NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-02-05

　　President Obama is taking his gun control message to Minnesota, a state with an active hunting culture that has also garnered¹ attention for its anti gun-violence-measures. With members of the Minneapolis police department standing² behind him, the president told the crowd moments ago that something has to be done to try to prevent mass shootings like that in Newtown in December.

 

　　“We may not be able to prevent every massacre³ or random⁴ shooting. No law, or set of laws can keep our children completely safe. But if there is even one thing we can do, if there is just one life we can save, we’ve got the obligation to try. “This is the first time the president is promoting his gun control agenda outside Washington where he faces stiff opposition⁵ by many congressional Republicans.

 

　　Civil rights icon⁶ Rosa Parks is being remembered at an exhibit at the museum bearing her name in downtown Montgomery, Alabama on what would have been her 100th birthday. Officials say today’s ceremony are unveiling a US postage stamp in her honor.

 

　　Standing on a street not far from the corner of [Montgomery and Lee], where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on Dec. 1st, 1955, school teacher Kathy Magellan reflected on Park’s life story, saying that it’s one everyone should know. “I think if I had to use a word I say courageous⁷. One man that stood for equality not only for herself, but for others as well.” At the time of the bus boycott⁸, Parks was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and a seamstress in a local department store. After the boycott, she moved to Virginia, and later Detroit where she lived until her death in 2005. During her life, Rosa Parks was honored with both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the congressional gold medal.

 

　　A Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban for defending girls’ rights says she is getting better day-by-day. Malala Yousafzai released her first video statement since last October’s attack. It was posted today hours after doctors at a British hospital said that they had successfully operated to reconstruct the young woman’s skull⁹. Taliban militants¹⁰ tried to kill Yousafzai on a school bus after she refused to stop promoting education for girls.

 

　　Iraqi militia¹¹ men are the latest targets of a suicide attack. Police say the bombers¹² struck as pro-government forces were picking up their wages outside the headquarters north of Baghdad. At least 21 people were killed.

 

　　It appears the England’s king Richard the third was laid to rest in a manner that was anything but regal. Today scientists at the university of Leister confirmed that the bones found beneath a municipal parking lot last year were those of the 15th century monarch¹³. They say the discovery ends a 500-year-old mystery [by] the final resting place of the last English king to die in battle.

 

　　Dozens of French fighter jets are continuing air strikes on Islamist militants’ training and logistic centers, and Jihad’s last stronghold in Mali, the mountainous northeast. NRR’s # reports that France’s Foreign minister says it’s now about destroying the militants’ rear basis.

 

　　Speaking on radio this morning, French Foreign minister Laurent Fabius said the militants have taken refuge in the north. But they can only stay there long term if they have ways to replenish¹⁴ their supplies he said. So the army are stopping them from doing so. The extremist fighters who have controlled northern Mali for the last 10 months have fled into the mountains in the Kidal region near the Algerian border after being driven from Malian towns such as Timbuktu. The extremists are believed to be holding seven French hostages, complicating¹⁵ the operation. Fabius said France wants its troops to be rapidly relieved by African forces and said French soldiers could pull out of Timbuktu this week.

 

　　John Kerry has assumed his new role as secretary of state. One of his top priorities he says is to make sure US diplomats¹⁶ are safe. Kerry refers to the Benghazi US consulate¹⁷ attack in which four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens were killed last year. The attack on that consulate in Libya will again be at the forefront of hearings on Capitol Hill. The senate arms services committee says that this Thursday the outgoing defense¹⁸ minister Leon Panetta, general Martin Dempsey, the chair of joints¹⁹ chiefs of staff will testify. The attack last Sep. 11th killed four Americans as we’ve said including US ambassador Chris Stevens.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street. Dow was down 98 points at 13, 911.

1 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

4 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 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。

7 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

8 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

9 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

10 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。

11 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

12 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

14 replenish   

vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满

参考例句：

• I always replenish my food supply before it is depleted.我总是在我的食物吃完之前加以补充。
• We have to import an extra 4 million tons of wheat to replenish our reserves.我们不得不额外进口四百万吨小麦以补充我们的储备。

15 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

16 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

18 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。

19 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。