NPR 2012-01-11

 Voting is underway across New Hampshire for the first-in-the-nation primary. The Republican candidates have spent recent days heavily wooing undecided voters. In Manchester, NPR's Lakshmi Singh encounters some staunch Republicans who say they've been undecided because they’re less than enamored with this year's candidates.

 

The crowds steadily¹ build at this polling site in Manchester, with a number of voters readily admitting that even though they've chosen a Republican candidate, the decision is tabbed at best.

 

Roy Rose, a registered Republican, says this primary he's just not exited about any of the choices.

 

“I think there's enough candidates, but there's just not enough good candidates.”

 

“Okay, so you weren't feeling too crazy about any of 'em?

 

“No. No.”

 

“But you ended up picking one?”

 

“Yes. Huntsman, ’cause I think of the group he's electable.”

 

Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, has had a modest rise in the polls, and he's hoping his campaign builds traction² in the run-up to South Carolina's contest. Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Manchester, New Hampshire.

 

At least ten people are dead in an explosion in a marketplace in Pakistan this morning. Officials say they’re not sure of the motive³. It happened in the northwestern part of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

 

The Supreme⁴ Court hears arguments today on whether the airwaves can still be policed for indecent words or images. This comes at a time when cable TV and the Internet routinely carry such things. This case centers on the use of curse words and fines against broadcasters who showed a woman's naked backside in an episode of ABC's “NYPD Blue” back in 2003.

 

Sales at the wholesale⁵ level are up again. That's according to the Commerce Department. NPR's Dave Mattingly reports the data suggests businesses are seeing stronger economic signals.

 

Sales at the wholesale level were up more than 0.5% in November. They jumped more than 0.75% in October. Some analysts⁶ believe it may signal businesses are seeing a pickup⁷ in consumer demand. But Britt Beemer with the America's Research Group isn't ready to endorse⁸ that idea.

 

“For the consumers' side, I don't see that things have been healthier. I, I've never talked of all consumers out there that are worried.”

 

Another economist⁹ says wholesalers simply remain cautious and aren't willing to boost their stockpiles just yet. They barely budged¹⁰ in November. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

And another bright spot on the economy, although fewer jobs were advertised in November. That's the second month that's happened. In the end, employers ended up hiring more people. The Labor¹¹ Department says employers hired people for more than 4.1 million jobs, nearly matching the number of jobs listed in September. And in September, that was the highest since May of 2010.

 

It's a bit of good news for Wall Street. Right now, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is ahead by 64 points at 12,456, the NASDAQ is up 23 points at 2,700 and the S&P 500 is up ten points.

 

This is NPR News.

 

After ultra-Orthodox Jews dressed up young boys as holocaust¹² prisoners, draft legislation is making its way through the Israeli government that would make that illegal. The bill would impose prison time for calling somebody a Nazi¹³ or using holocaust symbols for anything other than research or education.

 

Thailand's government will pay out millions of dollars in compensation to victims of recent political conflicts. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Kuala Lumpur that the compensation will extend back to protests leading to the 2006 military coup¹⁴.

 

Thailand's cabinet approved the payments which were recommended last year by the Truth for Reconciliation¹⁵ Commission. That body was set up after the military suppression of protests in 2010 that killed 91 people. The government has earmarked nearly 63 million dollars, including almost 142,000 dollars for each family of victims who were killed. Citizens detained for months without trial will also be compensated¹⁶. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has put reconciliation high on her agenda. But she's held off on granting amnesty to her brother Thaksin, the former prime minister ousted¹⁷ in the 2006 coup. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Kuala Lumpur.

 

Only three of the 12 states that won billions of dollars in the US Department of Education's Race to the Top competition are on schedule to implement¹⁸ their proposals. Officials say delays range from trouble implementing¹⁹ reforms to finalizing²⁰ the contracts. It could cost states millions of dollars. The department says New York, Florida and Hawaii are the ones with most significant delays.

 

For the first time, an outspoken²¹ Chinese artist is getting a showing in the United States at the Smithsonian. Ai Weiwei's contemporary sculptures will be displayed at the Smithsonian, starting this spring. He's detained for three months in China last year for speaking out against the government.

1 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

2 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

3 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

4 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。

5 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

8 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

9 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

10 budged   

v.（使）稍微移动( budge的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步

参考例句：

• Old Bosc had never budged an inch--he was totally indifferent. 老包斯克一直连动也没有动，他全然无所谓。 来自辞典例句
• Nobody budged you an inch. 别人一丁点儿都算计不了你。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

13 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。

14 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

15 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

16 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

17 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

18 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

19 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

20 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

21 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。