NPR 2012-01-01

 Parts of Nigeria are under a state of emergency today. President Goodluck Jonathan made the declaration and ordered the closure of some international borders. He acted after several recent attacks, which were blamed on a Muslim sect¹ that he wants to impose Sharia law in Nigeria. The president also directed his top security officials to set up a special counterterrorism unit to help fight the group which is called Boko Haram, which means western education is forbidden. The sect is claiming responsibility for Christmas Day bombings directed at churches that killed dozens.

 

 

 

The two largest opposition² groups in Syria are agreeing to a plan to bring democracy to their nation after President Bashar Assad steps down. The two factions³ signed the pact⁴ in Cairo last night. They agreed that there will be no military intervention⁵ by other nations, and that they will establish a civilian⁶ pluralistic parliamentary democratic system. The uprising in Syria began in March, inspired by similar protests in other Arab nations.

 

 

 

North Korean reports say that the new leader Kim Jong-un has been formally designated the supreme⁷ commander of North Korea's armed forces. NPR's Mike Shuster reports from Seoul that the declaration is part of a continuing process to cement his authority as successor to his late father Kim Jong-il.

 

 

 

Kim Jong-un is in his late 20s and has had virtually no military experience. Nevertheless, an unannounced meeting of the leaders of North Korea's Workers Party has bestowed⁸ on him the title Supreme Commander, according to a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. That places him atop an army of an estimated 1.2 million troops, possessing a vast arsenal⁹ of artillery¹⁰ and missiles, many of them deployed¹¹ along the border with South Korea. The North Korean news release said it was the wish of Kim Jong-il expressed in his will that his son assume the position of Supreme Commander. The move consolidates¹² power further in the young Kim's hands, a process that has been underway since Kim Jong-il died on December 17. Mike Shuster, NPR News, Seoul.

 

 

 

Authorities in Southern California are investigating more than two dozen fires set over the past two nights. NPR's Jeff Brady reports there were at least seven cars set on fire early this morning in North Hollywood.

 

 

 

In most cases, the fires involve parked cars. Sometimes just the car was damaged. But in a few cases, the fires spread to nearby buildings. Authorities tell the Associated Press they believe the fires set Friday in the Hollywood area are related to those set early this morning. No serious injuries have been reported. There one firefighter did suffer non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released from the hospital. On Friday, fire officials said damage was conservatively estimated at 350,000 dollars. Local authorities and the Federal ATF are offering a 60,000-dollar reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest and conviction. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

 

 

 

This is NPR News

 

 

 

Several hundred Somalis demonstrated in Minneapolis yesterday to protest the cutoff of money transfers to Somalia. Rupa Shenoy reports from Minnesota Public Radio.

 

 

 

US Somalis send millions of dollars to Somalia through money-wiring companies. Those companies need a US bank to facilitate the transfers. What's thought to be the last US bank to work with the money-wiring businesses closed their accounts, shutting down remittances¹³ to Somalia. The Minneapolis bank fears prosecution¹⁴ if its system is used to send money to terrorists. Samatalis Haille was among the crowd at a demonstration¹⁵ in Minneapolis to protest the cutoff.

 

 

 

"I'm quite surprised how the government did not take this seriously and did not come up with a solution that would somehow avoid this kind of situation, because there are now hundreds of people who want to send money back home, and they cannot do so."

 

 

 

Minnesota's congressional delegation¹⁶ is lobbying the State Department for a solution. For NPR News, I'm Rupa Shenoy.

 

 

 

British health officials today ordered an investigation¹⁷ into the safety of silicone breast implants¹⁸ made by a now-defunct French company. The devices were pulled off the market last year in several countries because of fears they could rupture¹⁹ and leak silicone into the body. Britain had said there was no need for women to remove the implants, but British Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said today he's received new information, and he wants to investigate. He declined to provide details. About 40,000 British women have such implants.

 

 

 

A North Carolina male bringing in the New Year in jail. Authorities told the Winston-Salem Journal he tried to buy some stuff at Wal-Mart with a million-dollar bill. He insisted that it was real. The largest bill now in circulation is $100.

1 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

2 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。

3 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

4 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

9 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

10 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 consolidates   

巩固

参考例句：

• We've made a good start, now it's time to consolidate. 我们有了一个良好的开端，现在应该加以巩固。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Yuan Shih-k'ai, a would-be Oriental Bonaparte, now attempted to consolidate his power. 当时，一度可能成为东方波拿巴的袁世凯试图巩固他的权力。 来自英汉非文学 - 新闻报道

13 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

16 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

18 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

19 rupture   

n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂

参考例句：

• I can rupture a rule for a friend.我可以为朋友破一次例。
• The rupture of a blood vessel usually cause the mark of a bruise.血管的突然破裂往往会造成外伤的痕迹。