NPR 2009-10-22

The FBI has arrested a Boston-area man for allegedly conspiring¹ to kill prominent US politicians and attack shoppers at a mall. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports.

 

Tarek Mehanna was arrested at his parents’ house in Sudbury Massachusetts in an upscale neighborhood west of Boston. Prosecutors² say he and two other men had been hatching a plan to kill two politicians and possibly attack US targets. Mehanna, who graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy³ in Boston, allegedly went overseas with co-conspirators, hoping to gain entry into terrorist training camps, but they were turned away. Mehanna and his co-conspirators were allegedly inspired by the D.C. sniper case in which 10 people were randomly⁴ shot in the D.C. area in 2002, so they allegedly discussed attacking a US shopping mall. They abandoned the idea when they couldn't secure automatic weapons. Mehanna is expected to appear in court to enter a plea Oct. 30th. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

 

Iranian negotiators are said to have reached a tentative deal to begin shipping⁶ around three quarters of the country’s stockpile of nuclear fuel out of the country to Russia, though a final arrangement would still have to be signed off on by Tehran and Washington. The draft deal with Iran was presented by the United Nations key nuclear watchdog group which has been meeting in Vienna along with the US, Russia and France. The possible agreement is aimed at reducing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, seen by the West as a nuclear weapons risk.

 

What some say as an early Test Vote in the Sen. on a health overhaul⁷ did not go the Democrats⁸' way. NPR’s Julie Rovner reports.

 

While closed-door negotiations⁹ continue on the broader health care bill, Democrats had hoped to pass a bill to address one nagging¹⁰ bit of annual business, canceling a scheduled fee cut for doctors in the Medicare program. For the past several years, the cuts have been postponed¹¹ a year or two at a time, but this bill would have permanently¹² changed the formula that produces the cuts, the only problem: the bill would have cost the Federal Treasury¹³ 245 billion dollars over the next decade and Democrats didn’t provide a way to offset¹⁴ that cost. There is bipartisan agreement that next year’s 21% pay cut for doctors shouldn’t be allowed to happen, but Senate majority leader Harry¹⁵ Reid now says a permanent solution will have to wait until after the bigger health bill is done. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

 

The Federal Reserve in its latest region-by-region snapshot of the economy says some improvements in housing along with signs of a pickup¹⁶ in manufacturing are driving the early stages of an economic recovery. Reports from the 12 regions where the Fed maintains member banks show modest improvement or stabilization¹⁷ in a number of areas, though it's still from relatively¹⁸ depressed¹⁹ levels.

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 92 points to end the session at 9,949. The NASDAQ lost 12 points. The S&P500 dropped nine points today.

 

This is NPR.

 

Airplane builder Boeing saw a major drop in third quarter numbers. The Chicago-based company says its bottom line was hurt by cost associated with its much delayed 787 Dreamliner program as well as difficulties associated with a revamped version of its classic 747 jumbo jet. Boeing says with the three months ending in September, the company lost 1.6 billion dollars. It also slashed²⁰ its profit forecast going forward. Boeing, the second largest commercial airplane builder after Europe’s Airbus, says it had to deal with some airlines announcing order cancellations or delays due to the weak economy.

 

Six years after a wildfire destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in southern California, a grand jury has indicted²¹ a prison inmate²² on arson²³ and murder charges. Steve Julian from member station KPCC has more.

 

The fire began in a mountain canyon²⁴ when witnesses say someone threw a road flare²⁵ out of the window of a van. The fire quickly intensified²⁶ and burned through 140 square miles at the San Bernardino National Forest. Five people suffered fatal heart attacks as a result. The fire burned into two ski resort communities. Rickie Fowler was first interviewed in connection with the fire early 2004 based on a telephone tip, but prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence then to charge him. New evidence they say recently came to their attention and a criminal grand jury indicted him only days before the statute²⁷ of limitations was set to expire. Prosecutors say they are not certain whether Fowler or another man who had since died through the flare, but they are confident they have enough evidence to convict him. If they do, Fowler could face the death penalty. For NPR News, I’m Steve Julian in Los Angeles.

 

From the tracks auto⁵ industry sales is out with an upbeat report today, CSM Worldwide is projecting US auto sales next year will hit 11.8 million units. That’s up from this year.

1 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。

2 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。

3 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

4 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

8 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》

9 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。

10 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

12 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

13 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。

14 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

15 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

16 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

17 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

18 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

19 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

20 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

22 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。

23 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

24 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

25 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

26 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。