NPR 2011-12-14

 No changes to report following the conclusion of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year. Steve Beckner of Market News International has more.

 

The Fed is not injecting more stimulus¹ at this time, nor is changing its communication about where interest rates are headed. The Fed statement implies no compelling need to ease credit further just yet, noting the economy is expanding moderately, and there was some improvement in labor² market. But the Fed is keeping a loose money stance, leaving the key federal funds rate near zero, where it’s been for three years, and continuing efforts to push down longer-term rates. And it’s leaning toward future credit easing, siding significant downside risks from global financial strains. It said it is prepared with employers’ tools to promote stronger growth. For NPR News, I’m Steve Beckner in Washington.

 

Jerry Sandusky did not face his accusers today. The former Penn state assistant football coach charged with child sex abuse instead waived³ his right to a preliminary hearing sending the case directly to trial. Ten alleged⁴ victims were expected to testify today. Sandusky’s attorney Joseph Amendola says there will be no guilty plea of any kind because he says the truth is on their side.

 

“There have been no plea negotiations⁵. There will be no plea negotiations. This is a fight to the death. This is the fight of Jerry Sandusky’s life. This goes beyond the Penn State-Miami game in '86. This is the game of his life.”

 

Sandusky will remain under house arrest until his court day.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for a nationwide ban on drivers using cell phones and other personal electronic devices. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman says no call, no text, no update is worth a life. NPR’s Craig Windham reports the recommendation goes well beyond the board’s previous stance of urging states to take action on their own.

 

The recommendation follows the board’s investigation⁶ of a massive highway pileup in Missouri last year involving two school buses. Two people were killed, and more than three dozen others were injured. One of the drivers involved had been texting right up to the moment of impact. The NTSB is calling on all states to bar all non-emergency use of personal electronic devices by drivers. A recent government study found that at any given moment last year about one in 100 drivers was texting, emailing or surfing the web well behind the wheel. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

 

Parents probably won't like hearing that a recent check of Head Start centers in seven states found 90% of them had toxic⁷ chemicals within reach of the children, 70% had broken or unlocked gates leading to streets and parking lots. The inspector⁸ general’s report also found many of the instructors⁹ were teaching without a criminal background check.

 

On Wall Street with an hour left to the trading day, the market is mixed. The Dow is up 10; the NADAQ is down 14; the S&P down three. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

Defense¹⁰ Secretary Leon Panetta is in Kabul, an unannounced visit to Afghanistan at a time of increasing violence and a decreasing US presence. He’ll be meeting with commanders to assess how the drawdown of US troop is affecting Afghanistan security. He’s also expected to discuss the eroding¹¹ relationship with Pakistan. That’s resulted in the closing of two border crossings used to move supplies to our troops in Afghanistan.

 

In recent years, according to a US-based human rights group, China has reduced executions by half. NPR’s Frank Langfitt reports that means China executes some 4,000 people a year, still far more than the rest of the world combined.

 

The details of how China implements¹² its death penalty are largely shrouded¹³ in secrecy¹⁴, but it’s rare for among the issue in China earlier this month. A Chinese professor said executions had dropped by 50% since 2007. In addition, it was revealed that China’s Supreme¹⁵ People’s Court overturns about 10% of the death sentences it reviews each year. John Kamm, head of Dui Hua, a San Francisco-based human rights group, called the decline in executions “dramatic progress.” But he added the pace of change is still too slow, and that China should be more open in how it uses capital punishment. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Shanghai.

 

Scientists say they have narrowed down their search for the Higgs boson particle believed to be a basic building block of the universe. Based on new data they say, the particle popularly referred to as the God particle. It’s more likely to be found in a lower mass or energy ranges of the massive atom smasher that’s being used to track it down. Researchers hope that the particle does exist. It will help them explain many of the mysteries of the universe.

 

I'm Nancy Lyons, NPR News.

1 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 waived   

v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• He has waived all claim to the money. 他放弃了索取这笔钱的权利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I waived the discourse, and began to talk of my business. 我撇开了这个话题，开始讲我的事情。 来自辞典例句

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 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

8 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

9 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

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 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

12 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

15 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。