NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-07-30

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　Secretary of State John Kerry is hosting Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams at the State Department this evening, relaunching a peace process that has been stalled for years. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Kerry has made this a top priority.

 

　　Secretary Kerry has been to the Middle East six times and says he has spent many hours to revive peace talks. Now he says difficulty choices lie ahead for both sides, and he hopes they can reach reasonable compromises.

 

　　“I know the negotiations¹ are going to be tough, but I also know that the consequences of not trying could be worse.”

 

　　The State Department says it expects Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate for at least nine months. Kerry has tapped a longtime expert on the region, former Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, to oversee² this latest peace process. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Days after dozens of Egyptian activists³ were killed in clashes with troops, diplomatic efforts are intensifying⁵ to end the crisis. Europe's top diplomat⁴ Catherine Ashton is backing Cairo for the second time since President Mohammed Morsy was deposed⁶.

 

　　There is word of a possible raid on a Pakistani prison Dera Ismail Khan, where hundreds of militants⁷ are detained. The Associated Press cites local residents saying they heard a huge explosion and several smaller blasts.

 

　　Pope Francis reached out today to gay and lesbian Roman Catholics, saying no one should be judged or marginalized for their sexual orientation⁸. But he reaffirmed church teaching that homosexual acts are a sin. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports the pope was speaking on a plane back to Rome from Rio de Janeiro in a long and candid⁹ conversation with reporters.

 

　　Francis defended gays from discrimination in what amounted to his first press conference since he was elected pope in March. “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will,” the pope said, “who am I to judge him.” But he also referred to church teaching, which says that while homosexual orientation is not sinful, homosexual acts are. Asked about the issue of women in the church, the pope said women cannot be limited to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more. However, Francis added on the issue of ordination¹⁰ of women the church has spoken and says “no, that door is closed.” The pope was referring to a document by John Pope II, which said the ban was part of the infallible teaching of the church. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

　　The FBI is confirming the arrest of 150 people rounded up in a nationwide sting targeting child prostitution. The FBI Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division Ron Hosko says more than 100 minors¹¹ are rescued, including one as young as 13.

 

　　“Experience has shown that the most vulnerable population for involvement in sex trafficking of children are those between the ages of 13 and 16 years, who are easily manipulated by those who might profit from a child's vulnerabilities.”

 

　　Separately, the US Senate is expected to hold a vote soon on James Comey's nomination¹² to head the FBI. This is NPR.

 

　　There’s been another massive train collision in Europe for the second time under a week. In Switzerland, at least 40 people reportedly were hurt. The cause is still unknown. Meanwhile, today Spain mourned the deaths of 79 people killed in last week's high-speed derailment. Mass was held near the site of the tragedy.

 

　　Days after Lincoln Memorial was vandalized, two more Washington DC landmarks¹³ have been damaged. Green paint was again discovered in the Washington National Cathedral's historic Bethlehem Chapel¹⁴ and was also found on a statue outside the headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution.

 

　　A French prosecutor¹⁵ says the value of jewels stolen in the Riviera heist over the weekend is much higher than originally estimated. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports thieves made off with 136 million dollars worth of gems¹⁶, not 53 million as originally reported.

 

　　According to several French media outlets¹⁷, one armed masked man successfully made off with the gems Sunday afternoon in broad daylight in what is being described as a good, old-fashioned jewel heist. It took place at the luxurious¹⁸ Carlton Hotel on the seafront in Cannes, the very spot where Alfred Hitchcock filmed his 1955 romantic thriller¹⁹ “To Catch a Thief” starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. The jewels were part of a collection by the jeweler Leviev displayed in the Carlton's lobby. French police say a full operation is underway to catch the culprit. In May, millions of dollars in jewels were stolen from the Novotel Hotel during the film festival at Cannes. No suspect has yet been identified in that robbery either. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

　　Before the closing bell, Dow was down 37 points at 15,522.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 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。

2 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

6 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 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。

9 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

10 ordination   

n.授任圣职

参考例句：

• His ordination gives him the right to conduct a marriage or a funeral.他的晋升圣职使他有权主持婚礼或葬礼。
• The vatican said the ordination places the city's catholics in a "very delicate and difficult decision."教廷说，这个任命使得这个城市的天主教徒不得不做出“非常棘手和困难的决定”。

11 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

13 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

14 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

15 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。

16 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

17 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

19 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。