NPR 2009-01-08

After 12 days of airstrikes and intense ground fighting which began this past weekend, Israel today ordered a three-hour pause in its offensive in Gaza. The brief respite¹ allowed food and fuel to enter the territory and medics to retrieve² bodies from areas that have been deemed too dangerous to enter. However, Israel then resumed its offensive against Hamas while Hamas again fired rockets at Israel. Israel said it's sending an envoy³ to Cairo tomorrow to discuss a ceasefire proposal from the presidents of Egypt and France.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is extending her trip to New York as the US tries to promote what it says would be a more durable⁴ solution to the crisis in Gaza. NPR's Michele Kelemen has more.

White House and State Department officials say Secretary Rice has been working around the clock to bring about a ceasefire that would be durable. That means stopping Hamas rocket attacks into Israel and preventing Hamas from rearming through tunnels from Egypt. Rice has backed Egypt's initiative to mediate⁵ then work on security issues at Gaza's border with Egypt. She's also welcomed Israel's decision to open a humanitarian⁶ corridor, but the Bush administration has stopped short of calling for an immediate⁷ humanitarian truce⁸ as France and others have suggested. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

President-elect Barack Obama is remaining above the fray⁹ in the dispute of the possible successor to his vacant Senate seat, even though Senate Democrats¹⁰ appeared to be moving closer to a resolution. NPR's Giles Snyder reports.

Roland Burris's appointment by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been mired¹¹ in controversy¹² because of the troubles facing Blagojevich who allegedly attempted to sell the seat. During a news conference, Mr. Obama said he's not taking a stand on the issue.

"That is a Senate matter, but I know Roland Burris. Obviously, he's from my home state. I think he's a fine public servant. If he gets seated, then I’m gonna work with Roland Burris just like I work with all the other senators to make sure that the people of Illinois and people of the country are served. "

Burris was initially¹³ rejected by the Senate, but Senate Majority Leader Harry¹⁴ Reid suggested, after meeting with him, that Burris could be seated once it's settled whether the Illinois Secretary of State must certify¹⁵ his appointment. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.

Treasury¹⁶ Secretary Henry Paulson today said the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot be allowed to return to their old ways. Speaking to the Economic Club of Washington, Paulson said Congress and the next administration will need to decide what role the government should play in supporting homeownership.

"The debate about the future of Fannie and Freddie requires answering the much larger and more important question of the federal government's role in the mortgage market and in housing policy generally."

After the bursting of the housing bubble, the government in September moved to take control of Fannie and Freddie. Paulson discussed options for the mortgage finance companies, though he said (he) does not think privatization is the way to go.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 245 points today to close at 8, 769. The NASDAQ was down 53 points.

This is NPR.

US officials say raid on an insurgent¹⁷ stronghold in eastern Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least 32 insurgents¹⁸. In a statement today, the military says coalition¹⁹ forces raided what was described as a bomb-making factory. It says troops also destroyed two weapon stockpiles as well as materials for making roadside bombs. According to one local lawmaker, there were civilian²⁰ casualties when buildings collapsed²¹ as the weapons were destroyed. However, the military is disputing the claim.

Most of fishermen in Mexico are out on strike over a hike by the government in diesel²² fuel prices. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Mexico City.

Ninety-five percent of the Mexican fishing fleet has pulled into ports on both sides of the country to protest the rise in fuel costs. In Mexico, diesel and gasoline are only sold by the state-run petroleum²³ company PEMEX. The government raised diesel fuel prices 20% in November. Some fishermen started idling their boats last month, but the strike has gained momentum²⁴ over the New Year. And an industry group says this week almost the entire fleet is refusing to fish. Boat owners are demanding the government boost subsidies²⁵ to commercial fishermen to completely cover the 20% hike in diesel costs. Prices for seafood²⁶ and shellfish have started to rise in markets across the country. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

It’s not necessarily the most scientific analysis, but St. Louis-based United Van Lines says based on its records Americans continue to head west and to the Mid-Atlantic States while leaving the Great Lakes region. The moving company which has been tracking Americans migration²⁷ since 1977 says its 2008 study looked at nearly 200, 000 household moves. Washington D.C. topped the list for inbound migration. Michigan saw the largest out migration with around 2/3 of the interstate moves there outward.

1 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

2 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

3 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

5 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 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。

8 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

9 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

10 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》

11 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

13 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

14 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

15 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

16 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。

17 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

18 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

19 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

20 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

21 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

22 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

23 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

24 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

25 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》

26 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

27 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。