NPR 2011-11-14

 Italian officials say economist¹ Mario Monti is working to form a new Italian government now that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s party has backed him and the president has appointed him. Berlusconi’s Conservative Party there requests that Monti rule only long enough to implement² urgent measures to stabilize³ the Italian economy. The country’s trying to put together a government before tomorrow’s market opening. 

 

Syrian security forces are continuing attacks on anti-government protesters and reportedly killed at least four demonstrators today. NPR’s Kelly McEvers reports the killings⁴ come despite an Arab League promise to suspend Syria for its ongoing⁵ crackdown. 

 

Activists⁶ say protests in support of the Arab League's decision broke out in the west of Syrian city of Hama. They say security forces fired at protesters when they broke away from the main square. Syrian state TV is reporting that demonstrations⁷ decrying⁸ the Arab League's decision also broke out in the Syrian capital Damascus. Yesterday demonstrators attacked the embassies of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two countries that backed the suspension of Syria from the Arab League. Syria had promised the Arab League it would end the crackdown on protesters, but hundreds of people have been killed in just the past two weeks. The league says it will suspend Syria on Wednesday if the violence doesn’t stop. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Beirut.

 

The so-called congressional "super committee" is running out of time to come up with more than $1 trillion in deficit⁹ reductions—just 10 days left. As NPR’s Tamara Keith reports, it remains¹⁰ entirely¹¹ unclear whether the committee of 12 will succeed. 

 

A handful of super committee members made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows. There are clearly still differences between Democrats¹² and Republicans over raising revenue, cutting spending and modifying entitlement programs. But Republican Senator Pat Toomey on "Fox News Sunday" said they are working to bridge the differences. 

 

“It’s at a difficult point. I think we’ve got a ways to go. But I hope we can close that gap very quickly.” 

 

Democratic Congressman¹³ James Clyburn--also on Fox--said he hasn’t given up either.     

 

“All of the ingredients for a good resolution are there. We just need to build the will.”

 

The clock is ticking, but 10 days can be a long time in Washington. Tamara Keith, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Police in Portland, Oregon are backing off an earlier eviction¹⁴ threat. Our Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Christian¹⁵ Fodenvenzl is in Portland. 

 

The police tell them if they would get out of the street and allow cars to come in, stay off the sidewalks and go back into the two parts as they had been occupying previously¹⁶, that they could, eh, that would be fine. So the Occupy Portland people are saying that’s a victory and they are planning to stay there now for as long as they want and that’s a reversal really of what the mayor had said just three or four days ago. 

 

Christian Fodenvenzl reporting. This is NPR.

 

The UN refugee agency reports ongoing conflict and bad weather are discouraging Somalis from seeking asylum¹⁷ in neighboring countries. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the UNHCR says fewer refugees are crossing into Kenya because of fighting and heavy rains which are making roads impassable.

 

Besides conflicts and rain, UN refugee spokesman Adrian Edwards says Somali refugees are also being prevented from fleeing by Islamist al-Shabab militants¹⁸. Despite these impediments, he says Somalis continue to arrive at the town of Dhobley near the Kenyan border. 

 

“They tell our staff they fled rumored¹⁹ impending²⁰ military clashes in the area and threats of forced return by al-Shabab to their places of origin.”

 

In October, the Kenyan government sent hundreds of troops into southern Somalia with the goal of subduing²¹ al-Shabab. The Kenyan military presence has increased fighting and worsened the situation around Dhobley which is the main transit²² point for Somalis en route to Kenya. For NPR News, I’m Lisa Schlein in Geneva. 

 

Searchers in Turkey are reportedly ending their search efforts to find survivors²³ in the rubble²⁴ of Wednesday’s earthquake. The 5.7 magnitude quake toppled two hotels and the country’s disaster management agency says at least 39 people were killed. The state-run news agency says earth-moving machines are now clearing debris²⁵. 

 

Authorities in Rio de Janeiro are now taking steps to clean up the city and drive drug gangs out as they prepare to hold soccer’s World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Today police and soldiers backed by helicopters occupied the city’s largest slum located at a choke point for traffic. 

 

I’m Nancy Lyons, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

3 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 decrying   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Soon Chinese Internet users, including government agencies, were decrying the' poisonous panda. 不久，中国网民以及政府机构纷纷谴责“影响极坏的熊猫烧香”。 来自互联网
• Democratic leaders are decrying President Bush's plan to indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. 民主党领导公开谴责布什总统七月后无限停止从伊拉克撤兵的举动。 来自互联网

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

10 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。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 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》

13 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

14 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

15 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

16 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

17 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

18 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

19 rumored   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.传闻( rumor的过去式和过去分词 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• It is rumored that he cheats on his wife. 据传他对他老婆不忠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rumored that the white officer had been a Swede. 传说那个白人军官是个瑞典人。 来自辞典例句

20 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

21 subduing   

征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗

参考例句：

• They are the probation subduing the heart to human joys. 它们不过是抑制情欲的一种考验。
• Some believe that: is spiritual, mysterious and a very subduing colour. 有的认为：是精神，神秘色彩十分慑。

22 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

23 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

24 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

25 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。