NPR 2011-07-28

Facing a rebellion from fellow House Republicans over his debt ceiling plan, Speaker of the House John Boehner took a hard line today, trying to drum up more support. NPR's David Welna reports Boehner postponed¹ a House vote on his plan until tomorrow after the Congressional Budget Office found it delivered fewer spending cuts than promised.

Many House Republicans are balking² at Speaker John Boehner's plan that would raise the debt ceiling in two stages. They say his proposal does not cut spending enough, and congressional budget officials found the cuts he does propose were overstated by 350 billion dollars. Boehner told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham he's retooling³ that plan and winning over some of the skeptics.

"We had a very good meeting this morning, and we picked up more members. I do believe that we can win this, and my goal is to continue to work with all of our members to get them to the point where they say yes."

Boehner's plan is competing with another put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry⁴ Reid. It's proposed spending cuts were found by the CBO to be overstated by half a trillion dollars. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

Now Senate Majority Leader Reid calls Boehner’s plan a "big wet kiss for the right-wing."

"I really believe it's time for the House Republicans to face facts. They're struggling to save a Tea Party bill. It's not a balanced solution."

But Reid won't say when he plans to bring his bill up for a vote, saying he's gonna wait to see what GOP-led House does.

Now Wall Street is getting more jittery⁵ about the debt impasse⁶ with the Dow down 197 points or more than 1.5% at last check at 12,304, and Main Street is just as nervous. We spoke⁷ to NPR digital contributor Alan Greenblatt, who found conservative voters in the St. Louis area appear to be running out of patience with both parties.

"They all have opinions. Mostly they're mad at Congress for not getting the deal done; at the same time, re-recognize that there are only bad choices—cutting Social Security or raising taxes or cutting elsewhere in the federal government. For the most part, they want something to happen. They want a deal that they can agree with."

That's Alan Greenblatt.

The United States says its decision to bar some Russian officials from the US should not hurt overall relations with Moscow. But as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports, Russia is threatening to curtail⁸ cooperation.

The US has imposed visa bans on dozens of Russian officials it believes were responsible for the 2009 death of a hedge fund lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the US has long expressed concern about the case even as the US was resetting¹⁰ relations with Russia.

"The reset⁹ has always been about working constructively¹¹ with Russia in those areas where we share common concerns, and we've always said that that's not going to be done at the expense of our basic principles, including human rights."

Russia called the travel restrictions¹² an "unfriendly move" and vowed¹³ to respond.

This is NPR News.

Astronomers¹⁴ have discovered an asteroid¹⁵ that shares the Earth's orbit as it travels around the sun. But as NPR's Richard Harris explains, the scientists say we are not going to collide with this giant hunk of rock.

The asteroid is about 300 yards across, which is more than bigger enough to do real damage if it ever smashed into the Earth. But the astronomers who discovered it say it's stuck in a spot that will keep it out of harm's way for at least 10,000 years. The Earth basically chases this object as we both orbit the sun. The asteroid wobbles around an odd gravitational center called Lagrange Point 4, and that's permanently¹⁶ in front of the Earth by millions and millions of miles. Astronomers have known since the late 1700s that objects could end up in orbits like this that called Trojan asteroids¹⁷. Trojan asteroids had been previously¹⁸ discovered around Jupiter, Neptune¹⁹ and Mars, and a report in Nature magazine says Earth has at least one as well. Richard Harris, NPR News.

A federal judge is upholding the Obama administration's rules that allow funding of human embryonic²⁰ stem cell research. Today, US District Judge Royce Lamberth threw out a legal challenge, saying the National Institutes of Health guidelines do not violate federal law. Now opponents argue the research unlawfully destroys human embryos²¹. But proponents²² say research involving stem cells could lead to treatment for a variety of diseases.

Norway's prime minister's creating a commission to investigate last week's double attacks that killed 76 people. But Jens Stoltenberg says that people can respond powerfully by politically promoting a more inclusive society. The self-confessed perpetrator of last week's violence says he was driven by a war against Muslims. Anders Breivik's lawyer, meanwhile, says his client is insane.

1 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

2 balking   

n.慢行，阻行v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的现在分词 )；（指马）不肯跑

参考例句：

• He picked up a stone and let fly at the balking dog. 他捡起一块石头朝那狂吠的狗扔去。 来自互联网
• Democrats won't pass the plan without votes from rank-and-file Republicans andof-and-file Republicans were reportedly balking. 没有普通共和党议员的支持，民主党人无法通过这项方案——到周四晚间，据悉那些普通共和党人在阻挡（该计划）。 来自互联网

3 retooling   

v.（给…）更换工具， （给…）更换机械设备( retool的现在分词 )；改组，革新

参考例句：

• The factory is retooling to start making the new line of cars. 工厂正在重新装备以便开始制造新系列车型。 来自辞典例句
• Among her suggestions: retooling factories to focus on rebuilding America's transportation system. 她的建议包括围绕重新建设美国交通系统这个重心来重组汽车工业。 来自互联网

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

6 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

9 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

10 resetting   

v.重新安放或安置( reset的现在分词 )；重拨（测量仪器指针）；为（考试、测试等）出一套新题；重新安置，将…恢复原位

参考例句：

• Range represents the maximum strain which can be recorded without resetting or replacing the strain gage. 量程表示无需重调或重装应变计就能记录到的最大应变。 来自辞典例句
• Adding weight to the puddle jumper by resetting its inertial dampeners. 通过调节飞船的惯性装置来增加重量。 来自电影对白

11 constructively   

ad.有益的，积极的

参考例句：

• Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom. 如此富有意义地利用业余时间来进行收藏，会使人怡然自得，无暇烦恼。
• The HKSAR will continue to participate constructively in these activities. 香港会继续积极参与这些活动。

12 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

13 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

14 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

16 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

17 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

18 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

19 Neptune   

n.海王星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun.海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Neptune turned out to be a dynamic,stormy world.海王星原来是个有生气、多风暴的世界。

20 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

21 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

22 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句