NPR 2011-03-17

There are many expressions of concern today about the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan. One of them came from Japan's emperor. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from northern Japan the country's monarch¹ seldom speaks in public.

"Nobody knows how many people will die", Emperor Akihito said in his address, "but I fervently² hope that we can save as many survivors³ as possible." He added that he hoped that relevant persons could prevent the nuclear disaster from getting worse. One relevant person, Prime Minister Naoto Kan, also appeared on television, ordering officials to take radiation level readings and relay them to the public. Meanwhile, Japan's Foreign Ministry⁴ says it has received inquiries⁵ about 500 foreign nationals missing since the earthquake, and that some governments are urging their citizens to leave Japan. The ministry asked those countries to remain calm. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Mizesava City, Uvati Prefecture.

The New York Times says four of its journalists, who have been covering the fighting in Libya, are missing. Editors say they last heard from them Tuesday. All four are combat veterans and include a two-time Pulitzer winner, Anthony Shadid, and a former Taliban captive, Stephen Farrell. Also missing are photographers Tyler Hicks and Lindsey Addario. Times executive editor Bill Keller says he's been given assurances from the Libyan government that if the four have been detained, they will be released promptly⁶, unharmed.

Community Development Block Grants are on the chopping block. President Obama is proposing a cut of $300 million in funding. Republicans are pushing for even deeper cuts. NPR's Alex Kellogg reports a study released today argues Community Development Block Grants are vital and create jobs and contribute to economic growth.

The federal government spends billions of dollars on Community Development Block Grants or CDBGs each year. The Grants go mainly to local-level governments, who use them to build affordable⁷ housing and support job creation programs. Last year alone, the federal government gave out $4 billion in block-grant money. President Obama is now proposing a 7.5% cut to the program, but local leaders across the country are crying foul⁸. A new report by the United States Conference of Mayors supports their point. It says Block Grants create 147,000 jobs per year and contribute more than 13 billion to the gross domestic products annually⁹. Alex Kellogg, NPR News, Washinton.

The cost of food and energy keeps going up, and that's reflected in the latest report on producer prices. The Labor¹⁰ Department says wholesale¹¹ prices jumped 1.6% in February. That's the fastest pace in just over one and a half years. Food prices alone jumped 3.9%, the biggest increase since 1974. Most of the hike was due to a nearly 50% jump in vegetable costs.

This is NPR News.

A former Indianapolis businessman and top Republican donor¹² is apparently¹³ facing charges stemming from an investigation¹⁴ into whether he operated a Ponzi scheme to defraud¹⁵ investors¹⁶. An FBI spokesman says Timothy Durham was arrested at his California home this morning.

Authorities say the largest global pedophile ring on record has been busted¹⁷ after a three-year investigation. Teri Schultz reports from The Hague on Operation Rescue, which was revealed today.

The European police agency EuroPol says the child sex abuse network had 70,000 members throughout 30 countries. They connected on a website called boylover.net, which operated out of the Netherlands. British and Australian police infiltrated¹⁸ the network, and in 2009 arrested a 37-year-old Dutchman believed to be the ring leader. EuroPol head Rob Wainwright says the operation is continuing. Six hundred seventy suspects have been identified so far, 184 of whom have been arrested. More than 200 abused children have been rescued, and investigators¹⁹ say they expect to find more. There will also be more arrests. Peter Davies of Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center, which led the investigation, warns that those who've been members of the site can expect a knock on the door in the very near future. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.

US officials say unarmed drones are flying over Mexican skies in hopes of collecting intelligence for the battle against drug traffickers. One spokesman says the flights are being operated by the Departments of Defense²⁰ and Homeland Security. Recently, the drones apparently helped find several suspects linked to the murder of a US immigration agent. In recent years, the US has stepped up its role in fighting Mexican drug trafficking, although few details have been shared.

1 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

2 fervently   

adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地

参考例句：

• "Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦，我真高兴！”她热烈地说道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊，我亲爱的，亲爱的，你明天也愿这样热烈地为我祝福么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 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

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

7 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

8 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

9 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。

10 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。

11 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

12 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 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。

15 defraud   

vt.欺骗，欺诈

参考例句：

• He passed himself off as the managing director to defraud the bank.他假冒总经理的名义诈骗银行。
• He is implicated in the scheme to defraud the government.他卷入了这起欺骗政府的阴谋。

16 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

17 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

18 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。