NPR 2011-09-14

 From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst.

 

The White House says President Obama will continue to press his case for a new jobs bill every day and challenge congressional Republicans if they fail to act on the measure. NPR's Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama used a high school in Columbus, Ohio as a backdrop for today's jobs pitch.  

 

The Civil War era campus of Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School has just undergone a multi-million-dollar modernization¹ creating advanced classrooms for students and much-needed jobs for construction workers. President Obama says the jobs bill he submitted to Congress this week would pay for similar improvements at some 35,000 schools nationwide.

 

"There are construction projects like these all across the country just waiting to get started. And there are millions of unemployed² construction workers who are looking for a job. So my question to Congress is: What on earth are we waiting for?"

 

Congressional Republicans are skeptical³ that new government spending will boost the economy, even more so after Mr. Obama proposed paying for the bill by reducing tax breaks for the wealthy. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Columbus, Ohio.

 

Seven Afghans were killed, 15 wounded when gunmen attacked the US embassy in Kabul today with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. NATO headquarters was also targeted, but there is no word of injuries there or at the US embassy. These attacks coincided with suicide bombings elsewhere in the capital. Taliban has claimed responsibility.

 

Political contributions from the drugmaker Merck to Texas Governor Rick Perry are substantially higher than Perry says. NPR's Peter Overby reports Perry lowballed the number in the Tea Party presidential debate Monday night.

 

In the debate, Representative Michele Bachmann accused Perry of mandating⁴ a statewide inoculation⁵ program using Merck-made vaccine⁶ after Merck gave money for his 2006 campaign. Perry said the contribution was just 5,000 dollars.

 

"And if you're saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended."

 

But the numbers tell a different story. The 2006 contribution was for 6,000 dollars. Since 2001, Merck has given Perry a total of 28,500 dollars. And there is more. The watchdog group Texans for Public Justice says that over the past five years, when Perry was raising money for the Republican Governors Association, Merck gave the RGA 377,500 dollars. The total? A shade over 400,000 dollars, about 80 times more than what Perry said. Peter Overby, NPR News , Washington.

 

More than two years after their arrests, freedom could be near for Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. The pair had been held in a Tehran prison and convicted of spying after Iranian authorities arrested them along the Iran-Iraq border in 2009. An Iranian court today set bail⁷ at 500,000 dollars each.

 

Nice move on Wall Street today. The Dow up 44 points, closing at 11,105; the NASDAQ up 37; S&P 500 up 10.

 

This is NPR.

 

A US highway safety agency says states should ban texting and cell phone use by truckers and other commercial drivers when they’re behind the wheel. The National Transportation Safety Border passed the recommendation after a hearing in Washington revealing a truck driver making a call with his cell caused a crash that killed 11 people on a Kentucky interstate last year.

 

National Basketball Association players and owners emerged from labor⁸ negotiations⁹ today, sounding pessimistic about a onetime star for the upcoming NBA season. NPR's Tom Goldman reports the two sides still are far apart on the issue on how to control player salaries.

 

Players and owners met for about five hours. The bulk of that time, owners reportedly huddled¹⁰ by themselves, discussing a proposal by the players that offered a big giveback in salaries in exchange for keeping the current salary structure. That structure has a so-called soft salary cap. It lets teams exceed a ceiling on total salaries, but the owners want a hard cap meaning teams can't go beyond. Owners say that's the only way to control costs that led to a reported 300-million-dollar loss last season. After Tuesday, session union president Derek Fisher of the LA Lakers said he'll tell fellow players we may not start on time.The regular season is scheduled to begin November 1st. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

 

Amtrak is resuming full service between Chicago and California later this week. Now the track damage from flooding and a derailment has been repaired. Amtrak says service will resume this Thursday.

 

Twister and Rubik's Cube are finalists for induction¹¹ into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Also among the 12 nominees¹², Transformers, Star Wars action figures, Hot Wheels and the pogo stick. Two will be selected for induction in November.

 

This is NPR News.

1 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

2 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

3 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

4 mandating   

托管（mandate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Current requirements mandating that committees keep minutes are too general. 目前对委员会要保持详细记录的指令性要求，还是太过一般化了。
• Mandating that workers who quit without permission forfeit a month's wages. 规定工人私自离岗将受到罚没一个月工资的处罚。

5 inoculation   

n.接芽；预防接种

参考例句：

• Travellers are reminded that inoculation against yellow fever is advisable. 提醒旅游者接种预防黄热病的疫苗是明智的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Travelers are reminded that inoculation against yellow fever is advisable. 旅客们被提醒，注射黄热病预防针是明智的。 来自辞典例句

6 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

7 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

8 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。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

11 induction   

n.感应，感应现象

参考例句：

• His induction as a teacher was a turning point in his life.他就任教师工作是他一生的转折点。
• The magnetic signals are sensed by induction coils.磁信号由感应线圈所检测。

12 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网