NPR 2010-05-16

Oil continues to gush¹ from a broken pipeline³ on the floor of the Gulf⁴ of Mexico. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says the weather isn't helping⁵ efforts to contain the spill.

"Currently, unfortunately, the weather is not conducive⁶ to skimming or burning operations, but we expect that to change over the next day or so. It will allow us to use all of our tools over the balance of next week."

Suttles says the oil on the surface has dispersed⁷, and there's been little impact on shoreline so far.

Meanwhile, estimates of the amount of oil that's leaked have ranged from 5,000 to up to 70,000 barrels a day, but Interior Secretary Ken² Salazar is wary⁸ of estimates.

"There are lots of guesses out there in terms of the amount of flow and the quantity of oil that has already gone out to sea, the amount of oil that has already been cleaned up."

Meanwhile, Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are calling on BP to immediately clarify its commitment to pay for damages. They want BP to confirm it will not limit compensation for those harmed by the spill.

In a Pakistani courtroom today, the prosecution⁹ rested its case against five Americans accused of planning terror attacks. Meanwhile, NPR's Tom Bullock reports from Islamabad the five are again insisting they are innocent.

They're known here as Sargodha five, and their case continues to make headlines throughout Pakistan. The Muslim American men in their late teens or early 20s were arrested last December after being reported missing by their families. Pakistani police say the five made contact with jihadi groups here including the Pakistani Taliban, and they say they were traveling to South Waziristan, a restive¹⁰ province in Pakistan's tribal¹¹ belt known for housing militant¹² training camps. The five Americans say they are innocent of all charges. They also say they were trying to get to Afghanistan where, they say, they wanted to help their fellow Muslims by doing humanitarian¹³ work. The accused were allowed to submit a written statement to the judge. One defendant¹⁴ said he just wanted to return to his fiancee in America. Tom Bullock, NPR News, Islamabad.

In Bangkok, anti-government protesters and troops are clashing for a third straight day. The Red Shirt demonstrators are demanding the prime minister step down and new elections. The US Embassy is warning Americans to avoid traveling to the Thai capital. The clashes show no sign of abating¹⁵. Thailand's prime minister says he'll not bow to the opposition¹⁶, and troops are trying to cordon¹⁷ off protesters from their main rally site. The protesters say they'll persist until the government leaves.

Forecasters are warning a volcanic¹⁸ ash cloud from Iceland could disrupt air travel in Britain and Germany tomorrow. The volcano continues to erupt, and current wind and weather conditions are blowing it toward Europe. Germany says it'll conduct a test flight tomorrow before making a decision on whether flights will be affected¹⁹.

This is NPR News.

A 16-year-old Australian girl has become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop around the world. As Stuart Cohen reports from Sydney, Jessica Watson has returned to a hero's welcome.

Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney's Harbor the way she left, escorted by dozens of boats filled with well-wishers while thousands more stood along the shore. Watson left Sydney in October on her 23,000 nautical²⁰ mile journey. She sailed her pink 34-foot sloop²¹ west across the Pacific where she briefly²² crossed north of the equator before sailing below the southern tips of South America and Africa, and then rounding the southern coast of Australia to return home on a sunny autumn day. Watson broke the previous record set by another Australian, Jesse Martin, who sailed non-stop around the world in 1999 at age 18. The trip wasn't without controversy²³. Critics said it was too dangerous for someone so young to sail around the world, and a prominent sailing organization won't recognize Watson's achievement, saying she's too young, according to their rules. For NPR News, I'm Stuart Cohen in Sydney.

The nine-year-old Dutch boy who was the only survivor²⁴ of the plane crash in Libya this week has arrived home in the Netherlands.

The running of the Preakness Stakes takes place at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore today. Racing²⁵ writer Jennie Rees at the Louisville Courier-Journal says two horses are favorite to win.

"The two picked favorites are Super Saver, the Kentucky Derby winner and Lookin at Lucky, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby. Super Saver is the favorite because he did win the Kentucky Derby, and he was a second choice in betting there, and the choices have been very consistent."

So has Super Saver's jockey Calvin Borel who's won three Kentucky Derbys in the last four years.
 

1 gush   

v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发

参考例句：

• There was a gush of blood from the wound.血从伤口流出。
• There was a gush of blood as the arrow was pulled out from the arm.当从手臂上拔出箭来时，一股鲜血涌了出来。

2 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

3 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

4 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。

5 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。

6 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。

7 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

8 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

9 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

10 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

11 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

12 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

13 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。

14 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

15 abating   

减少( abate的现在分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼）

参考例句：

• The storm showed no signs of abating. 暴风雨没有减弱的迹象。
• The recent public anxiety about this issue may now be abating. 近来公众对这个问题的焦虑心情现在也许正在缓和下来。

16 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。

17 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

18 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

19 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。

20 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

21 sloop   

n.单桅帆船

参考例句：

• They heeled the sloop well over,skimming it along to windward.他们使单桅小船倾斜适当，让它顶着风向前滑去。
• While a sloop always has two sails,a cat-rigged boat generally has only one.一艘单桅帆船总是有两面帆，但一艘单桅艇通常只有一面帆。

22 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

23 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。

24 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

25 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。