NPR 2012-03-27

 The deeply divisive national health care law is before the nation's highest court on the first of three days of arguments. People on both sides of the debate appear to agree that the justices would rule on the heart of the case — the constitutionality of a mandate¹ for all Americans to have some form of health care coverage². Debate over the law was a lot louder outside the Supreme³ Court, where NPR's Craig Windham reports marchers chanted in support of the law.

 

Kathy McClor traveled from Atlanta to show her backing for the law. 

 

“I put my life on hold to participate and to see what's going on.”

 

McClor got one of the few dozen tickets set aside for the public to watch today's oral arguments. But opponents of the law were also sounding off. Among them, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

 

“I’ve always been for free-market health care, not for government-run health care.”

 

Santorum says his opposition⁴ to the health care law is a central part of his campaign. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

 

The Supreme Court says judges need to determine the constitutionality of a law that allows babies born in Jerusalem to record Israel as their place of birth on their passports. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports lower courts have thrown out the case, saying it represented a political issue best handled by the White House and Congress.

 

Chief Justice John Roberts says the trial courts handle questions about the Constitution all the time. He says lower courts hearing the Israel dispute misunderstood the key issue. How to evaluate a 2003 law allowing US citizens born in Jerusalem to record their birthplace as Israel. So he directed a district court judge to figure out whether the law intrudes⁵ on the president's powers under the Constitution. Justice Stephen Breyer dissented⁶, writing that in the Middle East, even paperwork can trigger big foreign policy problems. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

 

Florida authorities confirmed Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen gunned down last month in central Florida, was suspended from school in the Miami area for possessing a baggie that contained traces of marijuana. But he did not have a juvenile⁷ offender⁸ record. Religious and civil rights leaders including the Rev⁹. Al Sharpton say they expected the slain¹⁰ teen's character would come under attack in this racially charged case. And Martin's mother Sybirna Fulton spoke¹¹ out a short time ago.

 

“The only comment that I have right now is that they’ve killed my son, and now they’re trying to kill his reputation.”

 

Fulton choking back tears after briefly¹² addressing reporters. Martin’s shooter George Zimmerman maintains it was self-defense. Zimmerman, whose father's white and mother's Latina, has not been charged. A rally is expected tonight to demand Zimmerman's arrest. 

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 142 points at, 13,222. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

On the first day of the Global Nuclear Security Summit, President Obama is announcing an agreement between Washington and three European countries to minimize the production of highly enriched uranium. From Seoul, Doualy Xaykaothao has the details.

 

Mr. Obama's Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the goal of this new agreement is to counter the threat of nuclear terrorism.

 

“Through this four-party collaboration¹³, the United States will assist Belgium, France and the Netherlands in converting existing isotope¹⁴ production facilities from the use of highly enriched uranium targets to low enriched uranium targets by 2015.”

 

Highly enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear bombs. World leaders will meet again Tuesday to hash out more agreements before finalizing¹⁵ a communique at the end of the two-day summit. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao in Seoul.

 

Two British soldiers have been killed by an Afghan soldier in southern Afghanistan, the latest in a string of attacks on coalition¹⁶ forces in the aftermath of Quran burnings. US-Afghanistan tensions also escalated¹⁷ after a US solider allegedly killed Afghan villagers earlier this month. 

 

The Federal Reserve chairman is warning that the employment market will remain weak despite strong gains posted during the last three months. Ben Bernanke says the economy needs more robust¹⁸ consumer and business demand. His comments signaled the Fed may keep interest rates at record lows though a while longer.

 

US stocks gaining ground, with the Dow up 142 points, more than 1%, at 13,222; NASDAQ and S&P 500 also up more than 1%.

 

This is NPR News.

1 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 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。

5 intrudes   

v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的第三人称单数 )；把…强加于

参考例句：

• An outraged movie like Stone's intrudes upon a semipermanent mourning. 像斯通这种忿忿不平的电影侵犯到美国人近乎永恒的哀悼。 来自互联网
• He intrudes upon our hospitality. 他硬要我们款待他。 来自互联网

6 dissented   

不同意，持异议( dissent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We dissented from the decision. 对那项决定我们表示了不同意见。
• He dissented and questioned the justice of the award. 他提出质问，说裁判不公允。

7 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

8 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

9 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

10 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

13 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

14 isotope   

n.同位素

参考例句：

• The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases.同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
• How to apply a radio isotope?如何运用放射性同位素？

15 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

16 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。

17 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

18 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。