NPR 2010-12-11

The man accused of kidnapping and raping¹ Elizabeth Smart has been found guilty. Today, a jury convicted Brian David Mitchell eight years after he abducted² Smart from her Utah home when she was 14. Smart is now 23 years old. NPR's Howard Berkes reports Mitchell now faces sentencing.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 25th. Brian David Mitchell faces what could be a life term in prison. What's interesting is that had he been found not guilty by reason of insanity³, he would have likely spent the rest of his life in what could be the very same federal prison facility he might now end up in with a sentence of life in prison. It's a federal prison facility that treats people with mental problems.

NPR's Howard Berkes reporting.

Investigators⁴ are trying to piece together what went wrong after a deadly explosion at a small chemical plant in West Virginia yesterday. Emergency officials say the cause of the blast is still unknown. Keri Brown of West Virginia Public Broadcasting has more on the explosion that killed two people and injured two other workers.

The blast at AL Solutions killed two bothers, Jeffery Fish and James Fish. Another worker was badly burned and is receiving treatment in Pittsburgh. A fourth suffered burns to his hands and face. The disaster is hard on this tiny community of New Cumberland. Debbie Provenzano works at Sparkle's grocery store. Her co-worker's the niece of the men who died.

"Everybody knows everybody in this town so it just was a shock yesterday, especially being so close to the family, so it's gonna take some time to heal."

AL Solutions develops additives⁵ for the aluminum⁶ industry. This is the third fatal blast at this plant in 15 years. For NPR News, I'm Keri Brown in Wheeling.

It was unlike anything a Nobel ceremony has seen in decades. The peace prize could not be handed out in Oslo, Norway today because its laureate, pro-democracy and human rights activist⁷ Liu Xiaobo, is in a Chinese prison, and his wife is under house arrest. Beijing was outraged⁸ that Liu was tapped to get the 1.5-million-dollar prize. It pressured other nations including Russia and Saudi Arabia to stay away from the ceremony.

US-made products are apparently⁹ selling quite well abroad. The Commerce Department reported today exports in October reached their highest level in more than two years, and that helped shrink the trade deficit¹⁰ to $38.7 billion, more than 13 percent below September's deficit.

More than 4,000 jobs are going away as A.J. Wright discount stores are going away. Its parent company T.J. Maxx plans to close dozens of low-performing sites.

We continue to see gains on Wall Street. This is NPR News.

Ivory Coast's incumbent¹¹ president is on notice to concede electoral defeat and step down immediately or face US, UN and regional sanctions. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports the African Union has added its voice to support for his presidential rival.

The move to suspend Ivory Coast from the African Union comes after a similar decision by regional West African leaders. Opposition¹² challenger Alassane Ouattara has the moral backing of the world community as president-elect. His rival Laurent Gbagbo faces both international and continental¹³ isolation¹⁴. Ouattara is working to have these measures endorsed¹⁵ by heavyweight financial institutions like the Francophone West African Central Bank. He needs control of Ivory Coast's accounts to effectively stop Gbagbo exercising power and paying government salaries. Analysts¹⁶ predict that if the security forces stop being paid, they may switch allegiance from Gbagbo to Ouattara as president. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Abidjan.

Treasury¹⁷ Secretary Timothy Geithner's been admitted to George Washington University Hospital for a minor¹⁸ surgery for a kidney stone. The procedure forced him to cancel Sunday appearances on three network news programs where he was scheduled to talk about the president's tax cut compromise with congressional Republicans.

Bank of America has resumed foreclosures after it suspended the process amid allegations that certain financial institutions were cutting corners. Company spokesman Dan Frahm says Bank of America restarted foreclosure proceedings¹⁹ Monday on about 16,000 homes.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 22 at 11,392 and NASDAQ was up 21 points at 2,637.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

2 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

3 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

11 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

14 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

15 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

17 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

18 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。

19 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