NPR 2009-12-03

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was among those on Capitol Hill today, appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to answer lawmakers' questions about the administration's newly unveiled Afghanistan war plan. On the heels of President Obama's announcement, an additional 30,000 U.S. troops are being deployed² to the region. Clinton defended the administration's latest blueprint³ for the now more than 8-year-old war.

"The president's plan represents the best way we know to protect our nation today and in the future. The task we face is as complex as any national security challenge in our lifetimes. "

Defense⁴ Secretary Robert Gates also testified, saying the first new U. S. forces for the region will begin arriving in the next two to three weeks, and he defended the announced plans to begin withdrawing U. S. forces starting in 2011. Some Republicans on the committee voiced concerns about the administration's announced withdrawal⁵ date. John McCain said Taliban militants⁶ might simply wait out the U. S. troop surge.

New York lawmakers have rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage, it was the first time the issue has been debated and voted on in the state's Senate. NPR's Robert Smith reports.

Gay marriage had already cleared one half of the New York State legislature, the State Assembly. It had the support of Governor David Patterson, and a majority of New Yorkers in a recent poll approved of legalization. But gay marriage in New York was held up and eventually defeated by a sharply divided state Senate. Although Democrats⁷ are in the majority there, they lost the support of some of their conservative members. All of the Republican state Senators voted against the bill. Gay marriage is legal in some of the states that border New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. And activists⁸ have been pushing New Jersey⁹ to vote on the issue before the end of the year. But New York State Senate leaders wouldn't even allow debate on gay marriage until now. Robert Smith, NPR News, New York.

A major property rights case was argued before the Supreme¹⁰ Court today. It's a case from Florida that pits the interest of homeowners against state efforts to prevent beach erosion. From Miami, NPR's Greg Allen reports.

The case was brought by six homeowners with beachfront property in Destin on the Florida panhandle. In 2004, after a spate¹¹ of hurricanes, state and local officials began a beach restoration project in the area. Government officials say beach restoration efforts though costly¹², are necessary to preserve recreation and tourism, at the same time provides storm protection for nearby homes. To a group of homeowners in Destin, it was a government land grab. Traditionally, property rights of homeowners extend to the high tide mark. Florida's courts, however, ruled that new land created by the beach replacement¹³ belonged not to the homeowners but the state. The homeowners say that ruling is an unconstitutional taking of private property. Only eight justices heard the arguments today, not present was John Paul Stevens who owns a beachfront condo in Fort Lauderdale. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 18 points, ending the session at 10, 453. The NASDAQ gained nine points to close at 2, 185. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose a fraction today.

This is NPR.

Golfer Tiger Woods in a statement on his website today acknowledged what he termed “transgressions”, saying he had let his family down, though he offered no further details. The statement follows a latest revelation of alleged¹⁴ infidelity by the pro-golfer, this time, following reports and the release of a telephone voice mail to a 24-year-old Los Angeles area cocktail¹⁵ waitress who claimed she had a 31-month-long affair with Woods. Woods was in an early morning car accident last week outside his Florida mansion¹⁶ in which he ran into a fire hydrant and a tree. According to police, Woods' wife used a golf club to free him from the vehicle by smashing out windows.

The International Criminal Court has reversed its decision to grant bail¹⁷ for former Congolese vice¹ president accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. NPR's Gwen Thompkins reports.

Jean-Pierre Bemba led one of the militias¹⁸ involved in a long and ruinous civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the charges he faces in The Hague are not related to his conduct in Congo. The International Criminal Court has charged him with war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities¹⁹ his soldiers committed against civilians²⁰ in the Central African Republic. Bemba's soldiers crossed into that country in 2002, 2003 to help put down a coup²¹ attempt against its president. Bemba says he was not in command of the group when the atrocities happened. But he has not yet entered a plea in the case. Judges at the International Criminal Court had denied Bemba a bail, saying he is a flight risk. Gwen Thompkins, NPR News, Nairobi.

Five British sailors detained by Iran before being released have now arrived in Dubai. The British government today said it's pleased by the release and praised Tehran for its handling of the incident. The sailors were aboard a racing²² yacht seized by Iran after the vessel²³ strayed into Iranian waters last week.

I'm Jack²⁴ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 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。

7 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》

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

10 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。

11 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

12 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

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 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

16 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

17 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

18 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

19 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

21 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

22 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

23 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。

24 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。