NPR 2008-08-04

Nobel Prize-winning author and famed Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn has died at the age of 89, according to Russian news media reports. His graphic¹ accounts of the slave labor² camps in the former Soviet³ Union earned him international renown⁴ but two decades of exile. On his return to Moscow in 1994, Solzhenitsyn flatly said post-Soviet-era Russia still faced a host of problems. "No one expected that leaving communism behind would be painless, but nobody thought it would be this painful, either. Today, Russia is in great and terrible trouble. You can hear the groans⁵ everywhere, that once again, the government is not fulfilling its obligations to its citizens." Solzhenitsyn is perhaps best-known for The Gulag Archipelago, his trilogy describing the brutality⁶ of the Soviet government under dictator Joseph Stalin.

Lawmakers in Iraq have failed to resolve their differences over how to govern the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, despite pressure from the US. The dispute is blocking a power-sharing provincial⁷ election. Also today, a truck bomb exploded in a Sunni area of Baghdad, killing⁸ a dozen people and wounding nearly two dozen others. NPR's Jonathan Blakely has more from Baghdad.

Lawmakers wanted to hold a special session today in Baghdad, aimed at giving the go-ahead for provincial elections to take place, but not enough lawmakers showed up. Kurds say the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, one of the largest in the north belongs to them. Turkmen and Arabs disagree, and the dispute is stoking ethnic⁹ tensions. The US ambassador to Iraq is involved in negotiations¹⁰. One proposal would allow for elections to be held everywhere except Kirkuk, where all sides try to hammer out an agreement. But even if the election law passes, it's unclear provincial elections will be held this year. Before today's meetings, three explosions rocked Baghdad in the early morning hours. The biggest was a car bomb which killed 12 people near an Iraqi passport office. Two other roadside bombs targeted police convoys¹¹. Jonathan Blakely, NPR News, Baghdad.

The annual International AIDS Conference is getting under way this hour in Mexico City. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.

Some 25, 000 people are expected to attend AIDS 2008. The conference on global HIV and AIDS is being inaugurated with speeches from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Peter Piot, the head of UNAIDS and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. This is the first time that an International AIDS Conference has been held in a Latin American country. The official program for the week-long event fills more than 400 pages. The overall focus of AIDS 2008 is on increasing access to HIV prevention and treatment, while eliminating stigma¹² related to the virus. Numerous papers on almost all aspects of AIDS research are being released and discussed, as the pandemic pushes through its third decade. The number of people around the world infected with HIV continues to increase. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

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Victims of terrorism in Spain are protesting the release of a Basque separatist who has served his sentence for murdering 25 people. He's a prominent member of ETA, which has killed more than 800 people in the name of Basque independence. Jerome Socolovsky reports (has more) from Madrid.

Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos¹³ smiled as he was driven out of a prison about an hour from Madrid. The 52-year-old Basque militant¹⁴ served 21 years for a string of terrorist attacks. They include a car-bombing that killed 12 policemen in 1986. De Juana nearly died last year during a hunger strike that he maintained as a court tried to prolong his custody¹⁵. Photos of the militant leaving prison are splashed all over Spain's Sunday newspapers. Hundreds of victims and relatives of those killed by ETA are holding vigils this weekend, mainly in Madrid and the Basque city of San Sebastian. That's where De Juana is planning to live as a freeman. Prime Minister Jos Luis Rodr guez Zapatero said feelings of contempt are understandable, but he added, the law must be respected. For NPR News, I'm Jerome Socolovsky in Madrid.

Tropical Storm Edouard has formed in the Gulf¹⁶ of Mexico and is churning its way westward¹⁷ along the Louisiana coast towards Texas. Tropical storm warnings have been posted. Rebecca Waddington is a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.

"We are forecasting additional strengthening over the next 24 hours. Currently, we do not have it becoming a hurricane but it does mean a hurricane force. So it's not out of the question that it could become a Category 1 Hurricane before landfall."

Waddington says Edouard currently has winds of 45 miles an hour. Computer models have the storm likely making landfall along the Texas coast near Galveston later this week.

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 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。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 renown   

n.声誉，名望

参考例句：

• His renown has spread throughout the country.他的名声已传遍全国。
• She used to be a singer of some renown.她曾是位小有名气的歌手。

5 groans   

n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅，到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

7 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

8 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。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

12 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

15 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

16 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

17 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。