pbs高端访谈:印度东北部洪灾严重

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN:The death toll¹ soared today in the monsoon² flooding that's ravaged³ Northern India. The chief minister of Uttarakhand state reportedly—reported nearly 600 people have been killed in the mountainous region. More than 30,000 others have been rescued so far, with another 50,000 stranded⁴ in up to 100 towns and villages. The Indian air force used helicopters today to fly in food and medicine to the displaced.

　　More and more people were forced to evacuate⁵ their homes in Calgary, Canada, today as floodwaters there rose. Officials estimated as many as 100,000 people may have to move to higher ground. The two rivers that flow through Calgary have risen rapidly after four inches of rain fell over the past two days in southern Alberta. Only one of the rivers has reached its peak.

　　62.jpgIn Singapore, air pollution set more records as a thick haze⁶ drifted across from forest fires in Indonesia. The fires burned out of control in peat swamp forests on the island of Sumatra, sending large plumes⁷ of smog across the sea. The result was the worst haze in Singapore's history for the third day in a row.

　　The U.S. today upped the military ante in a growing confrontation⁸ with Syria's Assad regime. President Obama notified Congress that 700 U.S. troops, plus Patriot⁹ missiles and fighter planes, will stay in Jordan until further notice. He said the kingdom asked that they remain after joint¹⁰ military exercises ended yesterday. The decision follows the U.S. move to begin arming the Syrian rebels.

　　The president nominated James Comey today to be director of the FBI. Comey is best known for blocking Bush White House officials from renewing a warrantless wiretapping program in 2004. At the time, he was deputy attorney general.

　　Today, the president took note of Comey's reputation, at a time of new debates over surveillance.

　　PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:He is that rarity in Washington sometimes. He doesn't care about politics. He only cares about getting job done. Jim understands, in a time of crisis, we aren't judged solely¹¹ by how many plots or how many criminals we bring to justice. We're also judged by our commitment to the Constitution that we have sworn to defend and to the values and civil liberties that we have pledged to protect.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN:If confirmed, Comey will succeed Robert Mueller, who took over the FBI the week before 9/11.

　　On Wall Street, stocks managed to stave off any more big losses, after a two-day plunge¹². The Dow Jones industrial average gained 41 points to close at 14,799. The Nasdaq fell seven points to close at 3,357. For the week, both the Dow and the Nasdaq fell nearly two percent.

　　Miami Heat fans savored¹³ the franchise's third NBA championship today and second in a row. LeBron James led the Heat to a game seven victory last night, capping a grueling, back-and-forth series with the San Antonio Spurs. James was named most valuable player. A victory parade has been set for Monday.

　　Those are of some of the day's major stories—now back to Ray.

1 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。

2 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

3 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

4 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。

5 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

6 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

7 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

8 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

12 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。

13 savored   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• We savored the barbed hits in his reply. 我们很欣赏他在回答中使用的带刺的俏皮话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We savored, (the pleasures of) mountain life to the full. 我们充分体会了山居生活的乐趣。 来自辞典例句