NPR 2010-09-21

The economic recession in the US is officially over. It ended in June of last year. That's according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which identifies the official dates of recessionary periods. As NPR's John Ydstie reports, the recent recession is the longest downturn since the Great Depression.

According to the NBER, the recession began in December of 2007 and continued for 18 months. That's two months longer than the recessions of the mid-1970s and early 1980s. The members of the NBER's Business Cycle Dating Committee explained the long delay in calling the end of the slump¹ by saying they wanted to wait for revisions in economic data that came late in July and August. The committee based its conclusions on employment and personal income data as well as gross domestic product, a measure of the total output of the economy. Even though the recession officially ended in June of 2009 with unemployment at 9.6 percent, it still feels like a recession for millions of Americans. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

The commander of Utah's Army National Guard is taking the blame for a 3,500-acre wildfire that forced 5,000 people to evacuate² and destroyed three houses. Live-fire machine gun training at a guard base near Herriman triggered the blaze Sunday. Major General Brian Tarbet says it was a red flag day and leaders of the exercise should have known that and halted the session. Crews say they're making progress putting the fire out.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle says he will remove from office a district attorney, who tried to start a sexual relationship with a crime victim. But as Gil Halsted of Wisconsin Public Radio reports, it's going to take some time before the DA can be fired.

Calumet County District Attorney Ken³ Kratz sent 30 text messages to crime victim Stephanie Van Groll over two days, referring to her as "hot" and urging her to start a relationship with him. Kratz did this while he was prosecuting⁴ Van Groll's ex-boyfriend for trying to strangle her. Governor Doyle says he's shocked by Kratz's behavior, but he can't fire him until a state taxpayer⁵ sends him a formal complaint.

"It troubles me deeply that somebody turns to the criminal justice system for help and receives the kinds of text that we have seen."

Since the texts were released to the media last week, another crime victim has come forward, accusing Kratz of inviting⁶ her to meet him at an autopsy⁷ wearing high heels. Kratz has refused calls for his resignation, has promised to go to a therapy and has hired an attorney. For NPR News, I'm Gil Halsted in Madison.

The Federal Reserve meets tomorrow and gains on Wall Street today suggest investors⁸ are expecting the Fed to make some moves to prop⁹ up the lackluster economy. The Dow picked up 145 points; the NASDAQ rose 40; the S&P was up 17.

This is NPR News.

The Food and Drug Administration is holding hearings on whether genetically¹⁰ engineered salmon¹¹ can be sold to the public. Consumer and environment advocates say there isn't enough evidence it's safe.

The FBI has arrested a Chicago man for allegedly targeting a site near Wrigley Field in a far-fetched bomb plot. As NPR's Carrie Johnson reports, the 22-year-old suspect was arrested after allegedly placing what he thought was a backpack containing a bomb on a crowded street corner over the weekend.

Prosecutors¹² have charged Sami Samir Hassoun with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device. Hassoun has been under FBI surveillance and in contact with undercover agents for months. He's a Lebanese citizen who lives in Chicago. This summer, Hassoun allegedly began discussing his desire to commit violent plots to make money and shake up the political environment in Chicago. He allegedly thought about targeting the city's Willis Tower or attacking police officers. An undercover agent gave Hassoun what he said was a bomb on Saturday night. Hassoun allegedly put it in a trash can near a crowded nightclub. The FBI then moved in to arrest him. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

At a summit meeting in New York City today, a coalition¹³ of Muslim groups called for a nationwide interfaith dialog in October to combat what they say is growing anti-Muslim sentiment. The Muslim leaders are meeting to support the plan to construct a Muslim cultural center and mosque¹⁴ on a site that's near Ground Zero. At a news conference today, they said Muslims should open mosques¹⁵ for a week next month to people of all faiths.
 

1 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

2 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

5 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

6 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

7 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

8 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

9 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

10 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

11 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

12 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。

13 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。

14 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

15 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。