NPR 2009-09-02

President Obama today pointed¹ to growth in the manufacturing sector² as evidence the nation's economy is on the right track. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

 The nation's manufacturing sector grew last month for the first time in more than a year and a half. An index compiled by the Institute for Supply Management showed better-than-expected manufacturing growth with strong new orders for manufactured goods both here and abroad. President Obama hailed the new data during an appearance in the White House Rose Garden. "This means greater production of transportation equipment like cars, and electronic equipment like computers and appliances. And it means these companies are starting to invest more and produce more. And it is a sign that we're on the path to economic recovery.” The growth in manufacturing has so far not translated to an increase in factory jobs. Mr. Obama says his administration won't let up until Americans who are looking for work can find it. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 Residents along the southern Baja Peninsula are battening down the hatches today as Hurricane Jimena moves closer. While weakening slightly overnight as it bears down on an area that includes some popular resorts, Jimena is still a Category 3 hurricane. The storm is expected to pass west and north of Los Cabos where officials have been working to convince 10,000 people to seek shelter. Another 20,000 are expected to be evacuated³ from other areas of the peninsula. Already the storm’s outer bands are being felt with high waves and heavy rain. At last tour, Jimena was about 100 miles south of Los Cabos and is expected to make landfall in the early hours of tomorrow.

 Station fire burning out of control in the Angeles National Forest continues to grow, topping 121,000 acres. We get the latest from Hettie Lynne Hurtes of member station KPCC in Los Angeles.

 It's the largest fire to overrun Los Angeles since 1897. But while it is growing, it's apparently⁴ not growing as fast as it has been. It expanded by only 16,000 acres overnight as compared with a 43,000-acre expansion the day before. Officials say humidity is helping⁵. Meanwhile Governor Schwarzenegger has added yet another Southern California county to a list of five under emergency declarations, the latest, San Bernardino. So far the fiscally-strapped state has spent over 105 million of its 182-million-dollar emergency firefighting fund and has applied⁶ for federal grants to ease the financial burden. As for the largest fire, the station fire, it's not expected to be contained before September 15th. For NPR News, I'm Hettie Lynne Hurtes in Los Angeles.

 Major automakers are weighing with their August sales numbers which in some cases were boosted by the government's Cash for Clunkers program. Ford⁷ says its sales were up 17%, Honda also saw higher sales numbers. However, both Chrysler and GM, lacking large supplies of smaller fuel efficient vehicles, saw sales drops.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 185 points. The NASDAQ lost 40 points today.

 This is NPR.

 Former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge⁸ is continuing to say that people are over-reading an assertion in his new book that politics played a role in discussions about raising the nation's terror alert level just before the 2004 elections. Ridge says while the source is of debate, the alert level was not raised; so it was not an issue. On another topic, Ridge says former Vice⁹ President Dick Cheney was wrong when he said the interrogation technique known as “waterboarding” is not a torture. “I do think waterboarding is an extreme form of torture. But I disagree with this administration; particularly the Attorney General with the notion that some of those methods of enhanced enforcement should be... we should be barred from using them. “Ridge made those remarks at NPR's “Talk of the Nation”. Ridge’s book is entitled The Test of Our Times: America under Siege.

 Two astronauts from space shuttle Discovery will spend the next few hours outside the International Space Station on a spacewalk. The crew members will begin work to replace part of the outpost’s cooling system. Pat Duggins of member station WMFE reports.

Astronauts Nicole Stott and Danny Olivas will spend about six and a half hours on their spacewalk. Their biggest job is to disconnect an ammonia cooling tank from the space station’s outer framework. The box-shaped tank is covered in white protective fabric¹⁰. Discovery has a new tank in its payload bay to replace the one Stott and Olivas will tinker with. The ammonia supply of the station is critical since it helps to channel excess heat from the outpost out into space through radiator¹¹ panels sticking out from the complex. The spacewalk will also retreat experiment packages from the outside of the station, each one contains samples of various metals and materials which have been exposed to the environment of space. For NPR News, I'm Pat Duggins in Orlando.

 Crude oil futures¹² prices fell for a second straight day. Benchmark crude was down $1.91 a barrel to end the session at $68.05 a barrel in New York.

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 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。

3 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

4 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。

5 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。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

9 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。

10 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

11 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

12 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。