NPR 2010-10-27

It's the kind of storm the Midwest hasn't seen in years, unusually strong winds and heavy downpours for this time of year. Forecasters have compared the storm's pressure level to that of a Category 3 hurricane. Chicago Public Radio's Alex Keefe is in the thick of it.

The storm whipped through Chicago during the morning rush, snarling¹ traffic, knocking out power to thousands of homes and spurring more than 300 flight cancellations at O'Hare airport. The National Weather Service says it's investigating at least two possible tornado² touchdowns and two children received minor³ injuries when high winds tore the roof off a house about 40 miles south of Chicago. But weather service forecaster David Beachler says the storm isn't the last of it.

“Behind it, winds really crank up and we've got high wind warnings through this evening, and we're anticipating that one gust⁴ could exceed 55, possibly close to 60 miles an hour in some locations.”

The observation deck at Chicago's iconic Willis Tower is closed today due to high winds. For NPR News, I'm Alex Keefe in Chicago.

Haitian police pushed back a crowd outside a warehouse⁵ in Petite-Riviere where people are desperate to get hold of basic supplies, facing an apparent cholera⁶ outbreak that has killed at least 259 people. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports, Haitian medical authorities are focusing on containing the spread of the disease.

Medical teams from the World Health Organization are stocking medicine and antibiotics⁷ in a warehouse near Port-au-Prince along with supplies of intravenous fluids for severe cases of cholera. Brazil, meanwhile, is providing powdered chlorine for water supplies in the crowded tent camps that house hundreds of thousands of people left homes by the January earthquake. People in the capital city are aware of the epidemic⁸ and are worried about the possible spread of cholera from the north. Pickup⁹ trucks with loudspeakers are traveling the streets, broadcasting advice on good sanitation¹⁰ practices and advising frequent hand  washing and keeping water supplies clean. Christopher Joyce, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Consumer confidence in the US rose only slightly last month. More from NPR's John Ydstie.

The Conference Board, a private research group, says its index of consumer confidence rose about 1.5 to 50.2. That's far below the level associated with a healthy economy, which would require a reading of about 90. The index measures how people feel about business conditions in the job market. With the unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, Americans are not optimistic about job prospects¹¹. While the consumer confidence index has recovered significantly from its record low of 25.3 in February of 2009, it's been unable to move out of its current range during the past year. The dim view of economic prospects is a big worry for retailers¹² as the calendar moves into the holiday shopping season. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

Dow’s up five points.

This is NPR.

Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina of California is in the hospital, being treated for an infection associated with post breast cancer reconstructive surgery. The announcement comes one week before midterm elections, where Fiorina’s up against Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer¹³.

French protests against reforms of the pension system appear to be losing steam. Anita Elash reports that workers are ending blockades at oil refineries¹⁴ and fuel depots¹⁵, and that trade unions say they plan to change tactics.

Protests are continuing even as the French parliament plans to take a final vote on pension reform Wednesday. But the mass movement that started ten days ago is dying down. Workers have voted to lift blockades at three of the country's 12 oil refineries. All fuel depots are also open. Major ports are still closed and crude oil waiting to be delivered can't get in, so fuel shortages will likely continue for several days. Meanwhile, students are protesting on campuses across France. Another national workers protest is planned for Thursday. But trade unions say they recognize they have to change tactics. They say they'll concentrate on reforms that would create jobs for students and older workers. For NPR News, Anita Elash in Paris.

Casualty figures are rising from a quake-generated Tsunami¹⁶ yesterday and a volcanic¹⁷ eruption¹⁸ today in Indonesia. More than 100 people have died since a ten-foot wave swept away scores of homes on Sumatra. And an evacuation is in effect near Mount Marrabi, where lava¹⁹ and ash have sent thousands of villagers on the run. Authorities say at least 12 people have died.
 

1 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

3 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

4 gust   

n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发

参考例句：

• A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。
• A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

5 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

6 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

7 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

8 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

9 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

10 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

11 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

13 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

14 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

15 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

16 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

17 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

18 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

19 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。