NPR 2010-03-12

Democratic leaders are working today to unite the party behind a healthcare overhaul¹ bill. They're hoping to push through Congress before the break. There was talk of a March 18th vote in the House, but the president's spokesman Robert Gibbs says lawmakers are unlikely to meet that deadline. A dozen socially conservative Democrats² have said they would not support the bill over abortion³ language that they say could allow federal money to be used for the procedure.

 

Chileans are on edge of another set of aftershocks struck today, some of the strongest since an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit last month and killed hundreds of people. From Santiago, Michael Black, the Emergency Operations Manager of World Vision Chile, tells NPR that the aftershocks hit just as President Sebastian Pinera was being sworn in.

 

"New President Sebastian Pinera was actually giving his speech when we had a big aftershock of 6.9, the epicenter of which was in the city of Rancagua which is about 100 kilometers south of Santiago, the capital."

 

Strongest of those aftershocks again being a 6.9. Last month’s quake left several communities in ruin, damaging much of central Chile’s infrastructure⁴. The government says it could take three to four years to rebuild.

 

Labor⁵ unions across Greece closed down large sectors⁶ of the country today to protest wage cuts and tax increases. The government says are necessary to get Greece out of its debt crisis. As NPR’s Eric Westervelt reports from Athens, there were some clashes with police in a day of, otherwise, peaceful rallies.

 

Dozens of youths wearing masks scuffled briefly⁷ with police. The self-described anarchists⁸ smashed store windows, splattered red paint on the facades⁹ of banks and set several cars on fire. "It looks like an Audi sports car convertible¹⁰ has been torched and burned. It’s now just a hulking burning wreck¹¹ here by the side of the road after firemen had put it out." But most of the more than 30,000 protestors on the streets of Athens today were peaceful. Many marchers like government worker George Padruco say Greece’s debt problems shouldn’t be solved on the backs of workers.

 

"Greece will have bigger problems if these cuts happen. If you cut the salaries, you cut the demand, and the economy goes down. These cuts will serve to nothing."

 

But the Greek government says it's sticking with its austerity plan that aims to cut nearly five billion euros from this year’s budget. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Athens.

 

President Obama's proposing a new export initiative that doubles exports over the next five years. In a speech in Washington today, the president said the country needs to help American companies sell their goods overseas and create jobs at home. His strategy includes creating a cabinet focused on promoting US exports.

 

The Dow is down two points at last check at 10,565.

 

This is NPR.

 

A suspected gang member is facing life in prison for killing¹² Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Today, a jury in Denver found Willie Clark guilty of murder. Williams was shot to death after an apparent altercation¹³ between his friends and the convicted gunman. There is no word yet on whether Clark will appeal the verdict.

 

The House of Representatives is impeaching¹⁴ a federal judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. is a district judge in Louisiana, who's accused of several counts of corruption¹⁵. NPR’s Andrea Seabrook has the story.

 

District Judge Porteous is accused of taking money from lawyers, taking gifts from bail¹⁶ bondsmen, making false statements in his bankruptcy¹⁷ proceedings¹⁸ to hide gambling¹⁹ debts and lying to the FBI in the Senate in order to win confirmation²⁰. The House voted unanimously on four articles of impeachment²¹. Texas Republican Lamar Smith said Porteous is a threat to the integrity of the federal bench. The next step in removing him is for the Senate to put him on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors. Two thirds of the Senate must vote to convict Porteous if he is to be removed from the bench. Andrea Seabrook, NPR News, Washington.

 

The man leading the country’s Highway Safety Agency's promising²² changes after a firestorm of accusations²³ that it is partly to blame for sweeping²⁴ recalls at Toyota. David Strickland told a congressional House panel today that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will take a hard look at the power has to set safety standards.

 

The Department of Transportation's reporting today last year under 34,000 people died on highways, the lowest level since 1954. Analysts²⁵ say fewer people are dying in traffic accidents because more of them are buckling²⁶ up.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
 

1 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。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 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。

6 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 anarchists   

无政府主义者( anarchist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Anarchists demand the destruction of structures of oppression including the country itself. "无政府主义者要求摧毁包括国家本身在内的压迫人民的组织。
• Unsurprisingly, Ms Baburova had a soft spot for anarchists. 没什么奇怪的，巴布罗娃女士倾向于无政府主义。

9 facades   

n.（房屋的）正面( facade的名词复数 )；假象，外观

参考例句：

• Terraces of asphalt are placed by the building's south and west facades. 沥青露台位于建筑的南面和西面。 来自互联网
• Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. 保存历史建筑或是保持它们普通的正面增长。 来自互联网

10 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

11 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。

14 impeaching   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的现在分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

15 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。

16 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

17 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。

18 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

19 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

20 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

21 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

22 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

23 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

24 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

25 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。

26 buckling   

扣住

参考例句：

• A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
• The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。