NPR 2008-09-02

Hurricane Gustav is slowing down over Louisiana and the Gulf¹ Coast. So far, the damage to New Orleans appears minimum. NPR's Kitty Adam has more.

 The big question now in New Orleans is will the levees hold. So far, the answer is yes. Officials say the levees have been tested however. Water lapped over the walls of the Industrial Canal, close to the vulnerable 9th Ward². All over the city power lines are down, and debris³ and tree limbs are in the streets. But people are venturing out of their houses, as the wind slows down, sitting on their porch and walking their dogs. Still, Mayor Ray Nagin warned people earlier that quote "we are not out of the woods yet". Kitty Adam, NPR News, New Orleans.

As Gustav passes along Louisiana coast, Hanna, now a Category 1 hurricane, is swirling⁴ in the Bahamas. WLRN's Jacqueline Fernandez reports from Miami.

The National Hurricane Center predicts Hanna will hit the Georgia or South Carolina shore by Friday. However, the storm is moving so slowly. Forecasters say its track is very unpredictable. The hurricane could change gears and swing as far south as Miami or to North Carolina's Outer Banks. It's currently over the Bahamas and could easily stand in the area until Thursday. Still, South Carolina and Georgia residents are preparing for the worse. State emergency officials say they refuse to let the storm sneak⁵ up on anyone. So they spent Labor⁶ Day getting ready just in case Hanna strikes. For NPR News, I'm Jacqueline Fernandez in Miami.

In St. Paul, the Republican convention got off to a more subdued⁷ start than planned in deference⁸ to Hurricane Gustav. But thousands of demonstrators took to the streets nonetheless. NPR's Ina Jaffe has that story.

About eight to ten thousand protestors marched through downtown St. Paul to the Capitol building. They represented a long list of causes, human rights, immigrant rights, sustainable agriculture and opposition⁹ to the war in Iraq. Some of the marchers were veterans of that war. "We are the troops. We got soul. Who are we? We are the troops. " The police presence was heavy and there were a handful of arrests. Some protesters smash cars and puncture¹⁰ tyres. Others try to block streets. Police responded with pepper spray. A few other demonstrators lit a dumpster on fire and shoved it into a patrol car. Over the weekend, police arrested six members of a self-described anarchist¹¹ group called the "RNC Welcoming Committee" and raided several homes. Ina Jaffe, NPR News, St. Paul, Minnesota.

This is NPR News in Washington.

First Lady, Laura Bush made an appearance at the abbreviated¹² opening day of the convention. She called on delegates to put aside their worries about politics and focus on helping¹³ those affected¹⁴ by Hurricane Gustav. "The effect of Hurricane Gustav is just now being measured. When such events occur, we're reminded that first we are all Americans. " President Bush was to have spoken tonight at the convention, but instead flew to Texas to oversee¹⁵ efforts help victims of Hurricane Gustav.

In Thailand, state workers threatened to cut off electricity and telephone service in Government offices in support of protestors trying to bring down the country's Prime Minister. A coalition¹⁶ of 43 union groups representing workers at state-run companies including water, electric, phone and the National Airline said they would cut off service to the government beginning on Wednesday. The groups accused the Thai government of beating protestors. The country's Labor Federation¹⁷ said as many as 200, 000 members would stop work in support of an alliance of right-wing protestors. They’ve been occupying the Prime Minister's office for about a week trying to bring down the government.

Russia again lashed¹⁸ out against the West over the conflict in Georgia today. All European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed to condemn¹⁹ Russia's actions but take no concrete actions. NPR's Gregory Feifer reports.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West not to support Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and called for an arms embargo²⁰ against Georgia while the current leadership holds power. Lavrov has made no secret in the past of Moscow's desire to topple Saakashvili, a strong US ally who sent 2, 000 troops to Iraq and whose own army has been trained and equipped by the United States. In Brussels, a leaked draft statement by EU leaders said they will warn Russia its relations with the European block would depend on fully²¹ complying with the cease-fire agreement. Russian troops still occupy positions deep inside Georgia, blocking tens of thousands of refugees from returning home. In Tbilisi today, more than a million Georgians protested the Russian occupation. Gregroy Feifer, NPR News, Moscow.

Crude Oil Futures²² on electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell more than $4 a barrel today. They are just under 111 dollars.

1 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。

2 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

3 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

5 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

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 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

8 deference   

n.尊重，顺从；敬意

参考例句：

• Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗？
• The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。

9 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。

10 puncture   

n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破

参考例句：

• Failure did not puncture my confidence.失败并没有挫伤我的信心。
• My bicycle had a puncture and needed patching up.我的自行车胎扎了个洞，需要修补。

11 anarchist   

n.无政府主义者

参考例句：

• You must be an anarchist at heart.你在心底肯定是个无政府主义者。
• I did my best to comfort them and assure them I was not an anarchist.我尽量安抚他们并让它们明白我并不是一个无政府主义者。

12 abbreviated   

adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He abbreviated so much that it was hard to understand his article. 他的文章缩写词使用太多，令人费解。
• The United States of America is commonly abbreviated to U.S.A.. 美利坚合众国常被缩略为U.S.A.。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 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。

15 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

16 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

17 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

18 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

20 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

21 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

22 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。