NPR 2011-02-16

President Obama is appealing for patience in tackling some of the nation's long-term fiscal¹ challenges. NPR's Scott Horsley monitored this morning's White House news conference. Scott, the president staunchly defended his budget proposal of more than 3.7 trillion dollar spending plan.

He did, Lakshmi, he argued that the spending plan is a responsible mix of savings² and investments, saying budget cutters used a scalpel not a machete to trim domestic programs, and he also shrugged³ off criticism that his budget does not address the long-term funding gap in entitlement programs like Social Security.

"The truth is Social Security is not the huge contributor to the deficit⁴ that the other two entitlements are. I'm confident we can get Social Security done in the same way that Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill were able to get it done by parties coming together, making some modest adjustments. I think we can avoid slashing⁵ benefits, and I think we can make it stable and stronger for not only this generation but for the next generation."

The president says his budget is only a first step and that addressing some of those longer-term issues will require compromise between Democrats⁶ and Republicans.

Yeah but Scott, what kind of fight does the president really face in the coming weeks and months?

Well, in the short term, congressional Republicans are pushing for deeper cuts in domestic spending. At the same time, Democrats are howling that the president's plan imposes big cuts and real pain on some of the neediest Americans.

Okay, thanks Scott. NPR's Scott Horsley reporting.

After two demonstrators in Bahrain were killed in clashes with police, the Bahraini king has called for an investigation⁷ into the deaths. Police have pulled back, and NPR's Peter Kenyon tells us that pro-reform demonstrators have swarmed⁸ to a central monument in the capital.

At the start of a funeral procession for Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, a clash with riot police killed another young man. Such deaths, though not uncommon⁹ in some Mideast countries, are rare here, and the government quickly regrouped. The police left the funeral area and did not interfere¹⁰ as thousands of demonstrators moved on to a main square in Manama. Some began calling it their Tahrir Square. And a few tents quickly popped up. King Hamad bin¹¹ Issa al-Khalifa said he was sorry for the deaths of the protestors and had launched a committee to look into the fatalities¹². Another funeral for the second demonstrator is scheduled for tomorrow. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Bahrain.

The New York Stock Exchange's parent company is joining forces with Frankfort's Deutsche Borse to create the largest financial exchange owner in the world. Deutsche Borse shareholders¹³ will own 60% of the new company. The remainder will be under shareholders for Euronext.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 53 points at 12,215. This is NPR News.

A group is being recognized today for extraordinary contributions to this country. At a White House ceremony, Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian¹⁴ honor, was bestowed¹⁵ on 15 recipients¹⁶, including:

"The honorable George Herbert Walker Bush. Over the arc of his life, President Bush has served our nation as a tremendous force for good, and we proudly salute¹⁷ him for his unwavering devotion to our country and our world."

"Jasper Johns. Jasper Johns' innovative¹⁸ creations helped shape the pop, minimal¹⁹ and conceptual art movements, and the United States honors him for his profound influence on generations of artists."

Tom Little was recognized posthumously²⁰. He was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan where he provided eye care services to the Afghan people.

Oklahoma lawmakers are working on legislation which would deny state citizenship²¹ to any children born of undocumented workers. From member station KOSU, Michael Cross has more.

Supporters of Senate Bill 898 believe the fourteenth amendment²² should require that at least one parent of a child born in the US not have allegiance to any other nation. State Senator Ralph Shortey says 15 other states want this addressed by the federal government.

"They can go to the Supreme²³ Court. If that's the case, that's a good way to do as well. My preference is that Congress actually take action on this, and if there's an urging from the states to do that, then they will take action."

Opponents say Oklahoma doesn't have the right to redefine the fourteenth amendment which gives citizenship to anyone born in United States. The measure passed out of a state Senate Judiciary Committee and is heading to the full Senate. For NPR News, I'm Michael Cross in Oklahoma City.

1 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

5 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

9 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

10 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

11 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

12 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

16 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

18 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

19 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

20 posthumously   

adv.于死后，于身后；于著作者死后出版地

参考例句：

• He was confirmed posthumously as a member of the Chinese Communist Party. 他被追认为中国共产党党员。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her last book was published posthumously in 1948. 她最后的一本书在她死后于1948 年出版了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

22 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。

23 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。