NPR 2011-03-30

World powers are united against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, collectively declaring today that he's got to go, but diplomats¹ from the 40 or so countries taking part in the London gathering² did not talk about arming Libya's rebels. The opposition³, which met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today, says it remains⁴ to be seen if the coalition⁵ air strikes are enough to defeat Gaddafi's forces. Casting further doubt today, government troops pushed back the rebels advance westward⁶ on multiple fronts including Gaddafi's hometown Sirte.

The Pentagon says the US bill for getting involved in Libya is more than a half-billion dollars so far. NPR's Rachel Martin says that number is expected to go up in the coming weeks.

The Pentagon's price tag measures the cost of the US part of the coalition operation in Libya since it began 11 days ago. Sixty percent of that $550 million figure has been spent on weapons and ammunition⁷. The remaining funds have been used to pay for what a Pentagon spokesman called the "higher operating tempo⁸ of US forces and deployment⁹ costs". The Pentagon expects to add costs of about $40 million over the next three weeks as US forces step into a support role and NATO assumes control of the operation. If the Libyan mission extends after that point, US officials expect to spend about $40 million a month. Rachel Martin, NPR News, Washington.

More details emerging on a murderous attack on a local government building in Iraq today. In the city of Tikrit, more than 50 people are dead. NPR's Mike Shuster reports it took security forces hours to end the attack.

The gunmen numbered only 10 or 12, but they managed to seize the local provincial¹⁰ council building by detonating a car bomb, throwing grenades and opening fire with automatic weapons. The gunmen were also dressed in Iraqi military uniforms. The attackers rapidly seized the building, and a fierce battle erupted with security forces. After several hours, additional security forces were brought in, and they stormed the building. The attackers then shot all their hostages, perhaps as many as 15. Among them, several of the council members. Also, one local journalist was killed, who worked for Reuters and other news organizations. Then the attackers detonated their suicide bomb belts. It was the bloodiest¹¹ single attack in Iraq since last October. Mike Shuster, NPR News, Baghdad.

Japanese officials are characterizing as very grave the situation at a damaged nuclear plant after finding highly toxic¹² plutonium seeping¹³ from the site. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports on the ongoing¹⁴ worries around the Fukushima site.

We asked people in these, these areas near the plant what their biggest challenge is, what their biggest concern is. They say the uncertainty¹⁵: not knowing when things are gonna get back to normal; not knowing when they're gonna get control of the situation at the plant; and not knowing when their lives are gonna be able to get back  to normal.

NPR's Jason Beaubien.

On Wall Street, Dow was up 81 at 12,279.

This is NPR.

Federal banking¹⁶ regulators proposed new rules for home mortgages today that could require larger down payments for some home loans. NPR's Chris Arnold reports some experts applaud the move, others worry it could hurt home ownership.

Regulators are trying to create a new class of home loans that are considered especially stable and low-risk. They'll be called "qualified¹⁷ residential¹⁸ mortgages". And to get this federal stamp of approval, the FDIC is proposing that a person buying a home makes a 20% down payment. There are some other requirements too. The homeowner has to fully¹⁹ document their income, for example. For all other loans that might be more risky²⁰, the banks that make the loans will have to hold onto a percentage of that risk. Or put another way, the banks will have to have some skin in the game on those loans. They won't just be able to sell the loans off to somebody else. Some economists²¹ think that this will make for more responsible lending, but housing advocates worry that people with modest incomes will get shut out of home ownership because of those larger 20% down payments. Chris Arnold, NPR New.

It's getting more expensive to buy food and fill up the gas tank, and those are two big reasons the latest gauge²² on consumer confidence is down for the first time in five months. The Conference Board's index fell more than expected from 72 in February to 63.4. The decline raises concerns about people's ability and willingness to spend more money in the coming months.

A measure to curb²³ union rights for government workers in Ohio is expected to come up for a vote in the Republican-controlled House tomorrow. Now that it's been approved in committee, the panel voted 9-6 to recommend the bill, which imposes more restrictions²⁴ on unions.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up more than 80 at 12,279.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 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。

4 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。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

7 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

8 tempo   

n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度

参考例句：

• The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
• They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。

9 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

10 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

11 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

12 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

13 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

14 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。

15 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。

16 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。

17 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

18 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

19 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。

20 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

21 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》

22 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

23 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

24 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制