NPR 2010-01-24

Vice¹ President Joe Biden confirms the Justice Department will appeal a US court's decision to drop manslaughter charges against five former Blackwater guards. The contractors² were accused of fatally shooting 17 people including women and children in 2007. Biden told the President of Iraq today that he personally regrets the incident. Biden's trip to Baghdad this weekend is aimed at defusing a political crisis before Iraq's election in March. With more on that, here is NPR's Quil Lawrence.

Biden met with the American ambassador as well as the commander of US forces in Iraq before heading into a series of meetings with government officials. A committee of the Iraqi Parliament has banned more than 500 candidates from running because of alleged³ ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. But Sunni Arab groups in particular claimed that the move is aimed at preserving the Shi'ite domination of Iraq's government. The White House is concerned that without a compromise, sectarian divisions could once again become violent. Also today, the U. S. Marine⁴ Corps⁵ is ending its mission in Iraq after almost seven years. 3, 000 marines are leaving Anbar Province where violence has decreased drastically. After the elections in March, US troop levels will rapidly drop from over 100, 000 to just 50, 000 soldiers. Quil Lawrence, NPR News, Baghdad.

The United Nations says the search-and-rescue phase is over in Haiti, but the Haitian government disagrees. NPR's Tamara Keith has more from Port-au-Prince.

In a statement, the UN Office for the Coordination⁶ of Humanitarian⁷ Affairs said the government in Haiti has declared an end to the search for survivors⁸ of the earthquake, but that wasn't the message that the government's makeshift headquarters at a Port-au-Prince police station. At a press conference, Haiti's Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said rescue efforts continue.
"I don't have for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but for now we're still looking for people. And when we stop, we'll say that loudly. " Eleven days after the quake, it is unlikely anyone trapped in the rubble⁹ is still alive. About 132 people were pulled out alive by rescue crews. Many of those crews have already headed home. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Port-au-Prince.

In the US, the storm system that wreaked¹⁰ havoc¹¹ on parts of California and other western states is moving east. Bruce Terry with the National Weather Service says a band of heavy rain will stretch across the East Coast. "There will be significant rains mainly from Coast of New England all the way, south, southwestern to the Gulf¹² Coast states, and in a lot of places, we are looking at least one to two inches of rain, and in some places, it could be a little bit more.” California and Arizona are drying out from a week's worth of storms where the cost in damages and storm preparation has cost them millions. State of emergency declarations have been issued in parts of each state.

This is NPR News.

Today British police arrested the head of a UK company on suspicion of fraud. The company allegedly sold bogus bomb-detecting devices to Iraq and 20 other countries. Larry Miller¹³ reports from London.

The ADE 651 is a hand-held device with an antenna¹⁴ that was meant to detect explosives. It does not operate by battery. Promotional material says it's powered only by the user's static electricity. Iraq spent 40, 000 dollars on each purported¹⁵ bomb detector¹⁶ and in total 85 million dollars. It was to be used at vehicle inspection¹⁷ checkpoints. However, a BBC investigation¹⁸ alleged it doesn't work and that a key component¹⁹ was in fact the tag used by stores to prevent theft. The BBC says there's concern the detectors²⁰ failed to stop bomb attacks which killed hundreds of people. The British government has now banned the export of the device to Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq's prime minister has ordered an investigation. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

The Associated Press is reporting an oil spill off the coast of southeastern Texas. US Coast Guard Petty Officer Renee Aiello is quoted saying that 450, 000 gallons of crude were spilled when a 600-foot tanker²¹ collided with a towing vessel²² in Port Arthur this morning. There have been no reports of injuries.

Emmy Award-winning actress Jean Simmons has died. Simmons played opposite Marlon Brando in "Guys and Dolls" and was Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's Oscar-winning Hamlet. Simmons was nominated for best supporting actress. Simmons died yesterday of lung cancer at her home in Santa Monica. She was 80 years old.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News Washington.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

9 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

10 wreaked   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. 地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• They have wreaked dreadful havoc among the wildlife by shooting and trapping. 他们射杀和诱捕野生动物，造成了严重的破坏。

11 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

12 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。

13 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。

14 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

15 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

17 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

18 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。

19 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

20 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

21 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

22 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。