CNN 2012-03-24

 First up, results from Tuesday’s Republican primary in Illinois, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹ Romney came in first place there, and he picked up at least 41 of the state’s 54 delegates. That added to his lead among Republican candidates. What you’re looking at here are the latest delegate estimates from CNN. You can see it takes 1,144 delegates to win the Republican nomination². Governor Romney had that in mind after Tuesday’s win. 

 

“Each day we move closer, not just to victory but to a better America. Join us. Join us. Together, we’re going to ensure that America’s greatest days are still ahead.”

 

Former Senator Rick Santorum finished second in Illinois. He’s also second in the delegate count. He said Tuesday night was a good night for his campaign. 

 

“We did very well. We picked up a lot of delegates tonight in a very tough state, one that nobody had any expectations for us to win in. You know, we did what we had to do. We got the delegates that we could get, and you know we’re feeling good.”

 

The likely Democratic nominee³, President Obama, is taking about energy policies this week. Today he is expected to make an announcement about an oil pipeline⁴ that was the subject of some controversy⁵ late last year. It’s called the Keystone XL pipeline, and it would stretch 1,700 miles from Canada all the way down to the U.S. Gulf⁶ Coast. Environmentalists protested against the pipeline in the past. In January, the president denied a permit for it. But today he’s expected to change course to announce plans to push for a permit for the southern half of the pipeline, the part of the pipeline that would start in Oklahoma. That’s where a lot of oil from the Midwestern U.S. gets backed up while it’s being transported to the Gulf of Mexico. This is part of the pipeline would help out with that. 

 

Protests across the Untied⁷ States, a petition with more than 800,000 signatures, it’s connected to a Florida teenager who was shot and killed last month. You might have heard about Trayon Martin on the news or seen something about this story on social media. This is what we know. Trayvon Martin, who was 17 years old, was walking home after going to a convenience store. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, was patrolling the neighborhood that Martin was walking through. Zimmerman called 911 and reported what he described as a suspicious person. A few moments later, other neighbors reportedly heard a commotion⁸, then there were cries for help and a gunshot. We know Trayvon Martin was killed. We know George Zimmerman fired the gun. He told police he shot Martin in self-defense. Police haven’t arrested Zimmerman because they say they don’t have any evidence that contradicts what he said. Part of this is a Florida law called “Stand Your Ground.” It says that if a person thinks he or someone else is in serious danger, he can meet force with force. What’s not clear is what exactly happened in the moments leading up to Trayvon Martin’s death. Now this is an ongoing⁹ story. There’s legal proceeding¹⁰ scheduled for next month. We’re going to bring you more details on it as we got them. 

 

We have reported recently on an NFL investigation¹¹ into a bounty¹² program being run by the New Orleans Saints. The league discovered that for three years defensive¹³ players were paid for knocking opponents out of games. Yesterday, the NFL announced punishments for the New Orleans Saints. Head Coach Sean Payton, who was aware of the bounty program, was suspended for the entire 2012 season. That’s just the start. The Saints were fined half a million dollars. They lost draft picks. The team’s general manager was suspended for 8 games, and former defensive coordinator¹⁴ Gregg Williams who ran the bounty program was suspended indefinitely from the League. 

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

8 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

11 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。

12 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

13 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

14 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？