NPR 2010-06-07

BP says the containment¹ cap that are rigged on its shattered oil well in the Gulf² of Mexico is working, but US officials say the effort to contain the spill has only just begun. NPR's Brian Mann reports.

 

In its first day of operation Friday, the cap on the seafloor oil pipe sucked up only a fraction of the gushing³ crude, but BP executive Tony Hayward told the BBC today that the amount of captured oil increased dramatically yesterday. "As we speak, the containment cap is producing around 10,000 barrels of oil a day to the surface, probably the vast majority." In an interview with CNN this morning, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said that the right progress is being made, but he added that nobody should be pleased until a relief well is dug that stops the leak entirely⁴. Oil has been discovered on more Gulf Coast beaches from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Brian Mann, NPR News, New Orleans.

 

The Florida Panhandle's economy depends on tourism. Governor Charlie Crist told CNN he was disappointed by the oil debris⁵, but said it's being cleaned up quickly. The governor of Mississippi appeared on another Sunday morning talk show with a similar message. Haley Barbour told Fox News his state's beaches have only a few tar⁶ balls, and he said the coast is clear, come on down.

 

Federal officials say two New Jersey⁷ men were arrested last night on charges of conspiracy⁸ to commit terrorism. The men were picked up at JFK International Airport before they could board separate flights to Egypt with the intention of flying on to Somalia to join a Jihadist group. Investigators⁹ say the suspects are both American citizens and had planned the trip for several months. They saved money, watched terrorist videos online and lifted weights to get into condition.

 

Secretary of Defense¹⁰ Robert Gates today threw his support behind President Obama's pick to serve as the country's next director of national intelligence. Gates made his endorsement¹¹ after attending a security conference in Singapore. NPR's Rachel Martin is traveling with the secretary.

 

A key challenge for the director of national intelligence is to get the country's 16 intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense all on the same page. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says James Clapper is equipped to do just that. The two worked together at the CIA and the Pentagon for decades and are personal friends. It's an important endorsement for Clapper who's faced tough criticism from some on Capitol Hill who say he doesn't value congressional oversight¹² of the intelligence community, a claim that Gates rejects. The DNI position was created after 9/11, but many US officials including Gates say the position wasn't given enough power to be effective. If confirmed, Clapper will replace the former director of national intelligence Dennis Blair who stepped down last month. Rachel Martin, NPR News.

 

A car bomb exploded outside a police station in Baghdad this morning. Officials say four people were killed, all civilians¹³. Twelve police officers were injured.

 

You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

Rescue workers are searching demolished¹⁴ homes in northwest Ohio after tornadoes¹⁵ and thunderstorms overnight. Officials say at least five people were killed. Authorities in the Lake Township say at least 50 homes were destroyed, another 50 severely¹⁶ damaged. The local high school was also hit hard. The roof of the gym was torn off where graduation was supposed to take place today. Storms also struck Michigan and Illinois, no death reported in those states.

 

South Africa is hosting its first World Cup this week, and frenzy¹⁷ over the soccer tournament is building. Today there was a stampede when thousands of fans tried to get into a stadium for a warm-up match between Nigeria and North Korea. Vicky O'Hara reports from Johannesburg.

 

Police say nine people were injured in a stampede along with a police officer. Typically, tickets for preliminary matches are free, distributed by embassies of the countries involved. A lot of fans don't understand that and show up at the gates trying to gain admission. Yesterday, South African men, who couldn't get into a US-Australia game, stayed outside. They danced and blew their vuvuzelas. That's the traditional horn that’s the backdrop of local soccer. South African mania¹⁸ for the 2010 games is increasing by the day. Flags of participating countries fly from car windows, and South Africans are busy practicing steps for what some say is the official World Cup dance. It's called the Diski. The steps are supposed to mimic¹⁹ people playing soccer. For NPR News, I am Vicky O'Hara in Johannesburg.

 

Rafael Nadal won the men's final at the French Open today. He beat Robin²⁰ Soderling in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
 

1 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 gushing   

adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• blood gushing from a wound 从伤口冒出的血
• The young mother was gushing over a baby. 那位年轻的母亲正喋喋不休地和婴儿说话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 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。

6 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

7 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

8 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

12 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

13 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

14 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

15 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

16 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

17 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

18 mania   

n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好

参考例句：

• Football mania is sweeping the country.足球热正风靡全国。
• Collecting small items can easily become a mania.收藏零星物品往往容易变成一种癖好。

19 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

20 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。