NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-11-27

 President Obama was in San Francisco today, lobbying on behalf of a bottled up immigration bill. The president saying he would be willing to go along with House Republicans who want to break the measures into pieces if that’s what it takes to get it through. Invoking¹ the spirit of Thanksgiving, the president saying immigration system is in need of repair. 

 

It is long past time to reform an immigration system that right now doesn’t serve America as well as it should. We could be doing so much more to unleash² our potential, if we just fix this aspect of our system. 

 

Speaking in the city with a large Asian population in the Chinatown neighbourhood, Obama said a quarter of the foreign-born population in the U.S. in 2011 came from Asian countries. 

 

More people were prosecuted³ for immigration violations⁵ in the last year than ever before. NPR’s Ted⁴ Robbins says most of the charges were illegal entry or illegal reentry into the U.S.. 

 

More than 97,000 defendants⁶ were charged with immigration crimes during the last federal fiscal⁷ year. That’s about 6% more than the year before, and 22% more than five years ago. The rise has not explained, but it correlates with the federal government’s operation streamline⁸ that’s the program in federal courts in which illegal crossers caught by the border patrol appear before magistrates⁹ and are sentenced in one day. The 97,000 number comes from the Justice Department through a Freedom of Information Act request by the track project of Syracuse University. Ted Robbins, NPR News.

 

Israel will send a team to Washington soon to consult on next steps with Iran. Now that the U.S. and five other world powers have signed an interim¹⁰ agreement with Tehran about its nuclear program. As NPR’s Emily Harris reports from Jerusalem Israel’s goal for a final agreement hasn’t changed.

 

Israel’s National Security advisor¹¹ will lead the team. President Obama said Sunday he wants Israel and the U.S. to begin consultations¹² immediately on the next round of negotiations¹³ with Iran. Israeli officials lobbied world leaders and members of Congress to try to influence the interim deal with Iran. A day after that deal was signed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his government’s pressure was partially¹⁴ successful. Although he still dismissed the value of the agreement overall. There’s much discussion in the Israeli media about whether tensions over Iran will affect other aspects of the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Netanyahu says his goal for a final agreement with Iran has not changed, make it impossible for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb. Emily Harris, NPR News, Jerusalem. 

 

American Airlines parent company is asking a bankruptcy¹⁵ court to approve a settlement with U.S. regulators, enabling it to tie the knot with U.S. airways¹⁶ to create the world’s largest airline. A lawyer representing AMR says the settlement involving Justice Department antitrust issues was not opposed by the company’s creditors¹⁷. 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow gained seven points to close at 16,072; the NASDAQ was up two points; the S&P 500 lost two points.

 

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he has told U.S. officials he has no intention of backing down from his refusal to sign a security agreement with the U.S. and instead plans a further deal to his successor. In  a statement, Karzai saying that he also asked for further  assurances the U.S. will not raid Afghan homes during a meeting with National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Karzai’s decision not to sign the security pact¹⁸ allowing thousands of Americans to remain in Afghanistan pass to 2014 deadline has casted in doubt plans to continue training operations there.

 

Christian¹⁹ organisations have vowed²⁰ to fight a federal judge’s ruling that tosses out a long standing²¹ tax rehousing allowance for clergy²². NPR’s John Burnett has more. 

 

The decision would do away with the 59-year-old IRS rule that permits ministers to avoid taxes on their housing. Federal Judge Barbara Crabb of Wisconsin wrote that this favouritism violates the first amendment²³ by providing a state benefit to religious leaders but no one else.  The estimated 600,000 ministers in this country will not see any change in their tax status next April because the ruling has been stayed, pending²⁴ an expected appeal. The plaintiff is the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Madison. Russell Moore , president of the Ethics²⁵ and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention said the clergy housing allowance is not government establishment of religion because it’s neutral to all religions. John Burnett, NPR News.

 

Number of hate crimes being reported by federal investigators²⁶ is down for the latest reporting period. According to the FBI, there were just under 5,800 hate crimes reported last year, down from slightly more than 6,200, the previous year. About six of the incidents were motivated by single bias²⁷ with most reported crimes involving either racial, sexual orientation²⁸ or religious bias. 

1 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

2 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

3 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

9 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

10 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

15 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

16 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

17 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

19 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

20 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

21 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

22 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

23 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

24 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

25 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

26 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

28 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。