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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
An acclaimed1 photojournalist and filmmaker based in New York is reportedly among the casualties in today's fighting in western Libya. Vanity Fair and a photo agency say Tim Hetherington was killed in mortar2 attacks in Misrata. Various reports say other journalists were there, but their conditions are unknown.
It's been one year since the BP oil disaster that claimed 11 lives and caused an unprecedented3 oil spill that wreaked4 environmental damage in several Gulf5 Coast states. Anger among residents is widespread. In Louisiana, Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish President, says there's still oil to be cleaned up.
"I stand here today, a year later, and I still can't look you in the eye and tell you who's in charge. We need to make sure we begin coastal6 restoration this week."
Candlelight vigils and other observances are being held in several states.
Investors7 who lost money as BP's stock price plummeted8 last spring in the wake of the disaster are now trying to sue the oil giant. NPR's Jeff Brady reports a Supreme9 Court decision last year could make that more difficult.
The lawsuits10 generally argued that BP misled investors when the company said it puts safety first. But last June, the Supreme Court ruled in another case that investors couldn't use US courts if they purchase their shares overseas. Many BP investors bought their stock on the London Exchange. Barbara Hart is a New York attorney specializing in securities litigation.
"It was absolutely commonplace that those claims were vindicated11 in the US courts, and now they are being dismissed time and time again."
Investors could sue BP in London, but that's riskier12 than filing suit in the US because of a “loser pays” provision in England's law. Jeff Brady, NPR News.
President Obama's holding a town hall meeting at the corporate13 headquarters of Facebook in Palo Alto, California. NPR's Mara Liasson reports the venue14 indicates how important social networking will be at the president's re-election effort.
The president is at Facebook to sell his deficit15 reduction plan, but he's also there to recruit supporters for his bid for a second term. Facebook is the biggest town square in the world and in history, with 600 million members, more than twice the population of the United States. It's also a mother lode16 of young people, the mainstay of the president's campaign in 2008 and a constituency the White House wants to re-energize for 2012. The president was a pioneer in the use of social networking, even hiring Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. But in 2012, he'll have lots of competition as every Republican candidate is also planning to exploit social networking as much as possible, to reach voters and to organize volunteers. Mara Liasson, NPR News, the White House.
Continued surge in oil prices which today topped $111 a barrel. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up nearly 190 points at 12,454 before the close.
This is NPR News.
More details emerging today on the new terror alert system soon to replace the color-coded version implemented17 after 9/11. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says people will be alerted in various ways, including Twitter and Facebook. The alerts will be more specific, and Napolitano says that unlike the color-coded system, the alerts will have expiration18 dates.
"I don't want people to live in fear. We want people to live in a state of alertness and awareness19, and we want people to know how they can help themselves, how they can assist their community."
Napolitano says the US remains20 at its highest alert level because of a growing threat from homegrown and international terrorists.
A grand jury has charged a former Rutgers University student with bias21 intimidation22. NPR's Joel Rose reports the student allegedly used a webcam to spy on his male roommate's intimate encounter with another man.
Indictment23 charges Dharun Rav with 15 counts, including invasion of privacy and evidence tampering24. The charges stemmed from events in September of 2010, when Rav allegedly used a computer to watch his roommate's sexual encounter with another man. That roommate, Tyler Clementi, later committed suicide. Rav was already charged with invasion of privacy, but the new charges carry a greater possible penalty because the grand jury alleges25 that Rav was trying to intimidate26 Clementi on the bases of his sexual orientation27. Dharun Rav has since withdrawn28 from Rutgers. His lawyers say the webcam stream was viewed only on a single computer and did not show the man having sex. Joel Rose, NPR News.
Firefighting efforts continue today in Texas, where authorities say a firefighter has died from his injuries.
This is NPR.
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
1
acclaimed
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adj.受人欢迎的 | |
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2
mortar
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n.灰浆,灰泥;迫击炮;v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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3
unprecedented
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adj.无前例的,新奇的 | |
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4
wreaked
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诉诸(武力),施行(暴力),发(脾气)( wreak的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
gulf
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n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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coastal
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adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的 | |
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investors
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n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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8
plummeted
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v.垂直落下,骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
supreme
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adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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lawsuits
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n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 ) | |
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11
vindicated
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v.澄清(某人/某事物)受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 );表明或证明(所争辩的事物)属实、正当、有效等;维护 | |
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12
riskier
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冒险的,危险的( risky的比较级 ) | |
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13
corporate
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adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的 | |
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14
venue
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n.犯罪地点,审判地,管辖地,发生地点,集合地点 | |
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15
deficit
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n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差 | |
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16
lode
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n.矿脉 | |
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17
implemented
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v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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18
expiration
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n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物 | |
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19
awareness
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n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智 | |
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20
remains
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n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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21
bias
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n.偏见,偏心,偏袒;vt.使有偏见 | |
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22
intimidation
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n.恐吓,威胁 | |
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23
indictment
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n.起诉;诉状 | |
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24
tampering
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v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄 | |
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25
alleges
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断言,宣称,辩解( allege的第三人称单数 ) | |
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26
intimidate
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vt.恐吓,威胁 | |
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27
orientation
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n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍 | |
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28
withdrawn
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vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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