NPR 2011-01-08

The nation's payrolls¹ expanded in December, sending the unemployment rate down almost 0.5 percent to 9.4 percent, but Danielle Karson reports the economy created fewer jobs than anaylsts were expecting.

The private sector² added 113,000 jobs to business payrolls last month. Overall, there were solid job growth across the board. The manufacturing sector added jobs for the first time since July - 10,000 new hires. Retail³ and hospitality also added thousands of positions. Nomura Securities Chief Economist⁴ David Resler:

"But it's a not too shabbier report. It's still disappointing that we are not generating more jobs at this stage of the business sector recovery, but we're moving in the right direction, and we think that trend is gonna continue."

Economists⁵ are forecasting stronger job growth this year. They expect the labor⁶ market to add more than two million jobs or just under 200,000 a month. That's more than double the pace of hiring for all of last year. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson in Washington.

After touring a manufacturing plant in Landover, Maryland today, President Obama acknowledged the country is digging itself out of a big hole.

"Our mission has to be to accelerate hiring and to accelerate growth. And that depends on making our economy more competitive so that we're fostering new jobs in new industries and training workers to fill them."

The president was visiting the family-owned Thompson Creek⁷ Window Company which he said took advantage of his tax compromise with Republicans to hire more workers.

The foreign policy chief of the European Union says January 20th is the start date for the next round of nuclear talks with Iran. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports six world powers and Iran have agreed to hold the talks in Istanbul.

Foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is the lead negotiator for the six powers, trying to convince Iran to be more open about its nuclear program. Tehran insists it has met its legal obligations and intends only peaceful uses for nuclear energy. Ashton told reporters at a news conference in Budapest that one-and-a-half to two days of talks are due to begin January 20th in Istanbul. At the same conference, she indicated that the EU would decline Iran's invitation to have select diplomats⁸ visit Iranian nuclear sites in advance of the talks. Ashton said she's encouraged by Iran's willingness to have visitors to its sites, but the role and responsibility for that should rest with the inspection⁹ teams of the international agency. Turkey, Brazil and several other nations are weighing the Iranian invitation. Peter Kenyon, NPR News.

It's been a bloody¹⁰ day in Afghanistan. A suicide bomber¹¹ attacked men preparing for Friday prayers, killing¹² 17, and NATO says roadside bombs killed three service members.

Checking stocks, the Dow down 40 points; NASDAQ off 14; and the S&P is down five.

From Washington, this is NPR.

The House voted today to set the rules for a formal debate on repealing¹⁴ President Obama's landmark¹⁵ health care overhaul¹⁶. Republicans want to scrap¹⁷ the plan to expand coverage¹⁸ to more than 30 million uninsured people and start over. Senate Democratic leaders have already made it clear they plan to block repeal¹³.

The French government's asking its intelligence services to determine if China played a role in an industrial espionage¹⁹ scandal at the carmaker Renault. Eleanor Beardsley reports the company fired three managers who it accuses of giving out proprietary²⁰ information.

The suspension of three top Renault executives has stoked fears across France about corporate²¹ spying. The French state, which owns a 50% stake in Renault, has warned of an overall risk to French industry. The Renault executives are suspected of leaking information related to the high-profile electric car program to the Chinese. Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan are investing billions of dollars in electric car technology, significantly more than other world carmakers. China is pushing green vehicles heavily as part of the development of its auto²² industry. Auto emissions²³ account for around 70 percent of air pollution in major Chinese cities. Speaking on television, the French industry minister said he could not give details, but that the term "economic warfare²⁴" was appropriate in describing what it happened at Renault. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

New York City has gotten a dusting of snow, but a new winter storm could dump up to five inches in the metropolitan²⁵ area. It comes less than two weeks after the blizzard²⁶ that brought the city and its airports to a halt for days. Officials are promising²⁷ to do a better job this time, even deploying²⁸ what they call quality-of-life teams on the streets.

Pam Coulter, NPR News, Washington.

1 payrolls   

n.（公司员工的）工资名单( payroll的名词复数 )；（公司的）工资总支出，工薪总额

参考例句：

• Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月，就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
• Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 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》

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

10 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

11 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。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

14 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

15 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

16 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

17 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

18 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。

19 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

20 proprietary   

n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主

参考例句：

• We had to take action to protect the proprietary technology.我们必须采取措施保护专利技术。
• Proprietary right is the foundation of jus rerem.所有权是物权法之根基。

21 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

22 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

23 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

24 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

25 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

26 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

27 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

28 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。