NPR 2009-02-25

President Barack Obama is expected to discuss details of his administration's economic recovery package in an address before a joint¹ session of Congress tonight. Presidential Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says Mr. Obama will be "honest about where we are" in the prime-time address. Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics says the president also needs to say the government is taking concrete steps to end the recession. "This financial collapse² was caused by Wall Street and it can be remedied by Washington. President Obama needs to give people confidence that we're gonna get out of this mess within the next twelve or eighteen months. It's not a five year proposition." Presidential address is expected to outline plans for Mr. Obama’s first year in office and comes at the time the president has overall a relatively³ high 68% approval rating. Tonight’s address comes two days before the White House delivers a budget blueprint⁴ to Congress.

The housing market continues its downward plunge⁵. The latest number for the closely watched Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed record declines. NPR's Chris Arnold has more.

Home prices nationally were down 18% in the fourth quarter as compared to the year before. Pat Newport is a housing economist⁶ at IHS Global Insight. "Though it's a pretty grim report, prices are dropping at record-setting rates. They're dropping in every city covered in the survey, and they were dropping at over 20% rates in several cities." Prices are falling faster in areas with the most foreclosures including Phoenix⁷, Las Vegas and Miami. There were more modest declines in Dallas, Denver, Boston and New York. Overall in nationwide Newport expects price to stop falling some time next year. But he doesn’t expect to see home prices start rising at all again until some time in 2011. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

The US Airways⁸ pilot who successfully landed his plane in the Hudson River appeared before Congress today to share his concerns about the airline industry. NPR's Carol Anne Clark Kelly reports.

Pilot ‘Sully’ Sullenberger says the experience of his crew played a role in his ability to safely ditch in the Hudson. But rather than talk about what went right last month, Sullenberger says he'd rather focus on what’s happening to his profession. "We've been hit by an economic tsunami⁹: September 11th, bankruptcies¹⁰, fluctuating fuel prices, mergers¹¹, loss of pensions and revolving-door management teams who have used airline employees as an ATM, have left the people who work for the airlines in the United States with extreme economic difficulties." Captain Sullenberger told lawmakers he's taken a financial hit by staying in the airline business. He warned that if pay and pensions continue to shrink, airlines will still find people to be pilots. It just won't be the same ones doing it now. Carol Anne Clark Kelly, NPR News, Washington.

On Wall Street, stocks rebounded¹² today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 236 points, ending the session at 7,350. The NASDAQ gained 54 points today.

This is NPR.

Senator Roland Burris, the man appointed by the former governor of Illinois to fill President Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, appears to ignore the suggestion from the Senate's No.2 Democrat¹³ to be stepped down. Comments from Burris reportedly came during a meeting with fellow Senator Dick Durban, who says he told Burris that he would have little luck next year in winning the seat and should resign. Burris was appointed to the Senate post by disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich was impeached¹⁴ amid charges he sought to sell the vacant seat. Burris has faced repeated calls to resign, but so far has refused to do so.

A satellite that was launched this morning to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ended up in the ocean instead of in orbit. NPR's Richard Harris has more.

NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory¹⁵ was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California shortly before 2 am local time. But something went wrong with the rocket that was supposed to carry it into space. NASA says a preliminary investigation¹⁶ shows that a protective shroud¹⁷ around the satellite failed to break free. And as a result, the Orbital Sciences Corporation rocket and the satellite ended up in the ocean near Antarctica. The satellite was supposed to be a powerful new tool to study carbon dioxide - a key component¹⁸ of global warming. A Japanese satellite with similar abilities is currently in orbit and operating successfully. Even so, the launch failure is a costly¹⁹ disappointment. Scientists had been working on this mission for more than eight years. NASA is convening²⁰ a team to investigate the failure. Richard Harris, NPR News.

Discount airline AirTran Airways announced today it’s cutting fares to everywhere it flies to the middle of this fall. Fare cuts will quickly match by other airlines including American and Continental²¹. Industry analysts²² say locking in fares so far in advance is unusual, on the part it appears to be removed by the airlines to generate future business at the time of economic uncertainty²³.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 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。

5 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

8 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

9 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

10 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

13 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

14 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

16 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

17 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

18 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

19 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。

20 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

21 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

22 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

23 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。