NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-03-17

　　A high-ranking general has reportedly defected from the Syrian army along with 20 soldiers. Brigadier General Mohammed Khalouf appeared on Al Arabiya television along with a rebel fighter. Also today, Human Rights Watch said the Syrian government is expanding its use of cluster bombs causing more civilian¹ casualties. France says it’s using all possible means to rescue a family taken hostage in Cameroon. NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports the situation is complicated by France’s war against Islamist extremists in nearby Mali.

 

　　On a visit to Cameroon, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said everything was being done to find the French family of seven which includes four children aged² five to twelve. They were kidnapped by Islamist extremists in Cameroon last month. The family, which lived in the southern capital of Yaounde, was visiting an animal park in the north of the country when Nigerian Islamists came across the border and took them. Islamists operating in the Saharan region of Africa finance themselves by trafficking, smuggling³ and ransoms⁵. But if France pays the ransom⁴ for the hostages, it would be financing the same people that it’s fighting in Mali. France sent troops in January to fight Islamist extremists who've taken over the north of Mali. A total of 15 French hostages are currently held by Islamist extremist groups in North Africa. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

　　In about an hour, conservative Republicans meeting just outside Washington are to announce the winner of their straw poll, the person they think should be the Republican nominee⁶ in the next presidential election. Former vice⁷ presidential nominee Sarah Palin spoke⁸ to the group today. She had a message for the current occupant of the White House.

 

　　"Mr. President, we admit it you won, accept it. Now step away from the teleprompter and do your job."

 

　　Palin also said the Republican party must broaden its message to all citizens, even those who don’t share its ideals.

 

　　The president’s annual economic report highlights some encouraging trends in the cost of health care. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports if that continues, it could make a big difference for the federal budget.

 

　　Health care cost is one of the biggest drivers of the federal deficit⁹. Forecasters say if those costs keep going up, in 70 years Medicare will gobble up twice as much the economy as it does today. But why do the costs don't keep spiraling on upwards¹⁰? Over the last five years health care costs in general have been growing more slowly, and that’s especially true for Medicare. White House economists¹¹ say the recession may account for some of the slowdown, but efforts to deliver care more efficiently¹² may also play a role. If the slower cost growth is preserved, Medicare share of the economy would remain stable in the coming decades. The administration is not predicting that, but says it shows how efforts to control health care expenses can produce big savings¹³ over time. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 

　　You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

　　Israel formed a new government today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says an agreement among various factions¹⁴ was reached after weeks of deadlock¹⁵. The new coalition¹⁶ will be sworn in Monday, two days before President Obama is to visit Israel on his first trip to that country as president.

 

　　While the world is fixated on North Korea’s nuclear program, the United Nations reports more than a quarter of the country’s children are malnourished. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports a new UN food survey finds two thirds of North Korea’s population is going hungry.

 

　　The UN report finds millions of North Korean children are stunted¹⁷ from chronic¹⁸ malnutrition¹⁹, and millions of people are in need of regular food aid. The report doesn’t deal with Pyongyang’s recent threats against South Korea or nuclear threats against the United States. But it notes humanitarian²⁰ aid should be neutral and impartial²¹, and not subject to political considerations. The United Nations says North Korea will have to import more than 500,000 tons of cereal to feed its people this year. Another UN report on the human rights situation in North Korea says food is used to control the population and make it dependent on the government. For NPR News, I’m Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

 

　　At the UN last night, 131 nations agreed on a plan to combat violence against women and girls around the world. The non-binding agreement urges governments to strongly condemn²² all forms of violence and to provide women access to sexual and reproductive services. In the end only Libya refused to support the document, saying that it violates Islamic teachings.

 

　　I’m Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

4 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

5 ransoms   

付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The kidnappers exacted ransoms for their hostages. 绑匪勒索人质的赎金。
• Hotel:Wealthy captives sleep at the hotel for an increase in their ransoms. 酒店：富有的俘虏们要住在酒店等待足够的赎金以回家。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

7 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。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

10 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。

11 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》

12 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

13 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

14 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

15 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。

16 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

17 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

18 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

19 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

20 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

21 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

22 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。