NPR 2010-04-16

President Obama is pledging 100% commitment to the future of NASA including a manned mission to Mars and back by the mid-2030s, but the president says it’ll mean a significant departure from the old way of doing business. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida today, the president promoted more private companies in space exploration. He also talked jobs at NASA where positions are likely to dry up when the shuttle program is retired¹ later this year.

 

“We’re gonna modernize² the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. And there’s potential for even more jobs as companies in Florida and across America compete to be part of a new space transportation industry.”

 

The president says his plan will add more than 2,500 jobs along the Space Coast in the next two years. But any enthusiasm over the president’s plan may be tempered by the latest numbers out of the Labor³ Department today; it finds new unemployment claims jumped last week by 24,000. NPR’s Frank Langfitt reports that’s due in part to a backlog⁴ from the Easter holiday.

 

First-time claims rose to 484,000 last week, but overall, claims have been fallen for nearly a year. And last month, the labor market saw its first significant growth since the beginning of the recession. In March, the economy added nearly 160,000 jobs. Addressing Congress Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke predicted the economy would continue a moderate recovery in the coming months, but Bernanke added it would take a long time to make up the 8.5 million jobs that were destroyed by the recession. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.

 

Ash cloud from a volcanic⁵ eruption⁶ in Iceland is causing serious trouble for air travel across Northern Europe. A large swath of airspace is closed; hundreds of flights are canceled; thousands of travelers are affected⁷.

 

In his most direct reaction to the sex abuse scandal in weeks, Pope Benedict says the Roman Catholic Church must do penance⁸ for its sins. We have the latest from NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli.

 

During Mass, the pope said: “we Christians⁹ have often avoided the word ‘repent¹⁰’ as too tough.” He added: “but now under attack from the world, which has been telling us about our sins, we realize it’s necessary to repent, in other words, recognize what is wrong in our lives.” It was the most direct papal reference to the crisis since Benedict’s March 20th letter to Irish faithful, but he also hit back at church critics describing them as in the thrall¹¹ of a conformist dictatorship. The pope’s handling of the sex abuse scandal has angered large sectors¹² of the Catholic world. Today, dissident theologian Hans Kung said Benedict’s conservative policies are a failure. And the theologian urged the world bishops¹³ to push for reforms even in defiance¹⁴ of the pope. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News.

 

At last check, Dow’s up 22 points.

 

This is NPR News.

 

A compound used by foreign workers in southern Afghanistan has come under attack by suicide bomber¹⁵. The nighttime blast in Kandahar killed at least six people, including foreigners and Afghan soldiers. Authorities say the attack came hours after a car bomb exploded outside a hotel in Kandahar, causing several casualties.

 

A senior official from Zimbabwe is in Washington this week, trying to persuade the State Department and Congress to ease sanctions on his country. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports.

 

The U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe are targeted against the longtime ruler Robert Mugabe and his cronies. Still, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara says the financial punishment is hurting Zimbabwe more broadly.

 

“When you have sanctions against individuals in a country, in particular those in government, you are damaging the brand of the country, you are damaging the reputation of the country. Investors¹⁶ will not bring their money into a country where individuals are operating under sanction.”

 

He says the sanctions may have worked to pressure Mugabe to share power with the opposition¹⁷, but the U.S. should now give this compromise arrangement flawed as it is a chance to succeed. The U.S. has given no indication though that it’s ready to ease pressure on Mugabe. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

The State Department says it has not been notified about reported plans for Russia to suspend adoptions¹⁸ to the United States. Earlier today, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry¹⁹ talked about keeping U.S. families from adopting Russian children after an American woman sent her adopted child back to Moscow alone last week. In a letter, the woman says she didn’t know the child had allegedly severe mental development problems.

 

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

3 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。

4 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

5 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

6 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 penance   

n.（赎罪的）惩罪

参考例句：

• They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
• She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。

9 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

10 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

11 thrall   

n.奴隶；奴隶制

参考例句：

• He treats his wife like a thrall.他把妻子当作奴隶看待。
• He is not in thrall to the media.他不受制于媒体。

12 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》

13 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

14 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

15 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

16 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

18 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

19 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。