News & Reports 2011-06-25

 Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

 

In This Edition

 

Provinces along China's eastern coast have been alerted as tropical storm Meari, which is expected to be upgraded to a typhoon, approaches from the south.

 

Chinese Premier² Wen Jiabao has arrived in Hungary to start his three-nation European tour, which will also include the United Kingdom and Germany.

 

US House of Representatives rejects a resolution that would authorize³ continued American military involvement in Libya, but fails to bar funding for mission in the North African nation.

 

The Year of Chinese Culture in Australia, the largest series of cultural events initiated⁴ by the Chinese Government to date, officially opens in Sydney.

 

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

Tropical Storm Triggers Floods in Philippines

Eleven people are missing in the Philippines and nearly 50,000 residents have fled to evacuation centers after Tropical Storm Meari triggered flash floods and rough seas.

 

Rubber boats and trucks were deployed⁵ to ferry stranded⁶ commuters and rescue residents near swollen⁷ rivers and low-lying areas.

 

Classes have been suspended, government offices shut, and dozens of flights cancelled.

 

Disaster officials are monitoring water levels in dams and opening the gates of several points that have reached critical level.

 

Evacuee⁸ Jane Rose Fernandez expressed her worries.

 

"The floodwater in our place is very high. We are scared, especially at nighttime, and it will be much harder to evacuate⁹ at night."

 

Administrator¹⁰ Benito Ramos from the Office of Civil Defense¹¹ said heavy rains since Thursday have flooded a wide swath of metropolitan¹² Manila and the northern Philippines.

 

Some 5,000 of those forced to evacuate live near the capital, and thousands of commuters have been stranded.

 

A weather bureau official said as of Friday, Meari was about 200 miles east of Basco in the northern Batanes Province, heading northeast toward Japan.

 

The official said rains are expected to continue in Manila and nearby provinces until Saturday, when Meari is forecast to be 311 miles northeast of Basco and on its way out of the country.

 

Tropical Storm Approaches, 26 Killed in SW China Floods

Meanwhile, provinces along China's eastern coast are on alert as the tropical storm approaches and may upgrade to a typhoon.

 

The storm is expected to sweep the northeast part of the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea over the next few days.

 

Formed over an area of ocean located east of the Philippines, the northward-moving Meari is forecasted to be the first typhoon to hit China's coastal¹³ regions this year.

 

Zong Zhi-ping, chief weather forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, has issued a warning for local governments to stay vigilant¹⁴.

 

"In the future, we should pay particular attention to the impact of the fifth tropical storm-Meari on China's eastern coastal regions. Local authorities should be prepared for possible heavy or even torrential rains brought by Meari."

 

Meanwhile, rain-triggered floods have left 26 people dead and 10 others missing in China's southwestern regions over the last four days.

 

Disaster relief authorities say strong floods, plus ensuing landslides¹⁵ and mudslides, have battered¹⁶ wide areas of four provincial-level regions including Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

 

More than 4 million residents have been affected¹⁷, and 140,000 have been evacuated¹⁸. The direct economic loss is estimated to reach 1.5 billion yuan or 240 million U.S. dollars.

 

Wen's Visit to Three European Countries: Expectation

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has arrived in Hungary to start his three-nation European tour, which will also include the United Kingdom and Germany.

 

In recent years, China and Europe have become hot destinations for the two sides top leaders in recent years, as EU and China crank up their cooperation in a broad range of areas.

 

For more on what we can expect from Wen Jiabao's trip to Europe this time, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke¹⁹ with Professor Feng Zhongping, Director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

 

US House Mixed Votes on US Involvement in Libya

The U.S. House of Representatives has sent mixed messages on American involvement in Libya.

 

In two back-to-back votes, the House first rejected a largely symbolic²⁰ measure which would authorize President Barack Obama to continue U.S. involvement in the military operation in Libya.　

 

Republican Ted¹ Poe of Texas voiced his opposition²¹ to the measure.

 

"Even the administration has said it's not in the national security interests of the United States to be in Libya. So why are we there? We're there because we don't like Gadhafi. Well, there are a lot of bad guys in the world, and if we start picking them off one at a time, we will be at war with most of the world."

