NPR 2010-03-27

The US and Russia have an agreement for each nation to scale back nuclear arsenals¹ by a third. After months of deadlock², today president Obama announced a landmark⁴ deal to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty which expired in December.

 

“Today, we’ve taken another step forward by—in leaving behind the legacy⁵ of the 20th century while building a more secure future for our children. We’ve turned the words into action. We’ve made progress that is clear and concrete.”

 

Presidents Obama and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia plan to sign the new pact⁶ on April 8th.

 

The final results of this month’s parliamentary elections in Iraq are out and they’re revealing a major setback⁷ for Prime Minister’s Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition⁸. In Baghdad, the BBC’s Andrew North reports Maliki is already appealing the results.

 

This looks like a spectacular victory for former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and an incredible upset for the incumbent¹⁰ Nouri al-Maliki. But it was very tight, according to the results announced by Iraq’s electoral commission: 91 to 89 seats. And with Mr. al-Maliki’s party making allegations of irregularities, there're still concerns over whether the result will be accepted. But the United Nations, which helped Iraqi election organizers, says these elections were credible⁹. The BBC’s Andrew North reporting.

 

Many Iraqis voted, hoping the election would help stabilize¹¹ their country, but violence persists. And the latest twin bombings north of Baghdad today killed at least 40 people and injured dozens more.

 

The Obama administration has unveiled a new plan to tackle record high home foreclosures. It’s the latest in a string of efforts to stabilize this nation’s troubled housing market. We have more on this from NPR’s Scott Horsley.

 

Treasury¹² officials say the new assistance efforts are designed to address the changing nature of the foreclosure crisis. It’s no longer driven primarily by costly¹³ subprime mortgages, but by borrowers who’ve lost jobs or who simply owe more than their homes are worth, and so have little motivation to keep paying off their loans. The new programs are designed to help these underwater borrowers refinance into cheaper loans and provide temporary relief to borrowers who’re out of work. They’ll also encourage lenders to reduce the principal that borrowers owe rather than just cutting interest rates. The federal government has tried repeatedly to help millions of borrowers at risk of foreclosure, but programs so far have made only a small dent³ in the problem. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 

A final look at the gross domestic product in the fourth quarter reveals the economy didn’t grow as much as we thought. The government is revising down the GDP from an annual rate of 5.9% to 5.6%. That’s still the strongest showing in six years and not likely to be repeated any time soon.

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up nine points at 10,851.

 

From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

South Korea is investigating an attack on one of its navy vessels¹⁴ today and whether North Korea was involved. More than 100 sailors were onboard the ship when it sank. More than half of them have been rescued.

 

Authorities in Kentucky are investigating one of the deadliest traffic accidents in recent state history. Ten members of a Mennonite family including children were killed when their van crashed on the highway this morning. A family pastor¹⁵ says the victims were on their way to a wedding when a tractor-trailer crossed the median and slammed into the van. The driver of the truck was also killed. The National Transportation Safety Board has joined the investigation¹⁶.

 

Eight teams are playing tonight in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The winners will make the quarterfinals. NPR’s Mike Pesca has a preview.

 

Duke, a No. 1 seed, is in action against Purdue, a school that’s quickly learning how to play after the season-ending injury to their team leader Robbie Hummel last month. If Duke wins, they join Kentucky as the only regional No. 1 seed to advance to the quarterfinals. The other game held in Houston this evening pits the St. Mary’s Gaels and their valuable and voluble center Omar Samhan against the Baylor Bears. Samhan has abused the defenses he’s faced thus far, but Baylor’s post players are tough. That could curtail¹⁷ Samhan’s post game press conference witticisms¹⁸. In the Midwest, the Ohio State Buckeyes play the Tennessee Volunteers. The winner will draw either Michigan State or Northern Iowa. Michigan State’s top scorer Kalin Lucas was lost for the season after being injured in the Spartans’ last game. Mike Pesca, NPR News.

1 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

2 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

3 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

4 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

7 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

10 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。

11 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

12 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。

13 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

14 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

16 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。

17 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

18 witticisms   

n.妙语，俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We do appreciate our own witticisms. 我们非常欣赏自己的小聪明。 来自辞典例句
• The interpreter at this dinner even managed to translate jokes and witticisms without losing the point. 这次宴会的翻译甚至能设法把笑话和俏皮话不失其妙意地翻译出来。 来自辞典例句