NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-06-28

　　NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　The Democratic-controlled Senate is on the verge² of approving the biggest overhaul³ of immigration policy in a generation. NPR's David Welna reports while the bill is expected to win strong bipartisan support today, its prospects⁴ look dim in the GOP-led House.

 

　　Supporters of this more than thousand-page bill that tightens⁵ border control while offering a path to citizenship⁶ for millions in the country unlawfully are confident the measure will get a big vote today. Robert Menendez is a New Jersey⁷ Democrat¹.

 

　　"We are on the verge of historic change, and I’m proud to have been part of the Gang of Eight that hammered out a strong bipartisan effort. "

 

　　The bill's opponents are all Republicans. John Cornyn of Texas is one of them.

 

　　“We're about to pass deeply flawed legislation that will not be taken up by the House representatives.”

 

　　Indeed, House Speaker John Boehner declared today the House won't take up the Senate immigration bill, but will instead be doing its own bill. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

　　Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted⁸ on a string of charges, including the deaths of four people and the use of a weapon of mass destruction in April. Today a federal grand jury handed up the 30-count indictment⁹ against Tsarnaev. NPR's Tovia Smith reports the 19-year-old faces the death penalty on 17 of the charges.

 

　　Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with carrying out an attack prosecutors¹⁰ say was designed to shred¹¹ skin, shatter bone and cause extreme pain, suffering and death. More than 260 were injured and three killed. He's also charged with killing¹² an MIT police officer and with conspiracy¹³. US Attorney Carmen Ortiz:

 

　　“The defendant's alleged¹⁴ conduct forever changed lives. And it is with the victims in this case in mind that we proceed to seek and make sure that justice is served.”

 

　　The indictment quotes a note allegedly from Tsarnaev. “I don't like killing innocent people and it’s forbidden Islam,” he allegedly wrote, but added it was justified¹⁵ because the US government was “killing our innocent civilians¹⁶.” Tovia Smith, NPR News, Boston.

 

　　New developments are emerging from another high-profile case out of the region. Former New England Patriots¹⁷ tight end Aaron Hernandez will remain behind bars. His bail¹⁸ appeal’s been denied. Hernandez is charged with murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. The investigation¹⁹ into Lloyd's death has widened to include a second arrest in Connecticut.

 

　　The Obama administration is now working to bring federal statues in line with (the) Supreme²⁰ Court ruling that has cleared the way for married gay and lesbian couples to receive federal benefits. During a trip to Senegal, Obama hailed the historic development for gay rights in the US, saying equality should be universal. Obama heads next to South Africa, where people are holding vigil for Nelson Mandela. The revered²¹ 94-year-old leader is hospitalized in critical condition.

 

　　Before the close, Dow was up 115. This is NPR.

 

　　It has been an especially somber²² day for James Gandolfini's loyal fans. A funeral service for the actor was held today in New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. NPR's Margot Adler reports that the public filled many of the 1,500 seats.

 

　　David Chase, the creator of the Sopranos, said at Gandolfini (at James Gandolfini’s funeral) that he brought the traits of a sad boy, “amazed and confused,” to the role of Tony Soprano. “You could see it in your eyes,” he said in an open letter to the late actor. Written in the present tense, “That’s why you are a great actor.” Celebrities²³ and theater people were in the audience, and many members of the Sopranos cast, but also members of the public and fans, many coming in from New Jersey. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to the funeral. James Gandolfini died of a heart attack last week while in Italy. Besides his defining role in (the) Sopranos and his working films, he was nominated for a Tony for his role in “God of Carnage.” On Wednesday night Broadway theaters dimmed their lights in his honor. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

 

　　The mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina is the latest addition of President Obama's second-term Cabinet. Today the Senate unanimously confirmed Anthony Foxx as transportation secretary.

 

　　Texas Governor Rick Perry is accusing abortion²⁴ rights advocates of hijacking²⁵ the democratic process when the state Senate was blocked for a filibuster²⁶ and protest earlier this week from passing tighter abortion restrictions²⁷. In remarks of the National Right to Life Convention, Perry pledged to move forward with the ban on abortions²⁸ after 20 weeks of pregnancy²⁹.

 

　　Mortgage rates still climbing in the US. For the first time in at least two years the average rate on a fixed³⁰ 30-year loan hit 4.46%, doing it in half on a 15-year loan.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 tightens   

收紧( tighten的第三人称单数 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• One set of provisions tightens emission standards. 一套使排放标准更加严格的规定。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Requires no special tools or fittings; hand tightens to relief valve outlet. 不需要专用工具或管件；用手将其紧固到安全阀上即可。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

8 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

9 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

14 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

16 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

17 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

18 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

19 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

20 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。

21 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

22 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

23 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

24 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。

25 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

26 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

27 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

28 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

29 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

30 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。