NPR 2009-05-15

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.

Chrysler wants to get rid of nearly 800 of its dealers³. The company is asking a bankruptcy⁴ judge to approve the move next month. NPR’s Frank Langfitt has more.

To bring its distribution network in line with the shrunken market, Chrysler wants to slash⁵ 25% of its dealers. Jim Press is Chrysler's vice⁶ chairman. He says the decision comes down to supply and demand. “We do not have enough production or sale to keep all of the dealers alive and prosperous and profitable.” Some dealers are expected to try to fight closure in bankruptcy court. James Arrigo is a Dodge⁷ dealer² in Florida. His business isn’t on the list of those Chrysler wants to shut down, but Arrigo says the company shouldn’t take such a drastic action. Instead, he says Chrysler should continue to encourage voluntary consolidation⁸ among dealerships. “Quite frankly⁹, I think there was a better way to do this, probably to take a little bit of longer period of time.” A judge is expected to rule on Chrysler’s request in June. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is saying today that while she knew as early as 2003 the government was waterboarding terror suspects and did nothing to stop it. She also said she and other lawmakers were misled by the CIA. At a press conference in Washington, Pelosi said, during a 2002 CIA briefing, she was told explicitly¹⁰ that such techniques were not being used, and only learned months later the waterboarding was being carried out by interrogators. Pelosi said the fact she did not speak out at the time was a result of secrecy¹¹ rules. Republicans including House minority leader John Boehner meanwhile take exception to Pelosi’s remarks saying they raised questions.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch says he will veto same-sex marriage measures headed to his desk if lawmakers don’t bolster¹² protection for religious groups or institutions that oppose gay marriage. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Josh Rogers has more.

Governor Lynch’s comments came at a closed-door meeting with reporters. They broke the Democrats’ week-long silence on same-sex marriage, a period in which his office has been deluged¹³ with calls from supporters and critics from across the country. Lynch has repeatedly said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman but said today he has responsibility to consider the issue through a broader lens. “We must act to protect both the liberty of same-sex couples and religious liberty  in their current form. I don’t believe these bills accomplish those goals.” The same-sex marriage bills passed by lawmakers here would allow churches to decide whether they conduct religious marriages for same-sex couples. But Governor Lynch says to win his signature, the bills will need clear language to ensure people wouldn’t be forced to violate their religious principles. For NPR News, I’m Josh Rogers in Concord¹⁴, New Hampshire.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46 points to end the session at 8,331. The NASDAQ was up 25 points, closing at 1,689.  The S&P 500 was up nine points to close at 893 today.

 

This is NPR.

Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a state budget plan. He says it includes a more than 15-billion-dollar shortfall. The governor says he will have to close, that gap has to be closed with deep spending cuts to both health and education programs through the shedding of thousands of jobs. Schwarzenegger also said the state will have to sell a 6-billion-dollar revenue anticipation¹⁵ note to help balance its books. He said the state budget shortfall could reach more than 21 billion dollars if voters reject budget-related ballot¹⁶ measures as part of a special election next week.

Federal investigators¹⁷ say the pilot and co-pilot of a commuter¹⁸ plane that crashed near Buffalo¹⁹ last February may not have realized the plane’s air speed had reached dangerously low levels. 50 people were killed in the accident. NPR’s Brian Naylor reports.

The cockpit voice recorder of the twin-engine plane operated by Colgan Air showed the pilot and the co-pilot chatting as they made their approach to Buffalo Niagara Airport on the night of February 12th. Investigators say the flight crew did not realize the plane was about to enter an aerodynamic stall until a warning system that shakes the pilot’s control stick went off. National Transportation Safety Board member Deborah Hersman said an audible stall warning device might have helped. “I think this crew went from complacency to catastrophe²⁰ in 30 seconds.” Members of Congress, meanwhile, are urging the FAA to reevaluate pilot training programs in the wake of evidence that a lack of training may have contributed to the crash. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

Crude oil futures²¹ prices ended the session higher today. Crude oil futures rose 60 cents a barrel to close at $58.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

3 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

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 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

6 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。

7 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

8 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

9 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

10 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

12 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

13 deluged   

v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付

参考例句：

• The minister was deluged with questions. 部长穷于应付像洪水般涌来的问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They deluged me with questions. 他们向我连珠发问。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

15 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

16 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

17 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

19 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。

20 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

21 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。