NPR 2009-5-24

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

President Obama says he is looking to nominate someone to the Supreme¹ Court who has common sense and who understands the practical day-to-day impact of the court's rulings. Mr. Obama is expected to announce a nominee² soon to succeed retiring Justice David Souter. NPR's Neda Ulaby has more.

The president told C-SPAN he hopes that hearings for a new Supreme Court Justice can be held in July before Congress breaks for the summer. He said he preferred not to see confirmation³ hearings drag on. "Somebody has to hit the ground running and take their seat in October without having the time to wrap their mind around the fact they are going to be a Supreme Court justice. I'd like to give them a little bit of lead time so that they can get prepared. The president said the empathy and common touch are two of the qualities he would most value in the next Supreme Court justice. In response to a question, Mr. Obama acknowledged that he has spoken with former president George W. Bush since taking office, but he declined to discuss the details. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Pakistan's military forces are engaged in street fighting with militants⁵ in the main town in the Swat Valley, a Taliban stronghold. The BBC's Syed Hasan has this report from Islamabad.

After weeks of aerial bombardment, Pakistan's military is finally going toe to toe with the Taliban in what many here see as a climactic struggle. A military spokesman said security forces had forced their way into Swat's main town Mingora. He added the soldiers were engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the city streets. The BBC's Syed Hasan reporting.

President Obama has chosen former astronaut Charles Bolden to be the new head of NASA. The nomination⁶ comes as the White House has ordered a thorough outside review of the country's manned space program. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

The retired⁷ marine⁸ general will, if confirmed, be the first black leader in NASA's history. Bolden is a native of Columbia, South Carolina who flew more than 100 sorties in Vietnam. He flew two shuttle missions as pilot and two as commander after being selected as an astronaut in 1980. A decade later, the same year he was pilot for the shuttle mission that launched the Hubble telescope into orbit. Bolden spoke⁴ to children at Edwards Air Force Base in California. "Work real hard, study the best you can, set some kind of goals for yourself and then go for it. " For NASA's deputy administrator⁹, the president has nominated 48-year-old Lori Garver who was also a veteran of the agency. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

Republican lawmakers say Congressional Democrats¹⁰ will increase the nation's energy cost and make the US more dependent on foreign oil if they focus only on alternative energy. GOP Senator John Barrasso, Wyoming. "There are billions of barrels of oil in the outer continental¹¹ shelf. There is even more in Alaska. There is enough oil shale¹² in the rocky Mountain West alone to power America for the next hundred years. " Barrasso gave the Republicans radio and Internet address today.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Three Northern California men have been arrested and charged with operating a so-called Ponzi scheme that allegedly bilked thousands of investors¹³ out of $200 million. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio has the story.

A Ponzi scheme is an investment scam in which earlier investors are paid with money put up by participants who follow. And announcing the arrest, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the three suspects swindled thousands of individuals including many retirees who have lost their life savings¹⁴. Brown went on to say that over a ten-year period, the defendants¹⁵ siphoned off money to support what he called extravagant¹⁶ lifestyles. The Attorney General says a Lear jet, expensive cars and an 80-acre castle real estate were purchased with investors' money. Brown says the Ponzi scheme collapsed¹⁷ under its own weight. If convicted of all charges, the suspects could receive life in prison terms. Each is being held on a five-million-dollar bond. The three men are scheduled for an arraignment¹⁸ hearing this coming Tuesday. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

Defense¹⁹ Secretary Robert Gates spoke to the graduating class at the US Military Academy at West Point today. He praised the cadets for their courage, commitment and patriotism²⁰ in joining the military at such a challenging time. Nearly all of the graduates were commissioned as second lieutenants²¹ in the army. Most will eventually be deployed²² for service in Afghanistan or Iraq.

At the University of New Hampshire's commencement ceremony today, the loudspeakers were powered by methane²³ gas from a nearby landfill. That gas is also used to generate most of the heat and electricity used on campus. Left-over food from the eco-themed commencement ceremony will be turned into compost.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

3 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 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。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

10 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》

11 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

12 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

14 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

15 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

16 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

17 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

18 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

19 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

20 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

21 lieutenants   

n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员

参考例句：

• In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中，中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网

22 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

23 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。