NPR 2012-05-08

 Uncertainty is rippling¹ across world markets about Europe’s ability to deal with its debt crisis. Voters in two countries have punished political leaders who favored austerity measures in order to help rescue Europe’s ailing² economies. In France, the people have voted out President Nicolas Sarkozy and elected Socialist³ Francois Hollande, the first such victory for Francois left since 1995. Hollande has pledged to temper the Germany-driven austerity push across Europe. And a day after austerity-weary voters in Greece overwhelmingly rejected their mainstream⁴ politicians, Greece’s conservative leader Antonis Samaras has handed back the mandate⁵ to form a new government. NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli reports the task now goes to the leader of the second largest party, the Coalition⁶ of the Radical⁷ Left.

 

Debt-burdened Greece is in a political impasse⁸. The results of Sunday’s election produced no viable⁹ government. New Democracy leader Samaras, whose conservative party came in first at under 20%, met with other key party leaders. But by evening he said, “We did everything we could. It was impossible to form a government.” If the deadlock¹⁰ continues, analysts¹¹ predict another election in a few weeks just at the time when Greece has to begin slashing¹² the budget by another 50.5 billion dollars. With the country facing a period political instability, there are concerns that international creditors¹³ could cut off multi-billion-dollar loans and force Greece out of the eurozone. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Athens.

 

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay 1.5 billion dollars in one of the largest settlement of its kind ever in the US. NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports the federal government accuses Abbott of falsely marketing¹⁴ a drug to nursing home patients.

 

Authorities say Abbott Labs promoted the epilepsy drug called Depakote to elderly people in long-term care facilities for years, even though the drug had dangerous side effects such as dehydration¹⁵ and malnutrition¹⁶. Tim Heaphy, the US attorney in the Western District of Virginia, says the idea was a deliberate corporate¹⁷ strategy, not a case of rogue¹⁸ sale agents. As part of the settlement, Abbott executives agree to change the way they pay sales people. And its top official will sign off on annual reports to a federal judge. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

 

The White House says the administration will not negotiate with al-Qaeda, even though it wants the 70-year-old American aid worker being held by the terrorist group to be released unharmed. It is responding to a video released by al-Qaeda yesterday in which Warren Weinstein says his life is in President Obama’s hand. Weinstein was kidnapped in Pakistan nine months ago. His captors are demanding the release of imprisoned¹⁹ al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects around the world.

 

Before the close, the Dow was down 30 points at 13,009. 

 

This is NPR.

 

The five men accused in a bomb plot near Cleveland, Ohio have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. The group has been described as a fringe element of the Occupy Cleveland movement not endorsed²⁰ by leading activists²¹ of the economic quality movement.

 

Next Saturday is looming²² large in the minds of tens of thousands of the nation’s long-term unemployed²³. NPR’s Alison Keyes tells us people in eight states are set to lose their emergency federal jobless benefits.

 

In California, at least 93,000 people will be cut off from their federal long-term unemployment pay. That’s as much as 450 dollars a week for some. In 2009, the federal government supplemented the normal 26 weeks of state jobless benefits, but extensions had added up to a total of 99 weeks of unemployment pay. But the current federal extension benefits expire [slip] May 12 because the state’s unemployment rate has dropped. Long-term unemployed in Illinois, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas will also lose their emergency benefits on that day. Allison Keyes, NPR News.

 

President Obama’s reelection campaign is out with a new television ad that defends the incumbent’s handling of the US economy against critics, who argue that economic recovery will pick up the pace with a Republican in the White House. The commercial acknowledges the country is still not where needs to be in job creation.

 

Before the close on Wall Street, US stocks are mixed with the Dow off 30 points at 13,009 in trading of two billion shares, NASDAQ up one at 2,958, and the S&P 500 up slightly at 1,370. 

1 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。

2 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

3 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

9 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

10 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

13 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

15 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

16 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

17 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

18 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

19 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

20 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 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》

22 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

23 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。