NPR 2009-01-11

The top Hamas political official says the Israeli attacks on Gaza have destroyed any chance of negotiated settlement with Israel. The speech by Khaled Mashal showed no hint of a willingness to end rocket fire unless all its demands are met. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Cairo.

 In recorded remarks broadcast from Damascus, Mashal said Israel's 15-day assault on Gaza had, in his words，failed to achieve any of its goals. Mashal said the rocket fire into Israel had not stopped and Hamas fighters in Gaza will "preparing surprises for Israeli troops." Mashal's comments came as Palestinian authority and Hamas officials are in Cairo discussing a possible renewal¹ of the ceasefire with Israel and Mashal ruled out any agreement that, in his words, deprived the resistance of its weapons. Israel says in order to accept a new ceasefire, new measures must be in place to prevent Hamas from rearming by importing arms from Egypt. One potential mechanism² involving international observers has been rejected by both Egypt and Hamas. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Cairo.

 Vice³ President Joe Biden is in Afghanistan visiting with military officials, US troops and Afghan officials to gauge⁴ the ongoing⁵ war in Afghanistan and report back to President-elect Obama. The Vice President vowed⁶ the US will provide long-term support for Afghanistan which has seen an upswing in Taliban violence for the past several months. A statement released by Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office says the president and Biden talked about the fight against terrorism and US troop increases. 

 Natural gas from Russia to Europe could start flowing again soon. Jessica Golloher has the details from Moscow. Russian and European Union officials say they've signed the deal, allowing EU officials to monitor transport of Russian gas through Ukrainian pipelines⁷ to Europe. The only hitch⁸, Ukraine still has to sign the agreement. The Russian state-controlled Gazprom shut off gas to Ukraine on January 1 in a pricing dispute. After that, Russia accused Ukraine of diverting gas meant for European customers and halted its deliveries as well. Ukraine flatly denies the charge. The EU criticized both countries and had warned that if they didn't reach a deal soon, the standing⁹ of both Ukraine and Russia and the EU could be adversely¹⁰ affected¹¹. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Golloher in Moscow.

President-elect Obama reiterated¹² his call for Congress to act quickly on a massive stimulus¹³ package in his weekly radio and Internet address. But several lawmakers on Capitol Hill sound less enthusiastic about the package this week. Fellow Democrats¹⁴ criticized some of Mr. Obama's proposed tax cuts before falling in line in support of the recovery plan yesterday. Mr. Obama says a 14-page analysis by his economic team shows a combination of tax cuts and spending like the plan he's has in mind recreate between 3 and 4 million jobs.

 A Delta¹⁵ Airline's plane returned to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport today after one of its engines went out. There were no injuries reported on the Boeing 737.

This is NPR.

President Bush commissioned USS George H. W. Bush today in a ceremony held at Norfolk, Virginia in honor of his father. The senior Mr. Bush is the nation's last president to serve during World War II. NPR's David Folkenflik has the story.

The USS George H. W. Bush is a brand-new nuclear power Nimitz class carrier that's more than three football fields long, far outstripping¹⁶ the ship that conveyed a young naval¹⁷ pilot to war back in 1943. Former President Bush flew 58 combat missions and was decorated for bravery in action. He offered these reflections to those who've served on the carrier. "As someone who has stood that watch and remembers the quiet solitude¹⁸ of that experience. I know you will find comfort and inspiration, particular in the night sky where it is basking¹⁹ in the splendor²⁰ of the stars that you will truly understand the majesty²¹ of creation and bear witness to the certain hand of God." The current President Bush landed on the carrier in arriving for the event. He said the ship's name honored not only his father, but the generation that served alongside him. David Folkenflik，NPR News.

A snow storm stretching from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast is making travel a major headache for many motorists and airline passengers.The National Weather Service says up to ten inches of snow could fall in parts of Ohio and Massachusetts. Winter warnings and advisories²² have been posted from Northern Illinois to New England.

William Zantzinger, the Maryland socialite, immortalized in a Bob Dylan protest song for beating to death of a black barmaid was buried yesterday. He died January 3rd. Zantzinger paid a 500-dollar fine and served a six-month sentence for manslaughter. He was 69 years old.

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

3 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。

4 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

5 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。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

8 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

13 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。

14 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》

15 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

16 outstripping   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Demand is outstripping supply. 需求快超过供给了。
• Demand is outstripping current production. 现在需求逐渐超过了生产能力。 来自辞典例句

17 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

18 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

19 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

21 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

22 advisories   

n.（有关进展、动向、建议等的）报告( advisory的名词复数 )；公告；通告；通报

参考例句：

• Compliance with Practice Advisories is optional. 是否遵守实务公告由审计师自行选择决定。 来自互联网
• Hardened-PHP: not as such a PHP security information website, but it does have security advisories. 增强PHP:不仅仅是一个PHP安全新的网站，它还提供安全建议。 来自互联网