NPR 2010-07-02

The footsteps of a military honor guard carrying the casket of Senator Robert Byrd into the Senate chamber¹ today, the West Virginia lawmaker laid in repose². He died Monday at the age of 92. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports people have been paying tribute in various ways to the longest-serving member of Congress.

Senator Byrd's desk is draped in black velvet³, a bowl of white roses on top. His casket lies before the dais, draped in the American flag. Members of Congress and staff stream through the Senate chamber, many stopping for a moment of silence in front of the casket, and then paying respects to Byrd's family standing⁴ by. After his last visit to the Senate chamber, Byrd will be taken to Charleston, West Virginia for tomorrow's public memorial service in his home state. Andrea Seabrook, NPR News, the Capitol.

In fact, the Senator's casket is now being carried out of the Capitol.

President Obama, in his first speech on immigration change since taking office, says companies that hire undocumented workers must be held accountable.

"We've already begun to step up enforcement against the worst workplace offenders⁵. And we're implementing⁶ and improving a system to give employers a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally."

President Obama, appearing at American University in Washington, D.C., also says immigrants living in the US illegally need to get right with the law before they can pursue citizenships, that is, such as paying taxes.

A gunbattle against Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan leads to a large cache of weapons and drugs. NPR's Corey Flintoff is in Kabul and reports a Taliban leader has also been captured.

Afghan officials in Helmand province say the raid on an insurgent⁷ hideout left 31 Taliban gunmen dead and one local leader wounded and captured. Afghan television showed government troops with weapons they said were captured from the insurgents⁸, including assault rifles and grenade launchers. NATO forces say they also seized about 20 pounds of opium⁹ during the raid. Military officials say they've killed or captured about 130 senior and mid-level insurgent leaders over the past four months. The military pressure on the Taliban comes as the Afghan government is calling on lower-level fighters to give up their weapons and return home. Just this week, President Hamid Karzai signed off on a program that would help reintegrate former Taliban members into society. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Kabul.

The death toll¹⁰ from suicide attacks on a Sufi shrine¹¹ in eastern Pakistan today is up to 35. Local authorities say more than 100 people have been wounded. No one has claimed responsibility.

Dow's down 42 points.

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Scientists put a stop to a study designed to see if testosterone supplements improve muscle strength in older men. We have more details from NPR's Richard Knox.

Study monitors decided¹² to stop the trial after 22% of the men using a daily skin gel containing testosterone suffered cardiovascular problems. That's four times higher than in the group who got a placebo¹³. The problems included heart attacks, stroke, symptoms of heart failure and one death. The federal government funded the study because earlier research showed that testosterone improves muscle strength. Too many strength causes many older men to be less active, leading to a downward spiral in health. The study did show improved strength in the men who got testosterone. Researchers at Boston University did the study published online by the New England Journal of Medicine. A half dozen other similar studies are continuing with careful monitoring for any cardiovascular problems. Richard Knox, NPR News, Boston.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is using the nation's busiest train stations for more people to speak up when they spot potential danger. She launched an information-sharing campaign in New York City's Penn Station today with the slogan "See Something, Say Something", inspired by a vendor¹⁴ who did just that back in May and helped police foil an attempt to bomb Times Square.

Parts of northeastern Mexico are struggling through severe floods generated by Hurricane Alex when it struck last night. The storm since weakened into a tropical storm, but it is still wreaking¹⁵ havoc¹⁶ with heavy rains. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season mostly spared Texas, though it did spawn¹⁷ tornadoes¹⁸. The ripple effect of the storm has also slowed down oil containment and cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico

1 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

2 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

3 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

4 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。

5 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

6 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

7 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

8 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

9 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

14 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

15 wreaking   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Coal mining is a messy business, often wreaking terrible environmental damage nearby. 采矿是肮脏的行业，往往会严重破坏周边环境。
• The floods are wreaking havoc in low-lying areas. 洪水正在地势低洼地区肆虐。

16 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

17 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

18 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