NPR 2011-03-02

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

Senate Democrats¹ are endorsing² a two-week spending bill aimed at averting³ a partial government shutdown on Friday. This is the House near the vote on budget cuts to keep the government operating.

US warships⁴ are repositioning closer to Libya. In the event, a humanitarian⁵ crisis breaks out amid an uprising against leader Muammar Gaddafi. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before a congressional panel today that civil strife⁶ could erupt if Gaddafi refuses to step down.

"In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted⁷ civil war, or it could descend⁸ into chaos⁹. The stakes are high."

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency's saying that the situation at the Libya-Tunisia border is at a point of crisis. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports more than 140,000 refugees and migrants have fled to Tunisia and Egypt during the last ten days.

UN refugee spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says tens of thousands of people are waiting on the Libyan side of the border with Tunisia; some for as long as three days.

"They are obliged to spend the night outside in the bitter cold without shelter. We are very concerned that a large number of sub-Saharan Africans are not being allowed into Tunisia at this point."

Fleming says she fears racism¹⁰ could be a factor in keeping the African refugees from entering Tunisia. She says it's crucial to move the thousands of refugees away from the overcrowded border to avoid a humanitarian crisis, but transportation is scarce. The UNHCR so far has erected¹¹ 1,500 tents, which can shelter 12,000 people. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

Sighs of relief in Findlay, Ohio after the Blanchard River crested¹² less than 5.5 feet above flood stage today. Still, parts of the city remain underwater. Macrae Silo co-owns a restaurant in town. She says her business is fine, but attracting customers is a whole of a story.

"We're dry. I mean, there's no reason I can't open. The only other problem is staff getting around town. It's bizarre cuz this town is like, is like little pockets of islands, you know, like you'll be, you know, to take 40 minutes to get to the other side of town cuz you have to reroute and go all around."

A federal investigation¹³ of a deadly gas pipeline¹⁴ in San Bruno, California is focusing on why there were no automatic shutoff valves to limit the damage of the explosion last September. More details from NPR's Richard Gonzales.

In hearings before the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, a PG&E official acknowledged writing a memo¹⁵ downplaying the importance of automatic or remote-controlled shutoff valves. The memo says such valves would have little or no impact on increasing human safety or protecting properties. Eight people died in the San Bruno blast, and more than 50 were injured. The hearings are scheduled to run through Thursday. Richard Gonzales, NPR News.

Dow's down 140.

This is NPR.

Fashion house Christian¹⁶ Dior says it is firing its famed designer John Galliano for making racist¹⁷ and anti-Semitic comments. Eleanor Beardsley in Paris reports the designer was already suspended for allegedly insulting a couple in a Paris bar over the weekend.

What transformed the suspension into an outright¹⁸ dismissal is a video that surfaced, showing Galliano using vile¹⁹ language to insult someone. In the video, he also says he likes Hitler, adding, "You people wouldn't be here. Your mothers, your forefathers²⁰ would all be gassed." The video has shocked the fashion community just as it convenes²¹ for a fashion week in Paris. The video surfaced just as Galliano was being questioned by Paris police about an incident over the weekend, where he allegedly hurled²² racist and anti-Semitic insults at a couple. In a statement, Christian Dior said it had a zero-tolerance policy for racism and anti-Semitism. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

A 30-mile stretch of Florida interstate is open again after closing because of a wildfire. Authorities expected rain today to help crews battle with the brushfire, which has charred²³ more than 10,000 acres in Brevard County. The blaze prompted voluntary evacuations. Two hunting camps and several mobile homes were destroyed.

The head of the Treasury²⁴ Department is asking Congress to pass legislation within two years to overhaul²⁵ housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In prepared testimony²⁶ to the House Financial Services Committee today, Timothy Geithner warned that if Congress doesn't take action, uncertainty²⁷ in the housing market will grow.

The latest from Wall Street. Dow's down nearly 140 points, more than 1% at 12,087; the NASDAQ is down 47 points at 2,735.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 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》

2 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

3 averting   

防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• The margin of time for averting crisis was melting away. 可以用来消弥这一危机的些许时光正在逝去。
• These results underscore the value of rescue medications in averting psychotic relapse. 这些结果显示了救护性治疗对避免精神病复发的价值。

4 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

7 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

11 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

12 crested   

adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点

参考例句：

• a great crested grebe 凤头䴙䴘
• The stately mansion crested the hill. 庄严的大厦位于山顶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

15 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

16 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

17 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

18 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

19 vile   

adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的

参考例句：

• Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢？
• Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。

20 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

22 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

25 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

26 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

27 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。