NPR 2010-08-05

Opponents of California's ban on gay marriage are celebrating a federal judge's decision to overturn the law. Mary Bernardo is an attorney with Massachusetts-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders¹ who says the argument against same-sex marriage is weak.

"And I hope that will give people a chance to think the issue anew and talk to people in their own communities, talk to the gay or lesbian people they know, their friends or their relatives and reconsider the issue."

But US District Court Judge Von Walker says he'll hold off suspending the ban, pending² appeal until after he gets written arguments from both sides.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is summoning members back to Washington for a special session during their summer recess³ to vote on a bill to avert⁴ widespread teacher layoffs⁵. NPR's David Welna says Republicans are no longer blocking the bill.

Senate Democrats⁶ managed to break a GOP filibuster⁷ of the bill sending $10 billion to hard-strapped states to avert teacher layoffs and another $16 billion to help with Medicaid payments. Two Republicans also voted to end the filibuster. One of them was Maine's Olympia Snow who said the Senate can't pass the bill alone.

"If it is an emergency—as the majority has indicated—then I suggest they as well, recall the House of Representatives come back and take it out."

Hours later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out a Twit, announcing she will be calling the House back into session early next week to, in her words, save teachers' jobs. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

Elena Kagan appears certain to win confirmation⁹ to become the next US Supreme¹⁰ Court justice. The full Senate is set to vote on her nomination¹¹ tomorrow. Many Republicans call her 'too liberal' and 'an activist¹²', but five Republicans have joined almost all Democrats and two independents in saying publicly they will support her.

The government says most of the four million barrels of oil that spilled into the Gulf¹³ of Mexico has been collected or dispersed¹⁴. But as Eileen Fleming of member station WWNO in New Orleans reports, a government report also indicates that the effects on wildlife will likely be felt for years.

The report by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric¹⁵ Administration says about a quarter of the oil that spilled remains¹⁶ in the Gulf. NOAA Administrator¹⁷ Jane Lubchenco says most of dissolved naturally or with the use of chemical dispersants.

"We have no evidence that there is any oil that is sitting on the bottom or sinking down to the bottom, but oil that did not rise to the surface, that was not light enough to make it to the surface. It's the oil that has been dispersed either naturally or chemically."

Lubchenco says the oil spill has affected¹⁸ wildlife. She says blue-fin tuna, for instance, are in their spawning¹⁹ season. She says eggs exposed to oil would probably have died. Testing continues for a large amount of oil that may be floating under the surface. For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.

This is NPR News.

A 26-year-old Chicago man is facing charges of plotting to go to Somalia to aid a group linked to al-Qaeda. Federal prosecutors²⁰ say Shaker Masri told an FBI informant that he wanted to become a suicide bomber²¹, and that he needed help buying weapons abroad. Masri was arrested last night, hours before he planned to take a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles.

A judge in Ontario, Canada's refusing a US extradition²² request and ordered the release of a man held there since 2005 on terror charges. The judge says Abdullah Khadr's rights were violated after Pakistani intelligence officials arrested him in 2004.

Forty of the nation's wealthiest individuals and families say they plan to donate at least half of their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or after their deaths. NPR's Pam Fessler says the group of billionaires hopes the public pledge will inspire others.

The billionaires made the pledge at the prodding²³ of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who'd already decided²⁴ to give most of their money to charity. The list also includes T. Boone Pickens, Michael Bloomberg, Ted⁸ Turner, George Lucas and some lesser²⁵ known billionaires. Buffett says he expects others to sign on in the coming months.

"So it will be more philanthropy, and smarter philanthropy in the future is the goal."

Several of the billionaires said in statements that they'd been lucky in life and wanted to help others, although (it) could be decades before some of the money actually reaches a charity. Still, non-profit experts are encouraged. They say having such a high-profile group making such a prominent pledge could get other people to think more about giving up some of their wealth for a good cause. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.

US investors²⁶ were encouraged by news that 42,000 jobs were added last month. The Dow gained 44 points.

I'm Shay Stevens, NPR News from Washington.
 

1 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

3 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

4 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

5 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

8 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

13 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。

14 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。

15 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 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。

18 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。

19 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

20 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

21 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

22 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

23 prodding   

v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• He needed no prodding. 他不用督促。
• The boy is prodding the animal with a needle. 那男孩正用一根针刺那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

24 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

25 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

26 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