NPR 2010-06-12

Sixteen people are believed to be missing after heavy rains caused a flash flooding along two rivers in southwestern Arkansas. Sabrina McCormick from member station KTXK reports.

Many of the dead were camping at the popular tourist camp, Albert Pike Campground, when the flooding occurred. The region also has numerous summer homes, hunting camps and a number of other US Forest Service campgrounds. Bill Sadler is the spokesperson for the Arkansas State Police.

"Search is still underway in Pike and Montgomery counties for missing individuals. It would appear that there's a family center that's going to be set up in Glenwood, Arkansas for families to report to."

News reports said that waters rose as rapidly as eight feet in an hour. The victims' identities have not yet been released. For NPR News, I'm Sabrina McCormick in Texarkana, Arkansas.

All 16 missing people are believed to be dead.

BP is hoping to nearly double its oil collecting capacity by mid-July, according to the person in charge of the government's response to the Gulf¹ spill.

"By the time we get to the new system put in and then, I talked yesterday about the floating riser pipe and new production tankers², we should be in the range of somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 barrels a day with that system once it's in place. The issue is for BP to move quickly to establish capacity and redundancy, so, as we're able to increase the flow, they've got the capacity to produce it."

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen says the way it works is drill ships will collect oil siphoned from the spill while tankers transport that oil to a port. That should nearly double the amount BP is collecting right now.

The US military confirms two American soldiers have been killed and six more were injured after a suicide car bombing in Iraq. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Baghdad reports the attack occurred in the northern Iraqi province of Diyala.

The attack took place in Jalawla, a town that has been a frequent scene of bombings in the past. It is an area that's contested with Kurds and Arabs claiming supremacy³ there. At about 10:00 AM, an American patrol, accompanied by a large contingent⁴ of Iraqis, were going to the scene of an altercation⁵ the previous evening. A car pulled up beside the convoy⁶ and blew up. The US military says one Iraqi policeman and two Iraqi civilians⁷ were also killed. Approximately 22 civilians were injured during the attack. The Iraqi Interior Ministry⁸ says five Iraqis were killed and ten more members of the Iraqi security services were wounded. The disparate members could not be immediately reconciled. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Baghdad.

Crude oil futures⁹ prices ended lower today in New York Mercantile Exchange. The near-month contract for the benchmark grade fell $1.70, closing at $73.78 a barrel. Retail¹⁰ sales came in well below analysts¹¹' expectations, while the Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index said consumer confidence grew to its highest level since January of 2008, and it was well above forecast. The mixed economic news caused a mixed bag on Wall Street. The Dow Industrials are up 38 points to 10,211; the NASDAQ is down 23.

This is NPR.

Pope Benedict's asking for forgiveness from victims of clerical sex abuse and from God. The pontiff says he'll do everything possible to stop minors¹² from ever being molested¹³ again by priests or others associated with the Catholic Church. Benedict made the remarks during the closing Mass for the Vatican's Year of the Priest. The main American survivors¹⁴ group, SNAP, wrote in a statement: "Forgiveness comes after, not during, a crisis."

It was a 1-1 tie today between host South Africa and Mexico in the soccer opener of the World Cup. Vicky O'Hara in Johannesburg reports South Africans have been dancing in the streets to celebrate the historic occasion.

The streets of Johannesburg turned into a virtual parking lot this afternoon as cars crammed¹⁵ with passengers tried to reach either the opening game or parks that had been equipped with huge outdoor screens where people can watch the matches. The blast of the vuvuzela, the plastic horn that accompanies South African sports events, resounded¹⁶ throughout the city, starting in the early morning. Later in the day, fans dressed in extravagant¹⁷ head gear and the green and gold of South Africa moved into intersections¹⁸ leading into central Johannesburg. They danced, cheered and fueled the World Cup fever that has taken hold of this city. For NPR News, I'm Vicky O'Hara in Johannesburg.

Bad weather is delaying the rescue of Abby Sunderland. She's the 16-year-old sailor from California trying to make a solo trip around the world. She ran into rough seas in the southern Indian Ocean and sent a distress¹⁹ signal. A spokesman for the rescue effort says a French fishing boat expected to arrive tomorrow morning is likely to be delayed due to rough seas. Australian search team spotted²⁰ the boat earlier today.

I'm Carol Van Dam, 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 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

3 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

4 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

5 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。

6 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。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

10 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 molested   

v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• The bigger children in the neighborhood molested the younger ones. 邻居家的大孩子欺负小孩子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He molested children and was sent to jail. 他猥亵儿童，进了监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

15 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

16 resounded   

v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音

参考例句：

• Laughter resounded through the house. 笑声在屋里回荡。
• The echo resounded back to us. 回声传回到我们的耳中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

18 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句

19 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

20 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。