NPR 2008-10-03

Alaskans are heading home early from work tonight to catch the vice¹ presidential debates set to begin in about two hours from now. Sarah Palin's nomination² has revealed more about the governor than most Alaskans ever knew. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports from Anchorage.

Sarah Palin was considered a blank slate³ when she was first elected governor, but after weeks of being in the national spotlight⁴, the now vice presidential nominee⁵ has emerged as someone many here don't seem to know at all. Palin has long characterized herself as an everyday working-class American, but the headline in Thursday's statewide newspaper here says she and her husband Todd had assets of at least 1.2 million dollars. Photos of her houses, remote properties, snow machines and airplane paint the picture, while Palin did deliver a boost to the McCain campaign and is proven to be a charismatic politician. Tonight's debate will be watched closely here and will be pivotal for her career, whether or not she goes on to the White House. For NPR News, I'm Elizabeth Arnold in Anchorage.
 
House leaders from both parties are scrambling⁶ to round up enough votes to ensure passage of the 700-billion-dollar bailout package that won Senate approval last night. Some House Republicans say they can deliver the votes needed, but only if the scope of the package is reduced. More from NPR's David Welna.

Twenty three House Republicans are seeking to amend⁷ the bailout bill passed by the Senate, so that only 250 billion of the 700 billion dollars authorized⁸ by that bill could actually be spent. They also want to strip from the bill hundreds of millions of dollars in tax subsidies⁹ that were added after the House defeated the bailout package on Monday. That group of Republicans, twenty of whom voted against the bill, say if they are allowed to offer the amendment¹⁰, they can guarantee that when it comes up again, they will supply 15 yes votes. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that she does not want to amend the Senate-approved legislation, since that would mean the Senate would have to vote on it again if it passes the House with changes added to it. Pelosi is aiming to hold the vote on the bailout by Friday, but says she'll only bring it up if she's assured there are enough votes for it to pass. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

After a hiker turned up personal items trace to missing adventurer Steve Fossett, search crews now said they have found body parts among the wreckage¹¹ of the small plane Fossett was flying when he disappeared. Authorities say it appears the plane may have slammed head-on into the side of a mountain in the Mammoth¹² Lakes area of California. The wreckage was found about 10,000 feet up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Fossett who was 63 at the time he disappeared a year ago was declared legally dead in February. 

Problems in the credit markets were also having some effect on mortgage rates, it seems. Freddie Mac reported today the rate on a 30-year mortgage rose in a second straight week this week to 6.1%, rates on 15-year loans also aged¹³ higher, rising to just about 5.75%.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 348 points, ending the session at 10,482. The NASDAQ lost 92 points. The S&P was down 46 points today.

This is NPR.

The Freedom Tower, centerpiece of the efforts to rebuild Manhattan's World Trade Center after the 2001 terror attacks, is not likely to be completed until well past the original target date. That's according to officials. The head of New Jersey¹⁴ Port Authority now says the more than 1,700-foot tower meant to symbolize¹⁵ the city's revival¹⁶ likely will not be done until 2013. It will be built at a cost of more than three billion dollars. The project would be three times the original estimate. Other parts of the memorial to the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attack against the Twin Towers would likely be finished by 2011.

A federal judge has ordered that a Pakistani woman suspected of links to al-Qaeda undergo a psychiatric examination. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston has more.

US District Judge Richard Berman ordered a month-long medical assessment¹⁷ for Aafia Siddiqui, a 36-year-old former MIT student who was arrested in Afghanistan in July. He ordered treatment and psychological examination to determine if she is medically fit and mentally competent to stand trial. Siddiqui was shot in the abdomen¹⁸ by a US soldier in Afghanistan after allegedly grabbing a soldier's riffle and opening fire. She was brought to the United States to face charges of attempted murder and assault. Her trial has been delayed by her refusal to submit to the strip search required before she appears in court. Prosecutors¹⁹ say Siddiqui has refused to cooperate with prison doctors and is suffering from mental illness. Siddiqui's competency hearing is scheduled for December 17th. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, New York.

Crude oil futures²⁰ fell $4.56 a barrel today ending the session at $93.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 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。

2 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。

3 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

9 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

12 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

13 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

14 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

15 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

16 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

17 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

18 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

19 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

20 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。