NPR 2010-09-16

President Obama is praising the fact that lawmakers appear to be moving towards approval of a small business jobs bill. However, the president blasted those he says are standing¹ in the way of his plan to extend tax cuts for middle-income households. Speaking at the White House today, Mr. Obama said the country simply cannot afford to extend cuts for the wealthiest American households — individuals earning more than $200,000 dollars a year and households with incomes above $250,000 annually².

"$700 billion to give a tax cut worth an average of $100,000 to millionaires and billionaires. And it's a tax cut economists³ say would do little to add momentum⁴ to our economy. Now, I just don't believe this makes any sense."

It's estimated allowing all the Bush-era tax cuts to continue would cost the government roughly $3.6 trillion over ten years.

World Trade Organization has ruled that Boeing company received illegal government subsidies⁵. But as NPR's David Schaper reports, US and European sources differ over the impact of the ruling.

US sources familiar with the case confirm that the WTO has issued a preliminary and confidential⁶ ruling that some government research and development grants, tax breaks and infrastructure⁷ support provided to Boeing in recent years violate international trade laws. European trade officials are claiming victory. But the US sources claim the amount of support for Boeing ruled to be illegal is far less than the European Union subsidies given to AirBus that the WTO ruled to be illegal back in June. Chicago-based Boeing and its European rival AirBus have been battling for years over subsidies that both claim help the other gain an unfair competitive advantage in the worldwide commercial airplane market and there's a lot at stake. It's a market estimated to be worth three trillion dollars over the next couple of decades. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

The Obama administration says oil and gas companies must plug thousands of old wells and dismantle⁸ unused production platforms in the Gulf⁹ of Mexico. NPR's Jeff Brady says the new rules have been expected even before BP's Horizon disaster.  

The industry calls the thousands of unused wells, platforms and pipelines¹⁰ "idle iron", equipment that once was used to produce oil and gas but now just sits there. Companies have been reluctant to dismantle some of the equipment because it might be used again some day. But federal regulators worry the equipment could become damaged, especially during storms. The new rules say that if a well has been inactive for five years, it must be permanently¹¹ plugged and production platforms that aren't being used have to be dismantled¹² in a timely manner. The rules affect nearly 3,500 wells and 650 platforms. A spokeswoman for the American Petroleum¹³ Institute says the new rules were expected and for most companies complying with them won't be an issue. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

Stocks move higher today. They're remaining within a fairly narrow trading range, as the government announced the nation's mines, factories and utilities were a bit busier last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 46 points; the NASDAQ was up 11 points today.

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A federal appeals court announced today it has rejected an Indian tribe's challenge to a bridge project intended to restore the health of the Everglades in South Florida, the three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling the federal courts do not have jurisdiction¹⁴ over the tribe's claims. The tribe had claimed the project west of Miami violated environmental laws and would cause flooding of nearby lands. The mile-long bridge is intended to improve waterflow in the Everglades.

Known for his sardonic¹⁵ wit, longtime Newsman Edwin Newman has died. Newman was a steady presence on NBC for more than three decades, beginning in the 1950s. He was 91. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has more.

Edwin Newman did it all. He reported the news, analyzed¹⁶ it and gave his opinion about it. He interviewed heads of state, athletes and artists. Newman was the first to report President John F. Kennedy's assassination¹⁷ on NBC radio. The next day, he delivered a personal commentary on NBC TV.

"One's first feeling, of course, was that it was a dream, not real. After that, came the dispiriting hopeless feeling that it was banal¹⁸ and absurdity¹⁹. And that is the feeling that persists."

Edwin Newman wrote best-selling books on language and how it's abused on a daily basis. But he also wrote that a world without mistakes would unquestionably be less fun. Edwin Newman died of pneumonia²⁰ in Oxford²¹, England. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News, Washington.

In an effort to capture more of the international freight business, giant UPS, already known for its brown trucks and large fleet of planes, now says it'll begin offering ocean freight service. The Atlanta-based package shipper says the new service is already available between the US and Japan, with plans to expand it to other parts of Asia over the next six months.
 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

7 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。

8 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

9 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。

10 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

11 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

12 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

13 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

14 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

15 sardonic   

adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的

参考例句：

• She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
• There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

16 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

18 banal   

adj.陈腐的，平庸的

参考例句：

• Making banal remarks was one of his bad habits.他的坏习惯之一就是喜欢说些陈词滥调。
• The allegations ranged from the banal to the bizarre.从平淡无奇到离奇百怪的各种说法都有。

19 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

20 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

21 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。