NPR 2011-08-24

 Damage assessment¹ is under way in the areas across the Northeastern US that were unexpectedly shaken by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. Washington DC resident Litz Rauh says she was rattled² as much as the buildings.

 

"So shaking, yeah, everything moved, and I don't know. We all thought it was something else. We thought it was just our building, in particular. Rather it's definitely everything else."

 

Areas from New York down to Virginia where it was centered felt the earthquake certainly in Philadelphia as well, where NPR's Jeff Brady says that City Hall was evacuated³ for a short time.

 

So far, no reports of major damage in Philadelphia, but some businesses and government offices closed early and sent shaken workers home. In the Germantown Section of Philadelphia, Joel Echo was on a ladder painting a window frame.

 

"You know, I really just felt like someone just kind of bumped into my ladders. It's just kind of a jolt⁴ all of a sudden, enough to kinda make me tighten⁵ my grip and say ‘wow' and look down, but it was over in a split second."

 

Local utilities are reporting no significant damage. The quake triggered an early rush hour as workers tried to leave Center City to go home early. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Philadelphia.

 

Don Blakeman of the US Geological Survey says prepare for aftershocks.

 

"It's unlikely that will have a bigger, you know, something greater than this 5 magnitude. There's still some possibility, but it's unlikely. So we'll probably have a few quakes in the magnitude 4.5 range, I would guess, and then quite a fewer, you know, smaller."

 

The Associated Press is reporting minor⁶ injuries. Flights were delayed at airports in the DC area, New York and Philadelphia. Amtrak is operating at reduced speeds. In the nation's capital, monuments were closed and evacuated. Some damage was reported at the National Cathedral. 

 

In Libya, rebels are celebrating, firing into the air after seizing control of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's main military compound in the capital. The State Department says that Gaddafi's regime has nearly collapsed⁷. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports US diplomats⁸ are ramping⁹ up their post-Gaddafi planning and trying to free up money for the rebel government in Libya.

 

State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland says the US is working urgently to try to release 1 to 1.5 billion dollars in frozen Libyan assets to the Transitional National Council (TNC).

 

"We want to give this money back to the TNC for its use, first and foremost to meet humanitarian¹⁰ needs and to help it establish a secure, stable government and to move on to the next step in its own road map."

 

And she says she hopes that will happen soon once the UN Sanctions Committee clears the way. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

Big surge on Wall Street today. Before the close, the Dow was up more than 300 points, nearly 3%, at 11,177. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation says bank loans are up in the second quarter of the year for the first time in three years. NPR's Paul Brown reports there are other good, post-recession signs for the banking¹¹ industry plus some warning signals.

 

FDIC Acting¹² Chairman Martin Gruenberg says the increase in lending is a good sign, though he sees it as just a start.

 

"Lending activity still has a long way to go before it approaches more normal levels."

 

Gruenberg also says the number of 'problem' banks is down for the first time since early 2006, and bank failures are down.

 

"These trends are obviously favorable, but the current levels of both failures and 'problem' institutions remain very high by historical standards."

 

Finally, Gruenberg says bank profits have been improving partly because of a lower number of bad loans, but he says that's not enough. He says banks need to lend more if they want to profit still more. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

 

In a matter of days, the Northeastern US is expected to feel the effects of Hurricane Irene, the first of the Atlantic storm season. The Category 3 hurricane is barreling toward the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is on track to hit the Eastern Seaboard, perhaps making landfall in North Carolina by the weekend. Residents of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern coasts are on alert with the threat of heavy rains, winds and possibly tornadoes¹³.

 

And recapping our top story, much of the Northeastern US rattled today by a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake. There were some reports of minor injuries, nothing serious, and damage assessment is under way.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

3 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。

4 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

5 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网