NPR 2008-12-01

The names have already been leaked, but President-elect Barack Obama is set to announce formally his choices for more than a third of the cabinet as well as his national security team. Senator Hilary Clinton is expected to be nominated as secretary of state tomorrow. A key Republican senator says the activities of former President Bill Clinton are likely to face close scrutiny¹ during his wife's confirmation² process. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

Former President Clinton has reportedly agreed to restrict his activities at the Clinton Foundation and his Clinton Global Initiative, so his wife can get the top job at the State Department. That will include disclosing all contributors and refusing donations from foreign governments. Richard Luger of Indiana is the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Speaking on ABC's This Week, Luger said he will vote to confirm Senator Hilary Clinton, but "I suspect, however, that I'm not alone in suggesting that there will be questions raised and they're probably legitimate³." Luger says he sees nothing keeping Mrs. Clinton from the top job of the state, and he can even see Mr. Clinton serving as special emissary between India and Pakistan. Sonari Glinton, NPR News, Washington.

India's top security official has resigned amid criticism of the government's handling of the siege in Mumbai, in particular there have been charges that the government had prior warning of the attacks but failed to act quickly to prevent the bloodshed which left at least 174 people dead. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced the establishment of a new anti-terrorism agency and he called for the country to remain united. "We should work together, to the interest of the country. We should build a consensus⁴ on what needs to be done to strengthen the ability of our system to meet these threats."

There are growing calls in Canada for the government there to assist Canadians who are stranded⁵ in Thailand. Dan Karpenchuk reports.

The calls are coming from relatives of those trapped in Bangkok, and now from opposition⁶ members of parliament. A liberal member Dan McTeague says it's absolutely paramount⁷ that the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper come to the rescue of those stranded. There are about 2, 000 Canadians in Bangkok, some of them seniors with their medications and traveling insurance running out, and with the tense situation threatening to worsen, there are fears for their safety. McTeague says normally the Department of Foreign Affairs has a contingency⁸ plan ready. And he hopes the government is developing some kind of access strategy. But there doesn't seem to be any discussions taking place. And he says it's time the foreign affairs minister gets through the program and takes the necessary actions. The minister says he is monitoring the situation closely and Canadian Council officials in Thailand are working with local officials to explore ways of helping⁹ the Canadians to leave Bangkok safely. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

The first snowstorm of the season in Illinois is causing travel problems at Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport. More than four dozen flights have been cancelled so far and low visibility is causing flight delays of up to an hour.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends today. As NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, it's been a busy year.

Since the beginning of June, 16 named storms have formed in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Eight of these became hurricanes and three struck the US. The most dangerous hurricane was Ike which caused major damage in Haiti and Cuba before making landfall near Galveston, Texas. The storm killed more than 80 people in the US and caused damage estimated at more than 25 billion dollars. Hurricane Gustav also brought massive destruction to Haiti and Cuba before reaching US waters. It caused officials to evacuate¹⁰ New Orleans and many feared another Katrina. But Gustav ultimately weakened and landed west of New Orleans. Earlier in the year, Hurricane Dolly struck the Texas coast near the Mexican border. Government hurricane forecasters say it's likely that 2009 will also see more than the average number of storms. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

Top executives from the US auto¹¹-industry are set to return to Capitol Hill this week with the financial information demanded by lawmakers who are considering the request for 25 billion dollars in federal loans for the firms. But GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina says he will vote against making those loans. "I don't know how to run a car company, but I do know that the model they've created will not sustain itself in a global economy and that model needs to change. And I shouldn't be the one having to figure out how to do it." Graham was interviewed on Fox News Sunday. The head of the United Auto Workers union urged Congress today to approve the loans, saying the nation can not afford to see the auto-makers fail.

1 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

5 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

6 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。

7 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

8 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

11 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。