NPR 2010-04-27

Democrats¹ and Republicans in the Senate are approaching a showdown this afternoon over a bill to overhaul² the nation's financial regulations. NPR's David Welna reports that although talks are underway to hammer out a bipartisan compromise, the upcoming vote to block a GOP filibuster³ is expected to highlight the differences between the two sides.

It began last Thursday when GOP Leader Mitch McConnell objected to Majority Leader Harry⁴ Reid's request to bring up the financial regulatory bill in the Senate this afternoon. Republicans are trying to hold up the measure in hopes of changing it through talks with Democrats before it reaches the Senate floor. Once it does, Republicans will be faced with having to find at least 19 Democrats or Independents to help them amend⁵ it. Democrats have shown little inclination⁶ to yield to GOP pressures to change the bill. They feel public opinion is on their side. A spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement today, saying a vote against taking up the financial regulatory overhaul would be a vote to protect Wall Street. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

The oil spill, emanating⁷ from the site where a drilling platform sank in the Gulf⁸ of Mexico last week, now covers more than 1,800 square miles of the Gulf. And so far, workers have been unable to get a remote-control device to trigger a valve to cut off the flow at the wellhead nearly a mile below the water surface. An estimated 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking from the wellhead. Coast Guard Petty Officer Erik Swanson says crews are working to contain the oil that's already on the surface in part by surrounding it with a floating barrier called the boom.

"As of now, 11,360 feet of boom has been deployed¹⁰ and we also utilize¹¹ the skimming vessels¹²."

The oil slick is expected to remain at least 30 miles offshore¹³ until at least tomorrow.

The United Nations is scaling back its operations in Afghanistan's violence-plagued city of Kandahar, ordering more than 200 UN employees there to stay in their homes. NPR's Jackie Northam reports the announcement came as three more bomb attacks shook the city today.

Government officials in Kandahar say a police convoy¹⁴ was targeted in two of the explosions. The UN says it's not permanently¹⁵ pulling out and is still committed to providing humanitarian¹⁶ assistance to the people in the city. There has been a steady increase in violence recently in Kandahar which is the birthplace and spiritual center point of the Taliban. The insurgent¹⁷ group has been targeting mid-to-high level government and security officials as well as aid workers and contractors¹⁸. The Taliban say the recent attacks are a warning to American and NATO troops ahead of a US-led military offensive into Kandahar planned for this summer. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Kabul.

The uncertainty¹⁹ over financial regulatory legislation in Congress is weighing on bank stocks today and they're putting some downward pressure on the overall market just before the close. The Dow industrials are currently down 13 points at 11,217. The NASDAQ is off five. The S&P 500 is down four.

This is NPR News from Washington.

A clean-up is underway in the Deep South where tornadoes²⁰ damaged hundreds of homes and killed at least a dozen people over the weekend. Greg Flynn of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says neighbors have been helping²¹ neighbors in the hardest-hit communities.

"We did not see too many folks that needed shelters, so that tells us that a lot of friends and families stepped up to really take care of the people that were affected²²."

The severe weather caused damage in four southern states.

A new study is finding a link between chocolate and depression, but NPR's Joanne Silberner reports it's not yet clear whether eating chocolate leads to symptoms of depression or vice⁹ versa.

Researchers from the University of California looked at the food habits of 931 people and counted up their depressive symptoms. People who had the fewest symptoms ate the least chocolate, an average of five small chocolate bars a month. Those who had a few symptoms had eight servings a month. And the average chocolate intake²³ for people with probable major depression was 12 servings a month, they report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. But the researchers don't know what's behind the association. It could be that depressed²⁴ people are trying to self-medicate. It could be that chocolate causes depression though they know this is unlikely. Or there could be some sort of complex, as yet unidentified chemical association between something in chocolate and symptoms of depression. Joanne Silberner, NPR News.

A federal appeals court has ruled that Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer²⁵, must face a class action lawsuit²⁶, claiming the firm discriminates²⁷ against female employees, allegedly paying them less than men for the same work and promoting them less frequently. The suit was filed on behalf of more than a million current and former Wal-Mart employees.
 

1 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》

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 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。

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 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

6 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

7 emanating   

v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示

参考例句：

• Even so, there is a slight odour of potpourri emanating from Longfellow. 纵然如此，也还是可以闻到来自朗费罗的一种轻微的杂烩的味道。 来自辞典例句
• Many surface waters, particularly those emanating from swampy areas, are often colored to the extent. 许多地表水，特别是由沼泽地区流出的地表水常常染上一定程度的颜色。 来自辞典例句

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 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。

10 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

11 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

12 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》

13 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

14 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

15 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

16 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

17 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

18 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

20 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

21 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

22 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

23 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

24 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

25 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

26 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

27 discriminates   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的第三人称单数 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• The new law discriminates against lower-paid workers. 这条新法律歧视低工资的工人。
• One test governs state legislation that discriminates against interstate commerce. 一个检验约束歧视州际商业的州立法。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法