NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-10-04

 A grim-faced John Boehner emerged from the White House to say that President Obama has refused to negotiate with Republicans, who want to tie a temporary funding measure to his signature health care law, Speaker Boehner saying while there was a polite conversation, there’s no sign of budging¹ from the president.

 

“All we’re asking for here is a discussion and fairness for the American people under Obamacare.” 

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid, meanwhile, accuses his Republican colleague of being the one unwilling³ to move forward on the continuing resolution to fund the government. 

 

“I thought that they were concerned about the long-term fiscal⁴ affairs of this country, and we said we are too, let's talk about it. My friend, John Boehner, I repeat, cannot take yes for an answer.” 

 

The standoff over health care has resulted in a now two-day-old partial government shutdown that’s idled 800,000 federal workers and closed national parks, museums and monuments. 

 

Intelligence chiefs say the government shutdown is limiting their duty to guard against terrorism. As NPR's Larry Abramson explains, some members of Congress say the White House should pass special legislation to fund intelligence activities. 

 

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate panel that's 70% of the nation’s civilian⁵ intelligence workers are furloughed because of the shutdown. 

 

“This seriously damages our ability to protect the safety and security of this nation and its citizens.” 

 

Clapper said the harm to intelligence gathering⁶ would grow the longer the government is closed. He said he and other intelligence leaders are assessing day to day which works are essential to protect against the most serious threats. Some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee called on the president to authorize⁷ special funding for intelligence work. Larry Abramson, NPR News. 

 

House Democrats⁸ are taking the wraps off an immigration bill they say opens a pathway to citizenship⁹ for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The measure unveiled today by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. More than a dozen others would also tighten¹⁰ security along the nation's borders. 

 

The Moody's ADP private payroll¹¹ report out today shows slower-than-expected jobs growth in the month of September -- around 166,000. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports the softening¹² is happening because of fiscal cutbacks. 

 

The recent rising interest rate has slowed hiring in the financial services sector¹³ and job growth is also lower in retail¹⁴ and leisure and hospitality. But construction is still picking up as the housing market improves. Moody's chief economist¹⁵ Mark Zandi says the real threat to economic growth in the job market is fiscal deadlock¹⁶ -- not just the current government shutdown, but the prospect¹⁷ of Congress not raising the debt ceiling by the deadline of October 17th. 

 

“I think that policymakers will have opened an economic Pandora's box, and it's gonna be pretty hard to get it all back together again, and that will do significant economic damage.” 

 

He says perhaps lawmakers will only act when people really start losing money. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington. 

 

On Wall Street, the Dow was down 58 points; the S&P 500 lost one point. This is NPR. 

 

(A) US research institute is saying that new satellite images seem to point toward further signs of North Korea restarting a nuclear reactor¹⁸ that could allow for the production of plutonium. North Korea in April announced plans to restart a reactor shuttered under terms of the 2007 disarmament deal, and satellite images taken recently showed steam coming from an adjacent generator¹⁹ building, suggesting the North may be in the process of starting the reactor back up again. 

 

In a report out today from the Death Penalty Information Center says just 2% of counties in the US are responsible for most cases that lead to executions. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports the group found 80% of counties have no inmates²⁰ on death row. 

 

The center, which opposes the death penalty, says states that use the death penalty the most are Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma and Florida, with Texas accounting²¹ for the biggest share at 38%. But the report says even in Texas only a small number of counties -- four of them -- carried out nearly half of the executions. Professor Robert Smith at the University of North Carolina says decisions by a single prosecutor²² can affect the death penalty more than decisions made across entire state. He said between 2004 and 2009 just 10% of counties in the US accounted for all the death sentences imposed. Kathy Lohr, NPR News. 

 

The nation's largest car rental²³ company is putting up the ‘Help Wanted’ sign. Enterprise Holdings says it's looking to fill nearly 11,000 new full-time²⁴ positions by the middle of next year, but 8,500 of which will be management trainee²⁵ posts. All the positions the company will be looking to fill include information technology, administration and support roles at the company's headquarters in suburban²⁶ St. Louis. In addition, Enterprise Company also owns Alamo and the National Car Rental chain. 

1 budging   

v.（使）稍微移动( budge的现在分词 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步

参考例句：

• Give it up, plumber. She's not budging. 别费劲了，水管工。她不会改变主意的。 来自互联网
• I wondered how Albert who showed no intention of budging, felt about Leopold's desertion. 对于从未有迁徙打算的艾伯特来说，我不知道它会怎样看待利奥波德这样弃它而去呢。 来自互联网

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

8 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》

9 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

10 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

11 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

12 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。

13 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

14 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

15 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

16 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。

17 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

18 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

19 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

20 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

22 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

23 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

24 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

25 trainee   

n.受训练者

参考例句：

• The trainee checked out all right on his first flight.受训者第一次飞行完全合格。
• Few of the trainee footballers make it to the top.足球受训人员中没有几个能达到顶级水平。

26 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。