NPR 2008-10-27

Democratic presidential nominee² Barack Obama is stepping up his effort to link his GOP opponent with President Bush's policies. Obama drew a crowd of tens of thousands of people to a rally this afternoon in downtown Denver, as NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Colorado was one of those Republican states that went twice for President Bush, but it's one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the country this year. Polls give Obama a lead here. His speech at Civic³ Center Park near the State Capitol Building touched on usual topics, that John McCain would be a third term for President Bush, that fixing the economy also means helping⁴ out the middle class and not just Wall Street, and he's pushing for people to vote now under early voting rolls. "How many people have early voted? That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. No point to wait in lines if you don't have to. You know who you are gonna vote for. Go to the polls! " Monday it's off to two more battleground states, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Denver.

GOP presidential nominee John McCain insists the race is tighter than many polls indicate. McCain says he expects to win on November 4th. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

McCain says his campaign is doing fine despite polls like the one yesterday that showed him trailing Democrat¹ Barack Obama by 13 points nationwide. McCain told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he has closed the gap with the Illinois Senator over the past couple of weeks, and he says he's going to win this very close race. "Those polls have consistently shown me much further behind than we actually are, it all depends on the voter turnout. " McCain has been casting Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal who’ll push for bigger government. McCain and his surrogates are hitting swing states today like Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, while Obama tackles Colorado, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Democrat released a new TV ad today describing McCain as out of touch and running out of time. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

Syria is blaming the US for an attack in Syrian territory near the border with Iraq that killed eight people. Syrian officials are calling that attack serious aggression⁶, claiming the victims included civilians⁷. But US military official told the Associated Press the raid by special forces targeted a network of foreign fighters who entered Iraq from Syria.

Gasoline prices have dropped sharply again, down nearly 53 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to a national average of $2. 78 for a gallon of regular. Industry analyst⁸ Trilby Lundberg. "On the 24th, the lowest average in our survey was Wichita, Kansas. Regular there is $2. 26, the highest was in Anchorage, $3. 50, Honolulu right behind it, $3. 48. " Lundberg says with the US economy slumping⁹, Americans are driving less and putting downward pressure on crude oil prices. This is NPR News from Washington.

Federal Reserve policymakers meet in Washington this week and they're expected to cut a key interest rate, perhaps by half a percent down to the lowest level in more than four years. The Fed is hoping that lower rates will encourage people and businesses to step up their spending, which will help shore up the shaky US economy.

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he's suffering from exhaustion¹⁰ but he dismisses reports that he might have more serious illness. Ahmadinejad has not yet said whether he plans to run for a second term in next summer's presidential election in Iran. Roxana Saberi reports from Teheran.

A member of Iran's parliament close to the President said Ahmadinejad is feeling under the weather because of the strain of his position. Mohammad Esmail Kowsari said the President will eventually get well and continue his job. Kowsari called rumors¹¹ that Ahmadinejad is seriously ill "psychological warfare¹²" aimed at dividing fundamentalists who make up Ahmadinejad's political base. In recent weeks, some of Ahmadinejad’s supporters have been discussing potential candidates for the next presidential election, implying that the sitting president is not their automatic choice. Ahmadinejad has been facing many challenges recently, including rising inflation and unemployment and falling oil prices. For NPR News, I'm Roxana Saberi in Teheran.

A federal judge has dismissed one of the jurors from the trial of GOP Senator Ted⁵ Stevens of Alaska who’s facing corruption¹³ charges. The judge dismissed the woman because she has not been in contact with the court since Friday after she left for California following the death of her father. Jury deliberations resume tomorrow morning. Stevens is charged with lying on Senate financial disclosure documents to conceal¹⁴ about 250, 000 dollars in home renovations and other gifts.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 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。

3 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

10 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

11 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

14 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。