NPR 2008-10-23

World markets went back into retreat today, amid a slew¹ of disappointing corporate² earnings³ showing the extent to which many financial firms and other companies have been hurt by the current financial crisis. Fears about the economy have become a major worry despite some recent actions aimed at easing the ongoing⁴ credit market crunch⁵ and getting banks to lend to one another again. The White House meanwhile announced today world leaders will gather in Washington November 15th to discuss the current global financial crisis. It's likely the first in the series of summits amid growing fears of a long and deep global economic downturn. The session will bring together leaders from the US, Europe, China, Japan as well as a number of other nations including Brazil, India and Russia.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 514 points today to close at 8, 519. The NASDAQ was down nearly 81 points. The S&P 500 lost 58 points today.

The price of oil took another big tumble amid growing fears of global recession. Steve Beckner of Market News International reports.

The OPEC oil cartel is expected to consider cutting output when it meets Friday in Vienna but that didn't faze futures⁶ traders. Oil plunged⁷ again after the Energy Information Administration reported today a sharp drop in demand and a bigger than expected 3. 2 million barrel jump in US crude oil inventories⁸ last week. As the economic downturn weakened corporate earnings and triggered a stock sell-off, speculation⁹ mounted that energy demand worldwide will continue to fall. Adding to downward pressure was a further rise in the dollar in which oil is priced. US light sweet crude fell as low as $66. 20 per barrel before closing down 7% at $66. 75 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has fallen 55% from its July peak above $147. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

For the second time at as many months a troubled Air Force procurement¹⁰ contract has been delayed over complaints of unfairness. NPR's JJ Sutherland reports.

This time it's a 15-billion-dollar contract to replace the air force's fleet of search and rescue helicopters. The deal was awarded to Boeing originally two years ago. But two other companies complained the deal was unfair and appealed to the Government Accountability Office which agreed. The air force now says it will issue an additional amendment¹¹ to the contract which will move the deal into next year. There's also an Air Force Inspector¹² General investigation¹³ into the original contract to see if it unfairly steered¹⁴ the deal to Boeing. It's eerily¹⁵ familiar to a contract delay on replacement¹⁶ in/air refueling tanker¹⁷. That contract is worth 35 billion dollars and was kicked on the road to the next administration after a rancorous dispute over choosing a company to build the planes. JJ Sutherland, NPR News, Washington.

Big losses for Charlotte-based Wachovia bank which is in the process of being acquired by Wells Fargo. Wachovia's reportedly losing 24 billion dollars in the third quarter. This is NPR.

US officials appeared to be growing increasingly frustrated¹⁸ over the status of a proposed agreement that would allow US troops to remain in Iraq past the end of this year. The White House, the State Department and the Pentagon have called on Iraqi officials to either sign off on the pact¹⁹ between the two sides that recently received tentative approval or specify²⁰ their objections. Iraq has effectively said it wants to reopen talks on the draft of a plan that would allow troops to remain there beyond the expiration²¹ of UN mandate²². Well the pullout of US forces then is scheduled to take place by 2011.

A Virginian man has been indicted²³ on charges for allegedly urging someone to harm the foreperson of a jury that convicted white supremacist Matthew Hale in Chicago four years ago. NPR's Cheryl Corley has more.

Federal prosecutor²⁴ say that William White of Roanoke, Virginia is a self-claimed white supremacist. They charged that in recent weeks White used his website to solicit²⁵ violence against the jury foreman in the Matthew Hale case. Hale who once called for a racial holy war gained notoriety after one of his followers²⁶ went on a shooting spree in 1999. Five years later Hale was convicted of soliciting²⁷ the murder of a federal judge who ordered his group to stop using the name World Church of the Creator after losing a trademark²⁸ dispute. William White posted derogatory remarks and the personal address and phone number of the jury foreperson in that case while also soliciting harm against the juror. White was arrested in Virginia last week and remains²⁹ in custody³⁰ pending³¹ transfer to Chicago. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

Current procedures used by the Food and Drug Administration to monitor the drug and manufacturing facilities outside the US are outmoded. That's according to a new Government Accountability Office's study. It finds the FDA inspects only around 8% of facilities outside the country.

1 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 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。

5 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

6 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

7 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

8 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

9 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

10 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

11 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。

12 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

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 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

16 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

17 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

18 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

20 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

21 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

22 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

23 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

24 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

25 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

26 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

27 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

28 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

29 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

30 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

31 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。