NPR 2009-08-27

The tributes are pouring in today for 77-year-old Senator Edward Kennedy, who died last night following a year-long battle with brain cancer. Speaking at his rented vacation home in Martha's Vineyard, President Barack Obama called Kennedy "the greatest United States Senator of our time". Secretary of State Hilary Clinton called him “a cherished friend” while the Senate's top Democrat² Harry³ Reid promised that the Congress would renew the push for healthcare overhaul⁴, something the Massachusetts’s Democrat once called "the cause of my life". Flags are flying at half-staff in Washington today. Kennedy will lie in repose⁵ tomorrow and Friday at the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Officials say Kennedy will be buried Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery⁶ following a funeral Mass in Boston.

 With the death of Senator Ted¹ Kennedy, brother John F. Kennedy's grave, site at Arlington National Cemetery, is drawing a larger-than-usual crowd today. NPR's Alison Brice has more.

 John F. Kennedy's grave site sits on top of a hill, overlooking Washington. And there is a clear visual line to the Lincoln Memorial. His grave sits beside Jacqueline, Patrick and a daughter. An eternal flame burns in the center. Liz Jones visiting from England says it's a bittersweet day to be visiting here.

 "It's very moving, especially today with the death of the last brother, really. I'm glad I came here today to see how respectfully it's being kept coz that's vital."

 She says Senator Kennedy was a forward thinker. "I don't think you would have a black president today if he hadn't done what he did. Alison Brice, NPR News, Arlington Cemetery.

 According to the Obama administration's Mid-East peace envoy⁷, progress is being made toward restarting negotiations⁸ between Israel and the Palestinians. In a joint⁹ statement released with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Senator George Mitchell said the two met for four hours in London today.

 Commerce Department reports demand for durable¹⁰ goods and new home sales were both up sharply last month. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports.

 Demand for durable goods jumped nearly 5% in July. The rise was driven by aircraft sales and the restarting of factories at General Motors and Chrysler. The government also said new home sales were up more than 9% last month as more bargain hunters entered the market. And a separate private study out yesterday, the Case-Shiller Home Price Index found housing prices rose in 18 of 20 large cities in June. While the housing numbers are encouraging, most economists¹¹ think any recovery will be slow. The unemployment rate is expected to pass 10%. With more people out of work, analysts¹³ say it will take longer to see a rebound¹⁴ in consumer spending, which drives most of the nation's economic growth. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Washington.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4 points to close at 9,543. The NASDAQ was up a fraction today, closing at 2,024. The Standard & Poors 500 also gained a fraction to end the day at 1,028.

 This is NPR.

 NATO officials say attacks in Afghanistan have resulted in the death of two more Americans. One American was killed in Southern Afghanistan after an improvised¹⁵ explosive device went off while a second service member died in an attack in the eastern part of the country. Military officials would release no additional details, but with the two latest deaths, it brings the total number of US fatalities¹⁶ in the war this month to 43, almost at last month's level which was the deadliest month so far for US forces in the now 8-year-old war.

Toyota says it will halt production line in Japan in response to the global slump¹⁷ in auto¹⁸ sales. More cuts could come later for the world's largest auto sales leader. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samulton has more.

 Toyota says it's cutting the line to reduce capacity and return to profitability. Analyst¹² Ron Harbour with the consulting firm Oliver Wyman says the focus on General Motors and Chrysler's bankruptcies¹⁹ this summer obscured the fact that all automakers are hurting.

 Toyota lost an equivalent of about 7 billion dollars last year in terms of the financial performance. So, that ought to tell you right there, it's not just to be a trade free problem.

 Harbour says Toyota's small car sales were helped by recent "Cash for Clunkers" programs in Japan, Europe and the US. But he says Toyota's North American sales have been battered²⁰, partly because the company increased large truck and SUV production shortly before those sales plummeted²¹. For NPR News, I'm Tracy Samulton in Ann Arbor²².

 A number of companies have agreed to recall millions of window blinds and shades following death of three children who got caught in the cords. Recalls initially²³ announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, involve blinds and shades made by Vertical²⁴ Land Inc. in Florida and Lewis Hyman Inc., in California.

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 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。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 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。

5 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 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。

10 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

11 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 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。

14 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

15 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

16 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

18 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

19 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

20 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

21 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

23 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

24 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。