 

The vote marked the first time since 1999 that either chamber²² has voted against a president's authority to carry out a military operation. The last time was to limit President Bill Clinton's authority to use ground forces in Kosovo.

 

But some Democrats²³ accused the Republicans of playing politics with national security. They said the vote would send the wrong message to Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi and American allies.

 

Less than two hours later, the House turned back a Republican-led effort to cut off money for U.S. military involvement in Libya.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has welcomed the House rejection²⁴ of the second vote, which would have barred drone attacks and airstrikes in Libya if passed.

 

Syrians Express Support for President

Dozens of supporters of Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad have rallied in front of a camera crew from Sky News in the capital Damascus.

 

The government has banned all but a few foreign journalists and restricted reporting by local media.

 

Participants at the rally were outspoken²⁵ in their support for the embattled president.

 

"We all, all the people, love President Assad, not because he is President Assad, but because he is a good man, a very good man in Syria. All the young people like me, we are all the same age as President Assad, so we know what he thinks, what he wants to do in Syria, and we all believe him."

 

"We don't want anyone, any other countries, to give us orders. We know what our duties are, what our rights are. No one has the right to give us an order - America, Germany or Britain."

 

In a speech last Monday, Assad said protests calling for his ouster threatened to damage the Syrian economy.

 

For now, Assad can count on the support of Syria's small but growing middle class, which has seen life gradually improve since he began opening up the economy.

 

But if the economy crumbles²⁶, Assad's main base of support could erode²⁷ swiftly.

 

Elsewhere on Friday, thousands of Syrian protesters poured down city streets and a main highway to press their demands for Assad's ouster.

 

Activists²⁸ said security forces opened fire, killing²⁹ at least 15 people, including two children.

 

Ukraine's Ex-PM Goes on Trial

Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has gone on trial on charges of abuse of office.

 

Tymoshenko insists the charges are a plot by President Viktor Yanukovych to bar her from upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

 

Tymoshenko was charged with abuse of office for signing a deal with Russia in 2009 to buy natural gas at prices investigators³⁰ said were too high and without authorization³¹ by the members of her Cabinet.

 

Tymoshenko denies the charges, saying that she didn't need such permission as Prime Minister.

 

"The gas crisis is over because I managed to negotiate with Prime Minister Putin. We reached an agreement for Ukraine to have a 20-percent discount on the price and to have eleven billion cubic meters of gas at the price of 153.9 U.S. dollars per cubic meter. This would enable Ukraine to get out of the crisis, and we retained these favorable conditions for two years."

 

In early 2009, Russia cut off its gas supplies to Ukraine during a dispute over gas prices and accused the latter of stealing gas, which was transported via Ukraine for EU countries.

 

Russia then decided³² to reduce its gas exports via Ukraine, making many EU countries suffer gas shortages during the cold winter.

 

Tymoshenko was one of the central figures in the 2004 mass protests dubbed³³ the Orange Revolution that threw out Yanukovych's fraud-tainted election victory.

 

In early 2010, she set her sights on the post of president but lost to Yanukovych in a bitterly personal contest.

 

Obama's New Initiative to Boost Manufacturing Sector³⁴

U.S. President Barack Obama launched an initiative on Friday to develop new manufacturing jobs by teaming government up with companies and universities to invest more than $500 million in advanced technologies.

 

Obama visited Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership³⁵, known as AMP, which aims to speed up the development of a new generation of American-made, high-technology products.

 

The White House noted³⁶ that major new technologies in the past were commercialized into vast industries with the help of government-university-company partnerships³⁷. It hopes the AMP will produce similar results.　

 

The program will leverage³⁸ existing federal funds and future federal departmental budgets to invest with industry some $300 million to jumpstart domestic manufacturing capabilities³⁹ seen as critical to U.S. national security. Initial public-private investment areas include batteries, composites, metal fabrication, biotechnology and alternative energy.

 

Obama highlighted the significance of the initiative.

