NPR 2008-04-09

The top US general in Iraq has been spending the day getting grilled² by lawmakers on Capital Hill. General David Petraeus told members of Senate committee today he thinks there should be a pause in troop withdrawls this summer in order to reassess the situation there. “I recommended to my chain of command that we continue the drawdown of the surge combat forces and that upon the withdrawal³ of the last surge brigade combat team in July, we undertake a 45-day period of consolidation⁴ and evaluation⁵. At the end of that period, we’ll commence a process of assessment⁶ to examine the conditions on the ground and over time, determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions. However, some lawmakers including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were skeptical⁷. “For the past five years, we have continually heard from the administration that things are getting better, that we are about to turn a corner, that there is, finally, a resolution in sight. Yet each time, Iraqi leaders failed to deliver.” Under questioning, Petraeus would not predict when he thinks US troop reductions in Iraq might be able to resume. Petraeus is also testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today.

 In Iraq, anti-US Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to formally call off his unilateral cease-fire with US forces today. NPR’s JJ Sutherland reports from Baghdad.

 The cease-fire by Sadr’s Mahdi Army is credited as one of the major factors in decreasing violence in Iraq in recent months, especially in terms of the sectarian violence that has left thousands of people dead over the past few years. Despite the cease-fire, fighting is still ongoing⁸ in the Mahdi Army stronghold of Sadr City though, as American and Iraqi forces moved into the sprawling⁹ slum on the edge of Baghdad. Eleven US soldiers died on Sunday and Monday and scores of Iraqis were killed. The government has imposed an all-day curfew tomorrow and banned the men from the age of 18 to 35 from entering the city. JJ Sutherland , NPR News, Baghdad.

 The White House now says that President Bush will not support a home owner rescue bill which could clear the Senate this week. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today the measure contains too many costly¹⁰ extras, including a provision that would provide a tax break for buyers of foreclosed-upon properties. Perino said Mr. Bush is worried that some of the provisions will do little to actually help homeowners avoid foreclosure or reduce the glut¹¹ of unsold houses on the market. Democrats¹² in the House meanwhile have been split over how to come up with their own package.

 Meantime, another housing market indicator¹³ pointing in the wrong direction in February. The National Association of Realtors, the real-estate industry’s main trade group, said today its pending¹ home sales index fell to its lowest level since the index began in 2001.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down nearly 36 points to close at 12, 576. The NASDAQ dropped 16 points. The S&P 500 was down 7 points today. This is NPR.

 Washington Mutual¹⁴ is getting a seven-billion-dollar infusion¹⁵ of new capital primariliy from a private equity¹⁶ firm. From Seattle, NPR’s Wendy Kaufman reports.

 The seven billion dollars will come from an investment group led by TPG Capital, a Texas-based private equity firm. Washington Mutual, known as WaMu, had been one of the nation’s largest lenders of home mortgages including subprime loans, which made up nearly 7% of its portfolio¹⁷. The once mighty¹⁸ company has been hemorrhaging. It says losses for the past six months will total nearly 3 billion dollars. In addition to the investment by TPG, WaMu announced other measures to stablize the Seattle-based thrift¹⁹. It would exit the wholesale²⁰ lending business. There will be no more loans originated by brokers²¹. And the company will slash²² its quarterly dividend²³ 15 cents to 1 penny. TPG’s founding partner is expected to take a seat on the WaMu board. Wendy Kaufman, NPR News, Seattle.

 Crude oil prices fell 59 cents a barrel today to close at $108.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 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。

2 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

3 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

4 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

5 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

6 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

7 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

8 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。

9 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

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 glut   

n.存货过多，供过于求；v.狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices.咖啡供过于求道致价格急剧下跌。
• There's a glut of agricultural products in Western Europe.西欧的农产品供过于求。

12 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》

13 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

14 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

15 infusion   

n.灌输

参考例句：

• Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
• Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。

16 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

17 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

18 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

19 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

20 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

21 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

22 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

23 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。