NPR 2008-07-27

The Senate has overwhelmingly approved and sent to President Bush a landmark¹ housing bill aimed at helping² hundreds of thousands of American families avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. The vote came in a rare Saturday session as NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

The housing bill addresses a number of elements affecting the housing sector³. It shores up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which back nearly half of the nation's home loans. It provides money for communities to buy up foreclosed properties. And it gives hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure a chance to get lower-cost, government-backed mortgages. Democratic Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut: "Every day, between eight and nine thousand of our fellow Americans are put into foreclosure in this country. There've been a record number of bank seizures⁴ as well. This is happening in the United States of America, Mr. president. And it simply ought to be unacceptable to every single one of us."  Opponents argued the measure would put taxpayers⁵ on the hook by giving Fannie and Freddie an unlimited⁶ line of credit, but the Bush administration pushed through the measure as a way to restore stability to the markets. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the Capitol.

 A series of bomb blasts shook the city of Ahmedabad in India today, killing⁷ at least 29 people. The explosions occurred just a day after similar attacks hit India's technology hub, Bangalore. Vier Singh reports from New Delhi.

According to local media reports, the latest attacks involved low-impact bombs, such as those used in Bangalore. Authorities say the intention is to disrupt normal life by creating fear. But a major concern in Ahmedabad, a major trading city, is that such an incident could trigger violence between Hindus and Muslims. Meanwhile, political leaders in Bangalore, where several of the world's leading computer software firms operate, are saying there is no threat to the industry. Some companies say they're reviewing their security arrangements. For NPR News, I'm Vier Singh in New Delhi.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is headed home from London after completing his week-long trip overseas. Obama said the trip was valuable, given the focus of the campaign on Iraq and Afghanistan. "Unless we get a handle on Iraq and Afghanistan, not only are we gonna be less safe, but it's also gonna be a huge drain of resources. If we are spending ten, twelve, fifteen billion dollars a month between those two wars, then that's ten, twelve, fifteen billion dollars that we can't spend at home to rebuild our economy."  But Obama's GOP rival John McCain says Obama's refusal to acknowledge the success of President Bush's troop surge in Iraq is disturbing.  "Even in retrospect⁸, he would choose the path of retreat and failure for America over the path of success and victory. That's not exactly my idea of the judgement we seek in a commander-in-chief."  McCain ,also today, spoke⁹ via satellite to a disabilities forum¹⁰ in Columbus, Ohio.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 After six days of negotiations¹¹, delegates at the latest round of World Trade Organization talks in Geneva say signs of progress are emerging. The goal of the talks is to reduce trade barriers worldwide. Lisa Schlein has more from Geneva.

Delegates from the European Union, the United States, Brazil and Australia say they are hopeful a deal that is good for the global economy is possible. The WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell says if a deal doesn't emerge, the ministers might take a break from the negotiations. But he says they will not abandon the talks. "I don't know what will happen, but I mean I would not, I would not say that all is lost under any circumstances by the end of this week regardless of what happens." A number of sticking points remain. Poor countries want rich nations to cut farm-distorting subsidies¹², and rich countries want to export more industrial goods and services to poor countries. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

Hundreds of cleanup workers are using skimmers and containment¹³ booms to try to corral and sop¹⁴ up the nearly 420,000 gallons of fuel oil that spilled into the Mississippi River this week when a tanker¹⁵ and barge¹⁶ collided. The spill has virtually closed a 100-mile stretch of the nation's busiest inland waterway. Only about a dozen of the 200 or so ships and tankers¹⁷ waiting to travel through the contaminated area have been allowed to do so so far， and only slowly under escort. Pressurized water and steam are being used to clean oil from the hulls¹⁸ of those ships. Officials say so far, the spill has only had limited impact on wildlife, but there is concern about the fragile wetlands downstream.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 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。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

6 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

14 sop   

n.湿透的东西，懦夫；v.浸，泡，浸湿

参考例句：

• I used a mop to sop up the spilled water.我用拖把把泼出的水擦干。
• The playground was a mere sop.操场很湿。

15 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。

16 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

17 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

18 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。