NPR 2012-12-05

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

 

　　President Obama has said there will be no deal to avert¹ the fiscal² cliff unless Republicans drop their opposition³ to raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans. The president is meeting with the bipartisan group of governors today about efforts to head off automatic tax increases and spending cuts next months. Republican Utah Governor Gary Herbert says the governors are pressing the president for an agreement.

 

　　They've got to come together to get it down. This impacts the economy the uncertainty⁴ this out their lingering as creating havoc⁵ with our economy in our states.

 

　　Democrat⁶ Delaware Governor Jack⁷ Merkel is also worried that time is running out.

 

　　We are not saying it should be this plan and that plan. And we will agree on if something has got this down. And the idea that taxes on so many middle-class Americans could go up at the beginning of the year. It's something isn't done; it's something that could really negatively impact the economies in all our states.

 

　　The six governors say they want assurances that any deal to cut spending won't shift their burden to the states.

 

　　And Missouri Congresswoman is calling a quit to join a lobbying trade group not quite a month after winning an easy reelection to a ninth term. NPR's S.V. Date reports.

 

　　Republican Jo Ann Emerson has been representing southeast Missouri since 1996. On November 6th, she won reelection with 72% of the vote. This week, she announced she has a better offer. In February, she takes over as president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. In a statement on a House website, Emerson wrote: I'm not leaving Congress because I have lost my heart for service. To the contrary, I see a new way to serve. Missouri will have to schedule a special election to replace Emerson. S.V.Date NPR News.

 

　　Residents of Northern California are bracing⁸ for another series of wet and windy storms, the fourth in the past week. As NPR's Richard Gonzales reports the region is still recovering from the last series of storms that it's dropped between 15 to 20 inches of rain in some areas.

 

　　Pacific gas and electric is still trying to restore power to more than 6,500 customers after the region was smacked⁹ by a fierce storm Sandy that toppled trees and produced flush floods in some key roadways. But that storm came in and out so fast that flood warnings for the Napa and Russian rivers were for none. The good news is a forecast has said the new series of storms is expected to pack a less punch and the region will get to trend to dry out after Wednesday. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco.

 

　　Police are firing tear gas to stop protesters from approaching the presidential palace in Cairo. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in anger over a draft constitution that outlines the Egypt president push through and decrees giving him sweeping¹⁰ powers.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 2 points at 12, 964.

 

　　This is NPR

 

　　Plans for two major settlement projects in East Jerusalem are moving forward. There has been growing international anger over the Israeli settlement construction ever since last week UN recognition of a state of Palestine. A senior Palestinian official is warning that his government could pursue war crime charges if Israel doesn’t put an end to the settlement projects.

 

　　A Syrian education ministry¹¹ official says a mortar¹² that hit a ninth-grade classroom in a Damascus suburbs has left at least 13 students and one teacher dead. Earlier, state media gave the death toll¹³ of 29 students and a teacher. The government-run news agency Sana blames the attack on terrorist, the term used by the government to refer to rebels fighting against Bashar Assad regime.

 

　　Spanish unemployment has climbed higher for the fourth straight month. As Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid Spain's recession shows no sign of getting up.

 

　　Nearly 75,000 more Spaniards signed up for jobless benefit last month. November is normally a dismal¹⁴ month of unemployment date well after summer jobs are ended before holiday ones begin. But this was a worse November for jobless in 11 years. Hardship is service sector¹⁵ followed by agriculture and heavy industry. But job losses in construction have eased. The European Statistics Agency says Spain's unemployment rate tops 26%, the continent's highest. This week, Europe dispatched part of up to $130bn bailout for Spanish banks. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer in Madrid.

 

　　Dozens of people are dead in Philippines following a typhoon and massive flooding. Officials say at least 33 villagers and soldiers drowned when water rushed down a mountain engulfing¹⁶ the victims.

 

　　This is NPR News.

1 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 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。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

9 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 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。

12 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

13 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。

14 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

16 engulfing   

adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house darkness. 一位摄影师把电灯的保险丝烧断了，使整栋房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A professional photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house in darkness. 一位职业摄影师把保险丝烧断了使整所房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自辞典例句