NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-06-18

 

　　From NPR News in Washington, I’m Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　The opening of the G8 Summit at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland. Against of the backdrop of lake views, British Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the other seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations. President Obama addressed plans to negotiate a groundbreaking trade pact¹ that he says would bolster² fragile economies on both sides of the Atlantic. He says the EU and the US already have the globe’s largest partnership³.

 

　　“It makes up nearly half of global GDP. We trade about a trillion dollars in goods and services each year. We invest nearly four trillion dollars in each other’s economies. And all that supports around 13 million jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.”

 

　　Also on the table at the G8 Syria’s civil war and whether to arm Syria’s rebels. President Obama wants to. Russia opposes that idea.Meanwhile, Mr. Obama’s approval ratings appear to be taking a hit from the wave of controversies⁴ his administration is dealing⁵ with. NPR’s Mara Liasson reports.

 

　　A new CNN poll shows that the president’s approval rating has dipped to 45%. That’s down eight points since May. And for the first time in this poll less than half of those surveys believe Mr. Obama is honest and trustworthy. Fourty-nine percent say the president was honest, nine points down from last month. The biggest declines were among young voters and independents. Throughout the controversies over the IRS, Benghazi and the subpoenas⁶ for journalists’ phone records and emails, the president’s approval rating had stayed relatively⁷ stable. But the addition of the NSA surveillance story could have been the tipping point. And that’s even though polls including this one show the public split about whether they approve of the NSA program or not. Mara Liasson, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　The Supreme⁸ Court says Congress, not the state of Arizona, is in charge when it comes to federal voting registration⁹. The court voted seven to two to throw out an Arizona law that requires people to show extra proof of citizenship¹⁰. NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports the case has been closely watched by voting rights groups.

 

　　Justice Antonia Scalia writing for the majority says Congress gives states the power to decide the time, place and manner of elections, but it’s federal officials who control a simple form to register perspective voters in congressional races. Justice Antonia Scalia says the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the “Motor Voter” law, forbids states from demanding more information than what’s on that short federal form. But Scalia says Arizona can still ask the federal government to seek more information on the form, and that can go to court if the feds refuse. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Anger against the Turkish prime minister’s rule in Antakya and other cities across Turkey, labor¹¹ groups and political opponents march continuing anti-government demonstrations¹² that started weeks ago. And more reports of clashes today out of Istanbul.

 

　　Dow was up 110. This is NPR News.

 

　　It was a collapse¹³ of the housing market that led the economy into recession, but Steve Beckner of Market News International reports more evidence that housing is now leading the recovery.

 

　　When the Fed launched the third round of quantitative¹⁴ easing, it vowed¹⁵ to buy bonds to hold down long-term interest rates till it saw substantial labor market improvement, but it could scale back purchases from 85 billion dollars per month, if it sees enough progress toward that goal. Views vary and recent evidence is mixed. Consumer spending has held up but their optimism has waned¹⁶. Manufacturing is soft. Jobs have shown steady but moderate improvement. Fear the Fed will reduce monetary¹⁷ stimulus¹⁸ has pushed bond yields and in turn mortgage rates up sharply. Bernanke and his fellow policymakers must decide whether to validate¹⁹ or soothe²⁰ those concerns. For NPR News, I’m Steve Beckner.

 

　　Most US homebuilders seem to be more optimistic about the housing market than they have been in years. The National Association of Home Builders says the reading on homebuilders sentiment surged from 44 to 52 in May. The index’s yet another sign that the housing recovery is sustainable.

 

　　An Indiana woman sentenced to death when she was 16 years old is now out of prison. Local officials say Paula Cooper, who’s now 43, was released today. In 1986, Cooper was sentenced to die after she confessed her role in the murder of Ruth Pelke, a seventy-eight-year-old Bible school teacher during a robbery in Gary.

 

　　I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

10 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

11 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。

12 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

13 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

14 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

15 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

16 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

18 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

19 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

20 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。