CNN 2011-04-05

It is Friday, April 1st -- no foolin' -- and you're watching CNN Student News! Hello, everyone. I'm Carl Azuz. First up today, we're heading to the North African nation of Libya.

But a top ranking official from that country is heading out! Libya's foreign minister turned up in London yesterday. His name is Moussa Koussa, and he told the government in London that he had resigned his position in Libya. Koussa is someone who, just a month ago, was defending the Libyan government. British officials say Koussa's resignation is a serious problem for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his authority in Libya.

U.S. military commanders have said that Libya is not a "boots on the ground" operation, meaning they aren't planning to send ground troops into the country. We've heard President Obama say that, too. But the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency -- the CIA -- is on the ground in Libya. A source told CNN that operatives from the agency are gathering¹ intelligence and sometimes connecting with rebel fighters.

NATO -- the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- has taken command of the coalition² military operation in Libya. Now, when we say that NATO has taken command, so what? What does that mean? Well, NATO is an organization that's made up of 28 countries from North America and Europe. The United States is a key member. So are the United Kingdom, France, Germany. NATO doesn't have its own unique troops. NATO forces are made up of troops from those member countries. So U.S. forces, British forces, French forces: They're still very much a part of this operation in Libya.

In Japan, officials are worried about the levels of radiation in the ocean water near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Officials say those levels are skyrocketing, and there's no clear idea of what's causing the spike³ or how to stop it. Samples taken on Wednesday show that the levels of one radioactive isotope⁴ in the water are more than 4,000 times higher than the limit that's approved by regulators. But one official said the seawater radiation doesn't pose a risk to people eating seafood⁵, at least, not yet.

Cut America's use of foreign oil by 33 percent. That's a main part of President Obama's new energy plan. He's not expecting that cut to happen immediately. His target date: the year 2025. Critics say that's too far off, that changes need to happen sooner. Another question: What's going to replace the energy from that foreign oil? Megan Cloherty looks at some options.

In response to rising gas prices, President Obama outlined a plan to expand offshore⁶ oil and natural gas drilling to provide short-term relief and other steps that would allow the nation to transition to cleaner and cheaper sources of energy.

We consume about 25 percent of the world's oil. We only have two percent of the reserves.

Obama said the demands of global oil consumption and the instability in the oil market leave America with no other choice but to act now to establish its energy independence.

We've got to discover and produce cleaner renewable sources of energy that also produce less carbon pollution, which is threatening our climate. And we've got to do it quickly.

The president said that despite fears raised by the nuclear plant emergency in Japan, he is not abandoning nuclear power as an alternative to oil. While Obama's plan to increase offshore drilling may upset the environmental lobby, his energy secretary emphasized the drilling is a short-term fix.

Ultimately, what this is about is diversifying⁷ our supply of energy.

Republican leaders charged the president's program won't do much to make things better for Americans anytime soon.

The president's target is decades from now, but Americans should be able to expect action now.

While the president's efforts to reduce oil prices bring motorists relief at the gas pump, the administration plans to raise fuel efficiency standards for car makers⁸ this fall, which could result in an increase in sticker prices.

1 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。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

4 isotope   

n.同位素

参考例句：

• The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases.同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
• How to apply a radio isotope?如何运用放射性同位素？

5 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

6 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

7 diversifying   

v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• Some publishers are now diversifying into software. 有些出版社目前正兼营软件。 来自辞典例句
• Silverlit is diversifying into new markets, such as Russia and Eastern Europe. Silverlit正在使他们的市场变得多样化，开发新的市场如俄罗斯和东欧国家。 来自互联网

8 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》