NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-12-07

 Former South African President Nelson Mandela has died, the leader who helped guide his country out of apartheid and wan¹ an icon² for justice around the world, died at his home in Johannesburg at the age of 95. Mandela’s death was announced by South African President Jacob Zuma, said the man who helped unify³ the country will now be symbolically⁴ mourned. 

 

Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it’s together that we will bid him, farewell.

 

Mandela spent nearly 30 years in prison for his fight against white minority rule. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along the man who freed him from prison, announcing Mandela’s death today, Zuma noted⁵ we have lost our greatest son. 

 

The death of Mandela was also marked by President Obama today at the White House, as NPR’s Ari Schapiro reports Mandela’s passing has particular meaning for the president. 

 

Obama considered Mandela a personal hero, each was the first black president of the nation with a history of racial tension. Obama’s first political experience was as a college student working against apartheid. In the White House briefing room, Obama talked about the impact of the South African leader on the world.

 

Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa and moved all of us.

 

Obama had hoped to visit Mandela this past summer. But the South African leader was sick in the hospital. Instead, Obama and the first lady met with the family and visited Mandela’s prison cell at Robben Island. Ari Schapiro, NPR News, Washington.

 

The government says the growth rate of the U.S. economy jumped to 3.6% annual rate in the third quarter much larger than the government’s first estimate of 2.8%. As NPR’s John Ydstie explains there is skepticism that faster pace can be sustained. 

 

Most of the speedup in growth in the third quarter came from a buildup of business inventories⁶. Meanwhile, consumer spending the major fuel for the economy was the weakest in four years. That suggests growth in the current quarter could be slower as businesses sell what they have on hand rather than ordering more goods. Many economists⁷ suggested the report shows little new momentum⁸ and that growth remain stuck in the 2% range. The government shutdown in October could pull growth even lower for the current quarter. However, recent data on manufacturing and employment do not yet show a slowdown. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 

As Wall Street waits on the crucial November jobs figures due out tomorrow, some weekly numbers show fewer people filing for benefits. Labor⁹ Department says initial jobless claims last week fell by 23,000 to 298,000, that’s a nearly six-year low. 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow dropped 68 points to end the session at 15,821; the NASDAQ was down four points; Standard & Poor’s 500 lost seven points today.

 

You are listening to NPR News.

 

The prime minister of Central African Republic is welcoming military intervention¹⁰ by the French, hours after deadly assaults around the Capital Bangui, apparently¹¹ escalated¹². French President Francois Hollande agreeing to double the number of troops in the former French colony. Witnesses and aid workers describe the situation there has been near-anarchy. Officials say armed Christian¹³ fighters who have opposed a Muslim-led government, attacked the capital before dawn. Upwards¹⁴ of 100 people are reported dead with an unknown number of injuries. 

 

Winter weather bearing down on the southern central U.S. has already forced American Airlines to cancel about 500 flights in and out of Dallas Fort Worth Airport. Bill Zeeble with member station KERA in Dallas reports many airlines are leaving customers change flights without penalties. 

 

American Airlines and American Eagle combined canceled close to 500 flights in and out of headquarters hub DFW Airport through Friday morning. The carrier has implemented¹⁵ its storm policy that lets customers change plans when using selected airports in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Other airlines are also letting customers change plans through December 7th when using airports in the affected¹⁶ regions. The carriers include South West, JetBlue, United, US Airways¹⁷ and Virgin¹⁸ America. It’s not yet known how Americans cancelations will ripple¹⁹ through the rest of its network, North Texas is under a winter storm warning through Friday morning. For NPR News, I’m Bill Zeeble, in Dallas.

 

In Washington State, officials say gay marriage is made up about 17% of all marriages there last year. State officials say more than 7,000 same-sex couples were married between December 6th of last year and September of this year. Meanwhile, the nation’s largest freight railroad in that state will provide health care same-sex couples. Two BNSF engineers in Washington state sued the rail company. 

 

I’m Jack²⁰ Speer, NPR News, in Washington.

1 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。

2 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

3 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

4 symbolically   

ad.象征地，象征性地

参考例句：

• By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. 将婚戒戴在左手的第三只手指上，意味着夫妻双方象征性地宣告他们的爱情天长地久，他们定能白头偕老。
• Symbolically, he coughed to clear his throat. 周经理象征地咳一声无谓的嗽，清清嗓子。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

13 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。

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

15 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

16 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。

17 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

18 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

19 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

20 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。