NPR 2012-02-17

 House Speaker John Boehner says the payroll¹ tax cut and unemployment insurance should be extended, but it won't help the US economy much. The lawmaker's warning came hours after congressional negotiators announced the tentative deal that would end an election-year standoff over a tax cut for 160 million working Americans.

 

President Obama is fundraising in California, where he's telling voters his work "is not yet complete." He's expected to draw more than eight million dollars in donations from his three-day trip through the Western US. That's on top of the more than 220 million the incumbent² raised last year for his reelection, surpassing the amount of money raised by his Republican presidential rivals.

 

Campaigning in Michigan today, Mitt³ Romney tried to distinguish himself from Rick Santorum. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports that Romney grew up in Michigan, so a defeat there would be a huge blow to his campaign.

 

At a roundtable with business leaders outside of Detroit, Romney said he's a Washington outsider, and Republicans such as Rick Santorum, who ran Washington during the last decade, betrayed their conservative principles.

 

"Republicans started earmarking like crazy. Republicans spent too much money, way above the rate of inflation. Republicans didn't send programs back to the states. Republicans didn't eliminate programs, we added programs. We were doing exactly what the Democrats⁴ have done."

 

Although Romney did not name Santorum, that's the line of attack his campaign and super PAC have used to try to tear down the former Pennsylvania senator. Santorum has been rising in polls ever since he swept contests in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Monroe, Michigan.

 

The Maryland and New Jersey⁵ statehouses today are taking up same-sex marriage bills just days after a similar measure was signed into law in Washington state. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, a rising star in the Democratic Party, backs same-sex marriage. New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie, who's been touted⁶ as a possible vice⁷ presidential candidate, is threatening to veto gay marriage legislation.

 

Builders are breaking ground on more housing units in the US underscored by a boost in January. NPR's Annie Baxter tells us construction was especially strong in the volatile⁸ areas of apartments and condos.

 

Housing starts picked up some in January and rose about 4% on an over-the-year basis. Mark Zandi, chief economist⁹ at Moody's Analytics, says the improvements had a lot to do with multi-family housing such as apartments. That area is getting a lift as more people rent instead of own.

 

"Multi-family construction is important, and it should create jobs. In fact, the number of people working in the construction trades is now rising."

 

Zandi says an increase in builder confidence suggests that single-family home construction could also get a boost by the end of the year. But the sector's still significantly depressed¹⁰, compared to its boom years. Annie Baxter, NPR News.

 

Dow's up 121.

 

This is NPR.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accuses the Syrian regime of committing "almost certain" crimes against humanity in his words by failing to stop its crackdown on dissent¹¹.

 

"I call again on the Syrian government to comply with international law, international humanitarian¹² law, and immediately end the shelling and use of force against the civilians¹³."

 

Ban speaking to reporters in Vienna as more reports of violence stream out of Syria. Activists¹⁴ in Daraa and elsewhere reporting raids, arrests and bombardment today. The Syrian government, meanwhile, blames the violence on terrorists.

 

Riot police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have violently broken up a protest march organized by the influential¹⁵ Catholic Church, opposition¹⁶ parties and civil society. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports they’re challenging last year's disputed presidential election results.

 

The planned peaceful protest went ahead in the Congolese capital Kinshasa despite a government ban. Witnesses report panic demonstrators driven into the back of one church by clouds of tear gas fired by riot police. In an incident at another church, armed assailants apparently¹⁷ attacked would-be demonstrators with batons¹⁸ and rocks. Journalists say the police surrounding the church must have given the youth access. Kinshasa's outspoken¹⁹ archdiocese in Africa's most Catholic nation has sharply criticized the outcome of Congo's vote last November, which handed victory to the incumbent president, Joseph Kabila, in elections widely deemed as flawed. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.

 

Gains today in US stocks with the Dow up 118 points at last check.

 

This is NPR News.

1 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

2 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

3 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。

4 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》

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

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 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

11 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 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。

14 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

16 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。

17 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

18 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

19 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。