 

"This new partnership that we've created will make sure tomorrow's breakthroughs are American breakthroughs.　We're teaming up to foster the kind of collaborative research and development that resulted in those same early discoveries and to create the kind of innovation infrastructure⁴⁰ necessary to get ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturing floor to the market more rapidly, all of which will make our businesses more competitive and create new high-quality manufacturing jobs."

 

Obama is rolling out the initiative as the U.S. unemployment rate remains⁴¹ at a stubbornly high 9.1 percent, and initial claims for state unemployment benefits are ticking higher after months of decline.

 

The U.S. economy is struggling to gain traction⁴² against high energy prices, a still-depressed housing market, tight credit conditions and headwinds from Europe's debt crisis.

 

Australia's Chinese Cultural Year Opens in Sydney

The Year of Chinese Culture in Australia, the largest series of cultural events initiated by the Chinese Government in Australia to date, officially opens in Sydney on Friday.

 

CRI's Liu Yan earlier talked to our Sydney correspondent Chen Xi about the event.

 

Peng Shuai Beats UK No. 1 to Reach Third Round at Wimbledon

Peng Shuai has become the only Chinese player to reach the third round of women' singles at Wimbledon. The 20th seed defeated Britain's No. 1 Elena Baltacha 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Our London correspondent Tu Yun filed this report from Wimbledon.

 

This is the second time the two has met on court. It seems to be a reproduction of the match on hard court in Thailand earlier this year except that the third set here took longer time.

 

Peng Shuai missed three match points before finally wrapping it up after Baltacha blasted into the net.

 

"It's harder because she enjoyed some home advantages here."

 

Other major seeds including Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Maria Sharapova of Russia, and Venus Williams are all safe through. But second-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia was ousted⁴³ by Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova.

 

In men's singles, 8th-seeded Andy Roddick was crushed by Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, whom the American had never lost to in their seven meetings prior to this tournament.

 

Lopez says it's his best performance in a Grand Slam.

 

"It's definitely great win for me. I beat couple great players in Wimbledon in the last 10 years. But to beat Andy in this court is very special, of course. I would say maybe the best probably."

 

While some are casting doubts over Roddick's ability to hang on there, the three-time Wimbledon runner-up says he won't quit, at least for now.

 

"It's just the way it goes in sports sometimes. If it was predictable, it would be like watching a DVD. What do you do? You keep moving forward until you decide to stop. At this point I've not decided to stop. So I'll keep moving forward."

 

Other major players including fourth-seeded Andy Murray and seventh-seeded David Ferrer all secured a place in the last 16.

 

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun reporting from Wimbledon.

 

Newspaper Picks

 

China Daily: China's Red Cross Society is under scrutiny⁴⁴ on the web today after a 20-year old woman posted pictures of herself on Weibo next to what she claimed are her Maserati and Lamborgini cars, along with other expensive items. The reason she has caught so much attention is because she claims to work for a company called Red Cross Commerce working as the general manager handling advertising⁴⁵ on Red Cross Vehicles. Netizens are outraged⁴⁶ with many people demanding an explanation to her wealth. Some are saying they won't donate to the Red Cross again. The Red Cross says the company she claims to work for does not exist and they do not have an employee going by the woman's name.

1 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。

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

7 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

8 evacuee   

n.被疏散的人员，被撤走的人员

参考例句：

• A woman sits motionless at an evacuee center for leaked radiation from the damaged fukushima nuclear facilities friday march 25 2011 in soma fukushima prefecture japan.2011年3月25日星期五，日本福岛县相马市，为福岛核设施泄露而设立的避难中心里，一位妇女一动不动地坐在那里。
• Not quite true,said Tom,a 42-year-old evacuee.但汤姆，一位42岁的避难者，说事实不尽然如此。

9 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

10 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

11 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。

12 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

13 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

14 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

15 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

16 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

17 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。

18 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

19 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。

20 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

21 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

22 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

23 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

25 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

26 crumbles   

酥皮水果甜点( crumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This cake crumbles too easily. 这种蛋糕太容易碎了。
• This bread crumbles ever so easily. 这种面包非常容易碎。

27 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

28 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》

29 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。

30 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

32 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。

33 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

35 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

36 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

37 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

38 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

39 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

40 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

41 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。

42 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

43 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

44 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

45 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

46 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。