NPR 2008-04-05

Transcript¹

 From NPR news in Washington I am Jack² Speer.

 The Labor³ Department today reported the biggest monthly job loss in five years. The unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in March. NPR’s Chris Arnold reports.

 The report was worse than expected, down 80,000 jobs. On top of that, the prior figures were revised upward, showing over the past three months the US has lost a total of 232,000 jobs. “This is a pretty bad number, that’s that’s, that’s no two ways about it.'' Nariman Behravesh is Chief Economist⁴ of Global Insight. He says any industry related to housing is down but on top of that the service sector⁵ looks like it's stalling out. ''I think the big worry is how weak the service sector jobs’ growth is, in fact, because that has been the powerhouse up until recently, you know, the service sector has provided about 80% of the jobs in the US. So the fact that it is so weak, almost zero growth, is very troubling.'' Behravesh says that's the sign that we are already in a recession but so far he expects it to be a mild one. Chris Arnold, NPR news.

 Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Doctor Martin Luther King junior’s assassination⁶. He was slain⁷ in Memphis a day after a speech in support of the sanitation⁸ workers’ strike of 1968. K. repots.

 Members of the sanitation workers’ union marched in a rain from Beale Street to the National Civil Rights Museum. They carried signs just like those from the 1968 protest saying I am a man. While the strike was resolved two weeks after King’s assassination, Memphis sanitation worker Patrick Kerney says they are still not treated right. “That I feel that the Sanitation Department keeps mistreating, ‘cause we have not gained the full benefit that we are supposed to get. We are here working in the rain. We do everything at firm. We, yet we don’t even have a raise in three years.'' The Memphis Southern Christian⁹ Leadership Conference says much more needs to be done to stop the violence and poverty that affect many African Americans. For NPR news I am K. in Memphis.

 Amid calls that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton make her financial records public, the formal first lady’s campaign today released financial records for she and her husband for the period between 2000 and 2007. The document showed that the Clintons earned more than 109 million dollars. Around 20 million of that amount was earned in 2007. Almost half the formal first couple’s money came from speeches delivered by formal president Bill Clinton. The record showed that the Clintons paid 33 million dollars in taxes and gave away more than 10 million dollars.

 Military officials now say all four crew members aboard a B-1 bomber¹⁰ that caught fire after landing at an air force base in Qatar were able to escape safely. The Air Force which earlier said that the more-than-two-hundred-million-dollar airplane had crashed says the bomber was taxiing after landing at the base when it caught fire. The incident is still being investigated.

 On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 16 points today to end the session at 12,609. Upward for the week, the Dow was up 3.2%.

 This is NPR news.

 Paying a visit to Croatia today, President Bush called NATO’s newest recruit in the Balkans a close and trusted ally. The president’s visit comes after the official conclusion of NATO summit in Romania and ahead of a scheduled sit-down this weekend with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Bush is scheduled to also deliver a speech to the Croatian people in the capital’s historic St. Mark’s Square. Mr. Bush then heads off to Russia with the two expected to hold talks at Putin’s Black Sea home.

 Palestinian gunman in Gaza opened fire on an Israeli government delegation¹¹ today, shooting and wounding one Israeli civilian¹² official. NPR’s Ivan Watson reports from. Jerusalem.

 Israeli officials were giving a visiting Canadian delegation a tour of kibbutz near the border with Gaza when a Palestinian gunman opened fire on their convoy¹³. An aide to the Israeli Minister of Internal Security was hit while the Canadians dove on the ground and scrambled¹⁴ for cover. Several Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for the attack including Hamas the faction¹⁵ which now rules Gaza. After the shooting, Iraqi troops made an incursion into the Palestinian territory where they clashed with militant¹⁶. At the time of the attack, the Canadian delegation was being given a tour of Israeli communities that have become the frequent target of rockets fired out of the Gaza Strip. Ivan Watson, NPR news, Jerusalem.

 A more than three-hundred-year old Stradivarius known for its sweet and bell-like sound has gone for 1.27 million dollars at auction¹⁷ in New York today. The famous auction house Christie's says that rare violin known as "The Penny" for its formal owner pianist and violinist Barbara Penny went to an anonymous¹⁸ buyer. The sale was below the more than 3.5 million dollars paid for another Stradivarius that was sold in 2006.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

7 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

8 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。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

11 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

12 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。

13 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

14 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

16 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。

17 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

18 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。