NPR 2008-02-15

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Paul Brown.

A top Justice Department official goes before a House subcommittee today to talk about interrogation techniques. Steven Bradbury, the acting¹ head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, appears a day after the Senate defied a presidential veto threat and passed a bill banning the use of torture by any US official.

Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig has received a sharply worded reprimand from the Senate Ethics² Committee. The panel found he'd acted improperly³ both in the bathroom sex sting at the Minneapolis airport and then subsequently trying to reverse his guilty plea. NPR's David Welna reports.

The three Democrats⁵ and three Republicans on a Senate Ethics panel made public the three-page letter they sent Senator Craig. In it, he's told he's being publicly admonished⁶ by the Committee for conduct he pled guilty to 6 months ago after being arrested in the airport men's room sex sting. It said that conduct had, quote, 'reflected discreditably on the Senate.' The panel also chided Craig for showing the arresting officer his Senate business card and saying to him 'what do you think about that?' It further faulted him for trying to reverse the guilty plea in a Minnesota court as well as for having spent more than 200, 000 dollars in campaign funds to pay legal fees. Craig intends to retire from the Senate when his term expires in January. David Welna, NPR News.

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is gearing up for next Tuesday's Wisconsin primary. He's rejecting suggestions that he drop out and leave the GOP nomination⁷ to Arizona Senator John McCain. Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio reports.

Huckabee trails McCain by a wide margin⁸ in the Republican convention delegate count. But several hundred supporters came to a campaign rally for Huckabee in suburban⁹ Milwaukee last night. The former Arkansas governor told them he's still in the presidential race to win. 'For those who are in the other camp over there telling us it's time to wind it down, a lot of our folks are thinking no it's time to wind it up. And that's what we're doing.' Huckabee says he'll campaign in Wisconsin through Friday morning then take 48 hours off to delivery a paid speech in the Cayman Islands. He says unlike other major candidates still in the presidential race, his salary is not paid by tax dollars, and he has to make speeches to help earn a living. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.

Democrat⁴ Barack Obama campaigned in Wisconsin yesterday. He said the accounting¹⁰ for his proposed initiative to increase employment and fix the economy is good. 'I have paid for every element of this economic agenda by ending a war that's costing us billions, by closing tax loopholes for corporations, by putting a price on carbon pollution, and by ending George Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.' Obama's rival Hillary Clinton campaigned in Texas yesterday, a state she sees as a must-win along with Ohio to keep her campaign effort afloat.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

Treasury¹¹ Secretary Henry Paulson is to appear before the Senate Banking¹² Committee today. Yesterday, he praised the economic stimulus¹³ package President Bush signed. 'The payments to individuals and the investment incentives¹⁴ for businesses will help create more than half a million jobs by the end of this year.' Paulson also said he does not think the economy will slide into a recession. Appearing with him today will be Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox.

The rebel leader killed during Monday's attack on East Timor's president was buried today. NPR's Mike O'Sullivan reports from Dili.

Several hundred mourners turned out for the burial of former Major Alfredo Reinado near the center of the capital. Reinado was killed on Monday during the attack that left President Jose Ramos-Horta gravely wounded. Ramos-Horta was flown to neighboring Australia for treatment. Doctors there say he is expected to recover. There was a heavy police presence at Major Reinado's funeral today. His coffin¹⁵ draped in the flag of this impoverished¹⁶ island nation. Reinado is seen by some here as something of a folk hero not for his attack on the president but for championing the cause of those from the west of the country, who believe they are discriminated¹⁷ against by those from the east. The state of emergency declared after the attack on the president has now been extended for ten days and a dusk-to-dawn curfew remains¹⁸ in effect. Mike O'Sullivan NPR News, Dili.

A strong earthquake hit Greece today. The exact intensity¹⁹ isn't yet certain. Greek officials say it was magnitude 6.5, while American officials say it was 7.3. It was felt throughout the capital of Athens. And witnesses say it lasted at least 15 seconds. There are no immediate²⁰ reports of damage or injuries.

I'm Paul Brown. NPR News in Washington.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

3 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 admonished   

v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责

参考例句：

• She was admonished for chewing gum in class. 她在课堂上嚼口香糖，受到了告诫。
• The teacher admonished the child for coming late to school. 那个孩子迟到，老师批评了他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

9 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

10 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

11 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

12 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

13 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

14 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

16 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

18 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。

19 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

20 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。