NPR 2011-06-08

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

Yemen's president is reported to be gravely wounded. Various news agencies, citing US officials, say Ali Abdullah Saleh has suffered burns on about 40% of his body and shrapnel wounds from an attack on his palace last week. While Saleh undergoes treatment in Saudi Arabia, that country and the US are working to form an immediate¹ transition of power in Saleh's absence. They fear growing violence in Yemen could bolster² al-Qaeda's influence.

The Libyan capital rocked by bombing today, with plumes³ of smoke seen rising over Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's compound. NATO warplanes conducted dozens of air strikes on Tripoli today. Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim says there were casualties.

"We know for sure that many people have died today, and we know many have been injured."

On state television, Gaddafi said he would never surrender.

Libya was among the key issues raised during President Obama's meeting with visiting German Chancellor⁴ Angela Merkel today. The economy was also prominent. The president says he's not afraid the US will experience a double-dip recession. But as NPR's Ari Shapiro tells us, the president is concerned jobs are not being created fast enough.

The president urged Americans to take the long view in the face of disappointing job growth numbers. He said overall economic trends are moving in the right direction, albeit⁵ slowly. But he said people are understandably skittish⁶.

"Economic data that in better times would pass without comment, now suddenly people wonder, well, are we gonna go back to this terrible crisis?"

The president said he expects to ask lawmakers about extending some of the short-term economic boosters that Congress passed in December. A new poll by the Washington Post and ABC News shows that more Americans than ever are disappointed with President Obama's handling the economy. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, meanwhile, says temporary factors such as higher gas prices and the crisis in Japan are the main causes of a softening⁷ US economy.

A new report from Japan's government-commissioned nuclear emergency task force says they weren't ready for the Fukushima nuclear disaster. John Matthews has more from Tokyo, where the government says the radiation from the plant was twice that of previous estimates.

The new findings bring the total amount of radiation released by the plant to about 15% of that from Chernobyl. On top of life safety standards, the report admits to poor oversight⁸ by Japan's Nuclear [and] Industrial Safety Agency. Many have criticized the agency for being too close to its parent ministry⁹, Japan's nuclear-promoting Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Along with the promise of a more independent regulation agency, the Japanese government says it's already implementing¹⁰ new nuclear safety standards. Japan will present its report at a meeting with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency later this month. For NPR News, I'm John Matthews in Tokyo.

Before the close, the Dow was down 19 points.

This is NPR.

The Wallow Fire along Arizona's border with New Mexico is now more than 365 square miles, and it is still burning out of control. The fire that's been raging for more than a week has destroyed several buildings. But so far, no serious injuries. Several communities have been evacuated¹¹. Smoke from that fire is creating hazy¹² conditions far away as Iowa.

NBC and its new owner Comcast are sticking with the Olympics. As NPR's Howard Berkes reports, NBC will continue to provide exclusive Olympic coverage¹³ in the United States for another decade.

If you like up-close and personal, you've got it through 2020. NBC-Comcast will pay more than four billion dollars for four Olympics. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the Olympics are in NBC's DNA¹⁴. Comcast sealed the deal despite the 200-million-dollar loss for NBC at last year's Vancouver Olympics. Rivals Fox and ABC, ESPN included in their bids live coverage of every Olympic event. But ESPN said in a statement that besting NBC's bid would not have made good business sense. NBC-Comcast wouldn't commit to live broadcast and cable coverage of everything, but said all Olympic competition will be available on one platform or another. Howard Berkes, NPR News.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says higher gas prices are among the contributors to a softening US economy. But he predicts that growth will pick up in the second half of the year.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was down 19 points at 12,071, and NASDAQ had fallen slightly; it's at 2,702.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

3 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

4 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

5 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

6 skittish   

adj.易激动的，轻佻的

参考例句：

• She gets very skittish when her boy-friend is around.她男朋友在场时，她就显得格外轻佻。
• I won't have my son associating with skittish girls.我不准我的儿子与轻佻的女孩交往。

7 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。

8 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

9 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。

10 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

11 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

12 hazy   

adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的

参考例句：

• We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
• I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。

13 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

14 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。