NPR 2011-05-28

Consumers are spending more apparently¹ because they have to. The Commerce Department reports a 0.4% jump last month as people shelled out more money to buy food and fill up their gas tanks. Take[Taking] those two categories out of the mixing, consumer spending is up by 0.1%. Robert Dye, senior economist² at PNC Financial Services, says today's report signals that the recovery still isn't ready to pick up speed. "With the consumer spending, you know, accounting³ for over 2/3 of GDP, it's a major force in the economy. And with the consumer[s] that are just treading water right now, that is a major signal that we will not have above-trend growth." Driving across the US, you're likely to pay about four dollars for a gallon of regular gas.

Well, Memorial Day may hold new meaning for the residents of Joplin, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners crowded into a church near the town to pay final respects today to one of the victims of Sunday's tornado⁴. Adam Dewayne Darnaby was among at least 132 people killed in the storm.

Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic is deemed fit to be extradited to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports Mladic's lawyers say they will appeal today's court decision in Belgrade.

Mladic's defense⁵ lawyer said today the appeal is based on the argument that his client is too frail⁶ and sick to face trial and needs urgent medical care. His team is asking for a medical commission to examine the former general. His son today said outside the courthouse that his 69-year-old father had two strokes while on the run for nearly 16 years and can barely speak. But many see the medical claims as stall tactics. A Serbian court spokeswoman said Mladic has chronic⁷ ailments⁸, but he's well enough and able to follow any trial. Mladic is accused of orchestrating Europe's worst atrocities⁹ since World War II, including the massacre¹⁰ of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, as well as the brutal¹¹ four-year siege of Sarajevo. Eric Westervelt, NPR News.

Abortion¹² rights groups, including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, are challenging a new South Dakota law that would require women to wait three days before they can get an abortion. Details from NPR's Kathy Lohr.

The court challenge says the law seeks to restrict access to abortion by imposing¹³ the longest waiting period in the country, 72 hours, and forcing women to get counseling from pregnancy¹⁴ centers that oppose abortion. The suit also claims the law interferes¹⁵ with the patients' right to privacy. Abortion rights advocates say the measure puts women at risk and makes it harder for them to get abortions¹⁶. It's scheduled to go into effect in July. States across the country have passed dozens of new laws this year to restrict abortion. Indiana was the first state to defund the Planned Parenthood. Others are passing bills to require sonograms before an abortion, and some lawmakers are banning abortions at 20 weeks, based on the assertion that fetuses¹⁷ feel pain. Kathy Lohr, NPR News.

From Washington, this is NPR.

Do tests help students, teachers in schools improve if there are rewards or sanctions tied to how students perform on tests? The answer apparently, according to a study by the National Research Council, is 'no'. More from NPR's Claudio Sanchez.

Despite the growing reliance on test scores, the study found little evidence that high-stake[s] tests accurately¹⁸ gauge¹⁹ or help drive achievement. For example, high school exit exams now used in 25 states contribute to lower graduation rates without increasing student achievement. The study also found that sanctions and rewards tied to tests mandated²⁰ by the federal government's No Child Left Behind law have resulted in meager²¹ gains in math and reading. Using test scores to evaluate teachers is also questionable²². In short, teaching to the tests and attaching sanctions or rewards to the results are not good policies. Instead, the study concludes policymakers should rely less on high-stakes tests and adopt broader measures of performance in order to hold students, teachers in schools accountable because what's in place now is inadequate²³. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

NASA says it is done with its part of the construction on the International Space Station. Today, Endeavour astronauts Mike Fincke and Gregory Chamitoff became the last shuttle crew members to carry out a spacewalk when they installed a 50-foot boom. From now on, spacewalks will be performed by full-time²⁴ residents of the orbiting outpost. Endeavour's crew is scheduled to head back to Earth in a few days, ending NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight. The last fight to deliver supplies is planned for July.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 39 at 12,442, and NASDAQ gained 14; it's at 2,797.

This is NPR News.

1 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。

2 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。

3 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

4 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

5 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。

6 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

9 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

11 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

12 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

13 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

14 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

15 interferes   

vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉

参考例句：

• The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
• That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。

16 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

17 fetuses   

n.胎，胎儿( fetus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• DNA was extracted from fetuses at mid-gestation, about 10 days past conception. DNA从受孕大约10天后的中期妊娠胚胎中提取。 来自互联网
• Brucellosis is a disease that causes fetuses to abort in cattle. 普鲁士菌病是一种可以导致牲畜胎儿夭折的疾病。 来自互联网

18 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

19 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

20 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

21 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

22 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

23 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

24 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。