NPR 2010-04-21

The British government will reopen the country’s airports tomorrow. They have been closed because of the huge cloud of volcanic¹ ash from Iceland has drifted over much of Europe, disrupting tens of thousands of flights. Scientists say the eruption² of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland seems to be easing. That’s good news for hundreds of thousands of airline passengers stranded³ around the world.

 

Vice⁴ President Joe Biden says the U.S. economy is clearly on the mend, even though slow job growth continues to be a challenge. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports.

 

Vice President Biden echoed the views of many economists⁵ who say the U.S. is slowly turning the corner out of recession. But in a speech at the Brookings Institution, Biden said that’s not good enough. He notes that even before the recession middle-class incomes were stagnating⁶. For the recovery to be worth its name, he said, gains must be broadly shared with the middle class.

 

“If the next expansion fails to lift the middle class, if it bubbles and bursts, if it gives a high five to Wall Street while stiff-arming Main Street, then it will be an expansion that we will not be proud of.”

 

Biden called for an overhaul⁷ of financial regulations, continued investment in clean energy and steps to rein⁸ in the federal deficit⁹. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 

General Motors is expected to announce it’ll pay back U.S. and Canadian loans this month worth nearly six billion dollars and that’s two months ahead of schedule. Michigan Radio’s Tracy Samilton reports.

 

The money comes from $6.7 billion in U.S. Treasury¹⁰ and Canadian loans that GM has held in a rainy day fund since its bankruptcy¹¹. Legally, GM doesn’t have to pay the money back for several years. John Wolkonowicz is an analyst¹² with IHS Global Insight. He says paying back the loans early could do more than help repair GM’s image.

 

“I think it’s important for the Obama administration in suggesting to the American public that what it did for General Motors, which was highly criticized, was the right thing to do.”

 

Taxpayers¹³ invested another $43 billion in GM, but that was converted into stock. Wolkonowicz thinks getting all that money back would require waving until the year 2013 or 2014 to sell the stock. For NPR News, I’m Tracy Samilton in Ann Arbor¹⁴.

 

Banking¹⁵ corporation Goldman Sachs is reporting a gigantic first-quarter profit of $3.4 billion. But the stunning¹⁶ profit report comes as British authorities open a fraud investigation¹⁷ into a Goldman Sachs’ subsidiary. The case also comes as the Securities and Exchange Commission announces its own fraud investigation. U.S. regulators allege¹⁸ the bank sold dangerous investments backed by bad mortgages. Some of the buyers were allegedly in Britain.

 

On Wall Street just before the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 30 points at 11,122. The NASDAQ was up 20 points; it was at 2,500.

 

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A new study says diets high in the kind of sugar that’s found in many processed foods raise the risk of heart disease and Americans are eating more sugar than ever. NPR’s April Fulton has more.

 

Figuring out how much added sugar is in your diet is complicated. Food labels can be tricky¹⁹ and there are conflicting guidelines on how much sugar is okay. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who consumed the lowest amounts of added sugar that’s under seven teaspoons²⁰ a day have the healthiest cholesterol²¹ levels. The study found that adults who consumed the most added sugar were also most at risk for the cholesterol problems that can lead to heart disease. They were, on average, younger African American and have lower incomes. The average American consumes about 21 teaspoons of added sugar a day, according to the study, almost double what we were consuming just 30 years ago. April Fulton, NPR News.

 

The National Football League is contributing money to a study of brain injuries. The NFL is giving Boston University School of Medicine one million dollars to look at repetitive brain trauma²² in athletes, especially in football players. Researchers are examining how frequent blows to the head may lead to a degenerative brain illness that may be linked with dementia.

 

The ousted²³ president of Kyrgyzstan is now in Belarus. The Belarusian president says his country has welcomed former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Opposition²⁴ leaders and troops forced Bakiyev out of power earlier this month. There’re now reports of more fighting in Kyrgyzstan between ethnic²⁵ groups and the country’s situation appears to be increasingly unstable²⁶.

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句

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 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

10 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

11 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。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

14 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

15 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。

16 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

18 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

19 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

20 teaspoons   

n.茶匙( teaspoon的名词复数 )；一茶匙的量

参考例句：

• Add two teaspoons of salt. 加两小匙盐。
• Add 3 heaped teaspoons of sugar. 加满满的三匙糖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

22 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

23 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

24 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。

25 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

26 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。