NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-08-03

 President Obama says the situation in the Middle East is heartbreaking. And NPR's Tamara Keith reports he's held a press conference today and addressed the Israeli conflict with Hamas along with a number of other topics. 

President Obama expressed disappointment about the cease-fire fell apart so quickly. He says his administration has been pushing hard for one out of concern for Palestinian civilians¹.

It's hard to reconcile Israel's legitimate² need to defend itself with our concern with those civilians, Now though he says it will be difficult to stop the fighting, I think it's gonna be very hard to put a cease-fire back together again, if Israeli's and international community can't feel confidence that Hamas can follow it through on a cease-fire commitment.

President and Secretary of State John Kerry are in regular contact with leaders in the region. Tamara Keith, NPR news, the White House.

 

 

Even if the House has approved the measure that would secure the US border, President Obama today called the overall measure unworkable. President says, as a result, should it reach his desk, he will veto it. Mr. Obama says that it's more likely he will move the act on his own to address pressures on the surge of illegal immigration across US borders. House lawmakers are still working on another part of the measure that could deport³ as many as half a million people who came to the country illegally as children. President Obama today accused lawmakers of simply checking a box before they leave town for the annual August recess⁴.

 

 

State Department says, together with the Centers for Disease Control, they are arranging the medical evacuation of two Americans with Ebola from West Africa coming days. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton has more.

American physician Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol are missionary⁵, both tested positive for Ebola in Liberia and were in a serious condition. The humanitarian⁶ agency Samaritan's Purse says that medical evacuation should be early next week. Writebol's mission group thanked the State Department for facilitating their transfer. The US has confirmed that it's coordinating⁷ the safe move from West Africa of two Americans infected with the vital virus. Atlanta's Emory University Hospital is expecting two aid workers to be flown into a secure isolation⁸ unit. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR news, Dakar.

 

 

Consumers boosted their spending at the fastest pace in three months in June. The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose 0.4%,that follows slightly slower increases in May and April. The rise in spending in June was the best showing since the 0.8% surgent spending by consumer in March. Spending by consumers is closely watched by economists⁹ since it fills roughly two-thirds of overall US economic activity.

 

 

After yesterday's big decline, a further decline ended the week on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 69 points to close at 16,493. The NASDAQ fell 17.4352. The Standard & Pool's 500 lost 5 points, end the week at 1925.

 

 

You are listening to NPR news, in Washington.

 

 

The State of Colorado says it began issuing driver's licenses¹⁰ and ID cards to immigrants regardless of their legal status. The move marks a dramatic change in the state where legislators once passed strict immigration enforcement laws. It was a *fasted moot¹¹ in one Denver office today as the documents were being handed out. Five offices across the state say they are taking appointments for immigrants including those with temporary permits and those in the country illegally. 

 

 

The death of a man during an attempted arrest by New York City police has now been ruled a homicide. The medical examiner says the chokehold used by a police was the cause of death. NPR's Joel Rose has more.

A spokesman for the New York City medical examiner says the death of Eric Garner¹² was caused by compression to his neck, compression to his chest and prone¹³ positioning during physical restrain by police. Asthma¹⁴, obesity¹⁵, and heart disease were also listed as contributing conditions. Garner was arrested on July 17th in Staten Island for selling untaxed cigarettes. The video recording¹⁶ of this confrontation¹⁷ with police caused a widespread outcry. The officer who's seen placing Garner in a chokehold had his badge and gun revoked¹⁸. The Staten Island District Attorney is investigating and will decide whether to bring criminal charges. Joel Rose, NPR news, New York.

 

 

The printing company Hewlett-Packard is agreeing to pay off 32.5 million dollars to settle charges that it overcharged US postal¹⁹ service for years for a variety of products and services. Given the dispute, the post offices have alleged²⁰ HP failed to comply with pricing terms of its contract, also alleged the company misrepresented its pricing during contract negotiation²¹ in its plans to ensure it will build its favorite customer rate. Justice Department says the alleged overcharging took place between 2001 and 2010. Official said there's been no determination of liability.

1 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。

2 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

3 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

4 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

5 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

8 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

9 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

11 moot   

v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会

参考例句：

• The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。
• The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。

12 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

13 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

14 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

15 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

16 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

17 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

18 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句

19 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

20 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

21 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。