NPR 2010-08-22

After three weeks of relentless¹ rain and floods, one fifth of Pakistan is under water. The BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports there are more pledges of aid from United Nations members meeting in New York.

The economic impact of this disaster’s already becoming apparent in higher prices for some food because of disruption to supply wheat and in concerns about higher inflation and lower growth. The extensive damage to crops, to irrigation and other infrastructure² of the agricultural industry is another heavy blow because this is such an important part of the economy. It's another sign of international concern about the huge long-term costs of recovery from the disaster and of the consequences, if Pakistan's economy is left weaker.

The BBC's Mike Wooldridge reporting from Islamabad.

Despite strong opposition³ from the US and other Western nations, Jessica Gallaher reports Russia is helping⁴ Iran fuel up its first nuclear power plant.

In an irreversible step, specialists from Russia and Iran began loading uranium-packed rods into the reactor⁵ at the Bushehr facility. The move comes amid continued fears from the West that the plant will be used to make nuclear weapons, a charge the Islamic republic and Russia vehemently⁶ deny. The Kremlin says its recent agreement with Iran to supply the fuel and then take back the spent fuel rods should lessen⁷ those fears. Officials say it'll take about three months for the plant to start producing electricity. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Gallaher in Moscow.

It was a brief political career for a Haitian-American hip⁸ hop⁹ star. Wyclef Jean is headed back to the US after he was ruled ineligible¹⁰ to run for president of Haiti. NPR's Jason Beaubien says it may be because the entertainer has not been a resident of Haiti for years.

After several delays, election officials in Haiti had released a list of the approved presidential candidates, and Wyclef Jean's name is not on the list. The decision ends Jean's bid to leave the earthquake-ravaged nation. In a statement, the former lead singer of The Fugees said he disagrees with the commission's decision, but accepts it. The electoral commission accepted 19 presidential candidates and rejected 15 others. The commission did not give reasons for why individual bids were rejected, but one requirement is that candidates have lived in Haiti continuously for the last five years. The commission also excluded the candidacy of Jean's uncle, Raymond Joseph, who's the current Haitian ambassador to Washington. Among the candidates who were approved are two former prime ministers and another popular Haitian singer, Michel Martelly. Jason Beaubien, NPR News.

A huge heist in Egypt. The nation's culture minister says a Vincent van Gogh painting has been stolen from a Cairo museum. The painting "Vase with Flowers" is worth $50 million, according to the museum's website. Police have launched an investigation¹¹ and all Egyptian airports and seaports¹² are on alert.

This is NPR.

A day after issuing an arrest warrant for the founder¹³ of Wikileaks, Swedish prosecutors¹⁴ dropped rape¹⁵ charges against Julian Assange, saying they were unfounded. They're still investigating a molestation¹⁶ accusation¹⁷ against him. Assange calls the charges a 'dirty trick'. His website is poised¹⁸ to release more Afghan war documents.

Without fanfare¹⁹, Dutch teenager Laura Dekker is off on a voyage, aimed at making her the youngest person in the world to sail solo around the world. Teri Schultz kept tabs on the early morning launch of her yearlong trip.

The mediashy 14-year-old Dekker slipped away in her boat, the Guppy, from an unannounced Portuguese²⁰ harbor to avoid press coverage²¹. The Dutch teen has been in Portugal for the last couple of weeks, making final preparations for the journey, in which she's heading first in the direction of the Canary Islands, the region where she plans to wait out the hurricane season before continuing on to the Panama Canal. Dekker has long wanted to make the trip and had her parents' permission, but her first attempt was blocked by Dutch child welfare authorities, who put up a ten-month fight that just ended in Dekker's favor last month. Currently, the record is held by Australian Jessica Watson, who this year completed a round-the-world trip just before her 17th birthday. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz.

Tourists at a luxury seaside hotel in Rio de Janeiro got quite ascared today. Thirty people were briefly²² taken hostage by gunmen armed with high-caliber rifles, grenades and pistols, but they were released within hours. Before the standoff, the gunmen exchanged fire with police and a bystander was killed, getting out of a taxi. Police evacuated²³ about 400 hotel guests, many of whom were there for a dentist convention.

Pam Coulter, NPR News in Washington.
 

1 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

6 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

7 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

8 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

9 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

10 ineligible   

adj.无资格的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.新规定使另外数千人不符合接受法律援助的资格。
• The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.这个国家已被宣布没有资格获得世界银行的贷款。

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 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

13 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

14 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。

15 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

16 molestation   

n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨

参考例句：

• Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation. 2003年的今天，迈克尔·杰克逊因被警方指控有儿童性骚扰行为而被捕。 来自互联网
• Jackson pleads not guilty on the molestation charges. 2004年：杰克逊认罪不认罪的性骚扰指控。 来自互联网

17 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

18 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

19 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

20 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

21 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。

22 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

23 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。