NPR 2010-03-18

The Senate’s passed legislation to help create jobs. The bill includes federally subsidized bonds for public works in $20 billion to keep highway building projects going. NPR’s David Welna reports it also gives tax breaks to employers who hire the long-term unemployed¹.

 

The jobs bill goes to President Obama with the votes of 11 Senate Republicans. The only Democrat² voting against it was Nebraska’s Ben Nelson. The bill costs $17.5 billion that will be paid through tougher rules on reporting assets held abroad. The main thing the bill does is exempting³ employers from paying payroll⁴ taxes on new hires who’ve been without work for two months or more. The sponsor of that provision, New York Democrat Charles Schumer.

 

“As we begin to grow in the economy, there are a good number of employers who say, you know, maybe I should hire a person now. I’m beginning to see orders, I’m beginning to see growth. The payroll tax holiday pushes them over the edge.”

 

Another jobs related bill remains⁵ stalled in Congress over differences and how it’s funded. Democrats⁶ promise more jobs bills in coming weeks. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

The president also won support for his healthcare overhaul⁷ legislation from a liberal House member. Congressman⁸ Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who had previously⁹ opposed the overhaul bill, has changed his mind. Kucinich says it’s not what he wants, but it’s a step toward his goal of limiting healthcare costs for Americans.

 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is still waiting to hear from Israel’s prime minister about steps he could take to restore confidence in the peace process with the Palestinians. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports.

 

In a nearly 45-minute call last week, Clinton criticized Israeli planned to build 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem and she urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do something to show he’s committed to making peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu still hadn’t called her back by the time she got on a plane to Moscow for a meeting of would-be Middle East peacemakers, Russia, the US, United Nations and European Union. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there’s no deadline for an Israeli response and Clinton isn’t just waiting by the phone, but State Department officials had expected a call by now. US envoy¹⁰ George Mitchell delayed a trip to the region. He was hopping¹¹ to start indirect talks between the Israelis and Palestinians this week. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

Prosecutors¹² in Pakistan have charged five Americans with planning terrorist attacks. The young men are also accused of conspiring¹³ to wage war against Pakistan’s allies. The Americans pleaded not guilty. They came to attention last November after their families reported them missing to US authorities. One of the young men have left a farewell video depicting¹⁴ war scenes, and saying Muslims should be defended. All the young men are Muslims.

 

On Wall Street just before the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 47 points at 10,732; the NASDAQ was up 11.

 

This is NPR.

 

Chinese companies selling advertising¹⁵ space on Google’s search pages have sent the company an impassioned letter. They're demanding redress¹⁶, if the search engine pulls out of China. NPR’s Louisa Lim reports from Shanghai.

 

The letter is signed by 27 Chinese companies who sell ads space on Google’s Chinese search pages. It spells out the cost of the Google’s threatened departure from China, saying that tens of thousands of Chinese employees have focused on selling advertising space for the search engine. Two months ago, Google threatened it would leave China over hacking¹⁷ attacks and said it might lift censorship of its Chinese search engine. But so far, it has not acted. The letter calls for clarity about Google’s future, saying the current uncertainty¹⁸ is hurting business. It calls for Google to spell out what compensation it will offer. One company listed as a signatory to the letter told NPR that Google’s departure will destroy 1/3 of its business. A statement from Google said that the company is reviewing the letter. Louisa Lim, NPR News, Shanghai.

 

The emergency financial manager for Detroit Schools wants to close 44 city schools. Robert Bobb says that’s about a quarter of the system’s schools. He says Detroit will lose about 30,000 students over the next five years. The emergency financial manager wants to renovate¹⁹ other Detroit schools and consolidate²⁰ some more.

 

Volunteers are still laying sandbags along the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota and in Moorhead, Minnesota. The National Weather Service is warning the river will crest²¹ above flood stage this weekend by as much as 20 feet. Last Spring, the river crested²² twice, damaged dozens of homes in both states and remained above flood stage for two months.

 

I’m Korva Coleman, NPR News.
 

1 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。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 exempting   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• EPA adopted regulations exempting discharges from agricultural activities, with certain exceptions for relatively major pollution sources. 环境保护局采用管制规章，禁止源自农业活动的各种排放，对于一些相关的大型污染源也有例外。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 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》

7 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。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 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。

11 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

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 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

14 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

15 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

16 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

17 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

18 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

19 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

20 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

21 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。

22 crested   

adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点

参考例句：

• a great crested grebe 凤头䴙䴘
• The stately mansion crested the hill. 庄严的大厦位于山顶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》