NPR 2008-07-14

The White House, the Treasury¹ Department and the Federal Reserve have announced steps aimed at shoring up confidence in the nation's two largest mortgage finance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The administration is asking Congress to approve a legislation giving the government the authority to buy billions of dollars in stock in the two firms and to allow the Treasury to expand their current lines of credit. The administration is hoping the moves will ease the anxiety of investors². But economist³ Peter Morici with University of Maryland says further gyrations in the stock market are likely. "Right now is the time to invest for the long term. The stock market is not going to stabilize⁴ until America's banks stabilize. And that begins in New York. The largest New York banks are not well-run right now." In a statement this evening, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a central role in the nation's housing finance system, a role that's especially important as the nation works through what Paulson called "the current housing correction".

 France's President Nicholas Sarkozy has launched a new 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean⁵, calling on nations of the Middle East to follow the model set by Europe in seeking reconciliation⁶ and peace. Leaders of the nations involved have been meeting in Paris, as the BBC's Mark Mardell reports.

President Sarkozy clutched the hand(s) of the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the leader of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas and dragged them together into something like a handshake. The Israeli Prime Minister, in trouble with new corruption⁷ allegations at home, was effusive⁸ and said a deal with the Palestinians had never been closer. Since its conception just over a year ago, it's never been quite clear what President Sarkozy's brainchild, the Mediterranean Union, was for. Now, he's probably saved it from criticism by putting as its central purpose an end to one of the world's most intractable conflicts. The BBC's Mark Mardell in Paris.

Gasoline prices have edged up a bit over the past three weeks, but just barely, up by one and a half cents a gallon. Steve Beckner of Market News International has more.

The latest surveys of service stations around the country by the AAA motorist club and the Lundberg Organization showed the average pump price of regular unleaded gasoline at around $4.11 per gallon. Alaska and California have the highest prices; South Carolina the lowest. But drivers of gas-powered vehicles should be glad they're not burning diesel⁹ fuel. Diesel, used by most trucks and buses, not to mention ships and locomotives, is now averaging nearly $4.82 per gallon. And diesel has risen almost twice as fast as gas over the past year. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

Taliban militants¹⁰ attacked a NATO outpost in Afghanistan before dawn today. Nine American troops were killed; about fifteen other soldiers were wounded. The attack touched off several hours of heavy fighting near the border with Pakistan.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Canadians are crossing the US border in growing numbers to buy new cars in the United States. As Dan Karpenchuck reports, even though the Canadian and US dollars are about equal in value, the prices for new vehicles in the two countries are not.

Cross-border new vehicle buying by Canadians is reaching a frenzied¹¹ pace. The North American Automobile¹² Trade Association says last year, Canadians bought close to 190, 000 vehicles in the US. But already halfway¹³ through this year, the number has reached in excess of 151, 000. It's a huge increase and could double by the end of the year. The association says Canadian consumers have become acutely aware of just how much money they can save by buying in the US. The numbers began soaring last year as the Canadian dollar gained strength. Automobile dealers¹⁴ in Canada began cutting prices, but there are still huge differences. A base model Honda Civic¹⁵ sells for $2,000 less in the US and for the Chevrolet Impala, the difference is almost $3,000. Many consumers in Canada say those kinds of price differences can’t be justified¹⁶. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuck in Toronto.

Thunderstorms have been providing some help to firefighters battling hundreds of wildfires in California. But in some areas, downpours triggered mudslides that posed further challenges for weary fire crews. Cal Fire spokesman Mike Mohler says more help is on the way. "We have multiple fires across the state. We've been spreading resources throughout the state. We have resources not only statewide from different communities, nationwide and we also are gonna get in some international resources here within the next day or two." Mohler says firefighters have made progress containing the blaze north of Sacramento that once threatened thousands of homes as well as the blaze along the Big Sur coastal¹⁷ area.

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 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

3 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。

4 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

5 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 effusive   

adj.热情洋溢的；感情(过多)流露的

参考例句：

• Every visitor noticed that her effusive welcome was not sincere.所有的客人都看出来她那过分热情的欢迎是不真诚的。
• Her effusive thanks embarrassed everybody.她道谢时非常激动，弄得大家不好意思。

9 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

10 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

11 frenzied   

a.激怒的；疯狂的

参考例句：

• Will this push him too far and lead to a frenzied attack? 这会不会逼他太甚，导致他进行疯狂的进攻？
• Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper. 两名十几岁的少年对当地的一个店主进行了疯狂的袭击。

12 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

13 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

14 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

15 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

16 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

17 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。