NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-05-20

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

 

　　The senior White House advisor¹ says President Obama did not learn about improper² IRS scrutiny³ of Tea Party groups until the investigation⁴ was nearly over. Speaking on FOX News Sunday, Obama Advisor Dan Pfeiffer says the White House was not in loop on the IRS inspector⁵ general's investigation.

 

　　The first time, as we've said, that anyone heard about this at the White House was when the counsel's office at the Treasury⁶ Department called the counsel office of the White House a few weeks ago to let us know that there was an investigation that was coming to conclusion. We didn't know the details of it. We didn't see the report. So we didn't know facts at that point, just that such an investigation was coming to a conclusion.

 

　　But Republicans are buying that. Speaking on ABC's This Week, Ohio Senator Rob Portman says a special council could be necessary to find out what really happened.

 

　　I just find it very hard to believe that lower level employees here in Cincinnati, Ohio, took these on themselves.  And that went on for a couple of years without anybody knowing about it.

 

　　The White House says the IRS is in the middle of a month-long review of the matter. Although, Republicans say that review won't go far enough.

 

　　One of the nation's most closely watched gubernatorial races formally got underway in Virginia this weekend. NPR's Allison Keyes reports the question is whether a conservative Republican can win a southern state that twice backed President Obama.

 

　　State Attorney General Ken⁷ Cuccinelli, a Tea party favorite, accepted the Republican party's nomination⁸ in a speech focused on creating jobs and growing the economy. Cuccinelli known for his support of tax cuts and restrictions⁹ on abortion¹⁰, thought to defuse Democratic attacks on him as a right wing extremist. He says it is not extreme to fight for the people of Virginia. Recent polls show a close race between Cuccinelli and his opponent, former Democratic National Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Ken did see this race as a test for both parties and also as a possible preview of the 2014 mid-term elections. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Commuters in the New York metro¹¹ area could face trouble tomorrow. Rail lines between New York and some parts of Connecticut are closed after two trains collided Friday. Dozens of people were injured. Federal investigators¹² are on the scene, trying to discover the cause. From member station WNPR, Nina Satiga reports.

 

　　Investigators have begun combing through the scene of a train crash that injured 70 people. While they have ruled out foul¹³ play. They say it would be weeks or even months before a cause is determined¹⁴. Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board says his team found a real fracture that is of significant interest. But it's unclear if it's related to the accident.

 

　　It could have been caused by the accident itself or it could have been broken at the time of the accident. It could have been broken prior to the accident.

 

　　It will likely be days before full service is restored to the railroad line between New Haven¹⁵, Connecticut and New York city. Amtrak service from New York to Boston has also been suspended indefinitely. For NPR News, I'm Nina Satiga.

 

　　North Korea fired another missile into the water today. This is the fourth time in two days that North Korea has launched such a missile.

 

　　You are listening to NPR News.

 

　　Pope Francis is urging church leaders to go out into their communities and help the poor rather than focus on internal politics. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports the Pope's been hitting hard this week at devastating¹⁶ effects caused by the economic crisis.

 

　　Pope Francis warned Sunday of the threat that the Catholic Church becomes self-refrenetial and closed in on herself. He spoke¹⁷ of the courage to take to the streets of the world and reach out to the poor. On Thursday, the Pope blasted what he called the cult¹⁸ of money in the heartless dictatorship of the economy that ends up sterilizing¹⁹ not helping²⁰ the world's poor. On Saturday the Pope zeroed in on the financial system saying ironically "if investments and banks plunge²¹, this is a tragedy, but if families are hurting, this is nothing. " Later, he met German Chancellor²² Angela Merkel blamed by many for EU imposed austerity policies, asked about the pope's giving criticism of the global financial system, Merkel said they spoke of the need to regulate markets. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

　　Somebody won the huge Powerball lottery²³ last night in Florida. It's worth more than $590 million. Cynthia O'Connell is the Florida Lottery Secretary. She says it's the latest win by a Florida lottery player.

 

　　This would be the sixth Florida Powerball winner. And right now it's the sole winner of the largest ever Powerball jackpot.

 

　　It's unknown who holds the ticket. Whether it's an individual or a group but they are lucky. The chance of winning about 1/175,000,000.

 

　　President Obama delivered the commencement address at Morehouse College today in Atlanta. He is the first sitting president to give a commencement speech at the college in Georgia since 1938.

 

　　I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News, in Washington.

1 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

2 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

3 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

14 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

15 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

16 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

17 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。

18 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

19 sterilizing   

v.消毒( sterilize的现在分词 )；使无菌；使失去生育能力；使绝育

参考例句：

• The nurse is sterilizing the surgical instruments. 护士在把外科手术器具消毒。 来自辞典例句
• By testing, steam is the ble sterilizing method for herbal medicine. 这些方法难以保证药性，或有残留，要不然就是费用昂贵。 来自互联网

20 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

21 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

22 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

23 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。