NPR 2010-03-28

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

 

Sarah Palin’s charging up a crowd of Tea Party activists¹ in Nevada where people are launching a national bus tour to protest the new health care overhaul² law. On a windy day in Searchlight today, Palin took several swipes at the Democratic leadership.

 

It’s like that old bumper³ sticker that says, government: “if you think our problems are bad, wait until you see our solutions”.

 

Palin traveled to Nevada from Arizona where she’s been campaigning for the reelection of a former presidential running mate, Senator John McCain.

 

The Tea Party activists are also calling for the ouster of Senate Majority Leader Harry⁴ Reid who’s from Searchlight. One of the chief organizers Mark Williams says the rally is just the beginning.

 

“We’re doing, I believe it’s up to 44 stops now between Searchlight and Washington, D.C. where we wind up on the 15th of April, or in its end there will actually be a number of events on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.”

 

GOP critics of the bill say the Democrats⁵’ plan will severely⁶ undermine the quality of health care and drive the economy deeper into debt. But Democrats argue not only will it help millions of Americans, but will also lead to huge savings⁷ for the country over the next decade.

 

The Senate has adjourned⁸ for a two-week recess⁹ without extending unemployment insurance benefits that are due to expire in the middle of the congressional break. As NPR’s David Welna tells us, both Democrats and Republicans agree the benefits should be continued, but they don’t agree on how to pay for them.

 

A temporary extension of unemployment benefits expires April 5th. The House approved another one-month extension, but Senate Republicans balked¹⁰, saying it would add another nine billion dollars to the deficit¹¹. Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin disagrees.

 

“This is an emergency. And yet, it’s being obstructed¹² by the minority, by the Republicans. Let’s say it for what it is. Republicans are stopping this. It’s simply inexplicable¹³.”

 

Republican Senators say the unemployment benefits should be paid for with funds from last year’s stimulus¹⁴ bill. Their leader in this fight is Oklahoma’s Tom Coburn.

 

“Somebody has to start saying ‘no’ to the addiction¹⁵ that we have is that every time we have a problem, we just spend money.”

 

The Senate votes to end the filibuster¹⁶ on extensions when it returns April 12th. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

President Obama is making 15 recess appointments. In a White House statement today, the president says posts include key members of his economic team, as well as members of the National Labor¹⁷ Relations Board and the head of Customs and Border Protection.

 

The families of South Korean marines still missing from a naval¹⁸ accident in the Yellow Sea yesterday are demanding answers today. A group turned up at a naval base south of Seoul angry; they weren’t being told more. Yesterday, a South Korean military ship sank near the disputed sea border. Officials say there was an explosion but did not offer a cause.

 

From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

The head of the Arab League says that Arab leaders should be looking ahead to the day when the Israeli-Palestinian peace process collapses²⁰. Amr Moussa also counseled more direct contact with Iran. NPR’s Peter Kenyon has details from Cairo.

 

The Arab League summit in Libya is focusing on the recent controversy²¹ surrounding Jewish settlement activity in East Jerusalem. Israel says it will not stop building in the eastern part of the city which Palestinians see as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The Arab League recently gave its blessing²² to indirect talks between the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis, but Moussa says those talks are impossible, unless Israel imposes a settlement freeze, and he warned that the settlements could cause the peace process to collapse¹⁹ altogether. Moussa also said Arab states concerned about Iran’s nuclear program and its regional ambitions should open a dialog with Iranian leaders. Moussa proposed a forum²³ involving both Iran and Turkey, a proposal that may be at odds²⁴ with US and Israeli desires to isolate²⁵ and punish Iran. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Cairo.

 

A political dispute is brewing²⁶ in Iraq where Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is pledging to appeal the results of this month’s parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, the declared winner Iyad Allawi is pledging to work with all factions²⁷ to form a coalition²⁸ government.

 

While days after signing landmark²⁹ legislation to revamp health care, President Obama’s planning to do the same with an education bill on Tuesday. In his weekly address, the president says that he believes the student loan measure can make graduation rates in the US among the highest in the world. He says the law will spur more student lending, including more money for minority colleges and universities.

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
 

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

9 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

10 balked   

v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑

参考例句：

• He balked in his speech. 他忽然中断讲演。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They balked the robber's plan. 他们使强盗的计划受到挫败。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 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。

12 obstructed   

阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着，他看不到道路。
• The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁，或受到了严重阻碍。

13 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

14 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

15 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

16 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

17 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

18 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

19 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

20 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

21 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

22 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

23 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

24 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

25 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

26 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

27 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

28 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。

29 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。