NPR 2008-09-04

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.

 Alaskan Governor and vice² presidential hopeful Sarah Palin speaks before the Republican National Convention and television audiences tonight. Minnesota Public Radio's Marianne Combs reports.

 Tonight is Sarah Palin's first real chance to present herself to the nation since her surprise nomination³ last Friday. Since then, the 44-year-old governor has undergone intense scrutiny⁴ by the media which has raised questions about her qualifications, her judgment⁵ and highlighted her 17-year-old daughter's out of wedlock⁶ pregnancy⁷. Critics contend Palin was not properly vetted⁸ before Senator John McCain chose her as his running mate. Palin is expected to turn the focus tonight on her experience as a governor and a mayor, her work with the energy industry and her passion for reforming the Republican Party. For NPR News, I'm Marianne Combs in St. Paul.

 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a swipe at his Republican opponents today. On a campaign stop in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Obama made reference to last night's discussion of the economy at the GOP convention. Obama promised if he's elected, he'll cut taxes, raise the minimum wage and help women receive equal pay. "When I am President of the United States, we're going to pass equal pay for equal work. It is a simple principle. It is a basic principle. It is one that we're gonna make sure is in place when I'm president. " While Obama was campaigning in Ohio today, his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden is getting ready to campaign this week in Virginia.

 Louisiana continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Gustav including tens of thousands of residents and business owners who remain in the dark. President Bush visited an emergency communication center in Baton⁹ Rouge¹⁰ today. He said the response appears to have been excellent. However, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said it may be some time till all the power is back on. "Their latest estimate is that in nine days, they'll have half the power restored. I still don't think that's acceptable." Residents in New Orleans evacuated¹¹ ahead of the hurricane were being allowed to return to their homes today.

 Charleston County in South Carolina is jump-starting preparations for Tropical Storm Hanna. From member station WHQR in Wilmington, North Carolina, Marina Giovannelli reports.

 Although forecasters don't know exactly where Hanna will hit, computer models are showing the storm making landfall near Charleston, South Carolina sometime late Friday or early Saturday. So the county's emergency services will start around-the-clock operations today. Charleston County has the longest coastline in the state and it's bordered on three sides by water. Paul Ledson lives in a low-lying area and he's preparing to move inland. "I have you know a mother. She is in her 80s and we'll make sure that she gets everything that she's gonna need when time to move. We have flashlight, radio with batteries. " Hurricane Hugo ravaged¹² Charleston as a Category 4 storm in 1989 with storm surges reaching over 20 feet in height. For NPR News, I'm Marina Giovannelli.

 And perhaps even more worrisome to forecasters now, Hurricane Ike which is headed toward the Caribbean is now a strong Category 3 hurricane.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up nearly 16 points.

 This is NPR.

 The Federal Reserve in its latest region by region snapshot of the economy finds economic activity has been fairly slow across much of the US in recent weeks. The report which examines economic conditions in the 12 regions of the country where the Fed has member banks found that higher energy and commodity costs remained a problem. However, the Fed noticed there were signs of declines or slower price increases. The latest report comes ahead of a meeting scheduled for later this month by the Fed's main interest rates setting arm. Fed policy makers¹³ are expected to keep short-term interest rates on hold.

 The Jewel of Medina, a novel that Random¹⁴ House decided¹⁵ not to publish because of concerns it would offend Muslims, has found a new US publisher. NPR's Lynn Neary has more.

 The book, a historical novel about the Prophet Mohammed's youngest wife Aisha, was scheduled for publication in August. But Random House decided to pull the plug on it saying the company had been warned that it might be offensive to some Muslims and could incite¹⁶ acts of violence. A publicist for the book has now confirmed that a new US publishing company will release the book in October. The name of the publisher has not yet been announced. Random House's decision not to publish The Jewel of Medina has been called censorship by critics. But critics of the book say it takes liberties with historical facts and focuses too much on Aisha's sex life. First time novelist Sherry Jones has been quoted as saying that anyone who reads the book will see that it honors the Prophet and his favorite wife. Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

 General Motors and Ford¹⁷ weighed in with lower August sales numbers today. GM says its sales fell by more 20% from a year ago while Ford's sales plunged¹⁸ 26.6%. Latest declines have forced both car makers to announce steep second half production cuts.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 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。

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 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

6 wedlock   

n.婚姻，已婚状态

参考例句：

• My wife likes our wedlock.我妻子喜欢我们的婚姻生活。
• The Fawleys were not made for wedlock.范立家的人就跟结婚没有缘。

7 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

8 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

9 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

10 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

11 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

12 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

13 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

17 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

18 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。