美国国家电台 NPR 2012-09-10

 President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt¹ Romney are speaking out this weekend. Mr. Romney is focusing on potential cuts in defense² spending. These could happen if President Obama and congressional Republicans cannot reach a new budget deal. As NPR's Jim Howard reports Mr. Romney is critical of both sides.

 

Mitt Romney says House Republicans including running mate Paul Ryan were wrong to agree with automatic cuts to end last year's debt ceiling standoff. If congress in the White House don't work out their differences, deep cuts will take place in January as part of the so-called sequestration. Romney is this week's only guest on NBC's Meet the Press. 

 

The president was responsible for coming out with specific changes they had make to the defense budget. It was supposed to have come out this last week. He has violated the law that he in fact signed. The American people need to understand how it is that our defense is going to be so badly cut. 

 

Romney told pro-military crowds in Virginia yesterday that he wants to strengthen and expand the US military. Jim Howard, NPR News, in Washington.

 

President Obama is campaigning in Melbourne, Florida. He says boosting exports can improve the economy by hoping US companies create a million new manufacturing jobs over the next four years. 

 

We can change our tax code, so we stop giving tax breaks to companies that are shifting jobs overseas. Let's reward them for investing in new plants and equipment here in the US and training new workers here in the US and keeping the research and development here in the US and creating jobs right here in the US. 

 

The president says Democrats³ are merely focused on borrowing and spending, but on making and selling goods. 

 

An Iraqi court has sentenced Iraq's fugitive⁴ Vice⁵ President Tareq al-Hashemi to death, he has  been convicted in absentia of running death squads⁶ that targeted Shiite Muslims and members of Iraq's security forces. The BBC's Steve Jackson reports the case sparked a political crisis in the country's power-sharing government.

 

Tareq al-Hashemi's trail heard that he arranged suicide bombings and killings⁸ in Iraq. Witnesses told the court that although the vice president casted himself as the protector of Sunni Muslims. He would order the killing⁷ of Sunni who opposed him. He was also accused of running death squads in targeting Shiite figures. Mr. Hashemi's trail started by focusing on the killings of a lawyer and a military officer. But he may yet face further charges. He has always denied the accusations⁹ saying he is the victim of a political vendetta¹⁰. BBC's Steve Jackson.

 

Meanwhile, there have been several bombings and a shooting in Iraq today. At least 75 people died in car bombs in 11 cities including in Baghdad. Hundreds of people are hurt in a separate incident gunmen shot and killed three Iraqi security officers at the checkpoint in a town west of Baghdad. 

 

There is a new threat against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, it comes from a militant¹¹ leader in Jordan linked to al-Qaeda. Abu Sayyaf his militants¹² have also attacked US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

 

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The US is calling on Somalia to hold a fair and transparent¹³ election tomorrow to choose the country's next president. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports Somalia is trying to set up its first stable administration since 1991, following years of civil war. 

 

More than a dozen candidates are expected to run for president, including Somalia's outgoing leader of the past three years. But bitter disputes along complex and fractious lines divided many challengers. Acting¹⁴ deputy US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell says September 10th will be a historic day for Somalia, adding that it is imperative¹⁵ for all candidates to recognise the winner and the outcome of the vote. Ventrell says the security forces must also respect the new administration and protect human rights. African Union peacekeepers have been battling radical¹⁶ al-Shabab Islamists to try to restore peace and order to Somalia. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Johannesburg.

 

Tropical storm Leslie is swirling¹⁷ in the middle of the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center says it's unlikely now to strike Bermuda, instead it will pass to the east of the island. Authorities in Bermuda are warning there is likely to be flooding and storm surge. 

 

There has been a little progress reported in talks between unionized Chicago school teachers and the city. They are resuming talks this afternoon. However, if no agreement is reached by midnight, the teachers have said they will go on strike. The teachers report, the latest contract offer is improved. The school board president negotiating for the city, says both sides are close at issue on wages and job security.

1 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。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 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》

4 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 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。

9 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

10 vendetta   

n.世仇，宿怨

参考例句：

• For years he pursued a vendetta against the Morris family.多年来他一直在寻求向莫里斯家族报世仇。
• She conducted a personal vendetta against me.她对我有宿仇。

11 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

12 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

13 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

14 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

15 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

16 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。

17 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