NPR 2008-07-03

After being held in the jungles of Colombia by rebel forces, in some cases, for years, a group of hostages is (are) now freed today. Colombia’s Defense¹ Minister Juan Manuel Santos announced, speaking through an interpreter at a news conference in Bogota, that military spies were able to obtain the release of the hostages. “We’re pleased to announce to the public, national and international, that in a special intelligence operation, 15 of the hostages in the hands of the FARC have been rescued safe and sound.” Included in the hostage group was French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors² who had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC. The hostages were considered key bargaining chips by the group to obtain the release of jailed rebels. Military spies apparently³ tricked the rebels into giving up the hostages with no injuries.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is continuing a three-day trip to Latin America. NPR’s Jason Beaubien reports from Mexico City.

Upon arriving in Cartagena, Colombia, Senator McCain again voiced his support for a free trade agreement with that country. His opponent, Barack Obama, opposes the deal. McCain said free trade is an important issue, not only for Colombia, but also for the future of the US economy. “And as you know, I have strongly supported education and retraining programs for our displaced workers who will face the challenges that America’s economy is undergoing as we speak.” From Colombia, McCain’s next stop is Mexico City for a meeting with President Felipe Calderon. The Arizona senator has praised Calderon for attacking Mexico’s drug smuggling⁴ cartels. The two men are also expected to discuss issues related to the border. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

President Bush and Iran’s foreign minister both dismissed speculation⁵ the US and Israel might be prepared to launch a military strike against Iran before Mr. Bush leaves office. President said he has made it clear to all parties that the first option to solving any problems would be diplomatic.

Stocks slumped⁶ today amid record oil prices. The Dow Industrial Average and NASDAQ both ended the day officially in bear market territory. NPR’s Curt⁷ Nickisch reports.

The price of oil closed up more than two and a half dollars. Investors⁸ were also concerned by a loss in private sector⁹ employment. That helped deflate the Dow almost one and a half percent. The NASDAQ fell more than two percent. That left both indexes in bear market territory, which means they are down 20% from their highs of this past October. Peter Morici, an economist¹⁰ at the University of Maryland, says “get used to the trend”. “The prospect¹¹ for oil coming down is not good, because there is a real global shortage, it’s not just speculators. So, we’re likely in bear territory for a while.” Investors were also jittery¹² ahead of Thursday’s report on unemployment numbers. Curt Nickisch, NPR News.

The Dow dropped 166 points, closing at 11,215. This is NPR.

Some bridges over the Mississippi River in Illinois and Missouri are reopening to traffic for the first time in days. (A) Missouri highway has also reopened, and the Army Corps¹³ of Engineers says it is opening three navigation locks on the river that had been closed. At some areas around St. Louis, the rain-swollen river has been coming down rapidly, falling about a foot a day, and that’s giving residents in two hard-hit Missouri towns, Winfield and Foley, a chance to return to their properties and assess damages from the recent flooding. The river, meanwhile, is cresting¹⁴ above flood stage in the town of Cape¹⁵ Girardeau, Missouri. However, no major damage has been reported.

Authorities say a fugitive¹⁶ hedge fund manager who’d been on the lam for more than a month turned himself in today. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports.

Samuel Israel III was supposed to report to a Massachusetts prison on June 9th to begin serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiracy¹⁷ and fraud. He had run a hedge fund in Stamford, Connecticut and eventually pleaded guilty to bilking investors out of millions of dollars. Israel’s case made national headlines when he didn’t show up at the prison as planned. And police found his SUV abandoned on a Hudson River bridge with the words “Suicide is Painless” scrawled¹⁸ on the hood¹⁹. FBI and US Marshals doubted Israel had committed suicide. Instead, they began a massive manhunt. Israel’s girlfriend later admitted that she had helped him escape. Israel turned himself into authorities in Southwick, Massachusetts. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Roger Federer has now stretched his winning streak²⁰ on grass to 64 matches, reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals today, after beating Mario Ancic 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. Federer is the only man at this year’s tennis tournament to win every set and is trying to take his sixth straight title.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

5 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

6 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

7 curt   

adj.简短的，草率的

参考例句：

• He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复。
• He rapped out a series of curt commands.他大声发出了一连串简短的命令。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 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。

10 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。

11 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

12 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

13 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

14 cresting   

n.顶饰v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的现在分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点

参考例句：

• The old man stood with his back to the fire, cresting up erect. 老人背火昂然而立。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Various shapes of returns like triangular, semi-circular are available for cresting your own office. 极富创意的办公桌，有着不同形装如三角形、半圆形、曲尺形及四边形，以创造您个人品位的办公室。 来自互联网

15 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

16 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

17 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

18 scrawled   

乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
• Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”

19 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

20 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？