NPR 2008-08-02

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Barbara Kline.

General Motors second-quarter earnings¹ have come in far worse than Wall Street had expected. The company says it lost 15.5 billion dollars. From Michigan Radio, Dustin Dwyer reports.

GM got slammed by the rapid shift away from trucks and SUVs in the second quarter. It also faced a strike at one of its major suppliers and a few short strikes at its own plants, and it's being hurt by bad leases. Analyst³ Rebecca Lindland of Global Insight says if people at GM are looking for a silver lining⁴ in all of this, there isn't one. "There really are not any good, positive opportunities out there, that they are able to capitalize on right now. "  GM has announced a new plan to cut costs, speed up the production of small cars, and raise new cash through loans. Lindland says that plan has very little margin⁵ for error. For NPR News, I'm Dustin Dwyer in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The US unemployment rate jumped last month to a four-year high. The Labor⁶ Department reports the jobless rate rose to 5.7%, as employers cut 51, 000 more jobs in July. The manufacturing, construction and retail⁷ sector⁸ lost tens of thousands of jobs.

The House of Representatives adjourned⁹ for August recess¹⁰ today, but a handful of Republican lawmakers took over the chamber¹¹ this afternoon, to continue to debate energy policy. NPR's Brian Naylor has details.

The C-SPAN cameras were off, the speakers' rostrum was vacant, but a small group of Republican members of Congress stayed to talk some more, an effort to tweak Democrats¹² for refusing to allow their bill to expand offshore¹³ oil drilling to come up for a vote. The seats usually occupied by lawmakers were filled with tourists. Among those staying to speak was Utah Republican Rob Bishop¹⁴, dressed in a distinctly uncongressional pair of flip¹⁵ flops¹⁶ and cargo¹⁷ shorts.  "We have to solve this energy problem for people who are on the bottom of the economic ladder, for people who are on fixed¹⁸ income, for people who report（此处不确定，如果您有更好的答案，欢迎告知，不胜感激）  they have no opportunity. "  Democrats point to the government's own studies which show more offshore drilling will have a negligible effect on prices at the pump, but Republicans made no apology for their bit of summer theatre. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the Capitol.

An army researcher who studied anthrax apparently¹⁹ killed himself this week just before the government was about to charge him with five counts of murder. Prosecutors²⁰ were closing in on Bruce Ivins as the key suspect in the anthrax mailings in 2001 that killed five people. According to his mental health counselor²¹, the 62-year-old Ivins had a history of homicidal threats. That therapist was due to testify on the case before a grand jury today. Ivins' attorney says the scientist was innocent and had been cooperating with investigators²² for more than a year.

On Wall Street today, the Dow fell 52 points to close at 11, 325. The NASDAQ was down 14, closing at 2, 310.

This is NPR News.

Another bank failed today, Florida-based First Priority Bank. It's the eighth to fail this year amidst a credit crisis, falling home prices and a weak economy. SunTrust Banks has acquired First Priority's six branches. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation says it will cost its insurance fund an estimated 72 million dollars.

The latest cost-cutting measure by an airline goes into effect today. Arizona-based US Airways²³ became the first to charge for all drinks including water. NPR's Ted² Robbins has more.

US Airways, the nation's sixth largest, began charging two dollars for soft drinks, juice or a bottle of water. Coffee and tea are now one dollar. Alcoholic²⁴ beverages²⁵ now cost seven dollars. The airline says it will continue serving free beverages to first class and trans-Atlantic customers and to passengers stuck on the ground for a long time. A US Air spokesperson did say if a passenger had no money, flight attendants would not refuse them water, if for no other reason than to avoid passengers drinking water from the lavatory²⁶. The airline says it needs to collect any revenue it can to make up for what it says is the 300 dollars it costs just in fuel to transport each passenger on an average flight. Ted Robbins, NPR News, Tucson.

Pakistan has angrily denied a report in the New York Times today, saying that Pakistan's intelligence agency played a role in the bombing of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan earlier this month. Quoting unnamed sources, the New York Times reports US intelligence agencies intercepted²⁷ communications between Pakistani intelligence officials and militants²⁸ who carried out the bombing.

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 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。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 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。

9 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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》

13 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

14 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

15 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

16 flops   

n.失败( flop的名词复数 )v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的第三人称单数 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅

参考例句：

• a pair of flip-flops 一双人字拖鞋
• HPC environments are often measured in terms of FLoating point Operations Per Second (FLOPS) . HPC环境通常以每秒浮点运算次数(FLOPS)加以度量。 来自互联网

17 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

18 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

19 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

20 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

21 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

22 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》

23 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

24 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

25 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

26 lavatory   

n.盥洗室，厕所

参考例句：

• Is there any lavatory in this building?这座楼里有厕所吗？
• The use of the lavatory has been suspended during take-off.在飞机起飞期间，盥洗室暂停使用。

27 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

28 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。