NPR 2009-02-02

Key Senate Democrats¹ say they are willing to consider changes to their economic stimulus² proposal. Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. "We're very open, very open to this. For instance, some of the Republicans have been saying to us, 'Put more money in infrastructure³. Invest in the roads and highways and bridges. Make sure that we create good-paying jobs here in America that we can see.'" Lawmakers from both parties reportedly expect up to $30 billion in additional spending on infrastructure to be targeted in the legislation. But Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, member of the Finance Committee says the bill needs a major overhaul⁴ because it's too heavy on spending. "And it's ineffective. I think the theory of it is if you throw enough money, somehow or other it'll trickle⁵ down to people and that will help stimulate⁶ the economy. But the economists⁷ that we've talked to said that's not going to work. I think the people understand that. And so I see support in the Senate actually eroding⁸." Both Durbin and Kyl were on "FOX News Sunday".

Negotiators for the nation's major oil companies and the union representing refinery⁹ workers are back at the bargaining table after the union agreed to extend by at least 24 hours the expiration¹⁰ of the current national contract that covers about 24, 000 refinery workers. NPR's Margot Adler has the story.

On Thursday, union negotiators turned down the most recent offer of a 2.5% wage increase for each of the next three years. Changes in medical coverage¹¹ are also under negotiation¹². If refinery workers strike, Valero Energy, the nation's largest refiner, and BP have said they will shut down some facilities. Exxon and Shell have said they will use non-union workers, but their operations will continue. A spokeswoman for the United Steelworkers which represents 30, 000 refinery workers said there had been some progress right now there is an agreement for a rolling 24-hour extension which allows the union to give one-day notice for a strike. Workers will report for work on Monday. Industry experts are divided as to whether a strike would affect consumers. Refiners have already cut production and with job losses, motorists are driving less. Margot Adler, NPR News.

Iraqi officials say the turnout in yesterday's provincial¹³ elections was just over 50%. There were no reports of any major violence, but some Iraqis are complaining that they were not allowed to vote. NPR's JJ Sutherland reports from Baghdad.

There were few reports of fraud or intimidation¹⁴ at the polls, but thousands of voters complained their names weren't on the voter lists and they weren't able to vote. Many of those people are among the hundreds of thousands who were forced from their homes during the sectarian civil war here in 2006 and 2007. The Independent High Election Commission blamed those voters for not re-registering in their new neighborhoods. The two groups most affected¹⁵ are Sunnis living in Baghdad and Kurds in a disputed area of Diyala Province, both of whom are now suspicious they may have been intentionally¹⁶ disenfranchised by the Shiite government. JJ Sutherland, NPR News, Baghdad.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The Obama administration's new special envoy¹⁷ to the Middle East, former Senator George Mitchell, is in Saudi Arabia today. It's his last stop on a regional tour aimed at reviving the Middle East peace efforts and shoring up the shaky ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Kelly McEvers reports from Riyadh.

Mitchell met with Saudi King Abdullah to discuss how the two allies can help bring a lasting¹⁸ peace after the recent Israeli military operation in Gaza. Yesterday Mitchell met Jordanian officials and reassured¹⁹ them the new US administration is giving priority to the Middle East. He delivered a similar message on previous stops in Egypt and the West Bank. One Saudi official, former ambassador to the US, Prince Turki al-Faisal, recently wrote that if the US wants to keep playing a leadership role in the Middle East, it must drastically revise its policies on the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 2002, Saudi Arabia floated its own comprehensive peace plan, but analysts²⁰ here say that plan was largely ignored by the US and Israel. For NPR News, I'm Kelly McEvers, Riyadh.

Most of the thick glaze²¹ of ice that blanketed the Western Kentucky after last week's storm has now melted, but clearing away debris²² and downed trees and power lines has proven to be a difficult task even with the help of thousands of National Guard troops. Andrew Melnykovych is a spokesman for the Kentucky Public Service Commission. "A lot of the areas are rural and fairly inaccessible²³, as a lot of roads that are still blocked by fallen trees, so it's hard for the utility workers to get around." Melnykovych says more than 400, 000 homes and businesses across Kentucky are still without electricity nearly a week after the ice storm struck the state.

1 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》

2 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。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 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。

5 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

6 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

7 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》

8 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

9 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

10 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

11 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

12 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

13 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。

14 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

15 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。

16 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

17 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

18 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

19 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

21 glaze   

v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情

参考例句：

• Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。
• Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。

22 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。

23 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。