NPR 2009-07-31

President Obama says he expects government numbers due out tomorrow will show the U.S. economy continue to shrink in the second quarter, but not as much as it did earlier in the year. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

President Obama says the consensus¹ of experts is the sharp contraction² of the economy has eased somewhat over the last few months. Financial markets have settled down and there are signs of stabilization³ in the housing market. The president says the U.S. is no longer at the edge of an economic cliff. But he warns job losses are still a huge problem.

"We are not gonna rest until we have seen not just a technical improvement in GDP, but until the American people's job prospects⁴, their incomes have rebounded⁵. And that's gonna take some time." A new NPR poll shows voters are more concerned about the economy than any other issue. An aide said the President will hold a series of events next month to highlight his economic efforts. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

Mr. Obama is due to have a casual White House get-together⁶ this hour with black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and white Cambridge, Massachusetts police officer Jim Crowley. The White House is serving beer to all three, in an effort to douse⁷ a firestorm over accusations⁸ of racial profiling after Crowley arrested Gates at his home on charges of disorderly conduct. President Obama later added fuel to the controversy⁹ by saying that the police acted stupidly. He says he wants to lower the temperature on the debate.

The U.S. special envoy¹⁰ to Sudan says some of the sanctions against Khartoum are getting in the way of U.S. aid efforts in Darfur and in the south of the country. NPR's Michele Kelemen has details.

Retired¹¹ Air Force Major General Scott Gration told lawmakers that there is no evidence to keep Sudan on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. He says that's a political decision. And he said the sanctions that come with the designation are hurting aid efforts. Gration also said that the level of violence in Darfur is far different than it was in 2003 and 2004, when the Bush administration labeled it a genocide.

"The level of violence that we're seeing right now is not a coordinated¹² violence, but it is violence that we must end and in fact there are other areas of Sudan where the violence is considerably¹³ greater." His comments are in stark¹⁴ contrast to the U.S. ambassador to the UN who has said there is an ongoing¹⁵ genocide in Darfur. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

The leader of an Islamist sect¹⁶ in Nigeria has been killed by police hours after being taken into custody¹⁷. Muhammad Yusuf, a militant¹⁸ preacher has been blamed for several days of deadly clashes in northern Nigeria that killed at least 150 people.

On Wall Street today, the Dow climbed 83 points. The NASDAQ picked up 16 points and the S&P rose 11.
This is NPR News.

This month has been the deadliest for American forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust¹⁹ the Taliban from power. More than 40 American troops have been killed in July.

The New York Times is reporting that two star sluggers from the Boston Red Sox tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs back in 2003. According to the report, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were on the list of about 100 players who tested positive. NPR's Tom Goldman has more.

The New York Times says it got the information about Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz from lawyers who knew about the test results but spoke²⁰ anonymously²¹, because the testing information is under seal by a court order. The 2003 tests were initial attempt by baseball to gauge²² the scope of the steroids problem. The identities of players who tested positive were not supposed to be revealed, but a few high-profile names have leaked out, including Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. And now, according to the Times, Ramirez and Ortiz; they were key members of the Red Sox Team that won a dramatic world series title in 2004, breaking the team's infamous²³ 86-year championship drought and prompting many and elderly Red Sox fan to proclaim, "Now I can die happy." Ortiz has never been linked to banned drugs. Ramirez, now with the LA Dodgers²⁴, recently ended a 50-game ban for violating baseball's drug policy. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

A bankruptcy²⁵ judge has approved the sale of auto²⁶ supplier Delphi to its lenders and former parent General Motors. The federal ruling paves the way for Delphi to emerge from nearly four years' of bankruptcy. The judge overruled objections by retirees who could lose some of their pensions.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

3 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。

4 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

6 get-together   

n.(使)聚集；(使)集合

参考例句：

• Well,Miss Huang,we are planning to have a casual get-together.嗯，黄小姐，我们打算大家小聚一番。
• Will you help me prepare for the get- together of the old classmates?你能否帮我为这次老同学聚会做好准备工作？

7 douse   

v.把…浸入水中，用水泼；n.泼洒

参考例句：

• Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames.人们提来一桶桶水灭火。
• He doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.他用灭火器把火焰扑灭。

8 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

9 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

10 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。

11 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。

12 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

13 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

14 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

17 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。

18 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。

19 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

20 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。

21 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

22 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

23 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

24 dodgers   

n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
• But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句

25 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

26 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。