NPR 2011-05-10

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

A familiar sound in the most vulnerable communities along the burgeoning¹ Mississippi River. All eyes are on Tennessee this hour, where the river at Memphis is expected to crest² at or near 48 feet tonight hours earlier than forecasters had predicted. Authorities have been going door-to-door in the most flood-prone areas, urging more than 1,000 people in Memphis to get out, but Eleanor Boudreau of member station WKNO says after years of living along the river, many residents appear to be taking it all in stride.

I've talked to people who have lost their homes, their mobile homes, and it's devastating³ as, that is, there is a sense of. This is what it means to live along the Mississippi. This is nature. This is water. And you can't fight it. There's nothing you can do about it. You just have to wait out floods like this.

Eleanor Boudreau reporting.

The White House says it wants to keep Pakistan as a partner in the fight against terrorism despite questions about whether Pakistan knew that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin⁴ Laden⁵ was living not far from the capital. Spokesman Jay Carney:

"We think our relationships are important, cooperations are important. We've had differences in the past and overcome them, and we think we can overcome them now."

Now, relations between the CIA and Pakistan's intelligence service CISI have hit another roadblock. At least one media organization in Pakistan reportedly has named the CIA station chief in Islamabad. NPR's Rachel Martin says the leak comes a week after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.

The CIA declined to comment on the possible leak, but a US official said there are "no plans to bring the station chief home as a result of these media reports." Less than six months ago, the identity of the previous station chief was intentionally⁶ leaked by the Pakistani intelligence agency, according to US officials, and the man was forced to leave Pakistan. This latest episode comes as some in Pakistan have railed against the United States for carrying out an operation against Osama bin Laden without first alerting Pakistani officials. Rachel Martin, NPR News, Washington.

The UN's investigating reports of overcrowding of a ship carrying Libyan refugees that witnesses say sank just outside the port of Tripoli. The BBC's Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome those who left the Libyan capital on another boat shortly afterward⁷ on Friday reported seeing remnants of the sunken ship.

Witness accounts are only emerging now. It says the ship broke apart not far from the shore. One Somali woman said she'd swum to safety, but her four-month-old baby drowned. The UN says as many as 600 people could have been on board, with other witnesses speaking of seeing bodies in the water. The Italian Coast Guard, which carries out numerous patrols of the Mediterranean⁸, says it has no knowledge of the accident.

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy.

The Dow's up 46 at 12,685.

This is NPR.

The high-speed rail money Florida's governor rejected is going to Amtrak and other rail projects in 15 states. NPR's Paul Brown reports applications for the federal funds far outstripped⁹ the two billion dollars available.

States have jumped for the high-speed rail money Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott rejected after the previous governor had accepted it. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tells reporters the rush for the funds shows most Americans see rail as an alternative to high gas prices and crowded roads. LaHood says the largest share of the money will help improve high-speed service in the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor and in the Greater Midwest. He says he wants to work with state leaders who understand the possibilities.

"The strongest partners we know of in America, who are ready to get into high-speed rail."

Left out, Wisconsin and Ohio, whose governors like Florida's Scott, turned down the rail money accepted by their predecessors¹⁰. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

A jury selection is under way in a Florida murder trial that has captured national attention. Casey Anthony, who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing¹¹ her young daughter, will be tried in Orlando. However, the jurors are being chosen about 100 miles away because of massive media scrutiny¹² over this case. Authorities have received more than 600 requests for media credentials¹³ to cover Anthony's trial, which is expected to start next week.

Here's the latest from Wall Street before the close. The Dow was up nearly 50 points at 12,685 in trading of four billion shares, and the NASDAQ had gained 16 points, more than 0.5% rise; it's at 2,843.

1 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

2 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

5 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

6 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

7 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 outstripped   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• That manufacturer outstripped all his competitors in sales last year. 那个制造商家去年的销售量超过了所有竞争对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth. 母亲和她自己的想象力远远超过了事实。 来自辞典例句

10 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

13 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。