NPR 2012-02-25

 Despite relentless¹ shelling in parts of Syria, today thousands of people still demonstrated across the country in support of the city of Homs. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports that four embassies and the Red Cross are working now to evacuate² the wounded, including two Western journalists.

 

The large demonstrations³ were in solidarity⁴ for Homs, where the Baba Amr neighborhood has been under a few shelling for three weeks. But violence continued elsewhere too. This YouTube video appeared to show demonstrators in Hara in the southern Daraa province running down an alley⁵ as they came under fire. There was little reaction to the calls for a ceasefire emerging from the Friends of Syrian meeting in Tunisia. One activist⁶ in Homs said such small measures simply showed the weakness of the international community in the face of the murderous regime. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Beirut.

 

Outrage⁷ over the burning of the Koran at the US base in Afghanistan continues to stir protests across the country, and there’re fueling worries Afghan police will not be able to oversee⁸ security once foreign troops leave. But German Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson says local police can handle on ruly crowds.

 

“Years ago, Afghan forces would probably have had no alternative but turning to bullets. They have now really learned to master the skills of crowd control, and they did very well over the last hours.”

 

President Obama has formally apologized to the Afghan people for the burning of the Koran at the Bagram Air Base, saying it was not intentional⁹. Violence today claimed 11 more lives.

 

There’s a new twist in Britain’s phone-hacking scandal. Officials say they’re investigating the conduct of a senior police officer. NPR’s Philip Reeves says the inquiry¹⁰ is focusing on whether the officer inappropriately passed information to one of Rupert Murdoch’s executives.

 

The phone-hacking scandal has already greatly damaged Scotland Yard. Two top officers resigned. A major investigation’s underway into allegations of police accepting bribes¹¹, and an ethics¹² inquiry is about to shine a light on the cozy¹³ relationship between the Yard and Murdoch’s tabloids¹⁴. Now the Independent Police Complaints Commission is looking into whether a senior police officer, in its words, inappropriately disclosed information to an executive from Murdoch’s News International. It’s allegedly happened during the original 2006 police inquiry into phone-hacking about the News of the World. That inquiry was later discredited¹⁵ after wrongly concluding there was little evidence of widespread illegality. Officials say there’s no indication the senior officer was paid for information. Philip Reeves, NPR News, London.

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up six points at 12,990; NASDAQ gaining 11; it’s at 2,968; and the S&P 500 up four points at 1,367. 

 

You’re listening to NPR News.

 

National League MVP Ryan Braun says he’s working to restore his name now that the positive result of a drug test is overturned. The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder no longer faces a 50-game suspension along with the first Major League baseball player to successfully challenge the penalty in a grievance¹⁶. Today he described himself as a victim of a failed process.

 

“We’re a part of a process where you’re 100% guilty until proven innocent. With what’s at stake, this is everything I’ve ever worked for in my life being called into question. We need to make sure that we get it right. You're gonna be in a position where you’re 100% guilty until proven innocent you can’t mess up, and today’s about making sure that this never happens to anybody else who plays this game.”

 

The New York City Department of the Education has released individual ratings on 18,000 teachers. NPR’s Margot Adler reports the release comes after unions lost a legal battle with the city and with news organizations that requested the information under the freedom of information law.

 

Originally the city said the ratings would only be used internally. The court ruled the public has a right to know. The United Federation¹⁷ of Teachers took out newspaper ads, arguing that the teacher data reports are filled with errors. Independent experts say there are sizable errors and omissions¹⁸. The ratings involve fourth- to eighth-grade English and math teachers, and they compare standardized¹⁹ test results to what students are predicted to do. They also factor in poverty and special ed. The ratings are more than two years old, and the School Chancellor²⁰ Dennis Walcott says they should not be used to judge individual teachers. A new rating system with more attention to classroom observation has already been agreed to by state, city and union officials. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.

1 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

2 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

5 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

8 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

9 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

11 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

12 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

13 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

14 tabloids   

n.小报，通俗小报（版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）( tabloid的名词复数 )；药片

参考例句：

• The story was on the front pages of all the tabloids. 所有小报都在头版报道了这件事。
• The story made the front page in all the tabloids. 这件事成了所有小报的头版新闻。

15 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

16 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

17 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

18 omissions   

n.省略( omission的名词复数 )；删节；遗漏；略去或漏掉的事（或人）

参考例句：

• In spite of careful checking, there are still omissions. 饶这么细心核对，还是有遗漏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It has many omissions; even so, it is quite a useful reference book. 那本书有许多遗漏之处，即使如此，尚不失为一本有用的参考书。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

20 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。