NPR 2010-03-17

The Federal Reserve says it will keep interest rates at their historically low levels for an extended period of time. It also confirmed it will end the program to buy mortgage securities by the end of the month. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

 

In a statement released after one of their regular meetings, Fed officials said economic activity is strengthening, and household spending continues to grow at a moderate pace. Businesses are spending significantly more on computers and equipment. But economic growth has been constrained¹ by high unemployment, tight credit and modest income growth. In this environment, the statement said inflation is likely to be subdued² for some time. Fed officials also said they would continue plans to phase out some of the programs put in place to pump liquidity³ into the banking⁴ system. By the end of the month, it will stop buying mortgage-backed securities. But the statement suggested that the Fed would reactivate the programs, if the economy deteriorates⁵. Jim Zarroli, NPR News.

 

The special US envoy⁶ for the Middle East has put off a trip to the region. George Mitchell was supposed to head to Israel today to assist with the Mideast peace process. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the US has a close and unshakable bond with Israel and is committed to Israel's security, but the State Department says the secretary is waiting for a proof - Israel is committed to a peace process with the Palestinians.

 

Tiger Woods announced today he is returning to competitive golf next month at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters is the first of four major championships during the year. Woods has been away from the game for the past four months, dealing⁷ with the fallout from an image tarnishing⁸ sex scandal. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

 

Using his favored mode of communication, Tiger Woods said in a statement: “The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played.” Many thought Woods would come back before the Masters in order to tune⁹ up his game first, but Augusta is an incredibly controlled environment in which there's less chance Woods will get heckled by spectators and asked endless questions by reporters. Woods last competed last November when he won the Australian Masters. A couple of weeks after that, the infamous¹⁰ car crash outside his Florida home led to revelations of multiple affairs with different women. In a statement, Woods said he’s undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and he's continuing treatment. “Although I'm returning to competition,” he said, “I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.” Tom Goldman, NPR News.

 

Texas police report two people have died in a bus crash south of San Antonio on Interstate 37. At least 17 people are hurt. Authorities say the bus overturned on the road as it headed for Matamoros, Mexico.

 

On Wall Street just before the close, the Dow Jones industrials were up 43 points at 10,685; the NASDAQ was up 15 at 2,377.

 

This is NPR.

 

The media may not be fully¹¹ explaining how cancer is treated, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. NPR's Joanne Silberner explains.

 

Cancer statistics are grim. Half of Americans diagnosed with cancer will die of the disease or complications related to it. But in the sampling of more than 400 articles about cancer, University of Pennsylvania researchers found only 13 percent mentioned that aggressive cancer treatments can fail. The researchers looked at articles published in the Primedia from 2005 to 2007. They didn't survey radio or Internet reports. One third focused on someone being cured; only eight percent of the articles focused on someone dying; less than a third of the articles went into side effects that can accompany cancer treatments like pain and nausea¹². The researchers conclude that the imbalance between the reality of cancer and the reporting on it may mislead the public about the value of heroic measures. Joanne Silberner, NPR News.

 

The federal government is warning people in the Upper Midwest against heavy spring flooding. Weather forecasters say there's a lot more snow that's going to melt the season and run off into the Mississippi, Missouri and Red Rivers. Officials in Fargo, North Dakota plan to lay up to one million sandbags to protect their city. The Red River is expected to crest¹³ there this weekend.

 

The government says builders didn't get started on as many new homes last month. The Commerce Department says housing starts dropped nearly 6% in February. The agency says one reason is record-setting blizzards¹⁴ in the Northeast. But at the same time, the government revised the housing-start numbers for January upward.

 

I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.
 

1 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

2 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

3 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

4 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

5 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

6 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 tarnishing   

（印花）白地沾色

参考例句：

• The causes of tarnishing gold and silver-plated connectors were studied respectively. 分别探讨了接插件镀金和镀银层变色的原因。
• Bright tin electrodeposits on copper wire are susceptible to tarnishing. 铜线材经光亮镀锡后易产生腐蚀变色。

9 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

10 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。

13 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

14 blizzards   

暴风雪( blizzard的名词复数 )； 暴风雪似的一阵，大量（或大批）

参考例句：

• Even in the summertime we might be struck by blizzards. 甚至在夏天，我们也可能受到暴风雪的袭击。
• Blizzards battered Britain for the third day. 大风雪袭击英国已进入第三天。