NPR 2008-10-15

The federal government, albeit¹ reluctantly, has gotten into the banking² business, announcing it would inject 250 billion dollars directly into some of the nation's largest financial institutions. Richard Sylla is an economics professor and financial history expert at the Stern School of Business. He says there is a payback provision in the plan aimed at protecting taxpayers³' interest. "The Paulson plan says that the banks can repay the government for these injections of capital, and because they have to pay in dividends⁴ really, but the dividends go up over times, so the banks have an incentive⁵ to repay the government." Only taking minority stake in the banks, the federal government will take other efforts to get credit markets moving again including guaranteeing new debt. President Bush described the plan as not an effort to take over the free market but an attempt to preserve it. Treasury⁶ Secretary Henry Paulson said: "While not what the administration wanted, it is a necessary step to restore confidence to our financial system."

On the eve of the final presidential debate, Republican John McCain comes to the battleground state of Pennsylvania to unveil new proposals to help those impacted by the current economic crunch⁷. From member station WRTI Jim Huggan has more.

At a campaign event in suburban⁸ Philadelphia, Senator McCain introduced new initiatives he would take to protect those hardest hit by the recent market instability. According to McCain, one of his proposals would protect those relying on their investments for retirement⁹. "This vital measure will promote buying, raise asset values, help companies and shore up the pension plans for workers and retirees. We should also not penalize¹⁰ Americans, who are forced to sell investments in today's tough markets." The Arizona senator is also proposing cutting the capital gains tax in half and eliminating taxes on unemployment benefits. McCain says he has the leadership experience to take the country in a new more prosperous direction. For NPR News, I'm Jim Huggan in Philadelphia.

A D.C. federal appeals court today heard oral arguments in a landmark¹¹ federal tobacco case. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

The tobacco industry wants the appeals court to overturn a 2006 ruling by Federal Judge Gladys Kessler. She found that cigarette makers¹³ violated civil racketeering laws by conspiring¹⁴ to hide the dangers of smoking and addict¹⁵ smokers¹⁶ to a deadly product. But Judge Kessler said she had no authority to order damages. The US government is appealing that part of her ruling, arguing that cigarette companies should have to pay for a 14-billion-dollar public education and stop smoking campaign, because their top executives knew the truth but continued to deceive the public. Tobacco lawyer Michael Carvin argued the civil case is a grotesque¹⁷ expansion of federal racketeering laws intended to target organized crime. "They're trying to turn this into the Gambino family." he said. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Washington.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 76 points.

This is NPR.

A judge in Newark, New Jersey¹⁸ has reportedly signed off on a 24-million-dollar settlement in a case involving tainted¹⁹ pet food. The Associated Press is reporting that District Court Judge Joe Helman called the agreement "fair, reasonable and adequate". The ruling clears the way for US pet owners with claims against a number of pet food makers to begin receiving checks next year. It's believed as many as 1500 animals died in the US last year after eating pet food made with Chinese-made wheat gluten contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine. Thousands of other pets were sickened.

US Supreme²⁰ Court refused to hear an appeal from Georgia death row inmate²¹ Troy Davis. From Georgia Public Broadcasting Susanna Capelouto reports.

The case of Troy Davis has drawn²² international attention. Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing²³ Savannah police officer Mark McPhail. Years later, as his execution drew near, seven of the nine witnesses recanted the testimony²⁴, but Davis' lawyers have been unable to get a new hearing granted in the case. The last hope was an appeal to the US Supreme Court, which had halted the execution last month just two hours before it was scheduled. Now the court says it won't hear the case. Amnesty International called the decision not to grant a hearing shocking. Davis' appeal had the support of the Pope, former President Jimmy Carter and even Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr. Georgia officials will now set a new date for the execution. For NPR News, I'm Susanna Capelouto in Atlanta.

Soft drink maker¹² PepsiCo confirmed today it will close six of its plants and eliminate around 3300 jobs because of slowing US drink sales. Company also says a stronger dollar is weighing on profits from its fast-growing international business. Cuts amount to just under 2% of PepsiCo's global workforce²⁵.

1 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

2 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

3 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

4 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

5 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

6 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

7 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

8 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

10 penalize   

vt.对…处以刑罚，宣告…有罪；处罚

参考例句：

• It would be unfair to penalize those without a job.失业人员待遇低下是不公平的。
• The association decided not to penalize you for the race.赛马协会决定对你不予处罚。

11 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

12 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

13 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

15 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

16 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

17 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

18 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

19 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

21 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

22 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

23 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。

24 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

25 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。