NPR 2009-08-08

The nation's job market shrank by 247,000 positions last month according to the Labor¹ Department. That amounts to a 0.1% decline from June to July, the smallest in a year and another sign the recession might be easing. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports.

 Seeing nearly a quarter million jobs disappear from the labor market rarely seems a good thing. But amidst the worst recession in decades, it's big progress. Job losses peaked back in January. That’s when the economy saw a net decline of more than 700,000 positions. Since then, employment losses steadily² declined, suggesting the days of mass layoffs³ could be ending. The unemployment rate in July fell slightly to 9.4%, but there are also worrisome signs in the government's labor data. More people are staying unemployed⁴ longer and businesses are creating fewer jobs. Temp services is usually one of the first places hiring picks up at the end of a recession, but in July, temp services lost nearly 10,000 more jobs. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.

 The government has released new guidelines for schools in the event of an outbreak of H1N1 swine flu, telling them they don't need to close when the first cases appear. They also recommend people remain home until their fevers have been gone for 24 hours.

 Republican Senator Mel Martinez announced today he'll step down as soon as a replacement⁵ is found. "My priorities have always been my faith, my family and my country and at this stage in my life, and after nearly 12 years of public service in Florida and in Washington, it is time to return to Florida and my family." The Cuban-born Martinez is the only Hispanic Republican in the Senate and he has been a key player on immigration issues. Florida's Republican Governor Charlie Crist has the responsibility of appointing a successor.

 Eunice Kennedy Shriver is in critical condition at a Cape⁶ Cod⁷ hospital according to a family spokesman. We have more from NPR's Tovia Smith.

 Shriver, who just turned 88, is the sister of Senator Edward Kennedy who is fighting his own health battle against brain cancer and of the late President John F. Kennedy and the late Senator Robert Kennedy. She became known in her own right for founding the Special Olympics. She's been active in political campaigns from JFK's presidential bid in 1960 to that of her Republican son-in-law California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and she’s advocated for children's health and the mentally disabled. Her husband Sergeant⁸ Shriver, former ambassador and first director of the Peace Corps⁹ is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Eunice Shriver, who is believed to suffer from Addison's disease, has reportedly been hospitalized for about a week. Her family, including daughter Maria Shriver are with her at the hospital. Tovia Smith, NPR News.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow gained 113 points to close at 9,370. The NASDAQ gained 27.

 This is NPR News.

 Pakistani officials say they are growing more confident that the country's Taliban commander was killed this week by a US missile strike. US officials say they can't yet confirm whether Baitullah Mehsud is dead though they say the attack did kill one of his wives. The strike was conducted on Wednesday in the northern tribal¹⁰ region of South Waziristan, a Mehsud's stronghold.

 A controversial Yemeni cleric jailed in New York has pleaded guilty to raising money for Hamas, bringing an end to a long saga¹¹. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston has that story.

 Four years ago, a Brooklyn jury found 60-year-old Sheik Mohammed Ali Hasan Al-Moayad guilty of providing material support to terrorist organizations. The FBI had him on videotape trying to raise money for both Hamas and Al-Qaeda. He was supposed to serve 75 years in prison, but an appeals court threw out his conviction last year. Now Al-Moayad has pleaded guilty to raising money for Hamas in exchange for a ticket back to Yemen. Prosecutors¹² said in a letter to the court that they had decided¹³ to reduce the cleric's sentence to time served in exchange for a guilty plea and deportation¹⁴. Officials said the cleric has severe health problems and skipping a retrial would spare the government time and expense. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, New York.

 The FBI is investigating a travel agency in Minneapolis that could be involved in transporting young men from the Twin Cities to Somalia to join the Islamist militia¹⁵ al-Shabaab. The man who runs the travel agency has been arrested on unrelated charges, but agents have raided his agency, looking for evidence that he played a role in helping¹⁶ some two dozens Somali-Americans join al-Shabaab.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

8 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

9 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

12 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。