NPR 2008-05-19

President Bush insisted again today that a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord can be hammered out before he leaves office. Mr. Bush tried to allay¹ Palestinian concerns that he is favoring Israel in the stalled Middle East peace process. "Israel must make tough sacrifices for peace and ease the restrictions² on the Palestinians. Arab states, especially oil-rich nations, must seize this opportunity to invest aggressively in the Palestinian people and to move past their old resentments³ against Israel. " Mr. Bush speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt as he wrapped up his Middle East trip today.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he does not think a Middle East peace accord is possible, unless the US does something the Bush administration opposes: opens discussions with Iran. "They've got influence around the region. And it's damaging influence. We've got to confront what they're doing, but we can't do it just through the press. At some point, we've got to have conversations with them." Obama speaking at a campaign event in Gresham, Oregon today. Obama's rival, Hillary Clinton, is campaigning in Kentucky ahead of that state's primary on Tuesday. Despite her lead in the polls there, Clinton is not taking anything for granted. From member station WKYU in Bowling⁴ Green, Lisa Autry reports.

The former first lady is barnstorming the state this weekend, realizing her margin⁵ of victory here on Tuesday is essential in her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination⁶. The Bluegrass State has been red the past two elections. But the Hillary Clinton campaign believes she will fare well among Kentucky's blue-collar population. "It's not right all of the benefits that have happened in terms of income growth in this country over the last seven years have gone disproportionately to the wealthiest of Americans. Most middle-class families are not getting ahead. " Clinton is expected to rack up a solid victory in a state Barack Obama is barely contesting. The Illinois senator has made only one appearance in Kentucky since last year. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Autry in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Myanmar's military rulers have been refusing to answer phone calls and letters from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who wants to speed up assistance to cyclone⁷ victims. So now, Ban is planning to travel to Myanmar. (As) Andrew Harding reports from Thailand.

There's a clear shift now, away from ultimatums⁸ and toward some sort of compromise. Perhaps significantly, Burma's reclusive leader, General Than Shwe, finally visited the disaster zone himself today. He was shown on state television attempting to comfort survivors⁹. He will be getting a visit in the next few days from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon------an opportunity, albeit¹⁰ a late one, for the Burmese government to change its tune¹¹. The BBC's Andrew Harding reporting.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Hope is dimming for finding many more survivors in the rubble¹² left by last week's earthquake in southwestern China. But one man was found alive today, and he groaned¹³ as workers struggled to dig him out. The death toll¹⁴ from the quake has now topped 32, 000. More than four million people have been left homeless.

The police chief of the border city of Juarez, Mexico near El Paso has resigned. He quit after receiving death threats from drug gangs. James Blears has the story.

Chief Guillermo Prieto has resigned. While he was in charge of public security, the drug cartels issued a list of 22 senior officers they are gunning for, including him. So far, they've murdered seven as response to the government crackdown on them. Mr. Prieto has been replaced by an army officer who's not yet been publicly named. Mexican authorities confirmed that more than a thousand people have died in drug-related violence so far this year. Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent task forces of more than 25, 000 federal police and troops to hot spots to bolster¹⁵ beleaguered¹⁶ law enforcement. Juarez is top of that crisis priority list. For NPR News, I'm James Blears, in Mexico City.

Prices at the gas pump have risen another 17 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. The average price, nationally now, for a gallon of self-service regular is $3. 79. Industry analyst¹⁷ Trilby Lundberg: "$3. 79 is 61 cents higher than it was one year ago in mid-May, 2007. " Lundberg says the highest gasoline prices in the most recent survey were found in Chicago, the lowest were in Tucson, Arizona.

1 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 resentments   

（因受虐待而）愤恨，不满，怨恨( resentment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He could never transcend his resentments and his complexes. 他从来不能把他的怨恨和感情上的症结置之度外。
• These local resentments burst into open revolt. 地方性反感变成公开暴动。

4 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

8 ultimatums   

最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Environmental groups in Nevada and the Midwest have issued similar ultimatums. 内华达和中西部的环保团体也发布了类似的最后通牒。
• A proactive teacher doesn't deliver ultimatums. [先发制人式]师并不下最后通牒。

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

11 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

12 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

13 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

15 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

16 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。