NPR 2012-06-17

 The Mitt¹ Romney bus tour is in Pennsylvania today. The Republican presidential candidate is visiting smaller cities and towns in six states. Here he’s in Weatherly at the Weatherly Casting and Machine Company, about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

 

“This is about saving America, keeping us strong, putting us back to work and making sure the world can look to us as a beacon² of hope and a shining city on the hill, and we’re gonna do it together.”

 

His next stop was supposed to be at a Wawa convenience store in Quakertown. But his campaign learned that Democrats³ had set up a competing event that included former Governor Ed Rendell. Romney then picked a different Wawa.

 

Fire crews are battling wildfires in five states, including New Mexico and Colorado. NPR’s Alison Keyes reports more than one million acres nationwide have been damaged by fires so far this year.

 

In Colorado, winds are exacerbating⁴ the threat from the wildfires. Livermore resident Bob Peeky says he’s been trying hard to get brush away from his home to save it, but “my wife’s already packed up. I've got things packed up to go. And if need be, like I say, I might hang around just a little bit longer. But I will get her and my dog safely out of here.” Meantime in New Mexico, scientists are trying to save the threatened Gila trout⁵ species from the aftermath of the wildfires. Teams are temporarily stunning⁶ the fish, then moving them to a hatchery to avoid water waste that may be choked with ash and other debris⁷. Alison Keyes, NPR News.

 

The people of Egypt are voting this weekend in a runoff election to choose a new president. It’s expected to be a close race between two remaining candidates, a former minister in the Hosni Mubarak regime Ahmed Shafik and Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood⁸. They called for the vote to be free and fair or on the risk of another revolution. BBC's Jon Leyne reports.

 

Last time, it’d been the warning from the Muslim Brotherhood who said that is what is happening if this is not a free and fair election this weekend. It’s a very, it’s almost the key really, key phase in the transition to democracy. And will they dissolve parliament as the court has ordered? We don’t know for sure yet. It appears that’s gonna be the case. But nobody said and in very clear about it. And then if Mohammed Morsi, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood candidate wins, will the military be prepared to hand over real power to him? We will know very very shortly, and that how the military plan to hand over power to the winner of the election.”

 

The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Cairo.

 

The United Nations suspended its mission in Syria today, citing increased violence. Observers are there to monitor a ceasefire between government troops and the opposition⁹, which never took hold. The head of the operation, Major General Robert Mood, issued a statement that the bloodshed is preventing the observers from carrying their mandate¹⁰ and is also threatening their safety.

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

One of three men who kidnapped 26 school children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, California 36 years ago is getting out of prison. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio reports the release is coming much earlier than expected.

 

Richard Schoenfeld was convicted of the 1976 crime along with his older brother James Schoenfeld and Frederick Woods. The case traumatized the small central California town and drew international attention. The state parole board had scheduled Richard Schoenfeld for release in 2021. But an appellate court ordered him freed this month. A spokesman says the Corrections Department will release him at an unspecified time. The two other prisoners are expected to serve out their life sentences. The trio buried their victims alive in a rock quarry¹¹ while planning to demand a five-million-dollar ransom¹². All 27 managed to escape. For NPR News, I’m Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

 

The Southern Baptist Convention meets next week in New Orleans. Members are expected to elect the first black president in its 167-year history. Fred Luter Jr. is from New Orleans and rebuilt his church after Hurricane Katrina into the denomination’s largest congregation in Louisiana. Southern Baptist Convention is primary white.

 

The body that governs European soccer today issued its first formal charge of racism¹³ at the European Championship. It’s accusing Croatian fans of improper¹⁴ conduct during game between Croatia and Italy this week that Croatian supporters made monkey noises directed at a black player on the Italian team. The Croatia soccer association says it distances itself from such a behavior. 

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网

5 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。

6 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。

7 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

8 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

9 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。

10 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。

11 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

12 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

13 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

14 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。