NPR 2008-12-03

President-elect Barack Obama told state governors today upon his swearing-in he will be willing to help them come up with ways to create jobs and deal with declining revenues. At a meeting of the National Governors Association in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama said at least part of a proposed economic stimulus¹ plan being worked on by Democrats² will be targeted at job creation. "This administration does not intend to delay in getting you the help that we need. We intend to help save or create 2.5 million jobs. We intend to put tax cuts into the pockets of hard-pressed middle-class families in your states. "  Governors said they also need federal help for jobless benefits, food stamps and healthcare coverage³ as well as an estimated 136 billion dollars to repair bridges, airports and other infrastructure⁴.

Defense⁵ Secretary Robert Gates says he has an open-ended commitment to remain at the Pentagon into Obama administration with no time frame on how long he'll stay on the job. NPR's Tom Bowman reports.

Gates told reporters he doesn't plan on being a caretaker secretary, saying decisions on war strategy, budgets in modernizing⁶ military forces need the personal attention of the defense secretary. Gates admits he is in a unique situation as the first defense secretary ever to be asked to stay on in a new administration. The President-elect appeared with Gates and other members of his national security team this week in Chicago where Mr. Obama said removing American combat troops from Iraq in 16 months is the right time frame. Gates is along post timetables, asked today if all that's a 16-month goal, Gates wouldn't answer. He instead pointed⁷ to Mr. Obama's pledge to also listen to the advice of ground commanders in Iraq, saying the President-elect framed just right. Tom Bowman, NPR News, the Pentagon.

Officials in India today released a few more details from their investigation⁸ into last week's terror attacks in Mumbai. But as NPR's Andrea Hsu reports, just who the gummen were and how they managed to carry out the assaults remains⁹ far from clear.

Mumbai's Commissioner¹⁰ of Police Hassan Gafoor told at news conference that the gunmen trained with ex-army officials for one to one and a half years, though he declined to say whose army. He did report that the sole surviving gunman has identified himself as a Pakistani. Asked what other proof Indian officials have that the gunmen had ties to Pakistan, Gafoor pointed to findings that they came on a ship from Karachi. He said they then hijacked¹¹ the troller and traveled the final 45 nautical¹² miles on rubber dinghies. Once onshore, he said, they split up into groups of two, then fanned out by taxi to five locations: two luxury hotels, a train station, the Jewish center and a cafe. He said bombs were left in two of the taxis, the night of attacks, there were two reports of explosions in taxis in areas away from the other attacks. Andrea Hsu, NPR News, Mumbai.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 270 points today; the S&P 500 was up 32 points. This is NPR.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to introduce another member of his team this week. The top Democratic source says Mr. Obama will announce his nominated New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as commerce secretary. Richardson would be the President-elect's fifth major cabinet appointment since the announcement at the start of the week that he's chosen Senator Hilary Clinton to be secretary of state, and Robert Gates to stay on as his defense secretary. The appointment of Richardson, a former UN ambassador and energy secretary would make him the first Hispanic name to Obama's rapidly filling Cabinet.

United Nations has issued an updated figure of 500 for the number of people who died from cholera¹³ in Zimbabwe. Almost 12, 000 cases of the waterborne illness have been reported. South Africa is treating cholera sufferers who've crossed the border from neighboring Zimbabwe. Johannesburg, NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports.

The UN World Health Organization warned that the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe could spread quickly into areas without access to safe water, sanitation¹⁴ and simple treatments. Cholera has already affected¹⁵ most regions in Zimbabwe. State media reported Monday that much of the capital Harare had been deprived of water because of a shortage of purification chemicals. The collapse¹⁶ of Zimbabwe's public health and sanitation systems are part of the prolonged economic and political crisis. Cholera cases have been reported across both sides of Zimbabwe's borders with South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique. The UN has expressed concern about the threat of a regional cholera outbreak. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Johannesburg.

Former first lady Barbara Bush has been released from a Houston hospital where she has been recovering from surgery for a perforated ulcer¹⁷. Spokesperson for the hospital says the former first lady was discharged this morning and is in good condition. Barbara Bush is 83.

1 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。

2 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》

3 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

12 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

13 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。

14 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。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

16 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

17 ulcer   

n.溃疡，腐坏物

参考例句：

• She had an ulcer in her mouth.她口腔出现溃疡。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。