美国国家电台 NPR 2012-09-09

 The presidential candidates are campaigning for votes in key swing states today. Republican presidential nominee¹ Mitt² Romney is in Virginia. He says President Obama’s economic plan for the US is an utter failure.

 

“With the unemployment level having stuck above 8% for 43 straight months, we remember that the president promised that if we let him borrow almost a trillion dollars, he never let it reach 8%. It has been above 8% ever since.”

 

President Obama says the reason the US is in economic trouble is because of failed policies of prior Republican leaders.

 

“After all that we have been through, do we really think that it would make sense to roll back regulations on Wall Street? That, somehow, that’s going to help small businesswomen expand, or laid-off construction workers keep their homes. Let me tell you that. We have been there. We have tried what they are peddling³. It didn’t work.”

 

Mr. Obama is on a two-day bus tour of Florida. Mr. Romney will attend a NASCAR event later today in Richmond, Virginia.

 

The National Weather Service says it appears a tornado⁴ touched down at a beachfront area of New York City. There aren't any reported injuries and damage appears small. But residents like Lusan Mayor were surprised when they saw something swirling⁵.

 

“I kind of had that like a falling effect with the water, and then that got more concentrated as it went across over … like she had that area in Brooklyn.”

 

The weather affected⁶ the US Open Tennis Tournament, which is held in the area. Tonight’s women’s final between Sabrina Williams and Victoria Asranka has been put off until tomorrow.

 

Six civilians⁷ including children are dead in the wake of an attack by a 14-year-old suicide bomber⁸ near NATO’s headquarters in Kabul. NPR’s Allison Keyes reports.

 

The US-led NATO coalition⁹ is condemning¹⁰ the attack, saying in a statement “forcing underage youth to do their dirty work again proves the insurgency's despicable tactics.” The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the bomber rode right up to the NATO gates on a bicycle in an area where children often sell gum and other goods. This a day after the US designated the Haqqani network as a terrorist organization. It’s been blamed for a number of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan's capital. Allison Keyes, NPR News.

 

Pakistan has released a young Christian¹¹ girl from prison who was accused of burning pages from a Koran. She has been caught up in Pakistan’s severe blasphemy¹² law. It can mean a death sentence for those who desecrate¹³ a Koran. Her supporters say she was set up, and a Muslim cleric has been arrested and charged with hiding the Koran pages in her bag to make it appear that she burned them. The cleric has denied the charge.

 

You’re listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

Italian and NATO rescue crews continued their search today for shipwreck¹⁴ survivors¹⁵ of the Italian island of Lampodusa. The victims were from Tunisia. Fifty-six people were rescued; one person died. NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli says at least 50 more people are missing.

 

Survivors said there had been at least 100 people on board when the 36-foot-long boat began sinking. Lampidusa, closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, is a frequent destination of North African smugglers. The shipwreck followed the recent deaths of 61 migrants, mostly Syrians and Palestinians, after their boat sank off Turkey. Amnesty International said EU governments must do more to rescue and assist the destitute¹⁶ people who arrive on their shores. And Human Rights Watch said Mediterranean¹⁷ rescue operations are hampered¹⁸ by poor coordination¹⁹, disincentives for commercial vessels²⁰ to conduct rescues and emphasis on border enforcement. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

At least 80 died in Friday’s double earthquake in southwestern China. Thousands of buildings were damaged in the rural area, and rescue crews are trying to get to isolated²¹ communities. They are clearing roads of boulders²² and setting up tent camps for survivors. The region had seen damaging quakes before. In 2008, more than 87,000 people died in a huge earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province.

 

Delegates to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit are gathered in eastern Russia, talking about the global economy. China and Russia both urged member nations to invest more in their economies. And they are urging member nations of APEC to keep inflation low.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 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。

3 peddling   

忙于琐事的，无关紧要的

参考例句：

• He worked as a door-to-door salesman peddling cloths and brushes. 他的工作是上门推销抹布和刷子。
• "If he doesn't like peddling, why doesn't he practice law? "要是他不高兴卖柴火，干吗不当律师呢？

4 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

5 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 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。

8 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

9 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。

10 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

13 desecrate   

v.供俗用，亵渎，污辱

参考例句：

• The enemy desecrate the church by using it as a stable.敌人亵渎这所教堂,把它当做马厩。
• It's a crime to desecrate the country's flag.玷污国旗是犯罪。

14 shipwreck   

n.船舶失事，海难

参考例句：

• He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
• The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

15 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

16 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

17 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

18 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

19 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

20 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

22 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》