NPR 2008-12-18

The Illinois Supreme¹ Court has refused to hear a challenge that questioned the fitness of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to hold office since he faces federal corruption² charges. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

The state's attorney general had filed the request with the Illinois Supreme Court, asking it to temporarily remove the governor. Lisa Medigan had argued that Governor Blagojevich's legal and political troubles amount to a disability which keep him from performing his duties. The court denied the request with no comment. Harold Krent, Dean of Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, says the Supreme Court took the right step. "The clear mechanism⁴ under the Illinois constitution for a resolve in the case of a governor who many think is unfit to serve should be through impeachment⁵ and that process is already underway. " Governor Blagojevich stands accused of attempting to sell the U. S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Meantime, he is asking the state to pay for his legal defense⁶ in the impeachment proceedings⁷. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

President-elect Barack Obama officially announced the appointment of two new cabinet members today. Mr Obama said he's tapped former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to be his agriculture secretary. And the president-elect named Colorado Senator Ken³ Salazar to head the Interior Department. Mr Obama praised both men, saying they will protect the environment while also expanding the goal of energy independence. "Together they will serve as guardians⁸ of the American landscape on which the health of our economy and the well-being⁹ of our families so heavily depend. " Latest choices moved the president-elect closer to completing most of his cabinet picks before leaving for a pre-inaugural vacation.

The Bush administration today moved to freeze the assets of a New York company. It says it's a front for the Iranian government and it has provided support to Iran's nuclear program. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

ASSA Corp. owns a building in Manhattan that Treasury¹⁰ officials allege¹¹ was partly funded by Iran's Bank Melli. According to the Treasury Department, ASSA Corp. is a front company, funneling¹² rental¹³ income from the high-end midtown building to Iran. The Treasury announced that it had frozen the company's assets and said its action does not interfere¹⁴ with business or other activities of the building's tenants¹⁵. The latest move by the Treasury comes on the heels of a U. S. government finding last year that Bank Melli was providing services to Iran's missile programs. The U. S. government froze Bank Melli assets in the U. S. a year ago. The United States has already imposed sanctions on several state-run Iranian businesses along with elements of its Defense Ministry¹⁶ and Revolutionary Guard Corps¹⁷. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, New York.

Domestic automaker Chrysler said today it plans to close all 30 of its manufacturing plants for a month starting on Friday. Troubled automaker said its production shutdown is needed as a result of slowing demand as the company tries to conserve¹⁸ cash.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 99 points. The S&P 500 dropped eight points today.

This is NPR.

A House panel is expected to convene¹⁹ next month to launch an inquiry²⁰ into a 50-billion-dollar securities fraud alleged²¹ to have been carried out by Wall Street Money Manager Bernard Madoff. The announcement follows word yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission, the government's main securities watchdog group, has launched an internal probe to try and figure out why allegations against Madoff won't follow up on. Madoff, the former chairman of the NASDAQ Stock Market was arrested last week and he's charged with running what amounted to a massive Ponzi scheme. A judge today ordered the 70-year-old Madoff placed under house arrest essentially²² confined to his Manhattan apartment.

In an effort to curtail²³ gun-related violence, Los Angeles is considering tightening²⁴ its gun and ammunition²⁵ laws. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates has more.

The new laws are being considered by the Los Angeles City Council and are designed to cut the city's gun-related injuries and deaths, especially those that are caused by gang violence. Although assault weapons were previously²⁶ banned, a new law will now make the 50 caliber²⁷ bullets that most of them fire illegal. Another change will remove the option of ammunition purchase through the Internet and mail, forcing buyers to purchase their ammunition in person. Additional laws will require that the ammunition venders be licensed²⁸ and gun stores will now have to carefully and regularly inventory²⁹ their weapons. Los Angeles has one of the highest gun-homicide rates in the country. So far there have been 354 homicides in 2008. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says guns account for 80% of the city's homicides. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

Despite an announced OPEC production cut, crude oil futures³⁰ fell $3. 45 a barrel today, settling at $40. 15 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 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。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

6 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。

7 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

8 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

9 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

10 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

11 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

12 funneling   

[医]成漏斗形：描述膀胱底及膀胱尿道交接区

参考例句：

13 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

14 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

15 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

16 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

17 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

18 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

19 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

20 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

21 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

22 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

23 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

24 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

25 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

26 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

27 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

28 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

29 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

30 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。