NPR 2011-05-15

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jim Howard.

After days of warnings, the Army Corps¹ of Engineers at this hour is opening the spillway in Morganza, Louisiana. It hopes to move or lower the level of the Mississippi River and save Baton² Rouge³ and New Orleans from massive flooding. NPR's Greg Allen, who's in Morganza, says the Army Corps is opening only one of the floodgates.

It's a massive structure. One gate is a small bit of the total. Opening one gate will allow 10,000 cubic feet per second of water to rush into the floodway. The entire spillway could contain 600,000 cubic feet per second. Till that tells you how slow there they're doing this opening, they're kinda gonna roll it out very slowly.

The reason for the slow opening of the floodgate is to give wildlife and a few remaining humans in the area time to evacuate⁴. State officials have been warning nearly 25,000 residents to pack up their belongings⁵ for days.

In addition to rising floodwaters, Vicksburg, Mississippi is dealing⁶ with an influx⁷ of tourists coming to see the swollen⁸ Mississippi River from scenic⁹ overlooks in the area. The river there is expected to crest¹⁰ on Tuesday at more than 57 feet.

With gas prices hovering¹¹ at or above four dollars a gallon, President Obama is taking steps that he says will encourage more oil production here in the US. NPR's Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama used his weekly address to outline plans for increased domestic drilling.

President Obama insists he is not trying to discourage oil production in the US, even though he has called for an end to oil companies' tax breaks. In his weekly address, Mr. Obama says his administration is taking steps to increase what he calls "safe and responsible" drilling here at home.

"We plan to lease new areas in the Gulf¹² of Mexico as well and work to create new incentives¹³ for industry to develop their unused leases both on and off shore."

Mr. Obama stressed that increased drilling is not a quick fix for high gasoline prices. He says the nation also needs to invest in alternative sources of energy as well as more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

Syria says soldiers and tanks are being pulled out of two cities including Daraa in the south, the center of the anti-government protest there, following operations to restore government control. Analysts¹⁴ say there's clearly been a shift in tactics by the government of President Bashar Assad, but many in the opposition¹⁵ are still skeptical¹⁶. From Beirut, the BBC's Jim Muir reports.

Facebook pages supporting the uprising in Syria make it seem like its business as usual, as far as repression¹⁷ is concerned. They report a wave of arrests in many parts of the country and continued tension on the ground, especially at Talkalakh, a town to the west of Homs and close to the border with Lebanon. Unconfirmed reports from opposition sources said many people were wounded there when security forces shelled the town, sending residents fleeing across the border for safety. Not surprisingly, there's skepticism in opposition circles about the regime's announcement that it will be starting a dialog on reform in the coming days.

That's the BBC's Jim Muir reporting from the Mideast.

You're listening to NPR News in Washington.

Washington is pushing Canada to increase duty-free limits so Canadians can spend more when they travel south to shop, but Dan Karpenchuk reports the idea is not sitting well with retailers¹⁸ and governments north of the border.

When Americans travel to Canada, they're allowed to bring back 200 dollars in goods duty-free, but Canadians must stay in the US for at least 24 hours to bring back duty-free goods. Now, the US wants to increase the limits to 1,000 dollars for American shoppers on a day trip to Canada, and it wants Ottawa to make a similar move. Retailers in cities, such as Windsor, Ontario, admit cross-border shopping can benefit both sides, but if it's too favorable for American stores, that could damage fragile economies in Canadian cities. The strong Canadian dollar is already sending Canadians south in search of bargains. While Ottawa isn't about to increase travelers' exemptions¹⁹ for now, it could become a bargaining chip in current talks on easing border restrictions²⁰ to improve the flow of trade. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

Lawmakers in Pakistan are threatening to close US and NATO supply routes through the country following the raid that killed Osama bin²¹ Laden²². Critics are upset over the violation²³ of the country's sovereignty. Meanwhile, some members of parliament are not happy with their own government's plans for a military review of the incident, saying that they want an independent investigation²⁴ of the matter.

The Associated Press is pushing the Defense²⁵ Department to release photos of the Navy SEAL raid that killed bin Laden earlier this month. Now, the AP is reporting that the Department of Defense says the news organization's request did not demonstrate an urgent or compelling need for the release of the graphic²⁶ photos. Some members of Congress have seen the photos. The White House says it fears that releasing the photos will serve to increase attacks against Western forces.

1 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

3 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

8 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

9 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

10 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。

11 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

13 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

14 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。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

17 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

18 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

19 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

20 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

21 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。

22 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。

23 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

24 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。

25 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。

26 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。