NPR 2012-12-19

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

 

　　Two more of the 20 students killed during Friday's deadly shooting rampage at an elementary school in suburban¹ Connecticut are being laid to rest today. A hearse carried the casket of first-grader James Mattioli. A funeral was also planned today for six-year-old Jessica Rekos. Several wakes are also being held including one for teacher Victoria Soto.

 

　　House Speaker John Boehner says he is working on Plan B if a deal can't be reached with the President to avoid automatic spending cuts and tax hikes. But as NPR's Tamara Keith reports negotiations² are continuing.

 

　　The speaker's backup plan would extend the Bush-era tax cuts for all but those making more than $1 million a year. But Democratic leaders are clear they won't support it and as a result, it doesn't have a chance in the Senate. White House spokesman Jay Carney says the President hopes that a deal can be reached and he rejects Boehner's Plan B.

 

　　It's not a great alternative, it's not a great fallback.

 

　　And even Boehner says a broad deal with the President that includes equal parts tax increases and spending cuts would be preferable.

 

　　I think it'd be better for our country.

 

　　The Republican Plan B could be brought to the House floor as soon as Thursday. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

　　Senator Patrick Leahy has formally assumed his position in the presidential line of succession today, becoming the Senate Pro³ Tempore after the death of Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye.

 

　　That you  take this oath, an obligation freely without any mental reservation.

 

　　Vice⁴ President Joe Biden, administered the oath of office to Leahy this morning, when he says he was extremely hard when he looked inside of his desk last night and saw the senator's name.

 

　　We describe our names there and Dan Inouye is there. And when I looked at that I was overcome with emotion.

 

　　And Inouye was second longest serving senator in US history. He died yesterday at the age of 88.

 

　　Confidence among home builders in the U.S. is at its highest level in more than 6.5 years. NPR's Dave Mattingly reports on the latest index from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo.

 

　　The index is up for the eighth straight month to its highest level since April of 2006. Chief Economist⁵ David Crowe with the  National Association of Home Builders says builder confidence is rising across the country as home sales and prices continue ticking upward.

 

　　We are seeing this widespread improvement occur in lots of places even those places that have pretty dramatic declines like Florida and California. Crowe says home builders are now reflecting the confidence that's been evident among home buyers for months. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 98 points at 13,332; the NASDAQ was up 37.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　The government has fined Toyota more than $17 million for failing once again to quickly report problems to federal regulators and for denying a safety recall. The National Traffic Safety Administration says this is the fourth fine against Toyota in the past two years for similar infractions.  The latest stems from a June recall of floor mats in some Lexus vehicles that caused gas pedals to stick.

 

　　The woman, whose affair with the former CIA Director David Petraeus led to his resignation, will not be charged with cyberstalking. NPR's Tom Bowman reports Paula Broadwell's alleged⁶ threatening emails to another woman, brought the scandal to light.

 

　　U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill in Florida told Broadwell's lawyer, she will not face federal charges related to email she sent Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite and friend of Petraeus. Kelley complained to the FBI about those emails and that's what started the investigation⁷. Broadwell's a West Point graduate, an army reservist who wrote a  biography of Petraeus. Her security clearance⁸ was suspended and federal investigators⁹ are still looking into other aspects of the case. Among the issues, did Broadwell improperly¹⁰ receive classified information from Petraeus when he was commander in Afghanistan. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　A jury recently found that some Samsung phones illegally used Apple technology ordering it to pay Apple more than $1 billion. But a federal judge now has rejected Apple's demands that Samsung stops selling those models in the U.S. The battle involves three older generation smartphones. Samsung argues that Apple was trying to (tie) up Samsung in courts around the world rather than competing with it head-on.

 

　　I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News.

1 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。