NPR 2008-02-23

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum. 　　

 

Turkish troops invaded northern Iraq today searching for Kurdish rebels who've been staging raids into Turkey from Iraq. The ground operation began after Turkish warplanes and artillery¹ bombed suspected rebel targets. Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a U.S. spokesman in Iraq, said he understands the operation is limited and that Turkish officials say they'll do all they can to avoid hurting innocent civilians³. 　　

 

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced today he will extend his militia⁴ ceasefire in Iraq for another 6 months. NPR's Peter Kenyon is in Baghdad, he reports Sadr revealed his decision to imams of mosques⁵ who affiliated⁶ with him.

 

Envelops⁷ containing Sadr's decision were handed out to a number of Shiite mosques and they were read aloud during Friday prayers today. The announcement of a 6-month extension is a major relief for American and Iraqi officials here, because a general return to arms by the Mehdi Army loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr could dramatically alter the security situation here which has grown a bit shaky this month in terms of a rise in civilian² deaths after several months of improvement. NPR's Peter Kenyon in Baghdad.

 

The Pakistan People's Party which won the most seats in Pakistan's recent parliamentary election is meeting to determine who should become the country's next Prime Minister. The party has agreed to work with the Muslim League led by former Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif. BBC's Nick Morris has more. 　　

 

Newly-elected parliamentarians from the PPP are meeting for consultation⁸ with the party's co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. They need to decide who should be their candidate for Prime Minister in a future government. Mr. Zardari didn't run for a seat in parliament and isn't eligible⁹, but he will remain the power behind the throne. The two parties have little in common ideologically¹⁰, but they insist that they want to work together to re-establish full civilian democracy. The BBC's Nick Morris reporting. 　　

 

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton debated in Austin, Texas last night. They didn't agree on foreign policy and health care but they did agree it's time for a new direction in U.S. leadership. Obama said it's time for the Republicans to leave the White House. "The Democratic Party at its best can summon a sense of common purpose again, and higher purpose, for the American people and I think that the next nominee¹¹ going into November election is gonna have a lot to talk about because the American people are tired of the politics that's dominated by the powerful, by the connected. They want their government back and that's what I intend to provide them." Clinton took direct aim at the Republican front-runner. "I think that I'll be very comfortable and effective in taking on Senator McCain over the fiscal¹² irresponsibility of the Republican Party that he's been a part of." The debate was held at the University of Texas and was carried on CNN and Univision. Primaries will be held on March 4th in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

　　

This is NPR News from Washington. 　　

 

Rescuers are searching the Venezuelan Andes for a missing passenger plane. Authorities fear it crashed yesterday with 46 people onboard. Local residents said they heard a great crash at the time. It disappeared shortly after taking off from Merida to an airport near the capital, Caracas about 300 miles away. 　　

 

The Air Force has begun its investigation¹³ into why two fighter jets collided over the Gulf¹⁴ of Mexico Wednesday. The aircraft are from Eglin Air Force Base in Pensacola, Florida. From member station WUWF, Dave Dunwoody reports. 　　

 

Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman Lois Walsh says an air force board is forming to look into the cause of the crash. Meantime, the search is on for the two aircraft. "Normally they will bring in for the president, someone who is not assigned here at Eglin that way they can ensure impartiality¹⁵ during the investigation." The F15 Sea Eagles attached to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin were engaged in what Air Force officials called "basic maneuvers¹⁶ in tactics" during a training mission, in clear weather about 35 miles south of the Florida Panhandle. Both pilots ejected, one is in good condition at the base hospital, the other died of his injuries after they were rescued by the Coast Guard. For NPR News, I'm Dave Dunwoody in Pensacola, Florida. 　　

 

Stock prices fell yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 140 points to close at 12,284. The biggest loser among the Dow companies was General Motors. Its price dropped $1.24 to close at $24.30. Lender GMAC which is partly owned by GM announced yesterday that it would cut hundreds of jobs at its auto¹⁷ finance business. 　　

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

 

1 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 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。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

6 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

7 envelops   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He glued many envelops yesterday. 他昨天用胶粘了许多信封。 来自辞典例句
• Ask your friends or mother and father to save used envelops for you. 让你的朋友或父母为你留下用过的信封。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

8 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

9 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

10 ideologically   

adv. 意识形态上地，思想上地

参考例句：

• Ideologically, they have many differences. 在思想意识上，他们之间有许多不同之处。
• He has slipped back ideologically. 他思想退步了。

11 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。

12 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

13 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。

14 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

15 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

16 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

17 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。