NPR 2009-09-08

President Obama told union members in Ohio today it's time to stop debating an overhaul¹ of the nation's health care system and to get something done. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

 At Labor² Day picnic in Cincinnati, Mr. Obama said the long-running national conversation over health care has been useful, but he added now it's time to act. He warned that unless Congress moves to fix the health care system, runaway³ costs will continue to eat into workers' paychecks and push people and businesses into bankruptcy⁴. "And that's why it's time to do what's right for America's working families and put aside partisanship⁵, stop saying things that aren't true, come together as a nation, pass health insurance reform now--this year. " Mr. Obama said he continues to support a public insurance option as important ingredient to any health care overhaul. He's left the door open though to alternative means of providing choice and competition in the insurance market. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Cincinnati.

 The White House today released a transcript⁶ of a speech President Obama plans to deliver to schoolchildren tomorrow. He urges them to show up in school, pay attention to their teachers and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. The president said no matter what children want to do in life; they'll need a good education to do it. Some conservatives have urged schools not to broadcast the address. And they've urged parents to keep their children home from school if the address is broadcast, claiming the president has tried to promote a political agenda.

 Former Congressman⁷ Joseph Kennedy issued a statement today, but he will not seek the Senate seat held by his late uncle Edward Kennedy. The younger Kennedy said the best way to contribute to the causes of his late uncle would be to continue his work at Citizens Energy Corporation, a non-profit organization that provides free heating oil to the poor.

 Three British Muslims were convicted today in connection with what's become known as a liquid bomb plot. It was designed to be the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11. Four others on trial with them were acquitted⁸. Larry Miller⁹ reports from London.

 In their first trial, the three men were convicted of conspiring¹⁰ to murder using liquid explosives. In this trial, the jury decided¹¹ the intention was to detonate the explosives in flight to bring down at least seven trans-Atlantic airliners¹². The accused denied that was their intention and the prosecution¹³ supplied no evidence to show the men had actually produced the viable¹⁴ bomb. However, the jury accepted the bombs were to be assembled in airplane toilets, using liquid explosives that earlier had been injected into juice and soft drink bottles. British officials estimate that 2,000 passengers would have died if the plan had been successful, far more the bombs were detonated over US and Canadian cities. The attacks were set to be just days away when the plot was foiled by Britain’s security service. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 A suspected US drone fired at least one missile at a compound near the Afghan border in Pakistan today. Officials say five people were killed. The attack took place near the town of Mir Ali, a major sanctuary¹⁵ for militants¹⁶ linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban who operated in Pakistani tribal¹⁷ lands to the border with Afghanistan. Officials identified the dead as Uzbek militants. The US has fired scores of missiles from unmanned drones into the region in an attempt to kill al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

 A court in Khartoum has convicted a Sudanese woman for wearing trousers in violation¹⁸ of Islamic law. She's been ordered to pay 200 dollars but has been spared 40 lashes¹⁹. Dale Gavlak reports.

 Lubna Hussein, a journalist who once worked with the United Nations, said she has no intention of paying the fine. Her Lawyer said it was likely she would be jailed for one month. Hussein was arrested along with 18 other women in July in a Khartoum restaurant when so-called morality police burst in and checked women for their clothing. At the time, she was wearing trousers. Hussein said she's fighting to have Sudan's decency²⁰ law declared unconstitutional. She resigned from her UN position in order to waive²¹ her immunity²² as an international worker and go to trial. Police lobbed tear gas at crowds of her supporters who gathered outside the Khartoum courthouse. For NPR News, I'm Dale Gavlak in Amman.

 In tennis, 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin advanced to the US Open quarterfinals today. She beat 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova. She lost the first set in 31 minutes and nearly fell behind 5-3 in the second set before coming back to win.

1 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。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

4 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

5 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

6 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

9 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

10 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 airliners   

n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fog grounded the airliners. 大雾迫使班机停飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They placed very stable and accurate atomic clocks on regularly scheduled jet airliners. 他们将非常稳定、准确的原子钟装在定期飞行的喷气式班机上。 来自辞典例句

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

15 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

16 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。

17 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

18 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

19 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

21 waive   

vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等)

参考例句：

• I'll record to our habitat office waive our claim immediately.我立即写信给咱们的总公司提出放弃索赔。
• In view of the unusual circumstances,they agree to waive their requirement.鉴于特殊情况，他们同意放弃他们的要求。

22 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。