NPR 2012-04-29

 On Rattlesnake Ridge¹ in Washington’s Cascade² Mountains, King County sheriffs believe they have found the dead body of Peter Keller. The survivalist had not been seen since last weekend’s killings³ of Keller’s wife and daughter, for which he’d been charged. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Sergeant⁴ Katie Larson said officers blasted open the mouth of the bunker when an effort to communicate with Keller failed.

 

"We began trying to engage in conversation with the person in the bunker. Then we received a response, and at that point our TAC 30 team used an explosive to breach⁵ the roof of the heavily fortified⁶ bunker, and then that allowed us to enter the bunker.”

 

She said the apparent cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 

There are reports a blind Chinese legal activist⁷ managed to escape house arrest in his village, and he’s currently under the protection of the US embassy in Beijing. As the BBC’s Martin Patience tells us, dissident Chen Guangcheng is now worried about his family.

 

Neither the American nor Chinese government has publicly commented on this case. But yesterday a prominent dissident told the BBC that Chen Guangcheng had been taken to the US embassy. After his dramatic escape from his home in Shandong province, Mr. Chen released a video calling for China’s premier⁸ to ensure the safety of his family. There are reports that the activist’s brother and a nephew are among those who've been detained by the police for helping⁹ him to flee. 

 

The BBC’s Martin Patience.

 

Congressional Republicans have passed a bill preventing increases in student loans. But as NPR’s David Welna reports, the White House is not satisfied.

 

The bill extending the Stafford college loan subsidies¹⁰ costs nearly six billion dollars. House Republicans paid for that by abolishing a preventive health fund of the new health care law. Democrats¹¹ said that will harm the health of women and children. House Speaker John Boehner disagreed. 

 

“People want to politicize this because it’s an election year, but my God, do we have to fight about everything?”

 

The measure narrowly passed. But Connecticut Democratic Joe Courtney said as far as the bill will go, “this measure is dead. It will be vetoed. It’s not going anywhere.” Senate Democrats next month take up a similar loan extension bill. But it’s paid for by closing tax loopholes. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

It his weekly address, the president is reminding soldiers and veterans of a crackdown on unscrupulous for-profit educational institutions seeking to benefit from GI education benefit dollars.

 

"The sad truth is that there are people out there who are less interested in help our men and women in uniform in getting ahead and more interested in making a buck¹².”

 

The program was introduced to a military base in Georgia this Friday. The program is called “Know Before You Owe.” 

 

This is NPR News in Washington.

 

Spain is stepping up security ahead of the European Central Bank meeting in Barcelona next week. Lauren Frayer has details from Madrid.

 

With a single visa, you can normally travel freely within the so-called Schengen zone, 26 countries that make up most of mainland Europe. But now Spain has temporarily revoked¹³ the Schengen treaty, allowing officials to check passports along the border with France and the international airport in the country’s northeast. Those are the ones closest to Barcelona, where the European Central Bank convenes¹⁴ a board meeting Thursday. Spain wants to thwart¹⁵ protesters who might demonstrate outside the ECB meeting. Spain has Europe’s highest unemployment rate, and people here are angry about austerity measures imposed partly under pressure from the ECB. Last month, protesters set fires and clashed with police during a general strike here. For NPR’s News, I’m Lauren Frayer in Madrid.

 

Over a six-month period ending in March, thousands of unaccompanied child immigrants crossing the Texas border were rounded up by the US Office of Refugee Resettlement, this according to an AP review of the Department of Human and Health Services statistics. And all 5,000 children round up in US custody¹⁶ without a parent or guardian¹⁷. Government and nonprofit agencies have been working to expand shelter and reunification services as well as getting legal representation for the children.

 

The streets of Rome were filled with bicyclists today in a demonstration¹⁸ calling for more respect and safety for people traveling by bike. At one point, the protesters got off their bikes and laid down in the streets to symbolize¹⁹ cyclists and pedestrians²⁰ struck by cars.

 

I’m Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.

1 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

2 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

3 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

4 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

5 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

6 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

7 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。

8 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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》

12 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

13 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句

14 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

15 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

16 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

17 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

18 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

19 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

20 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》