NPR 2009-6-16

With thousands of people marching through the streets of Tehran today to protest the disputed presidential election, the country's top cleric has called for an inquiry¹ into opposition² claims the election was rigged. The incumbent³ President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has claimed to have held off a challenge by moderate Mir Hossein Mousavi, though his supporters have cast doubts on how the voting was handled. NPR's Mike Shuster is in Tehran and reports on what the demonstrators are seeking.

They are openly calling Ahmadinejad dictator. They believe that the government has lied in the way that it has presented the results of the election. And at the same time, you can see that they are completely energized⁴ by their numbers. They have come to feel that they have power in these numbers when they take to the streets. And they honestly believe that they can change the result of this election and make Mousavi the president. NPR's Mike Shuster in Tehran. According to the Associated Press photographer on the scene, saw one person killed and several others wounded during demonstrations⁵.

Some details of the Obama administration's plan to overhaul⁶ financial regulation are being made public in advance of their expected unveiling by the president on Wednesday. Treasury⁷ Secretary Timothy Geithner and President Obama's top economic advisor⁸ Larry Summers outlined several elements of the plan in an op-ed(注:opinion/editorial) piece in the Washington Post today. NPR's John Ydstie has more.

To avoid future financial meltdowns, the White House says it wants to put the Federal Reserve in charge of regulating big firms like AIG, whose failure could threaten the stability of the whole financial system. A council of regulators would assist the Fed. Also, the administration intends to require those giant firms to hold larger reserves against losses than regular financial companies. The power to take over and safely shut down big firms that do fail is also being sought. Among other things, the administration is proposing new rules for securitized products, like the packages of subprime mortgages at the heart of the financial crisis. The administration wants to require the firms that create them to retain an ownership share, so they are more likely to make them safe. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

Britain’s Prime Minster has announced an investigation⁹ into the country's decision to join the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The announcement comes as the government of Prime Minster Gordon Brown acknowledged that with all but 500 British troops out of Iraq, such an inquiry could shed light on the decision get involved there.

"The inquiry is essential so that, by learning lessons, we will strengthen the health of our democracy, our diplomacy¹⁰ and our military. The inquiry will, I stress, be fully¹¹ independent of government." Brown has angered some critics though by refusing to hold the hearings in public, citing national security concerns.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 187 points to close at 8,612. That was a drop of more than 2%. The S&P 500 dropped 22 points today.

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Pakistan's military chief denounced terrorists as enemies of the country and of Islam. However, he also warned his forces to avoid killing¹² civilians¹⁴ as they widen operations against the Taliban. The Pakistani government is seeking to capitalize on general public support for a six-week-old offensive in the country's Swat Valley region. Military action is being welcomed by the US. Civilian¹³ deaths in some military operations in Pakistan have soured relations there.

The Paris Air Show opened today under rainy skies and a gloom of the financial crisis. More from Eleanor Beardsley.

While exhibitors may have toned down some of their displays in Paris this year because of the recession, the launch time fly-over is still a daily staple¹⁵ of the world’s predominant air show. While exhibitors and deal makers¹⁶ wine and dine, a French Rafale fighter jet entertains them in the skies above Le Bourget air field. Two years ago, before the world fell into recession, the Paris Air Show saw rival play makers Airbus and Boeing win 800 orders worth more than 100 billion dollars. Aviation industry experts say they aren't predicting blockbuster sales from this year's exposition and they say the airline industry could lose as much as nine billion dollars this year. But the Paris Air Show which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year is always a hit with the public. More than 300,000 people are expected to visit. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

A federal appeals court ordered oil giant Exxon to pay 507.5 million dollars in punitive¹⁷ damages stemming from the 1989 Valdez oil spill off the Coast of Alaska along with 5.9 percent interest penalty, meanwhile, as a fraction, however, with the five billion in punitive damages / originally awarded to fishermen and Alaska natives.

1 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。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

4 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 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。

7 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

8 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。

9 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。

10 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

14 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。

15 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

16 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。