NPR 2011-09-06

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

 

The chant "four more years" erupts throughout President Obama's speech in Detroit today. He touted¹ the success of a 2009 federal bailout for the largest automakers that he says helps save millions of jobs. And three days before Mr. Obama's due to outline a plan to grow jobs and revive the economy, he's challenging his Republican rivals to sign on.

 

"Labor² is on board. Business is on board. We just need Congress to get on board. Let's put American back to work."

 

But recent polls show the president losing public support with the unemployment rate stuck at 9.1%, and GOP presidential candidates are all over it. Several are gathered for a forum³ in Columbia, South Carolina, where Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was asked how she thinks her jobs program would be different from the president's.

 

"I would change the corporate⁴ tax rate, which is currently about the highest in the world, down to about 20% level."

 

Among those noticeably absent from the forum was Texas Governor Rick Perry. He cut short his trip to South Carolina to return home, where dozens of wildfires are burning across the state. Perry is expected to speak soon from the Bastrop Convention Center, where nearby dark smoke billows high above. NPR's John Burnett is there where he says fire fueling conditions are right.

 

Texas is a tinderbox. I mean this entire state is just, just as dry as kindling⁵. You could not pick worst conditions. It hasn't rained. You've got this wind picking up. There's no humidity. It's just been the perfect conditions for a wildfire.

 

NPR's John Burnett.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross says its workers are being granted at least some access to Syrian prisons which are housing anti-government activists⁶ arrested since the uprising began several months ago. NPR's Peter Kenyon is tracking developments from Beirut.

 

As ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger finished a two-day visit to Syria, the Red Cross issued a statement saying that Red Cross personnel have been allowed into Syrian prisons for the first time. The statement said initial access is to detention⁷ centers run by the Syrian Interior Ministry⁸, but the Red Cross hopes to see all detainees. The statement said the most immediate⁹ concern is to see that the wounded and sick get medical care. During the Red Cross visit, opposition¹⁰ activists said Syrian forces continued a violent sweep across the northwest, causing more civilians¹¹ to flee into Turkey, where thousands are already sheltered in camps. Activists also said a manhunt is underway for the attorney general of Hama, who said he defected in protest over military attacks on civilians. Peter Kenyon, NPR News.

 

In Libya, thousands of rebels are gathered just outside one of Muammar Gaddafi's last strongholds, Bani Walid. The opposition says it's urging Gaddafi loyalists to surrender to avoid a bloodbath .Wall Street was closed for the holiday.This is NPR.

 

Children who live with a smoker¹² in a house miss more days of school than kids from non-smoking households. NPR's Allison Aubrey explains the exposure to second-hand¹³ smoke leads to more respiratory illnesses. About half of all smokers¹⁴ who live with children say they do not smoke in the house, according to a national survey. But that leaves 50% who do, and the children of these smokers, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, are missing more days of school. They're absent about one to 1.5 more days per year, compared to kids who live in non-smoking households. The educational impact of these absences isn't clear, but the financial toll¹⁵ is significant. Researchers say that when these 2.6 million children get sick, parents have to stay home from work, and this adds up to a lot of lost wages about 227 million dollars a year. Experts say eliminating second-hand smoke exposure would cut the risk of illnesses such as ear infections and chest colds and likely reduce the number of school days the kids miss. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

 

A powerful earthquake jolted¹⁶ the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, reportedly killing¹⁷ a 12-year-old boy and sending people streaming from their homes and hotels in panic. Hundreds of patients from at least one hospital had to be evacuated¹⁸. The US Geological Survey says the quake measured a magnitude of 6.6.

 

Pakistan's intelligence agency is reporting the arrest of three leading members of al-Qaeda, the most senior of whom is identified as Younis al-Mauritani. Authorities say he targeted Western economic interests worldwide. Pakistan says it arrested the men near the Afghan border with help from the US.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

5 kindling   

n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There were neat piles of kindling wood against the wall. 墙边整齐地放着几堆引火柴。
• "Coal and kindling all in the shed in the backyard." “煤，劈柴，都在后院小屋里。” 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 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。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

13 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

14 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

15 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

16 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

17 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

18 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。