NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-03-15

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Barbara Klein.

 

　　The Senate Budget Committee is considering a Democratic plan for the next fiscal¹ year. As NPR's Craig Windham reports it includes $1 trillion in spending cuts and an equal amount of new revenue from closing tax loopholes.

 

　　Committee Chair Patty Murray says the Democrats²' plan is aimed at bolstering³ the economy and creating jobs.

 

　　That's why our budget uses equal amounts of responsible spending cuts and new revenue from the wealthiest Americans to fully⁴ replace the cuts from sequestration.

 

　　Senate Majority Leader Harry⁵ Reid says the plan contrasts sharply with the GOP proposal from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan.

 

　　His budget was wrongly defeated last November. I can't imagine why they don't get a new landscape here.

 

　　House Speaker John Boehner says congressional Republicans appreciate the president reaching out to them.

 

　　But just going to take more than dinner dates and phone calls.

 

　　Boehner says Obama needs to move beyond Democratic dogma to find bipartisan solutions. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　President Obama is calling on Congress to pass the assault weapons ban, approved earlier today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the panel approved the measure strictly⁶ along party lines. Republican John Cornyn says it goes too far.

 

　　The bill would infringe⁷ upon the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families.

 

　　The bill sponsor, Democratic Dianne Feinstein disagrees.

 

　　No one has presented me with any evidence that a person fares better in self-defense with an assault weapon or a large capacity magazine than with a standard hand gun.

 

　　The bill is not expected to survive a full senate vote.

 

　　At the Vatican today, Pope Francis led his first mass for cardinals⁸ in the Sistine Chapel⁹. Earlier today, the pontiff stopped by a guest house he'd been staying in, to pick up a suitcases and pay his bill. He also went to a Roman basilica dedicated¹⁰ to pray, traveling there on a Vatican car, no limousine¹¹, all in keeping with his reputation for frugality¹² and simplicity¹³.

 

　　Vice¹⁴ President Joe Biden is getting ready to lead a U.S delegation¹⁵ to the inaugural¹⁶ mass of the pope. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

 

　　Vice President Biden issued a statement noting the important role the Catholic church plays in his own life and the lives of more than 1 billion people worldwide. Biden says that role extends not just matters of faith, but also the pursuit of peace and human dignity. President Obama added his own good wishes, calling the new pope a champion of the poor and most vulnerable among us. The President invited Republican House John Boehner, who's also Catholic to join the U.S. delegation in Rome. Boehner declines, citing his house duties, but said he's grateful for the invitation and extended his own prayers and regards to Pope Francis. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 

　　Just before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up more than 0.5%, 84 points and the NASDAQ up 14.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Honda is recalling more than 180,000 vehicles in the U.S. because of braking problems. The recall involves certain models built between 2004 and 2006, including two Acura models and Honda Pilot. The Japanese carmaker says mis-wired electronics can cause the cars to brake unexpectedly. No crashes have been reported as a result of the defect.

 

　　The population of Monarch¹⁷ butterflies is falling to record lows. NPR's Scott Neuman reports some scientists suspect genetically¹⁹ modified crops could be a factor.

 

　　The butterflies seen each spring and summer in many parts of the U.S., spend their winters in central Mexico, where they cover vast stretches of forest. But over the last several years, scientists in Mexico have noticed a disturbing trend. The wintering butterflies that used to cover up to 50 square acres on their annual migration²⁰, now occupy fewer than acres of forest. Scientists think logging in the Monarch, Mexican habitat, has something to do it. But they also point to the heavy use of genetically modified corn and soil beans in the U.S. midwest. The gene¹⁸ crops are designed to resist herbicides and that's allowed farmers to wipe out milkweed, which is the main food source for Monarches. Scott Neuman, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Another carnival²¹ cruise liner is stranded²². This time though, it stuck at a port at the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin. The company says it's arranging for thousands of passengers aboard the carnival to be flown home. A generator²³ problem temporarily disabled elevators and toilets last night. This comes a month after another carnival vessel²⁴ stuck at sea for nearly five days.

 

　　I'm Barbara Klein, NPR News, in Washington.

1 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。

2 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》

3 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 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。

6 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

7 infringe   

v.违反，触犯，侵害

参考例句：

• The jury ruled that he had infringed no rules.陪审团裁决他没有违反任何规定。
• He occasionally infringe the law by parking near a junction.他因偶尔将车停放在交叉口附近而违反规定。

8 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

9 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

10 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

11 limousine   

n.豪华轿车

参考例句：

• A chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady.司机为这个高贵的女士打开了豪华轿车的车门。
• We arrived in fine style in a hired limousine.我们很气派地乘坐出租的豪华汽车到达那里。

12 frugality   

n.节约，节俭

参考例句：

• We must build up our country with industry and frugality.我们必须勤俭建国。
• By frugality she managed to get along on her small salary.凭着节俭，她设法以自己微薄的薪水生活。

13 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

14 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。

15 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

16 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

17 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。

18 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

19 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

20 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

21 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

22 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

23 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。

24 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。