NPR 2009-03-05

The Obama administration today launched a new program to try to prevent home foreclosures. Economists¹ say finding a better way to avoid foreclosures is critical as the nation slides deeper into recession. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

The efforts to prevent foreclosures so far haven't been enough to stop millions of people from losing their homes. The Obama administration has now launched its answer to the problem. Michael Calhoun is the president of the Center for Responsible Lending. "The Obama modification² plan is a real game changer that will have a dramatic impact on the housing market in reducing the wave of foreclosures that's raveling the whole economy right now.” The plan aims to help three to four million homeowners who are in loans that they can't afford. It offers cash incentives³ to lenders if they modify loans to lower interest rates and payments for homeowners in cases where that would prevent bigger losses for the investors⁴ who own their loans. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown addressed a joint⁵ session of Congress today, telling US lawmakers the two countries are in the current economic situation together. And he warned the problems facing the global economy do not stop at the water's edge. Brown also cautioned against protectionist policies during the current crisis instead calling for innovative⁶ thinking. "In these unprecedented⁷ times, we must educate our way out of the downturn; we must invest and invent our way out of the downturn; we must retool⁸ and re-skill our way out of the downturn. " Throughout the speech, Brown spoke⁹ of American optimism during difficult economic times. He also announced the awarding of an honorary knighthood to Senator Edward Kennedy. The 77-year-old Kennedy is currently battling brain cancer and did not attend the speech.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging Sudan's government to exercise restraint after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's president for the conflict in Darfur. NPR's Michele Kelemen is traveling with the secretary who is now in Brussels.

Secretary Clinton said President Omar al-Bashir will have a chance to have his day in court if he wants to contest the warrant. But she said she hopes the government won't step up violence in retaliation¹⁰. "Governments and individuals who either conduct or condone¹¹ atrocities¹² of any kind as we have seen year after year in Sudan have to be held accountable.” Bashir is accused of committing crimes against humanity in Darfur in western Sudan. It's a conflict the US has called a genocide. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Brussels.

Key gauge¹³ measuring activity in nation's service sectors¹⁵ shrank for a fifth straight month. The Institute for Supply Management says its service sector¹⁴ index last month fell more than a point, the reading of 41.6 just slightly above analysts¹⁶' expectations.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 149 points to close at 6, 875. The NASDAQ was up 32 points today.

This is NPR.

A fight at a state prison in the Mexican border city of Juarez has left at least 19 prisoners dead and more than half a dozen others injured according to police. The fight between what appears to be rival gangs apparently¹⁷ broke out shortly after 6 am this morning. Police said it appears a member of one of the drug gangs somehow pressured a guard to open the cells of fellow gang members who then entered an area where other inmates¹⁸ were gathered. There were reports of gunfire. Police were investigating how a firearm entered the prison. It took 200 anti-riot police and around 50 soldiers to regain¹⁹ control of the facility.

Blues²⁰ musician John Cephas has died. His record company says the 78-year-old guitarist and vocalist died of natural causes. Cephas was one half of the acclaimed²¹ traditional blues duo Cephas & Wiggins. They performed a style of blues that was specific to the Mid-Atlantic region called Piedmont blues. NPR's Felix Contreras reports.

As a youngster John Cephas learned the intricate finger-picking style of Piedmont blues from a cousin. By age 9 he was performing at informal gatherings²² where traditional music was still a living culture. He began performing professionally in the 1960s, and in 1976 met harmonica player Phil Wiggins. Cephas & Wiggins released albums, toured the world for the US State Department and worked at keeping Piedmont blues music alive. In 1989, John Cephas was recognized for those efforts with a National Heritage Fellowship, bestowed²³ by the National Endowment for the Arts to those who preserve our country's cultural traditions. Felix Contreras, NPR News.

Crude oil futures²⁴ were up $3.73 a barrel to settle at $45.38 a barrel.

1 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

3 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

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 retool   

v.改组，重新装备

参考例句：

• Each time the product changes,the machines have to be retooled.每次更换产品，就得重新装备机器。
• In the computer industry,engineers have to retool frequently.在电脑业中，工程师必须经常以新知识充实装备自己。

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 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 condone   

v.宽恕；原谅

参考例句：

• I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。
• I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

12 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 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。

14 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。

15 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

17 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。

18 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

20 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

21 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

22 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

23 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

24 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。