NPR 2008-03-15

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

 

The House and the Senate have approved separate 3-trillion-dollar spending plans while calling on the next Congress to roll back President Bush's tax cuts for wealthier Americans. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

 

The House and Senate plans were approved on largely party-line votes. Both proposals call for more spending this year than the president has proposed, and both would extend tax cuts for middle-income Americans set to expire at the end of 2010. The plans will allow the tax cuts for upper-income Americans to expire. The budgets are non-binding but set forth¹ Democrats² priorities for the next 5 years. The Senate rejected an amendment³ that would have placed a one year moratorium⁴ on earmarks, the special-interest spending projects which critics say have been abused. It drew the support of the 3 presidential candidates, but few other Senators backed it. Brian Naylor, NPR News.

 

The House is expected to take up a domestic surveillance bill today. The proposed legislation would make it easier for intelligence agencies to eavesdrop⁵ on foreign telephone calls and email communications that pass through the United States. The House debated the measure in a closed session last night, the first such secret session in 25 years. The last one was in 1983 when lawmakers debated U.S. support for paramilitary operations in Nicaragua. Last night, House members had to sign a confidentiality⁶ oath that they would not reveal what's said during the debate.

 

Help could be on the way for homeowners facing foreclosure: a new bill being introduced in Congress aims to help refinance more than a million loans in trouble. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

 

The bill will be introduced by Congressman⁷ Barney Frank. It aims to dramatically expand the number of people who could qualify for help of the Federal Housing Administration. Homeowners will need to be able to afford a reasonable interest rate. And in many cases, lenders will need to forgive a portion of the debt to bring it to 90% of the house's current value. Michael Calhoun heads up the Center for Responsible Lending. "This program would have a far greater impact than the Hope Now Alliance." He's referring to the effort backed by the Bush administration to help homeowners. Some economists⁸, though, are skeptical⁹. They say like the Hope Now Alliance, this effort also relies on the industry's voluntary involvement. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

 

President Bush speaks to the New York Economic Club today. Officials say he will provide an upbeat message on the economy that better times are coming as soon as an economic stimulus¹⁰ package takes effect. The president is expected to urge consumers to have confidence in the long-term future of the economy.

 

Wall Street opens this morning with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 12,145. It gained 35 points yesterday after having dropped more than 220 points earlier in the session.

 

You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

The federal government has approved plans that would allow drilling for natural gas on the Roan Plateau in Colorado. Environmental groups want to preserve the plateau for wildlife and recreation. From Denver, NPR's Jeff Brady reports.

 

A natural gas boom is underway in the Rocky Mountain West, and thousands of permits for drilling wells are issued each year. But this was one place environmental groups said should be off-limits. The potential gas reserves under the plateau are enormous. Federal royalties¹¹ over the next 20 years could top a billion dollars. The Bureau of Land Management says it's possible to allow drilling while still protecting the area. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter says he's disappointed by the BLM's decision. He wants drilling leases on the plateau to be sold in phases with more restrictions¹². He plans to ask members of Congress to pass legislation that requires the BLM to do that. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Denver.

 

Voting is underway in Iran for a new parliament. This is the 8th parliamentary election in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. There are 290 seats at stake. Some 4500 candidates are on the ballot¹³. That's hundreds fewer than had wanted to run. The Guardian¹⁴ Council had disqualified some 1700 candidates, saying they were insufficiently¹⁵ loyal to Islam or the revolution.

 

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 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》

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

5 eavesdrop   

v.偷听，倾听

参考例句：

• He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.他藏在壁橱里，以便偷听。
• It is not polite to eavesdrop on the conversation of other people.偷听他人说话是很不礼貌的。

6 confidentiality   

n.秘而不宣，保密

参考例句：

• They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
• Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 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》

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

11 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

14 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

15 insufficiently   

adv.不够地，不能胜任地

参考例句：

• Your insurance card is insufficiently stamped. 你的保险卡片未贴足印花。 来自辞典例句
• Many of Britain's people are poorly dressed, badly housed, insufficiently nourished. 许多英国人衣着寒伧，居住简陋，营养不良。 来自互联网