NPR 2009-10-28

President Obama visited a massive solar power facility in Florida today to announce a multibillion dollar push for upgrades to the nation's electric grid¹. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

With acres of solar cells stretching out behind him, Mr. Obama said it's time for the US to move its electric grid into the 21st century. The administration is awarding nearly 3.5 billion dollars in stimulus² funds to so-called Smart-Grid Projects around the country. Mr. Obama says those upgrades will make it easier for power companies to tap in the clean energy sources like this one in rural Southwestern Florida. "The stronger, more efficient grid would be able to transport power generated at dams and wind turbines from the smallest towns to the biggest cities." The president's announcement came as several cabinet secretaries were on Capitol Hill testifying in support of a carbon trade energy bill that's designed to address global warming. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Arcadia, Florida.

The FAA has confirmed it is revoking³ the licenses⁴ of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot the Minneapolis airport by some 150 miles last week. The announcement comes as the National Transportation Safety Board says it will not seize laptop computers belonging to the pair who claimed they were immersed in looking at schedules online when they flew past the airport. As the plane crews passed the airport on autopilot, the plane's radio was apparently⁵ tuned⁶ to a frequency used by Denver air traffic controllers, leaving the aircraft out of touch for more than an hour.

The job market continues to make American consumers gloomy. Consumer confidence fell for a second month in a row. NPR's Brian Reed reports.

Consumers became more pessimistic this month about both the current economic situation and the likelihood of things getting better soon. That's according to the consumer confidence index, which is based on a nation-wide survey of 5,000 households. The measure for October dropped sharply from September, reaching the second lowest level since May. Lynn Franco oversees⁷ the survey. She says consumers have a grim outlook on job prospects⁸, but people who do have jobs are still worried about their paychecks. "This is, you know, the first time, / in 42 years of doing this survey that in terms of income expectations, pessimists⁹ continue to outnumber the optimists¹⁰.” Franco says she doesn't expect consumer confidence to turn around until the job market starts to improve. And that could mean bad news for retailers¹¹ as they head into the holiday shopping season. Brian Reed, NPR News.

Bad weather forced delay in the scheduled test flight of an unmanned prototype moon rocket today. NASA says clouds and a boat that wandered into the launch zone force the agency to reschedule the lift-off of its more than 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket until tomorrow morning. The flight is part of 445-million-dollar NASA technology demonstration¹² aimed at coming up with a replacement¹³ for the soon-to-be retired¹⁴ space shuttle.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 14 points to close at 9,882. The NASDAQ lost 25 points. The S&P 500 dropped three points today.

This is NPR.

Insurgent¹⁵ attacks in Afghanistan have claimed the lives of eight more US troops, bringing the total death toll¹⁶ for October to at least 55. With the latest deaths which officials say took place in Kandahar Province, it has now become the deadliest month on record for US forces in now eight-year-old war. The military described the latest assault as multiple complex bomb strikes that occurred as troops were patrolling in military vehicles.

The war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic resumed today in The Hague, but the defendant¹⁷ was once again absent. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli's covering the trial.

The prosecution¹⁸ began its opening statements, laying the foundations for the war crimes charges against Karadzic. Those include genocide for the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre¹⁹ at Srebrenica. Once again, the defendant's chair was empty. Karadzic claimed he hadn't been given enough time to prepare for this case, he wants nine more months. Presiding judge O-Gon Kwon ruled that the trial can proceed in the defendant's absence and he warned that if Karadzic persist in boycotting²⁰ the trial, the court might consider appointing a lawyer in his behalf. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, The Hague.

New York City customs agents say they have recovered two more than 2,000-year-old Italian vases that were illegally excavated²¹ in Italy and were being offered for sale in the US. One dated to 350 B.C. while the other was from around 460 B.C. The artifacts were jointly²² recovered by US customs agents and Italian authorities and reportedly have a combined value of around 120,000 dollars. Authorities say the smuggling²³ ringleader believed responsible has also apparently brought other looted items into the US, including some that have been vended²⁴ up in locations including the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

 

1 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

2 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

3 revoking   

v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• There are no provisions for revoking the prize. 没有撤销获奖的规定。 来自互联网
• The decision revoking the patent right shall be registered and announced by the Patent Office. 撤销专利权的决定，由专利局登记和公告。 来自互联网

4 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

8 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

9 pessimists   

n.悲观主义者( pessimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pessimists tell us that the family as we know it is doomed. 悲观主义者告诉我们说，我们现在的这种家庭注定要崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Experts on the future are divided into pessimists and optimists. 对未来发展进行预测的专家可分为悲观主义者和乐观主义者两类。 来自互联网

10 optimists   

n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句

11 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

12 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

13 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

18 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

19 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

20 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

21 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

23 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。

24 vended   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Most of production are vended to occident, Europe and America, Japen, Korea, Southeast Asia, etc. 产品远销欧美、日本、韩国、东南亚等国际市场。 来自互联网