NPR 2009-05-03

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the US has risen to more than 175 in 26 states. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most of the cases in this country have been mild compared to those in Mexico. President Obama says since health officials are not sure why that is, the government is taking all necessary precautions in the event the outbreak in the US worsens. "The current strain of H1N1 can be defeated by a course of antiviral treatment that we already have on hand. We began this week with 50 million courses of this treatment in the Strategic National Stockpile. Over the course of last few days, we've delivered one quarter of that stockpile to states so that they are prepared to treat anyone who is infected with this virus." Mr. Obama speaking in his weekly radio and Internet address today.

Health officials in Mexico say the swine flu outbreak there appears to be stabilizing¹. There's been only one confirmed new death in the last 24 hours. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Mexico City.

Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova says the number of people being admitted to hospitals and clinics with flu-like symptoms is dropping. In a press conference, Cordova said the numbers are getting better everyday. He said efforts in Mexico to get people to seek treatment immediately and limit person-to-person contact, particularly in the capital, seem to be working. The health secretary went on to say that the virus may not be as aggressive as originally feared. Mexico City remains² nearly empty on Day 2 of a 5-day weekend. The president asked people not to work on Friday. This coming Monday and Tuesday were already gonna be holidays. Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Treasury³ says the swine flu outbreak is costing Mexico billions of dollars and could cut the country's gross domestic product by as much as half a percentage point. Jason Beaubien, NPR New, Mexico City.

Attorneys for Chrysler are filing motions today asking for a bankruptcy⁴ court's approval to sell most of the company's assets to Italian automaker Fiat⁵. And at the hearing Monday, lawyers will ask a judge to let Chrysler use billions of dollars in government loans so it can operate under bankruptcy protection. NPR's Paul Brown has more.

The US government has agreed to loan Chrysler up to eight billion dollars in addition to the four billion dollars taxpayers⁶ have already provided. The new money was depended on Chrysler's linking up with Fiat. Judge Arthur Gonzalez approved a number of motions on Friday after Chrysler's Thursday bankruptcy filing, but still unresolved is how to deal with some creditors⁷ who balked⁸ at White House pressure to take less than they wanted for their investments in Chrysler forcing the company into bankruptcy. The creditors could still try to force Chrysler to liquidate⁹. Chrysler is idling all of its plans until the deal with Fiat closes. Meanwhile, Chrysler has reported a plunge¹⁰ in April sales from March and from a year earlier. Paul Brown, NPR News.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Stone-throwing militants¹¹ clashed with police in Berlin early today in what a city official is calling the worst May Day violence there in four years. From Berlin, NPR's Eric Westervelt has this story.

During most of the day and into the evening yesterday, tens of thousands protested peacefully here. Demonstrations¹² over rising joblessness and economic disparities mixed with festive¹³ street parties. But after midnight and into the early morning hours, several hundred liquored-up leftists threw homemade gasoline bombs as well as rocks, bricks and bottles at riot police. More than 200 police were injured, 14 seriously. Police used pepper spray and tear gas to quell¹⁴ the unrest and arrested nearly 300 demonstrators. Many blamed the violence on the worsening economic crisis, but Berlin's Interior Minister Ehrhart Koerting today called the rioting mindless. For the most part, they weren't motivated by politics, he said. Throwing slabs¹⁵ of pavement at police has nothing to do with social unrest, he told a news conference, adding they only wanted violence. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Berlin.

Billionaire businessman Warren Buffett says he believes the financial outlook for most newspapers in the US is bleak¹⁶. Speaking to a meeting of shareholders¹⁷ in Berkshire Hathaway, the company he has, he says he would not buy stock in most newspapers at any price, because he says they have the possibility of nearly unending losses. Berkshire owns the Buffalo¹⁸ News and a major stake in the Washington Post. Buffett says most papers lack a sustainable business model. Several large newspapers in the United States have closed in recent months, and others such as the Boston Globe are struggling. Charlie Munger, Berkshire's vice¹⁹ chairman, called the decline of newspapers in this country a national tragedy.

1 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 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。

4 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

5 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

6 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。

7 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 balked   

v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑

参考例句：

• He balked in his speech. 他忽然中断讲演。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They balked the robber's plan. 他们使强盗的计划受到挫败。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 liquidate   

v.偿付，清算，扫除；整理，破产

参考例句：

• A unanimous vote was taken to liquidate the company.全体投票一致通过停业清理公司。
• They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.过去他们曾毫不犹豫地铲除对手。

10 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

11 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

12 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

13 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

14 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

15 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

16 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

17 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

18 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

19 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。