NPR 2011-11-08

 A fourth woman has come forward in accusing Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment¹, but she is the first to go public. Cain is accused of inappropriate behavior stemming from his time as head of the National Restaurant Association. He maintains he is innocent of all charges.

 

Two Penn State administrators² are being arraigned³ on charges connected to a child sex abuse case involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Tim Curley and Gary Schultz are accused of lying to authorities and failing to report the alleged⁴ crime. Today State Police Commissioner⁵ Frank Noonan called for swift justice.

 

"This is not a case about football, it's not a case about universities, it's a case about children who've had their innocence⁶ stolen from them in a culture that did nothing to stop it or prevent it from happening to others."

 

Sandusky was arrested Saturday on charges that he targeted boys he met through The Second Mile, a charity he founded for at-risk youths.

 

NATO secretary general has talked to the White House today just a week after the military alliance wrapped up its operations in Libya. As NPR's Michele Kelemen reports, administration officials see Libya as a success story, but not a model for action in other places such as Syria.

 

The U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, says in the run-up to the Libya operation the military alliance came up with the framework for deciding on action. There must be a clear need, regional support and a sound legal basis. And he tells the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, that none of these applied⁷ to Syria.

 

"Given that reality at NATO there has been no planning, no thought and no discussion about any intervention⁸ into Syria. It just isn't part of the envelope of thinking."

 

Daalder is also defending the Obama administration's record on Libya, saying it wasn't leading from behind but making sure everyone contributed in a way that was fiscally⁹ prudent¹⁰. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

Engineers are assessing the damage at a university in Oklahoma after a powerful earthquake at the state over the weekend. Michael Cross with member station KOSU reports a magnitude 5.6 quake broke loose a tower attached to a nearly 100-year-old building.

 

Students at Saint Gregory's University in Shawnee were taking part in a dance Saturday night when the quake hit. It was centered nearly 25 miles north of the campus. Spokesman Brad Collins says it shook loose one of the turrets¹¹ and damaged the other three in the Benedictine Hall, which has come to represent the school.

 

"We’ve had a lot of alumni come through and look at the damage. Everybody, it’s pretty much the same, everyone’s in shock because it’s been there so long."

 

Collins says classes will resume tomorrow and the other three towers will likely have to come down and be rebuilt. For NPR News, I'm Michael Cross, in Oklahoma City.

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 20 points.

 

This is NPR.

 

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is rejecting reports that he will step aside to allow a new government to spearhead new reforms to stem Italy's burgeoning¹² debt.

 

After the tumultuous events of Greece last week, investors¹³ are now focused on Italy, the eurozone's third largest economy. Unlike Greece, Portugal and Ireland, Italy's debt is too large for a bailout. Today, the country's cost of borrowing hits 6.58%, the highest level since the euro was established more than a decade ago.

 

Cigarette makers¹⁴ are getting a legal reprieve¹⁵ from having to put graphic¹⁶ images of the dangers of smoking on cigarette packages. Bold depictions such as diseased lungs were supposed to be included on tobacco products starting next year. But today, a judge blocked that federal requirement, adding that cigarette makers involved in a lengthy¹⁷ lawsuit¹⁸ will probably win on First Amendment¹⁹ grounds.

 

"Puss in Boots" has fended²⁰ off the competition to stay atop the North American box office. NPR's Trina Williams has the studio's receipts.

 

The comedy of Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy in "Tower Heist" could not knock the swashbuckling "Puss in Boots" from its perch²¹. The "Shrek" spinoff scores an estimated 33 million dollars in ticket sales. 

 

"My thirst for adventure will never be quenched²²." 

 

"Tower Heist", the favorite heading into the weekend makes enough for second place, the other newcomer for the weekend "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" places third. Horror film "Paranormal Activity" is No. 4, followed by "In Time". Trina Williams, NPR News.

 

Dow was down 14 points now at 11,969.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 arraigned   

v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责

参考例句：

• He was arraigned for murder. 他因谋杀罪而被提讯。
• She was arraigned for high treason. 她被控叛国罪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

6 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

8 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

9 fiscally   

在国库方面，财政上，在国库岁入方面

参考例句：

• Nor will fiscally stretched governments pump more money into the political equivalent of a leper colony. 财政吃紧的政府也不愿将更多的钱投入这个避之唯恐不及的政治瘟疫区。
• We are more fiscally constrained, which forces us to work smarter and more efficiently. 与F-15相比我们资金上的限制更大了，美女类小游戏，这迫使我们更为精心和有效地工作。

10 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

11 turrets   

（六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车

参考例句：

• The Northampton's three turrets thundered out white smoke and pale fire. “诺思安普敦号”三座炮塔轰隆隆地冒出白烟和淡淡的火光。
• If I can get to the gun turrets, I'll have a chance. 如果我能走到炮塔那里，我就会赢得脱险的机会。

12 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

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 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

16 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

17 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

18 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

19 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

20 fended   

v.独立生活，照料自己( fend的过去式和过去分词 )；挡开，避开

参考例句：

• He neatly fended off a jab at his chest. 他利落地挡开了当胸的一击。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I fended off his sword thrust with my spear. 他一刀砍来，我拿枪架住。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

22 quenched   

解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却

参考例句：

• He quenched his thirst with a long drink of cold water. 他喝了好多冷水解渴。
• I quenched my thirst with a glass of cold beer. 我喝了一杯冰啤酒解渴。