NPR 2011-05-26

President Obama calls the US-British alliance as vital as ever in asserting its influence on pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world, but in his address to the British Parliament today, the president said freedom cannot be imposed, just supported. "We will proceed with humility¹, and the knowledge that we cannot dictate² every outcome abroad. Ultimately, freedom must be won by the people themselves, not imposed from without." Mr. Obama was the first US president to address both houses of the British Parliament in Westminster Hall. Earlier, he and British Prime Minister David Cameron said they would keep up their pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down.

More reports of suspected tornadoes³ today in parts of the plains in southern US, less than a day after the region suffered twisters that claimed at least 14 lives. NPR's Cheryle Corley is getting a first-hand look at damage in a trailer park in the small town of Chickasha, about 25 miles from Oklahoma City.

I met some families who had come to really salvage⁴ whatever they could. I talked to an eleven-year-old, who was looking for his clothes, his DVDs and also his sister's puppy that they hadn't been able to find. This family had just moved here less than a year ago, and his parents say whatever happened they're grateful their family is safe.

That's NPR Cheryl Corley.

Whistleblowers at US companies could receive big compensation from the Securities and Exchange Commission under a new program approved by the commission today. As NPR's John Ydstie tells us, the rules were opposed by businesses.

The new rules would encourage whistleblowers to report wrongdoing by making them eligible⁵ for cash rewards in cases where sanctions on the company exceed a million dollars. Whistleblowers could receive from 10% to 30% of the total amount. SEC Chair Mary Schapiro said the rules mandated⁶ by the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul⁷ legislation are intended to break the silence of those who see [a] wrong. US businesses from Google to JP Morgan Chase opposed the rules, saying they will undermine compliance⁸ programs that are already in place. The SEC's two Republican commissioners⁹ voted against the rules. The US Chamber¹⁰ of Commerce says the new rules create a bounty¹¹ program that rewards amateur sleuths in search of a big payday. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

Twenty-five hundred jobs coming to a General Motors plant in the Detroit area, GM says it's hiring more people to help build the new Chevrolet Malibu midsize car and the Impala large sedan. Expanded workforce¹² includes about 1,300 people who were laid off by GM.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 39 points at 12,395, and the NASDAQ was up 15 points at 2,761.

This is NPR News.

Oprah Winfrey fans likely remember this big announcement. "After much prayer and months of careful thought, I have decided¹³ that next season, season 25, will be the last season of The Oprah Winfrey Show." Well, that moment is here. The show's taped finale is airing today, and the whole thing isn't old to fans, many of whom have been following the show since it started a quarter century ago. This year, she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network. By the way, she also opened Harpo Studios back in 1990.

Fifty years after President John F. Kennedy made his famous call to land a man on the moon, a newly released tape recording¹⁴ shows Kennedy struggling with what he saw as tough sells at the American people. NPR's Tovia Smith reports Kennedy fretted¹⁵ the space program had "lost a lot of its glamour¹⁶."

On the tape, JFK worries aloud about the approaching 1964 election and how it may be "open season" among his costly¹⁷ space program. This looks like a hell of a lot of dough¹⁸, JFK says, and "Eisenhower is going to be kicking us around." JFK strategizes with NASA administer James Webb to cast the lunar landing as more than "just a stunt¹⁹" by focusing on its potential military benefit. "We can give this thing a military slant²⁰. We can justify²¹ the military or national security route much better than we can justify the prestige these days." On the tape, Kennedy also sounds deflated²² when told there's little chance the landing could happen on his watch even if reelected. This is a tough job, Webb tells him, a tough, tough job. Tovia Smith, NPR News, Boston.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

1 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

2 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

7 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。

8 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

9 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

10 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

11 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

12 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

15 fretted   

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：

• The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
• The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

16 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

17 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

18 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

19 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

20 slant   

v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向

参考例句：

• The lines are drawn on a slant.这些线条被画成斜线。
• The editorial had an antiunion slant.这篇社论有一种反工会的倾向。

21 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

22 deflated   

adj. 灰心丧气的

参考例句：

• I was quite deflated by her lack of interest in my suggestions.他对我的建议兴趣不大，令我感到十分气馁。
• He was deflated by the news.这消息令他泄气。