NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-03-10

 While the stand-off in Ukraine continues, the US and other world leaders are continuing to try and de-escalate the crisis. As NPR's * reports, Secretary of State John Kerry issued a stern warning to Russia today.

The State Department says John Kerry advised his Russian counterpart against continued military escalation¹ and provocation² in Ukraine. Kerry also said that steps by Russia to annex⁴ Crimea would close any available space to diplomacy⁵. During a phone call, Kerry urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to exercise the utmost restraint. Vocation³ in Florida, President Obama spoke⁶ to the leaders of France, England and Italy, and to the heads of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The White House says all of the leaders reject the planned March 16 cessation referendum in Crimea. They call on Russia to pull its forces back to their military bases, and they support the formation of a contact group leading to direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. * NPR News, Washington.

 

 

The US Navy has sent a guide missile destroyer to assist in the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines flight. NPR's Sam Sanders reports that 3 Americans were on board the flight which went missing more than 24 hours ago.

The Navy has appointed the USS Pinckney to the southern coast of Vietnam to help search for the plane, which had 239 people on board. The Navy has also sent the P-3C Orion aircraft from Japan. It will help with long-range and radar⁸ search. The US vessels⁹ will join an international search effort. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur early Saturday, and was bound for Beijing. But the airlines says contact was lost. Military plane from Vietnam reported seeing two oil slicks out that country's coast. But they have not yet linked them to the missing plane. In a statement, Malaysia Airlines asked all Malaysians and people around the world to pray for the flight. Sam Sanders, NPR News.

 

 

The nations largest gathering¹⁰ of conservative activists¹¹ came to a close outside Washington D.C. tonight. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hit it the headline the final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference. In closing remarks, Palin says the Republican establishment doesn't pledge hard enough for change in Washington.

Some GOP experts, they subscribe¹² to the old saying, you know, don't interrupt while they are in the process of destroying themselves. Maybe true, but you do interrupt when they are in the process of destroying your country. 

The conference also features the results of the annual presidential preference poll. Kentucky Senator  Rand Paul captured an overwhelming 31% of the vote, taking first place for the second straight year. Texas Senator Ted⁷ Cruz, came in second with 11%. 

 

 

This is NPR News.

 

 

The California legislature is set to consider a bill to ban orca killer¹³ whale shows at Sea World in San Diego. Sea World questions the legality of the measure. And as * reports, San Diego officials say the park is an economic driver for the city. 

San Diego Sea World attracts more than 4 m visitors a year, and the orca shows are the market attraction. But the bill sponsor Assemblyman Richard Bloom says the practice of keeping orcas captive for human amusement must stand. 

California has long been a leader in animal welfare, and we must continue to lead the way. There's simply no justification¹⁴ for the continued captive display of orcas for entertainment purposes.     

Bloom says he decided¹⁵ to draft the measure after watching the documentary Black Fish, that deliberated a blistering¹⁶ critic of Sea World's handling of captive orcas. For NPR News, I'm * in Los Angeles.

 

 

President Obama is continuing his push to raise the nation's minimum wage. In his weekly address today, he reiterated¹⁷ his call for Congress to increase wages from $ 7.25 an hour to $10.10.

A clear majority of Americans support raising the minimum wage. Because we believe that nobody works full time should have to live in poverty. 

 

 

In this week's Republican address, Senator Rob Portman of Ohio discussed a GOP plan designed to spark economic recovery. He said under reforms and the Jobs for American Plan, unemployment would drop, and incomes would rise as the gap separating the rich from the poor closes. 

 

 

Veteran stage, film and TV actor Sheila MacRae has died. She was best known for playing Alice Kramden in the recreation of the Honeymooners in 1960s. 

1 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

2 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

3 vocation   

n.职业，行业

参考例句：

• She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。
• She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。

4 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 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。

8 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

9 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 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。

11 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》

12 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

13 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

14 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 blistering   

adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡

参考例句：

• The runners set off at a blistering pace. 赛跑运动员如脱缰野马般起跑了。
• This failure is known as preferential wetting and is responsible for blistering. 这种故障称为优先吸湿，是产生气泡的原因。 来自辞典例句

17 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。