NPR 2011-03-06

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nancy Lyons.

The Libyan port city of Zawiya, just 30 miles from the capital, is the scene of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces. The Washington Post quotes eyewitnesses¹ who described a massacre² with dozens dead and hundreds more wounded.

Rebels farther eastern Ras Lanuf are continuing their push to conquer cities in the oil-rich region. NPR's Peter Kenyon is monitoring developments from Benghazi.

The next major city is Sirte, which is a pro-Gaddafi stronghold. It's Gaddafi's hometown. His tribe is there, presumably still loyal to him. And one of his sons' army units is believed to be there, and it is believed to be well-fortified. That is down the road further to the west, and it remains³ to be seen if the confidence of the rebel forces is enough to have them launch an attack on that stronghold. For the moment, they're in control of Ras Lanuf, and we're waiting to see if that remains the case throughout the day.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reporting.

Egyptian protesters are taking action to save official documents that they believe are being destroyed to hide evidence of human rights abuses. More than three weeks after the fall of leader Hosni Mubarak, the protesters stormed the state security agency's offices. It's the second straight day they forced their way inside.

A man believed to have raped⁴ and attacked 17 women in four states has been arrested in Connecticut. As Diane Orson of member station WNPR reports, DNA⁵ linked the suspect to the crimes.

The so-called East Coast Rapist is suspected of sexually assaulting women in Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia from 1997 to 2009. Authorities recently posted electronic billboards⁶ with the sketch⁷ of the suspect along highways. They also set up a website about the case. After a tip from authorities in Virginia, investigators⁸ began following 39-year-old New Haven⁹ truck driver Aaron Thomas. They were able to collect a DNA sample, and Connecticut's Forensic¹⁰ Science Lab matched it to 12 of the sexual assaults. Thomas was arrested in New Haven and is being held on $1 million bond. For NPR News, I'm Diane Orson in New Haven.

President Obama is calling on lawmakers to find common ground on a budget deal to keep the government running. In his weekly address, he says he's willing to agree to steeper cuts in order to get there, but he did not offer any specifics. Republicans say their proposed reductions are essential. In their weekly address, Congresswomen Diane Black of Tennessee said the status quo in the lack of a White House plan to tackle out-of-control spending adds to economic uncertainty¹¹.

The two crews on the International Space Station are readying for Monday's undocking. Today, they are checking in air system and loading trash.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Italy's leader Silvio Berlusconi will apparently¹² defend himself in court. He faces trial next month for allegedly paying for sex with an underage Moroccan teenager. His lawyer says Berlusconi will handle his case as long as he doesn't have to show up more than once a week. He's also defending himself in separate trials involving dealings stemming from his business empire.

Utah could soon begin to issue permits to undocumented workers, and at the same time require that police check the immigration status of anyone suspected of committing a crime. Utah legislators have approved both provisions. And as NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports, it's drawing all kinds of criticism.

The legislators behind the Utah's efforts to deal with undocumented immigrants say their approach is totally different from Arizona's, which drew widespread condemnation¹³ last year for requiring police to question a person's immigration status if they suspected that person was in the US illegally. Critics said it pretty much boiled down to profiling, targeting anyone who look Latino. Those same critics are wary¹⁴ of what Utah wants to do. It would allow police to check a person's immigration status but only after that person has been stopped for a felony or misdemeanor. Utah's gas worker proposal, on the other hand, would guarantee a permanent pool of workers that sponsors say would benefit the state's economy and allow undocumented workers and their families to settle in Utah legally. Critics say this would attract more illegal immigrants. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

The risk to rescuers is apparently too great, so officials in Nevada have given up trying to save a man who fell into an abandoned shaft¹⁵ on Wednesday. Video footage shows he is still breathing.

I'm Nancy Lyons, NPR News in Washington.

1 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

2 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

7 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

8 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》

9 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

10 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

11 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。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

14 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

15 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。