NPR 2012-12-11

　　From NPR News in Washington, I’m Windsor Johnston.

 

　　President Obama is in Michigan today, where he is expected to help announce the expansion of a truck engine plant near Detroit. The president and Detroit Diesel¹ will unveil a 100-million-dollar investment at a factory in Redford Township. The money will be used to expand transmissions and axles.

 

　　Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy, shore communities in New York and New Jersey² are racing³ to rebuild their boardwalks before next summer. NPR's Margot Adler reports the reasons are financial as much as sentimental⁴.

 

　　Shoreline communities have always relied on tourism as an economic engine. In Seaside Heights immortalized in the reality show Jersey Shore and now noteworthy for the roller coaster that fell into the ocean during the hurricane, the mayor says 75% of the town’s economy comes from tourism, the boardwalk is key. He estimates it will take 10 to 12 million dollars to rebuild the boardwalk and the town is currently taking bids. The town of Belmar has approved 20 million dollars to rebuild its boardwalk. Sea Girt, Asbury Park and Point Pleasant Beach are also planning to rebuild. Some of the new boardwalks may be concrete or synthetic⁵. Some officials say wooden boardwalks are problematic. Many use wood from endangered rain forests. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

 

　　The final House race of the 2012 elections is done. Louisiana Congressman⁶ Charles Bruce Denny has defeated fellow Republican Congressman Jeff Landry in a runoff. NPR's S.V. Date reports.

 

　　Bruce Denny and Landry were forced to run for the same seat after the state lost a house member due to slow population growth. When the new lines were drawn⁷, the two incumbents⁸ were put into the same Southeast Louisiana district. Neither received the majority of the vote on November 6th. Bruce Denny won Saturday's runoff 61% to 39% to earn his fifth term. The runoff does not change the partisan⁹ balance in the House. Republicans will hold a 234-to-201 advantage when the new Congress takes office January 3rd. S.V. Date, NPR News.

 

　　Parts of Minnesota have been crippled by a slow-moving storm that has dumped at least 16 inches of snow in some areas. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Tiger says only flurries are in today's forecast, but the twin cities will have colder than normal wind chills.

 

　　“Zero to 10 below zero, around the twin cities, a little bit colder around the west, probably averaging about 10 to 20 below zero.”

 

　　Nearly 600 vehicles crashes have been reported in the state. Lieutenant¹⁰ Eric Brzezinski of the Minnesota State Patrol says many drivers were still calling for help this morning.

 

　　“In the Twin Cities’ natural area, the morning could be very busy. We still have a number of crashes, vehicles spinning out, so we are still dealing¹¹ with a high volume of calls.”

 

　　Dozens of flights to and from the Twin Cities have been canceled.

 

　　On Wall Street, the Dow was up 20 points.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Major French cosmetics¹² retailer¹³ Sephora has won the right to keep its flagship Paris store open past 9:30 PM. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that French unions want to curb¹⁴ night and Sunday work.

 

　　Paris's Champs Elysées boulevard remains¹⁵ hopping¹⁶ after shops in other areas have closed, so stores generally stay open until midnight. But Sephora's unions contested, saying employees were being pressured to work undesirable¹⁷ shifts. Sephora countered with a full-page newspaper ads saying more than a fifth of its sales were at night and cutting back the hours threaten jobs. A Paris court ruled in its favor. But the battle rages over nocturnal and Sunday work. Stores are allowed to open only five Sundays a year in France, unless they are located in a specific tourist area. President Francois Hollande says he wants to reform French labor¹⁸ laws and increase French competitiveness. But unions say closing Sunday preserves a cherished way of life for workers who have a common day off to spend with their families. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

　　The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. Officials accepted the award saying their organization has helped many countries on the continent rebuild after World War II. European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says the EU must continue to fight for human rights as with the conflict in Syria which he calls a sting on the world's conscience.

 

　　“As a community of nations that has overcome war and fought totalitarianism, we will always stand by those who are in pursuit of peace and human dignity.”

 

　　The prize money of 1.2 million dollars will be given to projects that help children in struggling war zones.

 

　　I’m Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.

 

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1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

4 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

5 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

9 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

10 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

11 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。

12 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

13 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

14 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

16 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

17 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

18 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。