NPR 2012-01-27

 President Obama’s pitching his economic agenda to southwestern voters today, recapping the plan he outlined in his State of the Union address Tuesday. The president says everything his administration has done to build up manufacturing, clean energy and jobs is paying off.

 

"Today, three years after the worst economic storm in three generations, our economy is growing again."

 

The president speaking today in the Las Vegas area. The government says durable¹ goods orders rose 3% last month, that plus strong earnings² from US companies, push the Dow close to its highest close since the 2008 financial crisis. However, stocks have since lost traction³ on the latest housing data. December new home sales fell, making 2011 the worst on record for that category. At last check, the Dow was down one point at 12,756; NASDAQ off ten at 2,809 with the S&P 500 down six at 1,320.

 

The Republican presidential candidates continue to blast President Obama's economic policies. The leading contenders, Mitt⁴ Romney and Newt Gingrich, are in Jacksonville, Florida, preparing for tonight's debate. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports it is the last confrontation⁵ between the two men before Tuesday's primary.

 

At an outdoor rally, Romney talked about tonight's debate in a light and breezy tone. He gave no sense that his debate performance could determine the outcome of the Florida race and perhaps the Republican presidential nomination⁶.

 

"There's gonna be fun again, you know that, and we’re gonna have some choice times, talking about the president and his failures. We'll probably talk a good deal about the State of the Union address and how badly mischaracterized he has described our nation at a time when so many people are suffering in this state and across the country."

 

Newt Gringrich spoke⁷ to a group of veterans this afternoon. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum will participate tonight as well, but polls show the race for Florida is basically a dead heat between Romney and Gingrich. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Jacksonville.

 

The Greek debt crisis still weighs on world markets. Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is due to meet today with representatives of banks holding Greek bonds. More from John Psaropoulos in Athens.

 

This is the third time this month that negotiators have hoped for a deal by the weekend. It's a sign of how difficult these talks have become since Greece's eurozone creditors⁸ toughened their stance towards bankers, asking them to take losses of 70% or more. Papademos this week said he believed a deal would be reached before week's end. The government has said it will announce the final deal by February 13th. Should voluntary debt forgiveness fail, Greece could force of discount or postpone⁹ payment of some 17 billion dollars worth of bonds maturing this year. But markets would consider that a default, something the eurozone still wants to avoid. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

 

This is NPR News.

 

An Iraqi government spokesman says the country plans to take legal action over US raids seven years ago that killed 24 unarmed civilians¹⁰. But Ali al-Mussawi's comments today underscored why it spread anger among Iraqi civilians after the only Marine¹¹ convicted in the killings¹² was spared significant jail time. Staff Sgt.  Frank Wuterich defended the raid as a necessity in wartime and said his squad¹³ did not act dishonorably.

 

A former Marine from Virginia faces a 25-year sentence for firing shots at the Pentagon, the Marine Corps¹⁴ Museum, and Quantico and other targets. Yonathan Melaku pleaded guilty today. The 24-year-old was arrested in June.

 

Heavy rain and gusty¹⁵ winds blanketing parts of Alabama today. NPR's Russell Lewis says the conditions are making life miserable¹⁶ for thousands of people whose homes were heavily damaged in Monday's tornadoes¹⁷.

 

A total of ten tornadoes touched down Monday before sunrise across north-central Alabama. In the hardest-hit areas, whole neighborhoods were decimated, roofs ripped off, windows blown out, cars crushed by debris¹⁸. Now a steady pounding rain is complicating¹⁹ the relief efforts. Shelters are reporting an influx²⁰ of people. Utility crews can't restore power, and insurance adjusters are slowed by the conditions. The ominous²¹ clouds and bolts of lightening are also a tough psychological reminder²² about how difficult this week has been for people. Russell Lewis, NPR News, Birmingham.

 

At last glance, US stocks were mixed with the Dow up two points at 12,759 in trading of about 2.8 billion shares; NASDAQ off ten points at 2,809.

1 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

2 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

3 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。

4 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

10 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。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

13 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

14 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

15 gusty   

adj.起大风的

参考例句：

• Weather forecasts predict more hot weather,gusty winds and lightning strikes.天气预报预测高温、大风和雷电天气将继续。
• Why was Candlestick Park so windy and gusty? 埃德尔斯蒂克公园里为什么会有那么多的强劲阵风？

16 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

17 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

18 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

19 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

20 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

21 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

22 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。