NPR 2012-02-20

 Facing ever-tighter Western sanctions for its nuclear program, Iran now has halted oil shipments to Great Britain and France. Meanwhile, Larry Miller¹ tells us, the UK is advising the peace of the world is at risk.

 

British Foreign Secretary William Hague warns that if Tehran develops nuclear weapons, Iran would be attacked and there'll be war. Hague told the BBC it's clear Iran is behind the attempted assassination² of the Saudi ambassador to the US and recent terrorist incidents in Georgia, Thailand and India.

 

"Iran has increased in its willingness to contemplate³ utterly⁴ illegal activities in other parts of the world - this is part of the dangers that Iran is currently presenting to the peace of the world."

 

Meanwhile, Iran says it's stopped selling crude oil to British and French companies, but that would have happened anyway in July when an EU boycott⁵ of Iranian oil goes into effect. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 

A news agency in Iran is reporting a fire erupted at one of the biggest petrochemical facilities there. The oil and gas sector⁶ in Iran has been hit by an increasing number of attacks in recent years. There was no word on the cause of the fire.

 

In Egypt, the nominating period for presidential candidates opens in a couple of weeks, but there's still no final election date. Nonetheless, as Merrit Kennedy reports, Egypt's electoral commission says the whole process should be over by the end of June.

 

The date when Egypt's ruling generals hand power to an elected president continues to be a flashpoint here, as protesters and political figures call for a faster turnover⁷ of power. The generals said initially⁸ that they'd cede⁹ power in six months, and it's now been more than a year. State press reported earlier this week that presidential elections would be pushed up to late May. This comes after the candidate registration¹⁰ period was pushed up one month. But from today's press conference of the electoral commission, it seems that elections will still take place in June. The head of the Presidential Elections Commission said the exact voting date is not set yet because of logistical problems with organizing the vote for Egyptians abroad. For NPR News, I'm Merrit Kennedy in Cairo.

 

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum charged this weekend that President Obama uses what he calls a phony theology to justify¹¹ policy. Today on ABC's This Week, the president's campaign advisor¹² Robert Gibbs said of the Santorum attack.

 

"I can't help but think that those remarks are well over the line."

 

Gibbs says the candidate should instead focus on the economic challenges faced by millions of Americans.

 

Since 1996, the Irish theater production featuring music and tap riverdance has been touring America. This year, that will end. Show is on an 82-city North American farewell tour.

 

This is NPR News.

 

An avalanche¹³ in the Austrian Alps has left Price Johan Friso in critical condition. The 43-year-old Dutch prince was rescued after skiing off marked trails.

 

Voters in Latvia have rejected a referendum that would have made Russia one of the country's official languages. NPR's Corey Flintoff says the result was expected but it highlights the deep division in Latvian society.

 

The real issue ethnic¹⁴ oppression says is discrimination. Ever since Latvia claimed its independence from the former Soviet¹⁵ Union in 1991, Russians in the country say they've been treated as second-class citizens. They say that official status for their language would help assert their rights. Many ethnic Latvians still resent the former Russian domination of their country, and they say the Russians who remain should have to assimilate and use the native tongue. Latvia's president opposes the referendum, noting that the government already provides Russian speakers with schools in their own language. The referendum is expected to fail. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow.

 

A swanky 70th birthday celebration for boxer¹⁶ Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas featured videotaped good wishes from President Obama. Proceeds from the event will go to brain research. Ali has been suffering Parkinson's disease for several years.

 

For the first time in modern Olympic history, there'll be a women's boxing event when international athletes meet this summer at London, but the perennial¹⁷ female question “what to wear” had emerged as a distraction¹⁸. It appears the answer's going to be either shorts or skirts depending upon the preference of the athlete.

1 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

2 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

3 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

4 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

5 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

6 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。

7 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 cede   

v.割让，放弃

参考例句：

• The debater refused to cede the point to her opponent.辩论者拒绝向她的对手放弃其主张。
• Not because I'm proud.In fact,in front of you I cede all my pride.这不是因为骄傲，事实上我在你面前毫无骄傲可言。

10 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

11 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

12 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

13 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

14 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

15 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

16 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

17 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

18 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。