NPR 2009-06-21

President Obama is calling the crackdown against demonstrations¹ in Iran “violent and unjust” and he warned that the world is watching what's happening in Tehran. Sound of gunfire was heard there today as police clashed with protestors defying a warning by Iran's supreme² leader to stay off the streets. The BBC's Akba Chaleby has more.

"The militia³ were out in force with guns, with batons⁴, with electric batons as well and color guns in order to identify people. And people were chanting but the chant has changed. It’s “death to Khamenei”, to the actual leader. And this went on probably for four hours while I was there. It's continuing now and they have made arrests, and they are using live bullets." The BBC's Akba Chaleby in Tehran.

A suicide truck bomber⁵ detonated a powerful blast outside a Shiite mosque⁶ in northern Iraq today just as worshippers were leaving. The explosion killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 200 others. The blast demolished⁷ the mosque and several nearby houses. Rescue teams searched for hours, looking for people thought to be trapped under the rubble⁸.

Some of the hundreds of people evacuated⁹ from their homes near Rockford, Illinois last night have been allowed to return today. The evacuation came after a train transporting thousands of gallons of highly flammable ethanol derailed and burst into flames. One woman was killed as she tried to run to safety from a car stopped at a railroad crossing. Three others were injured.

The Census¹⁰ Bureau says it will count married same-sex couples the same as all other married couples in next year's census tally¹¹. NPR's Paul Brown has the story.

Census Bureau officials are reversing a decision made during the Bush administration years and say they are committed to coming up with an accurate count of same-sex married couples in next year's census. The Bush administration cited the Federal Defense¹² of Marriage Act which defines marriage as between a man and a woman in its opposition¹³ to counting same-sex couples. And same-sex couples could not get married anywhere in the US during the last ten years' census. But now, same-sex marriage is legal in six states and the Obama White House says that though the Defense of Marriage Act does not recognize same-sex marriages, it also does not prohibit gathering¹⁴ information about them. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says the health care reform plans offered by Congressional Democrats¹⁵ are costly¹⁶ and flawed.

"Throughout this debate, the administration's central argument has been that America needs health care reform for the sake of the economy. Yet according to independent estimates, every health care proposal Democrats on Capitol Hill have offered would only hurt the economy."

McConnell gave the Republican’s weekly radio and internet address today. He said health care reform legislation is too complex to be rushed through Congress this summer.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Authorities in North Carolina say an ammonia leak at a poultry¹⁷ processing plant near Fayetteville has killed one person and injured three others who are hospitalized. Officials say the leak has now been contained.

North Korea is refusing to back down on its demand for wage and rent hikes at a factory park. It’s jointly¹⁸ run with South Korea. But Doualy Xaykaothao reports the North is lifting travel restrictions¹⁹ that have undermined the success of that complex.

The Kaesong industrial complex is a five-year-old business venture between the two Koreas located just an hour from Seoul inside the North border. Since Pyongyang detonated its second nuclear device almost a month ago, relations between South Korean companies and the North have been strained at this border operation. The North last week demanded a four-fold wage increase for 40,000 of its workers and a 30-fold increase in rent from South Korean companies operating in Kaesong.  At this latest government level meeting, the North didn't budge²⁰ on its demands, but it relaxed travel for South Korean businessmen and investors²¹ trying to do business with North Korea. Seoul analysts²² say this means the North isn't interested in closing Kaesong. Both delegations²³ agreed to return to talks in July. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao in Seoul.

The first family took a Father's Day Eve excursion to a frozen custard shop in Alexandria, Virginia just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital today. Mr. Obama ordered vanilla²⁴ custard with hot fudge and toasted almonds. Ten-year-old Malia had a waffle cone²⁵ with vanilla and eight-year-old Sasha had a brownie hot fudge sundae. Mr. Obama posed for pictures with some of the patrons at the Dairy Godmother shop and he took home some puppy treats for the first family's dog, Bo.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 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。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

4 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

6 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

7 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

8 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

9 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

10 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

11 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

12 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。

13 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。

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 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》

16 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。

17 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

18 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。

19 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

20 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

21 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

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 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

24 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

25 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。