了半小时。

eg. Owing to the recent bad weather, the work is several weeks behind schedule.

由于近来天气不好，该项工作比预定时间晚了好几个星期。

1 sequester   

vt.使退隐，使隔绝

参考例句：

• Everything he owned was sequestered.他的所有财产都被扣押了。
• This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months.预计这个陪审团将至少被隔离两个月。

2 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

7 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

8 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

9 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

11 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 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。

14 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

17 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

18 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

19 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

20 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

21 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

22 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

24 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

25 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。