NPR 2008-05-27

At Arlington National Cemetery¹ on this Memorial Day, President Bush urged Americans to pay tribute to the members of the Armed Services who've fallen in battle, especially in the last year. NPR's John Burnett reports.

The president called the fighting men and women of the United States “an awesome² bunch of  people”. Speaking today to a military audience on the green hills of Arlington National Cemetery, with the Iraq War now in its sixth year, he said all Americans should be inspired by the courage and character of their fighting forces. "The men and women of American armed forces perform extraordinary acts of heroism³ every single day. Like the nation they serve, they do not glory in the devastation⁴ of war. They also do not flinch⁵ from combat when liberty and justice are embattled." The president also welcomed Harley-riding military veterans who roar down Constitution Avenue as part of their annual Memorial Day tradition, the Rolling Thunder Rally. John Burnett, NPR News.

Arizona Senator John McCain used Memorial Day to reiterate⁶ his  support for continuing the US-led war in Iraq. The likely Republican presidential nominee⁷ addressed a crowd of about 1000 at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial in Albuquerque. From member station KUNM, Jim Williams  reports.

McCain, who’s a Vietnam veteran, said he was pleased to be in the company of other veterans, and repeated something he said before: he detests⁸ war.  Then, in a thinly-veiled reference to his Democratic rivals, he criticized those who are calling for a withdrawal⁹ from Iraq. "The consequences would threaten us   for years, and I am certain, would eventually draw us into a wider and more difficult war that would impose even greater sacrifices on us." McCain defended his vote against the GI Bill the Senate passed last week to increase educational benefits to veterans, saying it's likely to entice¹⁰ military members to leave the service. McCain moves on to Denver Tuesday for, what his campaign is calling, "a major foreign policy speech". For NPR News, I'm Jim Williams in Albuqerque.

 In the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa, officials are still poring through the wreckage¹¹ left behind by a deadly tornado¹² that left four people dead there yesterday. Two others died in the nearby town of New Hartford and a child was killed by a tornado touchdown in neighboring Minnesota. Jason Johnson is the sheriff of Butler County, Iowa. He says in Parkersburg, the damages are extensive. "I would say about half of the homes in Parkersburg received catastrophic damage, either they’re levelled, completely gone, or won’t be livable for quite some time."  City’s mayor says the loss of life could have been even greater, if not for the fact the town's warning siren sounded quickly enough to give many people time to take cover. Iowa's governor has issued a disaster proclamation  for the area hit by yesterday's violent weather.

 Oil prices headed higher for the week with prices spiking¹³ above $133 a barrel amid reports of a rebel attack in Niger’s Southern Delta¹⁴.

  This is NPR.

 A United Nations watchdog group is saying today Iran's alleged¹⁵ research into nuclear weapons remains¹⁶ a matter of serious concern and needs substantive¹⁷ explanation. The statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency also says it’s believed Teheran has as many as 3,500 centrifuges operational at its underground nuclear facility. Though, the agency noted¹⁸ that so far, it has not been given access to Iran’s nuclear-related sites despite a request to see them in  April. The agency has been pressing Iran for answers amid western intelligence reports alleging¹⁹ Iran continues a covert²⁰ weapons program. Iran has claimed its research is for peaceful purposes.

 Tens of thousands of demonstrators in the former Soviet²¹ Republic of Georgia protested against last week's parliamentary elections. Pro-western President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party won a majority in voting the opposition²² claims was rigged. NPR's Moscow correspondent Gregory Feifer has more.

 The protestors came out onto the streets after an official parade marking Georgia's Independence Day. The demonstrators gathered in front of parliament in the center of the capital Tbilisi, demanding last Wednesday's elections be canceled. European election observers said electoral violations²³ had taken place during the vote, but they backed the result as having expressed the will of the people. Saakashvili's radical²⁴ reforms have turned around Georgia's once failing economy. The opposition says it will boycott²⁵ parliament and set up its own parallel  legislature. But political experts say the election has left Saakashvili's critics in disarray²⁶, and that Georgia's biggest political threat is the lack of a credible²⁷ opposition. Gregory Feifer, NPR News, Moscow.

1 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

2 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

3 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

4 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 flinch   

v.畏缩，退缩

参考例句：

• She won't flinch from speaking her mind.她不会讳言自己的想法。
• We will never flinch from difficulties.我们面对困难决不退缩。

6 reiterate   

v.重申，反复地说

参考例句：

• Let me reiterate that we have absolutely no plans to increase taxation.让我再一次重申我们绝对没有增税的计划。
• I must reiterate that our position on this issue is very clear.我必须重申我们对这一项议题的立场很清楚。

7 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。

8 detests   

v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My brother detests having to get up early. 我兄弟极讨厌早起，又不得不早起。 来自辞典例句
• The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. 两样的法码，为耶和华所憎恶。诡诈的天平，也为不善。 来自互联网

9 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

10 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

11 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

12 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

13 spiking   

n.尖峰形成v.加烈酒于( spike的现在分词 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。 来自辞典例句
• We could be spiking our own guns. 我们可能要遭到失败。 来自辞典例句

14 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

15 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

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

20 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

21 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

22 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

23 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

24 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。

25 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

26 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

27 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？