NPR 2008-07-29

Senator John McCain had a small patch of skin removed from his face today. NPR’s Joanne Silberner has more.

The presumptive presidential nominee¹ has already had four melanomas removed. Medical records he shared with the press indicate that all four were caught before they had a chance to spread. During a photo opportunity in California, McCain said neither he nor his dermatologist² are concerned. “She said that I was doing fine, took out a small little nick from my cheek as she does regularly and that will be biopsied, just to make sure that everything is fine.” The results of skin biopsies are usually available within a few days. Joanne Silberner, NPR News.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met with his economic advisors³ today to talk about the state of the economy. Obama said he would move rapidly and vigorously to put in place new incentives⁴, saying the US needs another round of economic stimulus⁵. “What I would like to do today is figure out how can we start taking both short-term steps and long-term steps to restore balance in our economy so that entrepreneurship is encouraged, so that the market is thriving, so that hard work is rewarded.” Among those meeting with Obama were AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and former Fed Chief Paul Volcker.

Israel’s prime minister today said he now believes Israel will not be able to achieve a peace deal with the Palestinians by year’s end as outlined at a US-sponsored meeting eight months ago. Ehud Olmert cited the disputed status of Jerusalem as the main hurdle⁶ to any agreement. From Jerusalem, NPR’s Eric Westervelt reports.

Prime Minister Olmert told a parliamentary committee Monday that the conflicting claims to Jerusalem remain the biggest obstacle to a comprehensive peace deal. “I don’t believe that understandings that will include Jerusalem can be reached this year,” Olmert told members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense⁷ Committee. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War, and later annexed⁸ the area in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future state. Olmert’s spokesman Mark Regev said the prime minister was being realistic and said the two sides had made progress on other key issues, including borders and refugees. At the US-hosted peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November, Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to work toward a lasting⁹ agreement by the end of 2008. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Jerusalem.

At least 47 people were killed today at a Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kurdish protest rally in northern Iraq. Police say at least three female suicide bombers¹⁰ were behind the attacks.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down nearly 240 points to 11,131. Declining issues beat advancers by more than 2-1. The NASDAQ was down 46 and the S&P down 23. This is NPR.

The man accused of opening fire yesterday in a Tennessee church apparently¹¹ targeted the congregation because of its liberal social policies. Knoxville police say they recovered a letter in an SUV belonging to 58-year-old Jim Adkisson. According to officials, the letter indicates Adkisson was motivated by his frustration¹² at not being able to find a job and his “hatred of the liberal movement”. Two people were killed at the Unitarian Universalist Church which promotes progressive social work and gay rights.

Celebrated¹³ American gymnast Paul Hamm will not be competing at the Summer Olympics next month. An injury has forced the Olympian to pull out of the Beijing Games. NPR’s Howard Berkes has details.

Paul Hamm was in the midst of an amazing comeback after winning a gymnastics gold medal in Athens four years ago, and then taking a two-and-a-half-year break. He won every competition he entered this year before breaking his right hand at the National Championships in May. Surgery and an attempted fast-pace recovery followed, but Hamm concluded he couldn’t perform at his best, which could’ve hurt the US team’s chances of winning a medal in the overall team event. The American men won a silver in the team event at the Athens Games, the first team medal for the US men in 20 years. Hamm participated in a gymnastics training camp two weeks ago and said then he was 90% healthy. But he’s continued to suffer pain, and he struggled with some skills（很多技术动作做起来很吃力）. One of three alternates will take his place. Howard Berkes, NPR News.

Syndicated columnist¹⁴ Robert Novak has announced that he has brain cancer. In a statement released by Novak today, the tumor¹⁵ was found after he became ill while visiting his daughter yesterday in Cape¹⁶ Cod¹⁷ and was rushed to the hospital.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 dermatologist   

n.皮肤科医师

参考例句：

• I think you should see a dermatologist first.我想你应当先看皮肤科大夫。
• The general practitioner referred her patient to a dermatologist.家庭医生把她的病人交给了皮肤科医生。

3 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

4 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

5 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。

6 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

7 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。

8 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

13 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

14 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

15 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

16 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

17 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。