NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-06-25

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

 

　　The US Supreme¹ Court has agreed to consider a Massachusetts law that sets up a buffer² zone around clinics where abortions⁴ are performed. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports those who oppose abortion³ are asking the court to throw out the law.

 

　　Clinics began asking for buffer zones in the 1990s after protests and blockades closed down some facilities. Abortion opponents in Massachusetts and several other states now must stand outside buffer zones to allow patients to enter and leave clinics. That means staying some 30 or 35 feet away from exits and entrances. Those who regularly protest outside clinics in Boston and other cities say the law unfairly keeps them from engaging patients in conversations. An appeals court upheld the law, saying it protects patients and clinic employees without offending the First Amendment⁵ rights of protesters. The Supreme Court will now hear the case, which could have widespread implications across the country. Kathy Lohr, NPR News.

 

　　The Supreme Court has avoided a major ruling on the use of race in college admissions. The justices sent a Texas case back to a lower court for further scrutiny⁶. Today's decision leaves many of the basic questions about the continued use of affirmative action in colleges unsettled.

 

　　The US Justice Department’s inspector⁷ general issued a report today, criticizing the non-profit group Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for its handling of 23 million dollars in government grants. NPR's Pam Fessler reports the group received the money from the Justice Department to provide mentoring⁸ services for disadvantaged youth.

 

　　The inspector general did not find evidence that Big Brothers Big Sisters had misused⁹ the funds, but it(he) did find that the group's accounting¹⁰ was so inadequate¹¹ that it could not say how the money had been spent. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz reported that Big Brothers Big Sisters mixed the grants with other funds and didn't require local affiliates¹² to document what they had done with the money. The government has frozen four million dollars in grants to the group, pending¹³ evidence that it has fixed¹⁴ the problems. In a response, Big Brothers Big Sisters admitted that its oversight¹⁵ of the grants was deficient¹⁶. But it said it's taking steps to correct that. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Opening statements in the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman are continuing today in a Florida courtroom. The defense¹⁷ says Zimmerman shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defence. But prosecutor¹⁸ John Guy says there is no physical evidence the victim went for the shooter's gun.

 

　　“The defendant¹⁹ claimed that Trayvon Martin saw his gun and went for his gun, so he tested it. Well, guess why? Trayvon Martin's DNA²⁰ is not on that gun.”

 

　　The six jurors and four alternates will be sequestered²¹ in order to shield them from outside influences.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 75 points at 14,723. This is NPR.

 

　　South Africa's President Jacob Zuma says anti-apartheid icon²² Nelson Mandela remains²³ hospitalized in critical condition.

 

　　“The doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well-being²⁴ and comfort.”Mandela has been in the hospital for more than two weeks, being treated for a lung infection. He's 94.

 

　　In Egypt, a Sunni Muslim mob in a village near Cairo has killed four people. Merrit Kennedy has the story.

 

　　A mob of men drags mutilated bodies down a street in an amateur video picked up by local television stations. The mob laid siege to a Shia gathering²⁵ for hours before the incident. Bohud Ophen Anwor, a Shia community representative, told a private television channel that he holds President Mohamed Morsi ultimately responsible for the deaths and criticized the police for failing to stop the mob. Minorities in Egypt feel politically isolated²⁶ as President Mohamed Morsi has reached out to his more conservative Islamist allies. The Muslim population in Egypt is almost entirely²⁷ Sunni. There have been a number of attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christian²⁸ community in the last two years. For NPR News, I'm Merrit Kennedy in Cairo.

 

　　Record-breaking floodwaters in the downtown area of Calgary are moving downstream, threatening smaller communities in southeastern Alberta. Officials told about 65,000 people who were evacuated²⁹ because of the floods that they could start returning to their water-damaged homes. But officials say power outages could last for weeks or even months. The floods have closed key roads and displaced more than 100,000 people. Three people died.

 

　　I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

3 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

4 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

7 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

8 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

9 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

11 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

12 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

13 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。

14 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

15 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

16 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

17 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

18 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

19 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

20 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

21 sequestered   

adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押

参考例句：

• The jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. 陪审团渴望被隔离至少两个月。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everything he owned was sequestered. 他的一切都被扣押了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

23 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。

24 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

25 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。

26 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

27 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

28 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。

29 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。