NPR 2012-12-17

　　From NPR News in Washington, I’m Korva Coleman.

 

　　Police in Connecticut are saying there will be no quick answers as to what prompted Friday's shooting that killed 26 children and adults at their school. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports that Connecticut state police Lieutenant¹ Paul Vance says it could take weeks to get a complete picture of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary.

 

　　"They are trying to look at all the evidence they may have gathered from computers. They are trying to interview all of the witnesses, track back all of the forensic² evidence and then they will complete a total picture which they will be able to tell to the public and answer all of the questions. Until that happens, he said he is not going to discuss it as it’s ongoing³ and that could be days, if not weeks."

 

　　NPR's Quil Lawrence in Newtown, Connecticut.

 

　　A Newtown church has evacuated⁴ all of its parishioners today after a telephoned-threat. St. Rose of Lima which held a memorial service Friday night after the Newtown shootings was holding noon Mass today when people were told to leave quickly. Police officers and SWAT gear arrived and the building remains⁵ closed. There will be another memorial service tonight in Newtown. This time President Obama will attend. He's also expected to talk with some of the relatives and friends of the victims.

 

　　Some lawmakers are beginning to call for new gun control laws. Among them is Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy. He says the children at Sandy Hook Elementary were killed with an assault weapon. There have been questions about the shooter's state of mind and Malloy says Americans should face another issue.

 

　　"I think that there's certain problems that we have in our society that have to be addressed. We don't treat the mentally ill well; we don't reach out to families that are in trouble."

 

　　Malloy spoke⁶ on NBC. Other lawmakers are calling for a national commission to investigate mass shootings.

 

　　Syrian activists⁷ say at least two rockets fired from government warplanes have hit a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus that killed more than 20 people. The BBC's Sebastian Usher⁸ reports.

 

　　Activists say this is the first time that government warplanes have hit the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, the biggest in Syria. They say a mosque⁹ was hit when many people were taking shelter after fleeing heavy fighting in the surrounding areas of Southern Damascus where the camp is located. A video posted online shows several dead bodies sprawled¹⁰ in the street and on the steps of the mosque. The attack comes as President Assad’s forces are mounting an all-out attempt to win back areas in the south and east of Damascus that had been captured by the rebels.

 

　　The BBC's Sebastian Usher.

 

　　There is a change in Japan's leadership. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has resigned following his party's loss in today's national elections. The main opposition¹¹ Liberal Democratic Party picked up the majority of seats in Japan's lower house of parliament. The opposition is seen as more nationalistic and its leader Shinzo Abe is viewed as very hawkish¹², especially toward China.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Vatican officials quickly ended a protest action in St. Peter’s Square today by a group of demonstrators. They were critical of Pope Benedict's latest condemnation¹³ of same-sex marriage. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

 

　　Released on Friday by the Vatican, the message warns that abortions¹⁴ and gay marriage are threats to justice and peace. The Pope said that laws granting legal status for gay unions actually harm and destabilize marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society. In previous remarks, the Pope had denounced gay marriage as insidious¹⁵ and dangerous and a threat to humanity. On Sunday at the end of the Pope's weekly address to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, protesters raised signs in various languages with the words “Gay unions don't harm peace, weapons do.” Only seconds later, Vatican security agents ripped down the signs and detained the protesters for about 40 minutes. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

　　Officials in the Philippines say the death toll¹⁶ from this month's Typhoon Bopha has soared to more than 1,000 people. Bopha roared over the Philippines on December 4th and stalled over the South China Sea. Most of the dead are from the main southern island of Mindanao. Some 850 people are still missing. Officials warn the number of dead will climb again.

 

　　Professional hockey players are starting to take a vote today on whether to dissolve their union. The union has been negotiating with NHL owners over a new contract they have been unable to reach agreement. If the union breaks up, individual players will be able to sue owners over their lockout of the players, using anti-trust laws. The National Hockey League has moved to try to prevent this by filing a lawsuit¹⁷ in federal court.

 

　　I’m Korva Coleman, NPR News. 

1 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。

2 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

9 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

10 sprawled   

v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
• He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 hawkish   

adj. 鹰派的, 强硬派的

参考例句：

• My staff's advice that first day was amazingly hawkish. 在第一天，我的僚属们的意见是令人吃惊的鹰派意见。
• Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet. 反战团体担心巴拉克·奥巴马可以创建强硬派内阁。

13 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

14 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

15 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。