NPR 2009-08-01

The government reports the nation's Gross Domestic Product fell one percent in the first quarter, a far slower contraction¹ than the previous quarter when GDP shrank 6.4%. President Obama called it progress resulting from his administration's actions.

"The progress is directly attributable to the recovery act. This and other difficult but important steps that we've taken over the last six months have helped us put the brakes on the recession." Mr. Obama also said today's report shows the recession was far deeper when he took office than analysts² had thought.

Within hours of learning the government's new "cash for clunkers" program was running out of money, the House today voted to rush an additional two billion dollars into the program. It provides rebates³ to trade in gasguzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles. Michael Hibblen with station KUAR has reaction from one dealership⁴ in Little Rock, Arkansas.

At Landers Toyota in Little Rock, customers like Don Griffin have been taking advantage of the program. He traded in a 14-year-old GMC Yukon for a new Toyota sedan. "I figured if the government was crazy enough to pay that kind of money, I would go ahead and take advantage of it." While the program has boosted sales, Steve Landers, who owns nearly two dozen dealerships, believes it was poorly conceived. "It's chaotic⁵ with the government, and it's a good program for the customer, but we’ve yet not receive payment from the government on any of them. I don't think they thought through it real well." He believes the government underestimated customer demand. For NPR News, I'm Michael Hibblen, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In Baghdad today, at least 28 people were killed in bombing attacks on Shiite mosques⁶ as worshippers left Friday prayers. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports.

Worshippers at six different Shiite mosques across Baghdad fell victim to car bombs today, shattering a period of relative calm. Violence is greatly reduced in the past year, but the bomb serves as a stark⁷ reminder⁸ that sectarian tensions remain just beneath the surface. Despite the continuing attacks, it is ethnic⁹ tensions between Arabs and Kurds that have concerned American officials. The leader of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, will be meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over the weekend. It will be the first time the two men have spoken in a year. Quil Lawrence, NPR News, Baghdad.

Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino has died. She was 76. Aquino was credited with the 1986 so-called "People's Revolution", replacing the 20-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos with democracy. The first female president of the Philippines, Aquino managed to stay in office through seven coup¹⁰ attempts. She had battled colon¹¹ cancer.

On Wall Street today, the Dow closed up 17 points at 9,171.

This is NPR News.

The government coupons¹² that help TV viewers buy converter boxes said their old sets can receive the new digital signals stations are now broadcasting comes to an end at midnight tonight. We have more from NPR's Neda Ulaby.

Most Americans have come to rely on their televisions. In fact, the average American adult watches up to five hours of television a day, according to a recent Nelson study. But people without satellite, cable or digital tuners on their televisions were left with blank screens on June 12th. That's when the nation’s broadcasters went from analog¹³ to digital signals. The Federal Communications Commission got nearly a million calls of complaint right after the switch. Since last year, the federal government has offered coupons to people who need digital to analog converter boxes for their older TVs. Nearly 40 million viewers have snapped the coupons up. But the program ends at midnight tonight. Consumers have a tiny bit of time left to order the coupons online, by fax or a letter if it's postmarked with today's date. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

The House of Representatives has approved a bill aimed at restricting excessive corporate¹⁴ bonuses on companies with at least a billion dollars in assets. It would give shareholders¹⁵ an annual non-binding vote on the companies' pay practices, and it would allow the government to bar pay incentives¹⁶ considered risky¹⁷ to the company or the economy. The Senate is due to consider the bill in the fall.

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. The ranking Democrat¹⁸ says he will undergo surgery in August and then return to the Senate to continue his key role in health care overhaul¹⁹ legislation.

I'm Barbara Klein, NPR News in Washington.

1 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

2 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。

3 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

5 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

6 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

7 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

11 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

12 coupons   

n.礼券( coupon的名词复数 )；优惠券；订货单；参赛表

参考例句：

• The company gives away free coupons for drinks or other items. 公司为饮料或其它项目发放免费赠券。 来自辞典例句
• Do you have any coupons? 你们有优惠卡吗？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

13 analog   

n.类似物，模拟

参考例句：

• The analog signal contains high-frequency video information,which helps make up the picture.模拟信号包括有助于构成图像的高频视频信息。
• The analog computer measures continuously,without proceeding step by step.模拟计算机不是一步一步地进行，而是连续地进行量度。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 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

16 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

17 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

18 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

19 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。