NPR 2010-02-12

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

A new report from the panel overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program warns that some 3,000 small and mid-sized banks may be forced to cut back their lending because of commercial real estate loans gone bad. NPR's Tamara Keith reports.

 

Nearly 1.5 trillion dollars worth of commercial real estate loans will need to be refinanced in the next four years. These are loans that helped build and buy strip malls, office space, hotels and apartments. The Congressional Oversight¹ Panel's report says nearly half of those loans are "underwater", meaning the borrowers owe more than the properties are worth. That spells trouble for small and mid-sized banks which are even more exposed to these kinds of loans than their larger counterparts. The panel says it can't predict how many loans will fall into foreclosure, but the report says in a worst-case scenario², hundreds more community banks could fail. Those same banks play a critical role in financing the small businesses that are needed to help the economy recover. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Washington.

 

A new bipartisan jobs bill has been unveiled by the top Democratic and Republican senators on the Senate Finance Committee. It includes a tax break for companies that hire workers this year, more money for highway construction and extensions on unemployment payments and COBRA healthcare subsidies³.

 

New unemployment claims are down again reversing its upward trend from recent weeks. The Labor⁴ Department is reporting applications dropped by 43,000 last week to a seasonally⁶ adjusted 440,000.

 

Today, South Africa is commemorating⁷ the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. Mandela, who will be 92 in July, was incarcerated⁸ for nearly three decades before being elected to lead the country. Vicky O'Hara reports from Johannesburg.

 

Thousands gathered just outside Cape⁹ Town to re-enact Mandela's release from the Victor Verster Prison. He had spent 27 years behind bars, until the nation's white-ruled government gave way to internal and external pressure and gave up power. The country's long-oppressed black majority had great hopes for the future. Mandela was elected South Africa's first black president. Under his leadership, the nation embarked¹⁰ on a policy of racial reconciliation¹¹. Mandela's dream was that all races living and working together in harmony. Twenty years later, blacks have made great strides. Nonetheless, South Africa faces widespread unemployment, corruption¹², criminality, and the gap between rich and poor is even greater than during the days of apartheid. For NPR News, I'm Vicky O'Hara in Johannesburg.

 

U.S. stocks continue to gain ground. At last check, the Dow was up more than 100 points at 10,141, and the NASDAQ was up 27 at 2,175.

 

This is NPR News.

 

In the Iranian capital, more clashes broke out today between police and anti-government protesters. Security personnel fired tear gas to disperse¹³ the crowds. They also fired a tear gas at protesters to identify them; rather they fired paintballs at the protesters to identify them for arrest. This, as hundreds of thousands of government supporters gathered in Teheran to mark the anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

 

The World Health Organization is considering whether to declare that the worst of the flu pandemic is over. The WHO is planning for a return to regular seasonal⁵ flu epidemics¹⁴. NPR's Richard Knox has more.

 

Flu activity is declining throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The WHO is seeing no evidence of a third wave of pandemic flu following surges last spring and fall, but the agency expects local outbreaks and upsurges. One new outbreak is occurring now in the West African country of Senegal. Later this month, the WHO will convene¹⁵ an advisory¹⁶ committee to help decide that the pandemic is in transition back to normal seasonal flu outbreaks. Next week, the agency will decide what flu strains to include in the next fall’s seasonal vaccine¹⁷. It's a good bet that will include the pandemic H1N1 virus, but it will probably include an H3N2 virus now circulating in China and an influenza-B type virus that's currently causing three quarters of China's flu cases. Richard Knox, NPR News.

 

Security forces in northwest Pakistan reeling today from a second attack in as many days. At least 15 people have died. In Bannu, more than 20 people were also injured from two explosions at a security complex. The second blast came as people were responding to the first deadly strike.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.  
 

1 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

2 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

6 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

7 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

8 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

9 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。

10 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

14 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

15 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

16 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

17 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。