NPR 2010-06-09

The government is confirming that BP's giant oil spill in the Gulf¹ of Mexico has been producing plumes² of oil deep below the water surface. We have more from NPR's Debbie Elliott.

 

NOAA administrator³ Jane Lubchenco says the agency has evaluated water samples taken near the blown-out oil well. "And NOAA is confirming the presence of very low concentrations of subsurface oil at sampling depths ranging from the surface to 3,300 feet." When independent scientists first reported finding the undersea plumes, NOAA said they could not be confirmed. But Lubchenco now says the agency has always known that oil was under the surface and was trying to determine where it was and how much of it is there. She says the underwater oil is at very low concentrations. The finding further complicates⁴ BP's efforts to contain the spill at sea and protect shorelines along the Gulf Coast. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Orange Beach, Alabama.

 

Americans are voting in 12 states holding primaries or runoffs. The vote comes as a new survey finds people are increasingly opposed to incumbents⁵ this election year.

 

While political contests are underway across the US, President Obama is reaching out to a vital voting bloc⁶ in elections, senior citizens. And today, it was all about the new health care law. At a senior center in suburban⁷ Maryland, the president addressed concerns about the law's impact on Medicare.

 

"You can live out your golden years with some basic peace of mind and health coverage⁸ that you can count on. That was the promise of Medicare, and the Affordable⁹ Care Act renews and strengthens that promise."

 

At least 20 states are part of a lawsuit¹⁰ to overturn that law.

 

Tens of thousands of American troops may be struggling with brain injuries caused by explosions, yet military doctors have not diagnosed or treated many of them. That's the conclusion of an investigation¹¹ by NPR and ProPublica. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling has more.

 

The investigation found that military doctors often failed to diagnose TBIs on the battlefield. Many haven't been trained to do it, but it's also because many commanders don't believe that a soldier is hurt if he can't see broken bones or blood. Our investigation found troops who can't read or remember or comprehend instructions any more months or years since they were hit by blast waves. Yet military doctors said the soldiers' problems were psychological, and they've denied proper treatment. An army researcher Remington Nevin has been trying to warn commanders that soldiers are falling through the cracks.

 

"This is an issue which is causing real harm, and the senior levels of leadership that should be responsible for this issue either don't care, can't understand the problem due to lack of experience or are so disengaged that they haven't fixed¹² it." Daniel Zwerdling, NPR News.

 

Dow's up more than 100.

 

This is NPR.

 

Joran Van Der Sloot, the main suspect in an American teen's disappearance¹³ five years ago, reportedly confesses he killed a Peruvian woman over a week ago. Local media are citing police saying that the Dutchman tearfully admitted to murdering Stephany Flores exactly five years to the day that Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. Van Der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case, but authorities say there wasn't enough evidence to hold him.

 

A new survey reveals employers in the US expect modest hiring gains during the third quarter of this year. The survey is from the Milwaukee-based temporary services firm, Manpower Inc. Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio has details.

 

The Manpower's survey of 18,000 US employers shows 18% expect to increase their payrolls¹⁵ over the next three months while 8% plan to cut jobs. The rest expect no change or aren't sure what they'll do. Manpower Vice¹⁴ President Melanie Holmes says 11 of the 13 employment sectors¹⁷ that were surveyed planned to add workers.

 

"This positive news is broad-based from an industry sector¹⁶ perspective. The only two that did not report positive hiring are government and health education services."

 

Holmes also says all four US regions expect a net increase in hiring. She says this is the third quarter in a row for a positive jobs outlook. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.

 

US stocks get a late-session lift. At last check, the Dow was up 123 points at 9,939. NASDAQ down a bit around three points at 2,171, S&P 500 up 12 at 1,062.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.
 

1 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。

2 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

5 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

6 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

7 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 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。

11 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。

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

14 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。

15 payrolls   

n.（公司员工的）工资名单( payroll的名词复数 )；（公司的）工资总支出，工薪总额

参考例句：

• Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月，就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
• Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网

16 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

17 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》