CNN 2012-03-02

 It's February 29th and we are ready to leap into today's news headlines.Hi,everyone,I am Carl Azuz,coming to you from CNN news room in Atlanta,Georgia.

 

First up.The race for delegates,in order to win the Republican party's presidential nomination¹ this year,a candidate has to get a 1144 delegates.Here's what things stood before Tuesday's primaries in Arizona and Michigan.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt² Romney had 127 delegates,38 for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich,37 for former Senator Rick Santorum and 27 for US Representative Ron Paul.Different states award delegates in different ways.Some of them, like Arizona, have a "winner take all" primary,others like Michigan,gives out delegates to proportionally,proportional to however many votes candidates get.There were 59 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday,the results came in,after we produced today's program,but you can check them out in the spotlight³ section on our homepage.

 

 

The DOW Jones Industrial Average gives investors⁴ and analysts⁵ an idea of how the entire stock market is doing.When trading ended yesterday,the DOW was over 13,000 points.It was the first time in nearly four years that the DOW has finished a day above that mark.It's not technically⁶ significant though.It's more of a psychological mile stone for the economy.

 

 

Is this legit?A Geiger counter measures the intensity⁷ of earthquakes.Nope.Geiger counters measure radioactive materials. The devices are named for their inventor,nuclear physicist,Hans Geiger.

 

 

Radioactivity has been a main concern in parts of Japan after the meltdown of the nuclear power plant almost for year ago.The government set up a mandatory⁸ evacuation zone around the plant.It was 12 and half miles in every direction.Kyung Lah,was one of the journalists who were allowed a close look at the plant recently.Here's her report.

 

 

A year after these reactors⁹ at Fukushima nuclear plant exploded in a triple meltdown.Reports were reminded,this is still one of the most hazardous¹⁰ places on the planet.We wear head to toe protective gear.Four facial respirators and hazmat suits.And then we drove up to the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

 

 

This is our first look on the ground at the reactors.This is the heart of the nuclear program in Japan.What you are seeing over my shoulder are the reactors.There are four of them.The two you see over my right shoulders,those are two reactors that exploded in the early days of this disaster.When you take a look at reactors,you can see that they have a long way to go.This is a year after this disaster and you can see that the force of the explosion crippled those buildings you can understand how, so much radiation spew from the point when you are standing¹¹ here.An army of three thousands workers are now working daily in shifts to control the melt of nuclear fuel and contain the further spread of the radiation.Inside the onside crisis management building at the plant,a control center monitors its progress and safety 24 hours a day.

 

 

The highest risk we still see is if something goes wrong with the reactor,says the plant manager,Takeshi Takahashi.The plant is in cold shut down but the nuclear fuel need constant cooling and the situation is far from over.

 

 

TEPCO says the plant won't be decommissioned for at least 30 to 40 years.The challenges, evident as we drive around the Fukushima plant.Debris¹² still mangle¹³ from the tsunami,sits untouched because of the radiation concerns.These blue tanks and these large grey ones hold water contaminated with radiation.TEPCO is continuously challenged with finding more space for the water.War conditions and safety,while they have improved since the early days of the disaster remain a constant concern.Kyung Lah, CNN, at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant.

1 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。

2 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 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

5 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。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

8 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

9 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

10 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 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。

13 mangle   

vt.乱砍，撕裂，破坏，毁损，损坏，轧布

参考例句：

• New shoes don't cut,blister,or mangle his feet.新鞋子不会硌脚、起泡或让脚受伤。
• Mangle doesn't increase the damage of Maul and Shred anymore.裂伤不再增加重殴和撕碎的伤害。