NPR 2010-02-27

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Lakshmi Singh.

 

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers is stepping down after coming under fire for her handling of a state dinner where uninvited guests managed to bypass security and gained access to President Obama and other high-profile figures. We have more details now from NPR’s Don Gonyea.

 

A close friend of First Lady Michelle Obama from their mutual¹ time in Chicago. Desiree Rogers has been an unusually high-profile social secretary, but it was for a social misstep that she attracted the most attention. Her job includes planning state dinners and she played that role in November when the Obama White House hosted its first such affair for the prime minister of India. But when news broke that a couple got in without an invite and even met with president and posed for pictures with the vice³ president, Rogers came under intense scrutiny⁴. She later acknowledged that her staff was not positioned at the right security checkpoints to help identify guests. She’ll leave the job next month. She told the Chicago Tribune that it’s a good time to pursue opportunities in the corporate⁵ world. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Washington.

 

The public will hear this hour from New York Governor David Paterson who was reportedly planning to drop out of the gubernatorial race. Democratic Party's support for Paterson diminished after reports that he and the state police intervened in a domestic violence allegation against a senior aide. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was widely expected to challenge Paterson for the Democratic nomination⁶.

 

People in more than a million homes and businesses across the northeastern US are trying to get through the latest winter storm without electricity. Many school systems are closed; hundreds of flights canceled. Phil Gregory with member station WBGO reports specifically on the icy mess in New Jersey⁷.

 

Brick Township resident Bill Freyer works in the air conditioning and heating business and had to go to work in the storm. He says dealing⁸ with more snow is no fun. “I’m tired of it. I can’t wait for springtime to get here. I’m tired of shoveling, tired of my driveway having a lot of ice in it. I just want it to go away.” Not everyone is upset with all the snow this winter. Independent snow plow⁹ operator Cory Newton of Point Pleasant says it’s the best season he's had in at least 12 years. “You dream about this. You totally dream about this kind of weather when you go and buy your plow. You think yourself, yeah, this is what I want to do, and then, you know, you get it. I won’t say how much, but I’ll make some good money this year.” Many residents say the snow is just a nuisance and are ready to put away their shovels¹⁰ and get ready for spring. For NPR News, I’m Phil Gregory in Ocean County, New Jersey.

 

The storm is also bringing the threat of floods to parts of New England. Communities in southern and mid-coastal Maine were expecting as much as seven inches of rain. In the New Hampshire town of Goffstown, residents may have to evacuate¹¹ because of the threat of floods.

 

Last check on Wall Street, Dow was up 21 points at 10,342.

 

This is NPR.

 

American International Group is posting a nearly nine-billion-dollar loss in the final months of 2009. The insurer says it may need more government aid. AIG has already received more than $180 billion in taxpayer¹² money. The company’s shares fell 14% in pre-market trading.

 

A Turkish court today charged 11 more military officers for involvement in an alleged¹³ plot in 2003 to overthrow¹⁴ the Islamic-rooted government. NPR’s Eric Westervelt has details from Istanbul.

 

Today’s court move increases the number of jailed officers to 31 including seven admirals and four generals. The additional cases come just hours after the court released from custody¹⁵ the former heads of the Turkish Navy and Air Force and another top general without immediately charging them. It’s the biggest crackdown ever on Turkey’s military which once wielded¹⁶ an extraordinary influence on politics and has overthrown¹⁷ four governments since 1960. The military denies the 2003 coup² plot. Supporters call it a political attack on the armed forces which views itself as a guardian¹⁸ of Turkey's secularism²⁰.The arrests have sharply heightened tensions between the secular¹⁹ establishment here and the ruling Justice and Development Party which has roots in political Islam. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Istanbul.

 

At least 16 people are dead from suicide bombings and gunfire in the Afghan capital. Dozens more people were injured in the Kabul strikes. Taliban is claiming responsibility. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the attacks targeted Indians working in the capital. The strikes come two weeks into a major offensive that NATO and Afghan forces launch against the Taliban in Marjah, southern Afghanistan.

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
 

1 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

2 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 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。

4 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 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。

7 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

10 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

11 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

12 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

13 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

14 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

15 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

16 wielded   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道，好人受气
• He was nominally the leader, but others actually wielded the power. 名义上他是领导者，但实际上是别人掌握实权。

17 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

18 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

19 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

20 secularism   

n.现世主义；世俗主义；宗教与教育分离论；政教分离论

参考例句：

• Unless are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us. 除非我们奉献于神，否则凡俗之心便不会离开我们。 来自互联网
• They are no longer a huge threat to secularism. 他们已不再是民主的巨大威胁。 来自互联网