NPR 2009-09-14

President Obama says he's willing to consider compromise variations to his plan for overhauling¹ the nation’s health care system but only if he’s convinced they will work.

"I have no interest in having a bill get passed that fails, that doesn’t work. You know, I intend to be president for a while. And once this bill passes, I own it." Mr. Obama in an interview that will air tonight on CBS’s "60 Minutes".

The administration has been working with GOP Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who’s considered one of the only Republican Senators who might vote with Democrats² on health care legislation. But Snowe says flatly that the president’s proposal for a government-run health plan as an option for uninsured Americans and small businesses will not make it through Congress.

"I’ve urged the president to take the public option off the table because it’s universally opposed by all Republicans in the Senate, and therefore there’s no way to pass a plan that includes a public option." Snowe was on CBS’s "Face the Nation".

The Republican Congressman³ who shouted "You lie!" to President Obama during his speech to Congress last week is insisting that he will not apologize to the House of Representatives for the incident. Unless he relents, Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina could face a formal rebuke⁴ from the House, as NPR’s David Welna reports.

House Democratic leaders say they will introduce a resolution of disapproval⁵ this week if Representative Wilson does not apologize in the same chamber⁶ where he shouted at the President Wednesday night. But Wilson told Fox News Sunday he’s done apologizing.

"I apologized one time. The apology was accepted by the president, by the vice-president, who I know. I am not apologizing again."

Wilson also described his outburst as a “town hall moment”. Another South Carolina Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, told Fox he was satisfied with Wilson’s first apology.

"He has apologized to the president. That’s enough to me. It’s good that the president accepted it. But I’d like to see this matter end. Joe’s a good man. He made a mistake."

Still Wilson continued to insist President Obama was misstating the facts. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

Federal health officials say some swine flu vaccine⁷ may be ready earlier than first thought. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

"We are on track to have an ample supply rolling by the middle of October, but we may have some early vaccine as early as the first full week in October."

Sebelius was interviewed on ABC’s "This Week". She says the earliest vaccine will probably go to first responders and health care workers. The second wave of swine flu infections in the US is expected to peak sometime in October and Sebelius says she is confident the vaccine will be available in time to beat the peak of the expected flu season.

China’s government says it is looking into whether the US is subsidizing exports of vehicles and chicken meat to that country. The antidumping investigation⁸ comes two days after an announcement by the administration.

This is NPR.

Six construction workers have fallen to their deaths inside a skyscraper⁹ being built in Hong Kong. Officials say the workers plunged¹⁰ about 20 stories when a platform inside an elevator shaft¹¹ collapsed¹².

A former Canadian diplomat¹³ who was freed in April after being kidnapped by Al-Qaeda militants¹⁴ in Niger is claiming that a high-level leak may have led to his capture. Dan Karpenchuk has more.

United Nations’ special envoy¹⁵ Robert Fowler says the government of Niger may have leaked information that guided his Al-Qaeda kidnappers¹⁶. Fowler says he has an e-mail from the UN office confirming it had passed on his travel plans to "all the appropriate people”. And the government of Niger and the UN offices in Africa and New York were aware of his travel plans and route. Niger’s ambassador to Canada is calling Fowler’s allegations grotesque¹⁷ and ludicrous and is demanding an apology. Fowler and his aide endured more than four months of captivity¹⁸ in the desert when they were kidnapped. They were on a mission to broker¹⁹ a peace deal in Northern Niger between the government and minority ethnic²⁰ Tuaregs. For NPR News, I’m Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

A man suspected of robbing banks in five states has been arrested in a motel in Missouri this weekend on a tip from someone who recognized him from the TV program "America’s Most Wanted". The man was wanted on felony warrants for charges ranging from armed robbery to receiving stolen property.

Juan Martin del Potro has advanced to his first Grand Slam final with a straight set of victory over Rafael Nadal today at the US Open Tennis Tournament. The sixth seed del Potro took control of the match early and never let up to score his third straight win over Nadal. Also today, Jack²¹ Kramer, a tennis champion in the 1940s and ’50s has died at his home in Los Angeles.

1 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

2 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》

3 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。

4 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

5 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

8 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。

9 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

10 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

11 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

12 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

13 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

14 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。

15 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。

16 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

18 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

19 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

20 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

21 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。