NPR 2009-10-18

Pakistan has launched a major ground offensive against militants¹ in the border area near Afghanistan. The BBC’s Shoaid Pasan reports the army is meeting fierce resistance from the militants.
The screw’s upturning in what appears to be the toughest test yet faced by the Pakistan military in this war against the Taliban. Dozens have been killed in the first day of fighting so far. Local officials say the Taliban have entrenched² themselves and are defending every inch of their territory. But the army is also pushing hard and air power is likely to play a decisive role. The fighting has made it almost impossible for locals to flee South Waziristan. Those who managed to escape say they walked for over 24 hours to get out. The BBC’s Shoaid Pasan reporting from Waziristan, Pakistan.

A suicide bomber³ in Iraq detonated a blast that destroyed a heavily traveled bridge outside Ramadi that is used by U.S. military forces to transport equipment out of the country. No one was injured, but other attacks across Iraq today have left at least nine people dead, most of them, Iraqi soldiers and police officers.

President Obama is stepping up his criticism of the health insurance industry, accusing it of running deceptive⁴ ads concerning legislation to overhaul⁵ the nation's healthcare system. NPR’s Carol Van Dam has more.

The industry recently released a study, claiming a Senate Health Bill would raise premiums⁶ for millions of Americans who already have health coverage⁷. President Obama said in his weekly address that’s typical of an industry that’s played this game before.

"Every time we get close to passing reform, the insurance companies produce these phony studies as a prescription⁸ and say, 'Take one of these, and call us in decade.' Well, not this time. "

Texas congressman⁹ Calvin Braidy in the GOP response says the overhaul plans making their way through congress will mean less choice for consumers.

"The massive healthcare plans being crafted behind closed doors in Washington will ultimately allow the government to decide what doctors we can see, what treatments the government thinks you deserve and what medicines you can receive."

Democrats¹⁰ in both chambers¹¹ hoped to pass health overhaul bills in the coming weeks which will later have to be merged¹² into one. Carol Van Dam, NPR News Washington.

The Coast Guard has expanded its search for the pilot of an air force fighter jet whose plane collided with another aircraft during night training exercises this week off the coast of South Carolina. Helicopters and vessels¹³ are searching a 4,000 square-mile area of the Atlantic. Coast Guard spokesman Bobby Nash says the pilot was prepared for such emergencies.

"There are certainly a couple of things that are working in his favor and if he was able to deploy¹⁴, successfully from his aircraft. He has physical training, he’s been trained to deploy from his aircraft in case of emergency, and they also have emergency equipment on board. Nash says the pilot of the other plane involved into the collision was able to land safely.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Madrid for an anti-abortion¹⁵ rally today. They were protesting a law that would allow unrestricted abortion for the first time in that country. Jerome Socolovsky reports from Madrid.

Protesters chanted "Yes to life, no to abortion." as they marched through the center of the capital. One carried a sign that said "Abortion is the new holocaust¹⁶." Malian Hiliscubase came from Valencia to show her anger at the government's proposed law.

"They want to make us think that getting an abortion is like getting your nails done." She said. The legislation would make abortion on demand legal during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy¹⁸. It would also allow terminations without parental¹⁹ consent from age 16. Many protesters said they believed abortion should be completely illegal as it was during the church backed Franco Dictatorship which ended in 1975. For NPR News, I’m Jerome Socolovsky in Madrid.

The President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, and his cabinet donned scuba¹⁷ gear and held a meeting while submerged about 20-feet down in the pristine²⁰ blue lagoon²¹ today.

The event was designed to dramatize the country’s vulnerability to rising sea levels. Nasheed says his government wants to let the world know what will happen to his nation, if climate change isn't checked.

If Maldives can't be saved today, we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world.

Maldives is made up of hundreds of low lying coral islands in the Indian Ocean. The islands on average are just 7-feet above sea level.

I’m Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

5 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

6 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

8 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

12 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

13 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

15 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

16 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

17 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

18 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。

19 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

20 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

21 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。