NPR 2010-05-26

Energy company BP is moving ahead with plans to try to clog¹ up the blown-out oil well in the Gulf² of Mexico tomorrow with mud. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

BP officials say they now have gear in place to measure the huge buildup of pressure inside the damaged well. That information is necessary in order to go forward with their plan to plug up the well by dumping in heavy fluid called "drilling mud". This procedure's called a "top kill", and it sometimes works on blowout, but it has never been tried in water this deep. They hope to try that Wednesday. If it doesn't work, BP's new backup plan is to chop off the leaking pipe right at the top of the blowout preventer and to lower a gadget³ over the leak. It's called a LMRP, and it's designed to capture all the oil and gas that's currently spewing into the ocean. Previous attempts to capture oil underwater have come up short. Richard Harris, NPR News.

President Obama is to visit the Gulf Coast region again at the end of this week. He's reviewed efforts taken so far to stop the huge oil spill.

A senior State Department spokesman says North Korea's decision today to cut ties with South Korea is odd. North Korea says it will sever⁴ all communication and relations with Seoul after South Korea blamed the North for sinking one of its warships⁵. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

Pyongyang's decision to cut ties with South Korea is the latest in a tit for tat between the two neighbors on the Korean Peninsula. US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley questioned the wisdom of Pyongyang's decision, given that North Korea's economy is failing, and the government is already unable to feed its own people.

"I can't imagine a step that is less in the long-term interest of the North Korean people than cutting off further ties with South Korea."

The US has thrown its full support behind South Korea which on Tuesday called North Korea its main enemy. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is wrapping up talks in China. North Korea has been a main topic, especially that country's secretive nuclear program. Clinton is calling for shared cooperation with China to deal with the North.

President Obama is prepared to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border. It's a step that former President George W. Bush took four years ago when he sent guardsmen to the border to support border patrol agents. The guardsmen did not perform significant law enforcement duties.

A new report says home prices dropped in March. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index dropped 0.5% in March. The index checks the prices in 20 US cities. Prices fell in 13 of them. Yesterday, the National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes were up more than 7.5%.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 25 points before the close at 10,024. The NASDAQ was down about three points at 2,209.

This is NPR News.

Comedian⁶ Tina Fey will receive this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.

"Good evening, my fellow Americans."

Tina Fey's uncanny imitation of Sarah Palin might have amused Mark Twain.

"And I can see Russia from my house."

Fey would be the 13th recipient⁷ of the Humor Prize which the Kennedy Center created to recognize people whose work is similar to Mark Twain's, who, in their words, was a fearless observer of society. Past honorees have included Bill Cosby and Lorne Michaels. Fey becomes the third woman to receive it after Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg. As a writer, performer and TV producer, the Kennedy Center says Tina Fey stands out for her quick, unapologetic wit and social commentary. In a written statement, Tina Fey said she was thrilled. She added: "I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use." The Mark Twain Prize will be presented to Tina Fey at the Kennedy Center in November. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News, Washington.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is going back to jail. The judge ruled he violated his probation⁸ that's stemmed from his conviction for obstructing⁹ justice. Kilpatrick was supposed to pay the city of Detroit a million dollars as part of a plea agreement. But today, the judge ruled Kilpatrick lied about his money and failed to meet other conditions of his probation.

The astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis are on track for tomorrow's landing. They're scheduled to arrive at Florida's Cape¹⁰ Canaveral just before 9AM Eastern Time. If landing is waved off because of say bad weather, the shuttle can stay in orbit for several more days. This is supposed to be the last flight for the Atlantis shuttle before it retires.

I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.
 

1 clog   

vt.塞满，阻塞；n.[常pl.]木屐

参考例句：

• In cotton and wool processing,short length fibers may clog sewers.在棉毛生产中，短纤维可能堵塞下水管道。
• These streets often clog during the rush hour.这几条大街在交通高峰时间常常发生交通堵塞。

2 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。

3 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

4 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

5 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

6 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

7 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

8 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

9 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

10 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。