NPR 2010-06-27

Homing in on global security challenges at their Toronto summit, leaders of the eight wealthiest nations urged Iran to stop its nuclear saber-rattling, and NPR's Jim Zarroli says the G8 also condemned¹ North Korea's recent attack on a South Korean ship.

US officials hoped they could persuade the other countries to issue a strong statement, but a draft copy of the communique falls somewhat short of that. It condemns² North Korea's attack on the ship which killed 46 sailors last March. The draft also calls on Iran to respect the rule of law, virtually identical to last year's wording, and it calls on Afghanistan to report on how much progress it's made on handling its own security needs when it attends a conference in July. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, Toronto.

The summit also now expands to include a total of 20 nations. US Treasury³ Secretary Tim Geithner said the leaders must work together to keep the global economic recovery on track.

Under pressure from US and NATO authorities, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has given another speech condemning⁴ corruption⁵, war profiteering and narcotrafficking. NPR's Corey Flintoff has more on the address in Kabul.

Karzai told a gathering⁶ of Afghan leaders that he is cracking down on the corruption that has pervaded⁷ his administration. He said he's called on government anti-corruption officials to review the incomes of all government officials and their families to look for illegal sources of wealth. That wealth is on display in Kabul, the Afghan capital, where many officials and others connected with the government have built huge and garish⁸ mansions⁹. Karzai has spoken out against corruption in the past, but Western officials say he's done little to follow up. Karzai said the review will also apply to his half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, who is known as one of the most powerful men in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, and has been frequently accused of corruption, a charge he denies. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Lashkar Gah, southern Afghanistan.

June has become the deadliest month of the nearly nine-year-old Afghan war for coalition¹⁰ forces. A US military member and two other NATO troops were killed by roadside bombings today. Joint¹¹ Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen is in Kabul, trying to reassure¹² Afghan officials following the change in command that ousted¹³ General Stanley McChrystal. Admiral Mullen assured them the new NATO commander will pursue the same war strategy.

Former Vice¹⁴ President Dick Cheney, a key architect of the wars at Iraq and Afghanistan, is undergoing tests at a Washington hospital this weekend. The 69-year-old Cheney, who's had a long history of heart problems, fell ill yesterday.

And forecasters say, for now, tropical storm Alex has not headed toward the oil spill in the Gulf¹⁵ of Mexico, but that could change. The storm could force the evacuation of thousands of cleanup workers.

This is NPR.

Soccer matches are sometimes marred¹⁶ by hooliganism, and police in South Africa say they've beefed up security for today's World Cup match between England and rival Germany. Vicky O'Hara has details from Johannesburg.

South African authorities say there have been no specific threats against the match in the city of Bloemfontein, but they say security for both teams is a high priority. A national police spokeswoman says officers from Germany and England will work with South African authorities both in and outside the stadium. The second round of the World Cup whittles¹⁷ the remaining 16 teams down to eight. Soccer fans speak of an England-Germany match as a replay of the Battle of the Bulge¹⁸. The rivalry¹⁹ between the two countries goes back years. England lost to Germany in the semifinals in 1990, but England defeated Germany in extra time in the World Cup final in 1966. The other second round match today pits Argentina against Mexico. For NPR News, I'm Vicky O'Hara in Johannesburg.

The US team is playing Ghana for the right to move on to the quarterfinals. Right now, they are tied at one apiece, former President Bill Clinton among the spectators.

There've been all kinds of complaints about the soccer ball being used at the tournament, and officials now concede there may be something wrong with it, but soccer's ruling body says they'll deal with it after the tournament.

And an arbitration²⁰ panel says Goldman Sachs must pay more than 20 million dollars to investors²¹ who say the investment bank should have known the collapsed²² Bayou hedge fund was a Ponzi scheme. Arbitrators say Goldman is liable for the money deposited in Bayou accounts.

I'm Pam Coulter, NPR News in Washington.
 

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 pervaded   

v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A retrospective influence pervaded the whole performance. 怀旧的影响弥漫了整个演出。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The air is pervaded by a smell [smoking]. 空气中弥散着一种气味[烟味]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 garish   

adj.华丽而俗气的，华而不实的

参考例句：

• This colour is bright but not garish.这颜色艳而不俗。
• They climbed the garish purple-carpeted stairs.他们登上铺着俗艳的紫色地毯的楼梯。

9 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

12 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

13 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

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 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。

16 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

17 whittles   

v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

18 bulge   

n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀

参考例句：

• The apple made a bulge in his pocket.苹果把他口袋塞得鼓了起来。
• What's that awkward bulge in your pocket?你口袋里那块鼓鼓囊囊的东西是什么？

19 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

20 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

21 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

22 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。