NPR 2012-12-20

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

 

　　President Obama says he and House Speaker John Boehner are pretty close to a deal to keep the country from going over a fiscal¹ cliff, but addressing the press for just under a minute this afternoon. Boehner says House Republicans will pass tax relief for nearly everyone in the US.

 

　　Then the President will have a decision to make. He can call on Senate Democrats² to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history.

 

　　The President is urging lawmakers to, in his words, peel off the partisan³ war paint and strike a deal.

 

　　Up until a couple of days ago if you looked at it. The Republicans in the House and Speaker Boehner, I think we were in a position to say we've gotten a fair deal. The fact that they haven't taken it yet is puzzling.

 

　　Talks have come to a standstill just days before broad tax increases and steep spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

 

　　The Federal Trade Commission is clamping down on websites and mobile apps that collect information from children. As NPR's Martin Kaste reports the FTC is updating a 1990s era law called the Children Online Privacy Protection Act.

 

　　COPPA was passed in 1998 to stop websites from asking kids under 13 for their names and addresses, unless their parents gave consent. But these days, online services don't need to ask for the information, they can offer an IDU just based on the digital fingerprint⁴ of your device. Now the FTC says that requires parental⁵ consent, too. If the device ID is used to build a profile on the child or target him with behavior advertising⁶. For instance, offering him a deal on a happy meal just because his phone is close to McDonald's. Privacy groups have hailed the announcement and some hope for similar limits on the use of personal information of adults, too. Martin Kaste, NPR News.

 

　　The daughter of a cold-war era military ruler has won presidential elections in South Korea to become the nation's first female leader. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul that the candidate has repositioned the conservative ruling party from the right wing towards the center.

 

　　The boisterous⁸ crowds celebrating Park Geun-hye's victory appeared to be predominantly middle-aged⁹ and older, people who would remember her father, the late President  Park Chung-hee, who left legacy¹⁰ of rapid economic growth and authoritarian¹¹ politics. The 60-year-old Ms. Park vanquished¹² opposition¹³ candidate Moon Jae-in, in a close race that produced a 76% voter turnout, the highest in a decade. Ms. Park said her victory represented Koreans' hopes for economic recovery.  She's promised to increase welfare spending and to negotiate with her north Korean counterpart Kim Jung-un. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　The panel that reviewed the deadly September 11th attacks in Benghazi Libya is blaming the tragedy on insufficient¹⁴ security staffing. Speaking to Congress today,  Admiral Mike Mullen says State Department bureaus hadn't assumed shared responsibility for security and that Libyan teams assigned to back up US personnel hadn't performed well. He says the mission's security fell through the cracks because buildings hadn't been categorized as temporary residential⁷ facilities.

 

　　Defense¹⁵ Secretary Leon Penetta has ordered a worldwide review of the hiring practices at US military day care centers after two workers at a Washington area center, were charged with assaulting children and others were found to have criminal pasts. NPR's Tom Bowman has more.

 

　　The Pentagon review will examine the hiring practices at hundreds of military child centers around the world, following assaults against children at Fort Myer Virginia outside Washington. Two child care workers will face multiple assault charges today in federal court in Virginia, following their arrests in September. They accused of striking and dropping toddlers. The arrests spurred an investigation¹⁶ and a Pentagon official said that some of the 30 child care workers at the center were found to have criminal records. The center has since closed and the children were placed at another child care center at Fort Myer. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　An international investment bank has been ordered to pay more than $1.5 billion in penalties in three nations. The Justice Department says UBS Securities Japan, will plead guilty to felony wire fraud and attempting to manipulate the interest rate.

 

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

1 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。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

4 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

5 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

8 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

9 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

11 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

12 vanquished   

v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 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。

14 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

16 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。