NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-04-29

 An increasingly out-of-control situation in Baltimore where police say stores are being looted, police cars destroyed and at least seven police officers are hurt— some seriously. After a few dozen arrests over the weekend in protest against the recent death of a young black man, who was in police custody¹, demonstrations² have turned extremely violent today. Reporter Donna Marie Owens describes the scene. 

There are barricades³ along downtown Baltimore. Traffic is backed up for miles. Most of the businesses downtown have closed early. A major university has closed early. There had been subway stops that have been closed. In many parts of the city, traffic is at a standstill. 

Reporter Donna Marie Owens. Today’s rioting broke out just hours after funeral services were held for Freddie Gray. Gray died of a spinal⁵ injury after he was taken into police custody. It’s unclear how he sustained the injury. President Obama has spoken and Baltimore’s mayor was briefed by his new Attorney General Loretta Lynch. A baseball game scheduled for this evening in Baltimore has now been postponed⁶.

 

Prosecutor⁷ Loretta Lynch is now the 83rd attorney general of the U.S. NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports she was sworn in today by vice⁴ President Joe Biden.

Lynch is the daughter of a Baptist preacher and she went on to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. An in an emotional ceremony at the Justice Department, Loretta Lynch recalled her humble⁸ upbringing.

“If a little girl from North Carolina who used to tell her grandfather in the fields to lift her up on the back of his mule⁹ so she could see way up high, granddaddy, can grow up to become the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America, we can do anything.” 

She’s the first black woman to lead the Justice Department. Lynch promised to protect national security and support victims of crime. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

 

The death toll¹⁰ continues to rise in Nepal as searchers carry out the grim task of digging out bodies from piles of debris¹¹. Officials there now say at least 4,000 people are dead following Saturday’s quake with thousands of others injured. Many are still listed as missing. Relief workers say the immediate¹² concerns are water-borne illnesses and infectious disease with many people living outdoors as aftershocks continue to hit the region. Simon Eccleshall is with the International Federation¹³ of Red Cross and Red Crescent. 

“The next 72 hours is critical. There are issues to do with water as well as heavy rainfall that can lead to the subterranean¹⁴ structures in some of these buildings becoming flooded. We also have risks of a spread of diseases.”

Powerful earthquake also killed climbers at a base camp on Mount Everest and claimed lives in neighboring India, China and Tibet.

 

Stocks slipped slightly in afternoon trading. Investors¹⁵ continue to analyze¹⁶ the first quarter earnings¹⁷ numbers and also waiting what if any actions is taken by the Federal Reserve when it meets this week in Washington. The Dow dropped 42 points to 1837. The Nasdaq closed down 31 points today.

 

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With opening statements underway in the trial of accused Colorado shooter James Holmes, a prosecutor warned he will be showing graphic¹⁸ images to jurors. Holmes has admitted to carrying out the shooting inside a crowded movie theater that left 12 people dead and dozens of others injured. His lawyers are expected to argue he’s mentally ill and could not tell right from wrong. The jury will be determining whether Holmes should spend his life in prison or be committed to a mental institution. 

 

The Greek government has sidelined its controversial finance minister. The shake-up comes as the country is running perilously¹⁹ low on cash. Joanna Kakissis reports it’s an attempt by Greece to solve its talks with Eurozone creditors²⁰. 

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis used to be a “rock star”. That renowned²¹ academic’s passionate²² anti-austerity speeches vowed²³ Greeks. His shaved head good looks turned him into a sex symbol in Germany, and his frankness made him a media darling. But Eurozone finance ministers say Varoufakis has failed to deliver reforms. Fearing default, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced a new negotiations²⁴ team coordinated²⁵ by a soft-spoken economist²⁶, Euclid Tsakalotos. The new team has until next month to draw up reforms that are acceptable to the Eurozone. For NPR News, I’m Joanna Kakissis. 

 

Fast-food chain Chipotle says it has finished phasing out genetically²⁷ modified ingredients from its foods. The Denver-based company announcing today it’s already been using mostly non-GMO ingredients. The move comes despite the fact the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Center says it’s now sincerely found no basis that GMOs pose any different health or safety risk from traditionally bred plants. 

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 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。

3 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

4 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。

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

9 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

14 subterranean   

adj.地下的，地表下的

参考例句：

• London has 9 miles of such subterranean passages.伦敦像这样的地下通道有9英里长。
• We wandered through subterranean passages.我们漫游地下通道。

15 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

16 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

17 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

18 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

19 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

20 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

22 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

23 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。

24 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

25 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

26 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

27 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