NPR 2008-11-29

Indian commandos are reportedly still trying to root out terrorists from their last holdout in Mumbai. Gunfire and explosions have been rocking the landmark¹ Taj Mahal Hotel. The death toll² over the past three days is now some 150 but estimates vary. A father and daughter from Virginia are among the foreigners who've been killed, so was a Brooklyn-based rabbi and his wife. They were found dead inside a Jewish center by Indian commandos who stormed the building yesterday. The militant³ assault on Mumbai is threatening the relationship between India and Pakistan. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Relations between India and Pakistan have never been good, but they have been improving in the last several years. The United States has welcomed this, not least because it wants Pakistan to concentrate on the increasing threat posed by Islamist militants⁴ along its western border with Afghanistan, rather than India, its neighbor to the east. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has blamed militants based outside India for the Mumbai attacks, remarks that Pakistani is assumed to direct at them in their intelligence services. This issue's arisen at a bad time when Pakistan's reeling from economic crisis and a wave of Islamists violence. Pakistan's condemned⁵ the Mumbai attacks and hotly denies involvement. Today Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called his Indian counterpart and promised full support in combating terrorism. Philip Reeves, NPR News, Mumbai.

Many shoppers are expressing caution and say they have scaled back because of the weak economy. But they were out in force this Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. In Modesto, California, shoppers were lined up well before dawn at the city's main mall. Bob Hensley of member station KXJZ reports.

Shoppers first had to find a parking place at the Vintage Faire Mall. They then had to contend with lines that snake through stores. Ark Martin found himself in a lengthy⁶ line but it was worth it because he saved a bundle on a hard-to-find electronics game. "The Wii games save about $150, so it worked out good.” His wife Sholin was all smiles too. "I found a half carat heart diamond pendant for 65% off, so I was excited.” Regal Ben Breslau arrived early and spent three hours shopping, but left with only a couple of baseball caps. "I was looking for, like electronic surf.  But no, I don't really find anything. The deals weren't really that good. I don’t think it was all worth of getting up. “Some shoppers struggled because they had so many bags to carry. An equal number departed with only a single item or nothing at all. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

It's not clear shopping frenzy⁷ had anything to do with the deadly shooting today at a Toys "R" Us store in Palm Desert, California. Two people are reportedly dead. This morning on Long Island, New York, a Wal-Mart employee was trampled⁸ to death after shoppers broke the store's door down.

Wall Street ended the week with gains today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average up 102 points and NASDAQ 3. 5 points up.

This is NPR News.

Ethiopia has announced that it will withdraw its troops from neighboring Somalia by the end of the year. The decision could signal the end for Somalia's internationally backed transitional government. NPR's Gwen Tompkins reports.

Ethiopia has been critical to the survival of Somalia's transitional government since late 2006. That's when Ethiopia dispatched forces to beat back an Islamic group that had taken over Somalia's capital. Since then, the Ethiopians have been waiting for the transitional government to stop squabbling among themselves and forge a unified⁹ government. But that day has not come. The Ethiopians have also been waiting for backup. The African Union sent fewer than half of the troops promised and the United Nations says Somalia must stabilize¹⁰ some months before it can send peacekeepers. In the interim¹¹, the Islamists have regrouped and are waging an insurgency¹² that has won back territory in southern Somalia. It is doubtful that Somalia's transitional government can stand alone against the Islamists. Gwen Tompkins, NPR News, Goma.

The World Health Organization is describing water and sanitation¹³ problems in Zimbabwe as huge and says nearly 10, 000 cases of cholera¹⁴ have been reported and more than 400 people have died. Humanitarian¹⁵ groups have begun delivering food to unpaid¹⁶ hospital employees so they won't log a leave rather to look for a meal. Zimbabwe is suffering from three years of failed harvest, hyper inflation and sanctions while a political crisis has the government at a standstill.

The UN's top human rights officials are calling for a halt to violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Navi Pillay says UN investigators¹⁷ should be given unhindered access to investigate abuses. More than 250, 000 people have been driven from their homes since fighting erupted in August.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 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。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

8 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

9 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

10 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

11 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

12 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

13 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

14 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

15 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

16 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

17 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》