PBS高端访谈:科罗拉多野火迅速蔓延

 　　KWAME HOLMAN: A Colorado wildfire forced evacuations of more than 7,000 people today, as it burned out of control in record heat and high wind. Officials said the big blaze may have destroyed 100 homes so far, with hundreds more in jeopardy¹ near Colorado Springs. As the flames spread, more than 900 prisoners had to be moved from a state prison. The fire is burning in an area near last year's Waldo Canyon² fire that wiped out nearly 350 homes.

　　Forecasters are keeping an anxious watch on a huge storm system that could affect 75 million Americans in 19 states over the next two days. The National Weather Service issued its highest alert today for Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The system could bring heavy thunderstorms, tornadoes³ and even a rare straight-line wind storm known as a derecho.

　　The U.S. Senate wrangled⁴ today over how secure the Mexican border has to be before immigration reform kicks in. Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa called for full border control for six months before anyone in the country illegally moves toward citizenship⁵. Democrats⁶, including Patrick Leahy of Vermont, objected. It was part of the debate on an immigration bill authored by the so-called “Gang of Eight” senators.

　　SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, R-Iowa: The “Group of Eight” say that they're open to improving the bill. Well, my amendment⁷, now before the Senate, does just that. My amendment improves the trigger that jump-starts the legalization program. It ensures that the border is secure before one person gets legal status under this act.

　　SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-Vt.: I will oppose efforts that impose unrealistic, excessively costly⁸, overly rigid⁹, inhumane, or ineffective border security measures. And I will oppose efforts to modify the triggers in ways that would -- could unduly¹⁰ delay or prevent the earned legalization path. We have waited too long already.

　　KWAME HOLMAN: Currently, the bill calls for improvements to the border fence and other triggers before immigrants are granted new status.

　　In Moscow, as many as 15,000 protesters marched today to denounce Russian President Putin. The demonstrators, including opposition¹¹ leaders, criticized Putin for authoritarian¹² rule and demanded freedom for dissidents arrested at Putin's inauguration¹³. The turnout was far below the 100,000 who protested against Putin before he won his third term as president last year.

　　Former South African President Nelson Mandela reportedly is responding better to medical treatment today. The 94-year-old Mandela has been hospitalized five days with a recurring¹⁴ lung infection.

　　South Africa's current president, Jacob Zuma, shared news of the improvement in a parliamentary address.

　　PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, South Africa: We are very happy with the progress that he is now making following a difficult few days. We appreciate the messages of support from all over the world.

　　KWAME HOLMAN: Mandela spent 27 years in prison under South Africa's apartheid regime. In 1994, he became the country's first black president.

　　A 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl with cystic fibrosis received a lung transplant today from an adult donor¹⁵. Sarah Murnaghan's case drew national attention when a federal judge last week ordered her placed on the adult transplant list, overruling hospital procedures. The judge also added an 11-year-old boy to the list.

　　On Wall Street, stocks tumbled again over renewed worries over whether the Federal Reserve will rein¹⁶ in its stimulus¹⁷ efforts. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped back under 15,000, losing 126 points to close at 14,995. The Nasdaq fell 36 points to close at 3,400.

　　Those are some of the day's major stories -- now back to Judy.

1 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

2 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 wrangled   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They wrangled over what to do next. 他们就接下来该干什么而争吵。 来自辞典例句
• They wrangled and rowed with other passengers. 他们与其他旅客争辨吵闹。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

10 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

13 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

14 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

15 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

16 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

17 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。