NPR 2008-04-07

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

 Rocket attacks on Baghdad's Green Zone and a US military base in the city have killed 3 American soldiers and wounded more than 30 others. It was one of the deadliest attacks on US forces in Iraq in weeks. From Baghdad, NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

 A barrage¹ of Katyusha rockets struck the Green Zone this afternoon. In addition to the dead, a US military official says 6 of the 17 wounded soldiers are in serious condition. The sprawling² Green Zone is home to the US and British embassies and the Iraqi government. Later in the day, a second rocket attack on a forward operating base in southeast Baghdad killed 1 US soldier and wounded 13 others. The rocket attacks coincide with the US and Iraqi military offensive in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. The Shiite slum is a power base for Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Intense fighting in Sadr City today left at least 20 Iraqis dead and 3 dozen wounded. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Baghdad.

 Gasoline prices have jumped another 5 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. The average national price for self-serve regular is now $3.32 a gallon. Industry analyst³ Trilby Lundberg blames the combination of strong crude oil cost, dramatically higher ethanol prices and rising demand for gas as summer approaches. The ethanol is used in spring reformulations of gasoline that are mandated⁴ by federal regulations.

 President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up their summit today with words about leaving a positive legacy⁵ for US-Russian relations. But NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the two leaders failed to resolve some of the most serious issues that were facing them.

 At Putin's Black Sea retreat in Sochi, the Russian leader said his position hasn't changed on US plans for missile defense⁶ and he has other disagreements with the US over security issues. But both he and President Bush highlighted the positive. They issued what they're calling a strategic framework which says, quote, we reject the zero-sum thinking of the Cold War when "what was good for Russia was bad for America" and vice⁷ versa. Mr. Bush also had a chance to meet Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev who takes office in May. He said he found Medvedev to be an impressive fellow and he was nostalgic about the meeting with Putin. They took a walk through Putin's compound on the Black Sea before Mr. Bush flew home. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Sochi.

 Hollywood star turned conservative activist⁸ Charlton Heston has died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 84. No cause of death was announced but Heston revealed 6 years ago that he had symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.

 With his chiseled⁹ jaw¹⁰, muscular build and sonorous¹¹ voice, Charlton Heston was destined¹² for panoramic¹³ movies. His role as the chariot-racing Ben-Hur won him an Oscar and the film 11 academy awards. He played "John the Baptist" and Michelangelo and famously, Moses in The Ten Commandments. "Remember this day when the strong hand of the Lord leads you out of bondage¹⁴." Heston was president of the Screen Actors Guild¹⁵ and he marched in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. But with age he grew more conservative, serving as the president of the National Rifle Association for 5 years until 2003. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR News.

 Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says he's been conferring with party leaders in Florida and Michigan to try to find a way to seat delegations¹⁶ from those states at the Democratic National Convention. Dean says he hopes a solution can be found sooner rather than later. "The ongoing¹⁷ dispute, while it's healthy in the short run, needs to have an end at sometime. If it has an end at the convention, that only gives us 8 to 9 weeks to recover from that." Dean was on CBS's "Face the Nation". The party stripped both states of their delegates for scheduling their primaries on dates earlier than authorized¹⁸. The Barack Obama campaign has proposed splitting both states' delegates 50-50 between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton's advisors¹⁹ have resisted that idea.

1 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

2 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 chiseled   

adj.凿刻的，轮廓分明的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Woltz had chiseled the guy, given him peanuts for the book. 乌尔茨敲了这个作家的竹杠，用了他的书，却只给微不足道的一点点钱。 来自教父部分
• He chiseled the piece of wood into the shape of a head. 他把这块木头凿刻成人头的形状。 来自辞典例句

10 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

11 sonorous   

adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇

参考例句：

• The sonorous voice of the speaker echoed round the room.那位演讲人洪亮的声音在室内回荡。
• He has a deep sonorous voice.他的声音深沉而洪亮。

12 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

13 panoramic   

adj. 全景的

参考例句：

• Most rooms enjoy panoramic views of the sea. 大多数房间都能看到海的全景。
• In a panoramic survey of nature, speed is interesting because it has a ceiling. 概观自然全景，速率是有趣的，因为它有一个上限。

14 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

15 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

16 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

17 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。

18 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

19 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网