NPR 2008-08-28

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver today officially nominated Barack Obama to be the Party’s nominee¹ for president, the first African-American ever chosen by a major political party. NPR’s Debbie Elliot reports from the Pepsi Center in Denver.

It was his vanquished² rival Hillary Rodham Clinton who moved for the convention to nominate Barack Obama by acclamation, a final gesture in the long-fought battle for the Democratic presidential nomination³. From the floor of the Pepsi Center in the New York delegation⁴ Clinton said: “In the spirit of unity⁵, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together in one voice right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president. ” Clinton’s move came after a roll-call vote of the states, something Clinton delegates have called for, some states cast unanimous votes for Obama, others split their votes allowing Clinton delegates the opportunity to have their voices heard. Debbie Elliot, NPR News, Denver.

Also in town from Denver tonight addresses from the last member of the party to win the White House and the man hopes to be the next vice⁶ president. NPR’s Mara Liasson reports.

Tonight is Bill Clinton night at the Pepsi Center. The Obama campaign calls him a beloved and unique figure in the Party. But his speech has also been the sources of some angst. The Obama campaign doesn’t know exactly what Bill Clinton will say tonight. But he is expected to make the case for Obama while at the same time making the case for his own legacy⁷. The soon-to-be vice presidential nominee Joe Biden will also speak tonight. He is expected to make a vigorous attack on John McCain and he’s hoping to make a strong economic argument for Obama that helps older, white, working class Americans relate to the Democratic ticket. Mara Liasson, NPR News, Denver.

With Tropical Storm Gustav now blamed for 22 deaths in the Caribbean and the storm's path uncertain, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal apparently⁸ is taking no chances. Jindal today declared the state of emergency activating⁹ the National Guard even though it’s not clear where or even when the storm will make landfall. Current predictions have the storm moving out into the Gulf¹⁰ of Mexico, prompting oil companies to also begin making plans for evacuations. David Mike is the director of Florida Petroleum¹¹ Institute. “Evacuations of the, as many as 30,000 people that could be offshore¹² will begin if the track is continued.” Latest forecast has Gustav possibly making landfall sometime over the Labor¹³ Day weekend, perhaps as a dangerous Category-3 storm. Emergency declaration in Louisiana comes just days before the third anniversary of  Hurricane Katrina which struck three years ago on Friday.

On Wall Street today the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 89 points to end the session at 11, 502. The NASDAQ gained 20 points. The S&P 500 was up 10 points today. This is NPR News.

A US Coast Guard vessel¹⁴ loaded with relief supplies has docked at a port in Southern Georgia. The Russia today sent 3 missile boats to another Georgian port as a standoff escalates¹⁵ over control of two breakaway provinces within the former Soviet¹⁶ Republic. Latest tensions come amid a stinging rebuke¹⁷ to Russia issued today by the so-called Group of Seven Industrialized Nations’ critical of Russia’s decision to recognize Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A joint¹⁸ communiqué released by the State Department, the group said it deplores¹⁹ Russia’s excess use of military force in Georgia.

A pioneer of lesbian rights Del Martin has died in a San Francisco hospital. NPR’s Richard Gonzales reports.

Del Martin along with six other women founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians, called a 'Daughters of Bilitis', that was in 1955. The group grew to be the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization. Martin and her life-long partner Phyllis Lyon were the first same-sex couple to be married by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom four years ago. But theirs and thousands of other marriages were challenged in the courts. In May, the California Supreme²⁰ Court overturned the State’s ban on gay marriage and Martin and Lyon will wed²¹ again. Del Martin died at the age of 87. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco.

Recapping this hour’s top story. Delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver have now officially nominated Barack Obama to be the Party’s nominee for president. He is the first African-American ever chosen by a major political party. Also scheduled for tonight from the Convention Center in Denver addresses from former President Bill Clinton and from Joseph Biden. The, that address with Bill Clinton takes place in about an hour from now.

1 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。

2 vanquished   

v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 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。

4 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 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。

9 activating   

活动的，活性的

参考例句：

• "I didn't say we'd got to stop activating the masses! “我并没说就此不发动！ 来自子夜部分
• Presumably both the very small size and activating influence of fluorine atoms contribute to this exception. 这大概是由于氟原子半径小和活性高这两个原因的影响，氟原子对这种例外做出了贡献。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

12 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

13 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

14 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

15 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

16 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。

17 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

18 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

19 deplores   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often deplores his past sins. 他经常痛悔自己过去的罪恶。 来自辞典例句
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

20 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

21 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。