NPR 2011-04-30

President Obama says he has never seen devastation¹ like he did today in Alabama. The state was among several struck hardest by a storm system that spawned² dozens of tornadoes³. NPR's Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama went to Tuscaloosa to see the wreckage⁴ up close and to meet survivors⁵ who've lost virtually everything.

After touring Tuscaloosa's Alberta neighborhood, Mr. Obama said he was struck by the power of the storm to do so much damage in just a few minutes. He was also impressed by the way the community has rallied for what is sure to be a long rebuilding effort.

"No matter how hard we may be tested, we maintain our faith, and we look to each other to make sure that we're supporting each other and helping⁶ each other. I'm sure that that spirit is going to continue until this city is all the way back."

The president promised the federal government will do everything it can to help Tuscaloosa and other storm-damaged communities throughout the South. Scott Horsley, NPR News.

The storms killed more than 300 people across the South. The majority of the victims were in Alabama.

Well, President Obama later paid a visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center, even though today's historical launch was scrubbed. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports shuttle Endeavour could not embark⁷ on its final space flight because of a technical glitch⁸.

Space shuttle Endeavour was scheduled to take off on its final mission before being retired⁹. Its last flight will be to the space station to deliver a two-bilion-dollar physics experiment designed to look for antimatter and dark matter, but during the countdown to launch, NASA workers found that two heaters associated with a power unit had failed. Officials said that they need time to troubleshoot the problem. The delay will last at least until Monday, possibly longer. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.

Britain is celebrating its royal newlyweds. Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot today. NPR's Philip Reeves says the ceremony took place on a cool day in London without flaw.

The British monarchy¹⁰ has been through a difficult period in the last few decades. It's been battered¹¹ by divorces, scandals and above all the death of Princess Diana. Today, this old institution announced it was back with a fanfare¹². The wedding in London's Westminster Abbey makes history in tradition with a strikingly intimate touch. With Prince William gazing into her eyes, Kate Middleton took her vows¹³.

"I, Catherine Elizabeth."

"I, Catherine Elizabeth."

"Take thee, William..."

They follow the ride to Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn carriage, and two kisses on the balcony. A huge crowd, some of them arrived days ago, surged forward and roared with delight. Today's ending with a party thrown by Prince Charles, William's father, the family and close friends. Philip Reeves, NPR News, London.

This is NPR.

Libyan civil war is spilling over its borders. Government forces are battling with Tunisian troops in the frontier town of Dehiba. Tunisia has summoned Libya's ambassador to protest. Forces loyal to Colonel Mummuar Gaddafi were chasing rebels who fled into Tunisia in recent days after troops overran a border post. Tunisian security forces are on the hunt for hundreds of inmates¹⁴ who escaped from two prisons today. Local authorities say the inmates escaped after fires were set in their cells. This further complicates¹⁵ Tunisia's efforts to bring stability to that country in the aftermath of an uprising that forced out President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

People in the US are making more money, and based on the government's numbers from last month, they're spending more too, but the Commerce Department says much of the extra cash went toward pricier gas. More from Danielle Karson.

With job prospects¹⁶ improving and bigger paychecks, Americans have more of an appetite to spend, and that's key for a strong recovery because spending accounts for most of the country's economic output. Analysts¹⁷ expected consumer spending to get a nice jolt¹⁸ from the 2% cut in social security taxes, but they say much of that windfall is getting eaten up by higher gas and food prices, and with higher energy costs sapping household budgets, the government downgraded its estimate for economic growth to below 2% in the first quarter. The economy needs to grow at a 3% clip just to keep the jobless rate from climbing. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson in Washington.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 47 points at 12,810. NASDAQ was up slightly at 2,874. S&P 500 up three at 1,364.

1 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

5 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

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

8 glitch   

n.干扰；误操作，小故障

参考例句：

• There is a glitch in the computer program somewhere.这个计算机程序中的某个部分有点小问题。
• It could just be a random glitch that can be solved by restarting the machine.可能只是一个小故障，重新启动主机就能解决了。

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

11 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

12 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

13 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

14 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

16 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。