NPR 2011-05-13

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

President Obama wants two more years out of FBI Director Robert Mueller, whose 10-year term expires this September 4. He plans to ask Congress to let Mueller stay on the job longer because of what he described as ongoing¹ threats from terrorism. The Bush administration appointee started just one week before the 9/11 attacks. The al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin² Laden³ was killed in a US raid nearly two weeks ago. Republican Senator John McCain says torture was not a factor in tracking down bin Laden.

"Because under torture, a person will say anything he thinks his captors want to hear, whether it is true or false, if he believes it will relieve the suffering."

McCain speaking today on the Senate floor against waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques. The lawmaker from Arizona spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

The Obama administration is laying out its long-awaited plan to protect the nation's computer networks. The White House aims to boost the security of the computer systems that underlie⁴ power plants, water systems, oil refineries⁵ and other parts of the country's critical infrastructure⁷. More from NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Cyber security experts have long cautioned that the nation's critical infrastructure from its financial networks to its power and transportation grids⁸ is highly vulnerable to cyber attack. The problem is more than 90% of the infrastructure is in the hands of private industry, and the role the government should play in protecting those systems has been vigorously debated. The new White House plan centers on the principle of public-private partnership⁹. The administration is proposing incentives¹⁰ for companies to voluntarily improve their computer security. The federal government could provide assistance, but only if the companies ask for help. Tom Gjelten, NPR News, Washington.

A German court declares John Demjanjuk guilty of accessory to mass murder. The retired¹¹ US autoworker served as a guard at a Nazi¹² death camp during World War II. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports today's verdict ends the latest chapter of a 30-year-old legal odyssey¹³.

The court found the 91-year-old Ukrainian native guilty of being an accessory to murder in the death of some 28,000 Jews and Soviet¹⁴ soldiers, who were killed during his seven months when he was a guard at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. The presiding judge today said Demjanjuk was part of the Nazi's machinery¹⁵ of destruction. Demjanjuk, sitting in a wheelchair, showed no emotion. His lawyer vowed¹⁶ to appeal the verdict and the five-year prison sentence. The case broke new legal ground here as the prosecution¹⁷ successfully argued that if Demjanjuk was at Sobibor, he was an accomplice¹⁸ to mass murder. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Berlin.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 66 points or 0.5% at 12,696; NASDAQ up more than 0.5% at 2,863.

This is NPR News.

Water from the rising Mississippi River overtops a man-made levee in downtown Vicksburg despite desperate attempts to plug the holes, and Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Jeffrey Hess is monitoring another levee which also faces a rising threat.

It's 15 feet deep and nearly at the top of this levee, just solid water as far as you can see. They're concerned now that the water still has another three or four feet to go, and it's gonna overtop this levee. The levee was designed to be overtopped, but just to make sure that it doesn't get washed out from behind as that water flows over. The Army Corps¹⁹ put down about five miles of heavy plastic sheeting. That way the water will just run on top of the sheeting instead of taking the rocks and the sand and the dirt that make up the levee itself.

Jeffrey Hess reporting.

For the second year in a row, golfer Tiger Woods is out of a prominent players championship. He withdrew today because of an injury. Details from NPR's Tom Goldman.

The pain began from the start of Thursday's first round. On his opening tee shot, Tiger Woods' four-time surgically²⁰ repaired left knee acted up, he says, starting a chain reaction in his Achilles and calf²¹. By the time Woods cut short his round after nine holes, he was six strokes over par⁶. Woods strained his left knee and Achilles at the Masters last month. From then until this week, he didn't hit balls or play any practice rounds. Woods gears his season to the major championships. The next one, the US Open, is a little over a month away. Woods has been retooling²² his swing and needs to play more to get it locked-in for competition, but he also needs to rest his leg, meaning more uncertainty²³ as Woods tries, in the aftermath of a scandal and in the midst of injury, to reclaim²⁴ his spot as the world's best golfer. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 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。

3 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 underlie   

v.位于...之下，成为...的基础

参考例句：

• Technology improvements underlie these trends.科技进步将成为此发展趋势的基础。
• Many facts underlie my decision.我的决定是以许多事实为依据的。

5 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

6 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

13 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

14 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

15 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

16 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

17 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

18 accomplice   

n.从犯，帮凶，同谋

参考例句：

• She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
• He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。

19 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

20 surgically   

adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• To bypass this impediment an almost mature egg cell is removed surgically. 为了克服这一障碍，通过手术，取出一个差不多成熟的卵细胞。

21 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

22 retooling   

v.（给…）更换工具， （给…）更换机械设备( retool的现在分词 )；改组，革新

参考例句：

• The factory is retooling to start making the new line of cars. 工厂正在重新装备以便开始制造新系列车型。 来自辞典例句
• Among her suggestions: retooling factories to focus on rebuilding America's transportation system. 她的建议包括围绕重新建设美国交通系统这个重心来重组汽车工业。 来自互联网

23 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。

24 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。