NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-01-30

 President Obama will use his state of union speech tonight to renew his call to raise the minimum wage. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama says the federal government should set an example with its own lowest pay contractors¹. 

The minimum wage is being stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. President Obama wants to boost that over time to $10.10 an hour. That would be enough to lift a full-time² worker with a family of 4 out of poverty. Obama made a similar appeal in last year at state union address, but so far, Congress has not acted on the idea.  Even as he weighed for a legislative³ action, the president was issuing an executive order, requiring federal contractors barely $10.10 an hour to all future service contracts. That could eventually cover 100,000 workers, providing services such as laundry and dishwashing on US military bases. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. 

 

The air force confirms a sharp increase in the number of nuclear missile launcher officers implicating⁴ in a cheating scandal which was first reported by the Associated Press. NPR’s Tom Bowman says 34 officers were identified in recent weeks, but that number has since doubled. 

The cheat scandal at centered Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, home of the 341st Missile Wing at oversees⁵ Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. Officials say the investigation⁶ is continuing into officials who cheated on proficiency⁷ exam. Last week, Defense⁸ Secretary Chuck Hegel announced 2 reviews of this strategic nuclear mission involved the result any problem in the ranks. The Pentagon officials said all those implicated⁹ have been removed from their jobs. In their other bases, it would pick up more shifts. Besides cheating, air force officials have uncovered drug use involving 11 other officials at Malmstrom and several more bases. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Snowplows don’t get out in the south much but in a vast swath area of unaccustomed to winter there seem action at night. Some have said icy weather has been hitting the East and the Midwest now reaching far south of Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi. Robert Bentley, the governor of Alabama:

“We’re aware of the severity of this winter storm. We’re using every state resource that is necessary to assist its need.”

Snow has been fallen in Jackson, Mississippi and Atlanta well, and the Atlanta travelers Rechell Sarit says he doesn’t blame the airlines for cancelling some flights. 

“I think there have been they’re using the right medication. I think having everybody in the airport and cancelling their flights is certainly a lot of work as pre cancelling probably fewer than they had to.”

As many as 50 million people could be affected¹⁰ by the wintering weather. 

 

Unemployment continues to edge lower as states across the country. That’s according to the Labor¹¹ Department who says that unemployment rate fell in 4 forces in US states last month, even though jobs were added just in 13 states. 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow was up 19 points, to close at 15,928; the NASDAQ gained 14 points. 

 

This is NPR. 

 

President Obama are among those pay tribute today for folk legend Peter Seeger. The president says Seeger, who died this week, remains¹² where he comes from and shows where we need to go. The champion worker in civil rights, Seeger was barred from that work TV because with politics was appeared in the 70s. singer John Bias¹³ was along those helped overturn that ban, says Peter Seeger was a huge influence on her. 

“Peter was blacklisted for many years, but you know, if you gonna make social change some point you gonna have to make a risk and that’s what he was. He was a risk taker, and he’s willing to make sacrifices which probably to him were not even sacrifices.”

Seeger’s body works banned more than 5 decades, and includes such songs as “If I had A Hammer”, “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Where are Those Flowers Gone”. Peter Seeger was 94 years old. 

 

Ride-sharing company Uber is harbored a wrong fault death lawsuit¹⁴ followed by the family of 16 years old girl. NPR’s Richard Gonzales reports the girl was killed in a San Francisco crosswalk. 

6 years old Sofia Liu was crossing a street with her family when she was stricken by Syad Muzaffar on New Year’s Eve. Initially¹⁵, Uber says Muzaffar was not providing survices on the Uber system during the time of incident. But the lawsuit that lets Muzaffar was distracted by the phone base interface¹⁶ that drivers use it to pick up passengers and that let him lose death. The lawsuit also alleges¹⁷ that Uber app violates the California law that @@ distract the drivers. The driver faces criminal charges of hacklier manslaughter. The company has not commented on the lawsuit. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco. 

 

Crude oil futures¹⁸ close higher today. The price of oil per gallon is $79 since barreled oil at $97.41 a barrel in New York. 

1 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 implicating   

vt.牵涉，涉及（implicate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• He was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. 他站在被告席上，什么都招认，什么人都咬。 来自英汉文学
• No one would have had me get out of the scrape by implicating an old friend. 无论什么人都不能叫我为了自己摆脱困难便把一个老朋友牵累到这案子里去。 来自辞典例句

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

8 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。

9 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

12 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。

13 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。

14 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

15 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

16 interface   

n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系

参考例句：

• My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
• This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。

17 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

18 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。