NPR 2008-04-14

Iraq’s cabinet has taken action to try to isolate¹ radical² Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The cabinet gave preliminary approval today to a measure barring political parties that have militias³, such as his, from participating in upcoming parliamentary elections. Lawmakers will consider the measure this week. The Iraqi government has also dismissed more than 1300 soldiers and police officers who deserted⁵ or did not perform well during the recent fighting against Shiite militia⁴ in Basra. NPR’s JJ Sutherland reports from Baghdad.

 in the Basra operations, almost a thousand police and soldiers refused to fight. Some even joined the other side. About 900 men are being fired. The stronghold of the Mahdi Army is the massive Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad. There, more than 300 people are being dismissed from the Iraqi forces for the same reasons. The efforts against the Sadrists are seen by some Iraqis as a fight between two militias, the Mahdi Army and the militia of one of the ruling parties. Only one side happens to be wearing uniforms. JJ Sutherland, NPR News, Baghdad.

 The mothers of some of the hundreds of children removed from a polygamist compound in Texas have reportedly written to Texas Governor Rick Perry, asking for help in regaining⁶ custody⁷ of their daughters and sons. A copy of the letter was obtained by the Associated Press. Authorities are analyzing⁸ information from cell phones and other electronic devices seized from the compound. From member station KUT, Matt Largey reports.

 A judge ordered all phones and electronic devices taken away from the hundreds of women and children removed from a ranch⁹ run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The order was requested by court-appointed lawyers for 18 of the more than 400 girls now under state protection. Patrick Crimmins is a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “The order is designed to prevent improper¹⁰ communication, tampering¹¹ with witnesses and to ensure no outside interference in the attorney-client relationship.” Authorities removed the women and children from the West Texas compound last weekend. They were responding to a complaint from a 16-year-old girl who said she was being physically¹² and sexually abused by her 50-year-old husband. For NPR News, I’m Matt Largey, in Austin, Texas.

 The president of the World Bank Robert Zoellick is calling on wealthy countries to respond to a UN appeal and address the sharp rise in food prices which is affecting developing nations around the world. “The World Food Program has asked countries to respond to its appeal for 500 million dollars by May 1. And we’ve double checked and it just received indications of commitments for almost half of the money that it requires. But that’s not enough. It’s critical that governments confirm their commitments as soon as possible and that others begin to commit.” Zoellick was speaking after a meeting of the World Bank’s policy-setting committee in the nation’s capital. This is NPR News from Washington.

 Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Sudan’s Embassy in London today to demand that International peacekeepers be sent to the troubled Darfur region as soon as possible. The protestors had painted the palms of their hands white as a symbol of peace. The event was part of what organizers called “a global day for Darfur”.

 A power-sharing deal has been implemented¹³ in Kenya. The country’s President Mwai Kibaki has named his rival to be prime minister. The two men agreed back in February to share power after weeks of deadly violence that followed the country’s disputed presidential election late last year.

 Former President Jimmy Carter says he feels at ease about his plans to meet with the senior Hamas leader in Syria over objections from the Bush administration. NPR’s Allison Keyes has that story.

 Mr. Carter says he supports the ongoing¹⁴ peace effort there endorsed¹⁵ by President Bush, Israel and Palestinians. But Mr. Carter says he will meet with Hamas because the militant¹⁶ group will have to be included in any process to bring peace to the region. “I think that it’s very important at least someone meet with the Hamas leaders, er, to express their views, to ascertain¹⁷ what flexibility¹⁸ they have, to try to induce them to stop all attacks against innocent civilians¹⁹ in Israel.” But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that she does not understand what would be gained by meeting with Hamas because the group is an impediment to peace. National Security Advisor²⁰ Steven Hadley says the position of the Bush administration is that Hamas is a terrorist organization and the US doesn’t negotiate with terrorist. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

 American Airlines says its fleet of MD-80 jetliners was back in full operation today. American cancelled 3,000 flights last week as part of an effort to make sure wiring on the aircraft met federal standards.

1 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

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 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

6 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

7 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

8 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

9 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

10 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

11 tampering   

v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• Two policemen were accused of tampering with the evidence. 有两名警察被控篡改证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. 正如哈里·伦敦预见到的那样，布鲁克赛德的D日行动抓住了不少非法改装仪表的人。 来自辞典例句

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

18 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

19 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。

20 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。