NPR 2009-11-27

President Obama is sending a Thanksgiving tribute to troops serving in war zones this holiday. The White House says Mr. Obama telephoned ten service men and women to thank them for their sacrifices. Within days, the President is expected to announce if he will deploy¹ thousands more troops to Afghanistan. The troop status in Iraq is also uncertain and Iraqi parliamentary dispute is threatening to delay January's national election which could affect the American combat troop withdrawals².

The Iraq war could have been delayed had Britain been tougher with the Bush administration, that today from an ex-ambassador to Washington who addressed the British panel investigating the war. Christopher Meyer also says that two years before the invasion, US National Security Advisor³ Condoleezza Rice raised the issue of Iraq on the same day as the 9/11 terror attacks. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

The Iraq inquiry⁴, billed as the most sweeping⁵ look yet at the Iraq conflict, is in its third day of hearing public evidence from former officials and diplomats⁶ such as Christopher Meyer, who served as British ambassador in Washington from 1997 to 2003. Meyer said he spoke⁷ to Condoleezza Rice just hours after the attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. He said Rice had told him she was in no doubt the attacks were an Al-Qaeda operation, but she added that the U. S. government was also looking to see if there was a connection with Saddam Hussein. Meyer said that it then became clear to the British government as early as March of 2002 that it was, as he put it, pointless to resist U. S. plans for regime change in Iraq. Rob Gifford, NPR News, London.

China says it's committing to a reduction in carbon emissions⁸ as measure against its economic output. The announcement comes a day after the U. S. pledged to lay out its emissions-cutting plan at a climate conference in Copenhagen in two weeks. NPR's Louisa Lim has more from central China.

The world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases has unveiled its new energy efficiency target. China plans to cut its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40-45% by the year 2020, compared to 2005 levels. Beijing said this would be a major contribution to the fight against climate change. This means its overall emissions will likely still rise but at a slower pace than before. China's Premier⁹ Wen Jiabao will attend the Copenhagen conference, as will President Obama. A spokesman for the UN climate change secretariat said Mr. Obama's presence and China's new target were a huge morale¹⁰ booster. But a member of China's negotiating team has called the target a bit high for China's present capabilities¹¹. Louisa Lim, NPR News, Xi'an, China.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck off the coast of El Salvador. There have been no immediate¹² reports of injuries.

U.S. financial markets are closed for the holiday.

This is NPR News.

Some retailers¹³ are getting a jump start on the black Friday shopping frenzy¹⁴ in the U.S. by opening their doors today. But Edgar Dworsky, the editor of consumerworld.com warns finding a good deal will take time and patience, and coupons¹⁶ can't hurt. “If you can use a coupon¹⁵, and there are some 10% off coupons, or $10 off $50 purchase coupons, add that on to save and then if there is a manufacturer's rebate¹⁷ for that's a triple play, some would even call it a home run.” Dworsky also advised his consumers to do research on products themselves.

Authorities in Australia say they're planning to corral a herd¹⁸ of 6, 000 wild camels that have overrun in a small town in the Northern Territory in their search for water. From Sydney, Stewart Cowan reports.

Local officials in the small town of Docker River say they're under siege from the camels. They've invaded the town over the past few weeks in search of water in Australia's drought-plagued mid¹⁹ section. The camels have smashed water-tanks, tried to drink condensation²⁰ from air-conditioners and overrun the local airfield²¹. Some of the town's 350

1 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。

2 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

9 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

10 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

11 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 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。

14 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

15 coupon   

n.息票，配给票，附单

参考例句：

• The coupon can be used once only.此优惠券只限使用一次。
• I have a coupon for ten pence off a packet of soap.我有一张优惠券买一盒肥皂可以便宜十便士。

16 coupons   

n.礼券( coupon的名词复数 )；优惠券；订货单；参赛表

参考例句：

• The company gives away free coupons for drinks or other items. 公司为饮料或其它项目发放免费赠券。 来自辞典例句
• Do you have any coupons? 你们有优惠卡吗？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

17 rebate   

v./n.折扣，回扣，退款；vt.给...回扣，给...打折扣

参考例句：

• You can claim a rebate on your tax.你可以要求退回部分税款。
• Customers are to benefit from a rebate on their electricity bills.顾客将从他们的电费退费中得到实惠。

18 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

19 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

20 condensation   

n.压缩，浓缩；凝结的水珠

参考例句：

• A cloud is a condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere.云是由大气中的水蒸气凝结成的。
• He used his sleeve to wipe the condensation off the glass.他用袖子擦掉玻璃上凝结的水珠。

21 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。