NPR 2011-03-24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely to preserve security, his response to the first major attack in Jerusalem in years. Today, a busy bus stop was bombed. At least one person was killed; as many as thirty may have been wounded. Within hours, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued this reaction.

"Terrorism and the targeting of civilians¹ are never justified². And Israel, like all nations of course, has to respond when this occurs."

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reuters news service is reporting a string of explosions in the eastern part of the Libyan capital. No word yet on possible casualties.

One fan writes on Facebook, farewell to the last diva, one of numerous tributes for Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor, who died today of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Her career spanned seven decades of film, stage and television. One of her most memorable³ roles was in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

"You see, George didn't have much push. He wasn't particularly aggressive."

We have this appreciation⁴ from NPR's Elizabeth Blair.

Elizabeth Taylor has been remembered for her beauty, her movies and her activism. Elton John said we have just lost a Hollywood giant and an incredible human being. Her son Michael Wilding said his mother lived life to the fullest with great passion, and Barbara Walters, who interviewed Elizabeth Taylor many times, told ABC's "Good Morning America" she had a salty sense of humor.

"She never took herself that seriously, and I don't think that she realized what a great actress she was. Because she was so beautiful, and that's what was noted⁵ first."

Elizabeth Taylor's family is planning a private funeral for her later this week. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

Japanese authorities are warning parents that the water in the area of the damaged nuclear plant is still dangerous for infants but still safe enough for adults. This as the government just begins to assess the financial toll⁶ from last week's earthquake and tsunami⁷. NPR's Rob Gifford reports it could cost as much as $300 billion to rebuild.

The Japanese government's estimate would make it the most expensive natural disaster ever. The cost is about 6% of Japan's total economic output last year. According to the World Bank, Japan will need up to five years to recover from the damage caused by that tsunami on March 11th. There are also concerns that the damage caused to infrastructure⁸ and the uncertainty⁹ surrounding the future of the Fukushima nuclear plant could slow Japan's already fragile economic recovery. Many factories remain closed; key rail lines are impassable; and power shortage is still a problem, in addition to the ongoing¹⁰ problems of housing and feeding 450,000 people displaced from their homes by the disaster. Rob Gifford, NPR News, Mizusawa, northern Japan.

Dow's up 70 points.

This is NPR.

New homes are not attracting the buyers realtors had hoped to find this year. Commerce Department reports that sales dropped for the third straight month in February by nearly 17% to a seasonally¹¹ adjusted annual rate of a quarter million, a record low. Economists¹² consider a healthy pace to be closer to 700,000 new homes sold a year. The median price of a new home has also dropped to its lowest level in the years to just over $200,000. February was also a dismal¹³ month for selling previously¹⁴ owned homes.

AirTran shareholders¹⁵ are backing a merger¹⁶ with Southwest Airlines. From WABE in Atlanta, Jim Burress has the latest.

More than 98% of shareholders who cast ballots¹⁷ voted in favor of the merger. Under the $1.4 billion deal, the two airlines will combine operations but keep the Southwest name. Gary Kelly is Southwest's CEO. He says his airline will have to look closely at AirTran's policies and procedures and then decide what changes to make.

“Not everything will go perfectly¹⁸, but I think we've got all the makings of having a very strong combined company once this is all done.”

The Department of Justice must still give its approval. The merger is expected to close in the next few months. For NPR News. I'm Jim Burress in Atlanta.

Well, it may be spring, but winter's certainly hanging on in some parts of the US. A foot of snow is expected in parts of northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northwestern New Jersey¹⁹. A lot of schools have opened late or not at all.

Latest from Wall Street: Dow's up 67 points before the close at 12,086.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

3 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

4 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

8 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。

9 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。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

12 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》

13 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

14 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。

15 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

16 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

17 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

19 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。