NPR 2011-03-01

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

The UN General Assembly plans to vote on a unanimous call from the Human Rights Council to suspend Libya's membership as pressure mounts for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to step down. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the body today in Geneva, where she warned members that Gaddafi's departure alone won't be enough to protect Libya. She said Libya would need protection from what she called anti-democratic forces. NPR's Michele Kelemen raised the issue of a post-Gaddafi Libya with Secretary Clinton.

The Libyan government, such as it is, was really built around him. What are you worried about in a post-Gaddafi government or a post-Gaddafi scene?

"Well, we're worried that there isn't any institutional support for what comes next. Unfortunately, he did a quite thorough job in destroying and discrediting¹ all the institutions that one would expect to see in a state. Look at the difference between Egypt and Libya. The military in Egypt played a very constructive² role in navigating³ through the protests. It is still managing a government. Gaddafi made sure he didn't have a strong military that had any respect of the people. So we are very conscious of the uncertainty⁴ that lies beyond Gaddafi."

Secretary Clinton in an interview with NPR's Michele Kelemen in Geneva.

Rebels in eastern Libya are getting a boost from France. The French government says it's flying in two planeloads of medical aid to Benghazi, which is under the control of an opposition⁵ trying to oust⁶ Gaddafi. France says the aid is part of a broader effort to avoid an influx⁷ of Libyan refugees across the Mediterranean⁸. It's also calling on the European Union to collectively respond to the risk of uncontrolled migration⁹ from North Africa to Europe.

There's a federal criminal indictment¹⁰ now in that mine disaster in West Virginia last year in which 29 mine workers died. NPR's Howard Berkes reports that the charges involve a Massey Energy security chief and alleged¹¹ attempts to obstruct¹² a federal criminal investigation¹³.

The indictment unsealed in West Virginia today accuses the security chief of the Upper Big Branch mine of lying to federal investigators¹⁴ and facilitating the destruction of evidence. Sixty-year-old Hughie Stover allegedly told an FBI agent that security guards at the Massey Energy mine did not warn mine workers when federal mine safety inspectors¹⁵ arrived. In fact, the indictment says, Stover himself instructed his guards to issue the warnings, which give miners the chance to fix or mask violations¹⁶ before citations¹⁷ can be written. Stover is also charged with causing the disposal of thousands of pages of security documents and intending to impede¹⁸ the investigation. This is the first indictment in the Upper Big Branch probe. Howard Berkes, NPR News.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 34 points at 12,168.

This is NPR News.

Consumer Reports says Ford¹⁹ cars and trucks are making more quality and reliability²⁰ gains against their rivals from overseas. The magazine says General Motor's vehicles are also improving while Chrysler has a few good new products and many older unreliable ones in its fleet. As NPR's Paul Brown reports, the nonprofit Consumers Union testing group says Toyota continues to slide.

Consumer Reports auto²¹ testing director David Champion says Ford is improving noticeably.

"Ford has come up with a number of good products that we have tested and have performed very well. And over the last sort of five to eight years, their reliability has steadily²² improved till they're getting close to where Toyota is."

Champion says Toyota, which has struggled with massive recalls, is still a very good carmaker, but its reliability and quality are not as good as they were. Overall, Toyota now gets a third-place rating behind Honda and Subaru. The Consumer Reports' pickup²⁴ Top Family Sedan this year comes from yet another Japanese maker²³. It's the Nissan Altima. Champion says most German cars are below average in reliability. He calls the new Volkswagen Jetta disappointing. Paul Brown, NPR News.

Wildfires burning in West Texas and the Panhandle could move south. They've swept 121,000 acres so far. Authorities say several dozen homes near Amarillo were destroyed. The fires are threatening several other communities. Texas Forest Service spokesman Lewis Kearney says critical areas today stretch from Austin to San Antonio to Houston because of warm temperatures, dry conditions and low humidity. Heavy smoke from the fires was an apparent factor in at least one highway death.

1 discrediting   

使不相信( discredit的现在分词 )； 使怀疑； 败坏…的名声； 拒绝相信

参考例句：

• It has also led to the discrediting of mainstream macroeconomics. 它还使得人们对主流宏观经济学产生了怀疑。

2 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

3 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

7 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

10 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

11 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

12 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

13 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。

14 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》

15 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

17 citations   

n.引用( citation的名词复数 )；引证；引文；表扬

参考例句：

• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Some dictionary writers use citations to show what words mean. 有些辞典的编纂者用引文作例证以解释词义。 来自辞典例句

18 impede   

v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止

参考例句：

• One shouldn't impede other's progress.一个人不应该妨碍他人进步。
• The muddy roads impede our journey.我们的旅游被泥泞的道路阻挠了。

19 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

20 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

21 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

22 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

23 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

24 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。