NPR 2012-02-21

 An international bailout deal may be close at hand to keep Greece from defaulting, which would have a ripple¹ effect on global economies. Eurozone finance ministers are meeting in Brussels. The Greek prime minister is also there. Meanwhile, Joanna Kakissis reports from Athens that the Greek parliament is also said to pass emergency cuts that would satisfy Greece’s European lenders.

 

 

Greek lawmakers are expected to approve about 427 million dollars in pension cuts. Those cuts come on top of the new austerity measures approved last week amid rioting in central Athens. In exchange for the new measures, Athens would get about 170 billion dollars in bailout loans. The loan deal must be finalized² to secure separate bond swap³ that could cut Greek debt by at least 50%. The country needs the two deals to avoid a chaotic⁴ default, which could lead to an exit from the eurozone. More than 70% of Greeks want to keep the euro, but they also say austerity measures have killed the economy. For NPR News, I’m Joanna Kakissis in Athens.

 

 

With investors⁵ hopeful that the bailout is indeed close at hand, world markets were higher today. In the oil markets, prices rose to a nine-month high today above 105 dollars a barrel. Iranian oil is no longer flowing to Britain and France after those countries threatened more sanctions against Iran for running a nuclear program. Benchmark March crude rose $1.83 to 105.43 a barrel.

 

 

President Obama's national security adviser⁶ has wrapped up three days of talks in Jerusalem, pledging “unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.” Israeli government has vowed⁷ to defend itself against any Iranian nuclear threat; however, the US has been urging the Israelis not to attack.

 

 

Investigators⁸ in northern Mexico are still working to identify the dead from that country's worst prison massacre⁹ in years. NPR’s Jason Beaubien reports that at least 44 inmates¹⁰ were killed in the confrontation¹¹.

 

 

The riot at a penitentiary¹² in Nuevo León pitted members of two of Mexico's most powerful drug gangs against each other, according to a spokesman for state security ministry¹³. Jorge Domene Brano says in the middle of the night, members of the Gulf¹⁴ Cartel who were housed in the C block charged into an area holding members of the Zetas. It's still unclear how the rivals were able to move freely from one part of the prison to another. Seventeen guards and the director of the facility are being questioned over the incident. Mexican federal police and soldiers had to be called in to restore order among the inmates. This weekend's melee¹⁵ was the deadliest prison riot in Mexico in more than a decade. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

 

 

The Spanish government is dispatching military planes to Florida to pick up 17 tons of treasure. That treasure was uncovered by the US-based group Odyssey¹⁶ Marine¹⁷ Exploration.

 

 

US markets closed for the holiday.

 

 

This is NPR News.

 

 

New releases are taking a back seat to hold over at the box office in the United States and Canada. NPR’s Trina Williams reports it's a tight race for the top spot.

 

 

“He’s after us.”

“Why?”

“I think you need to consider how your safe house was attacked in the first place.”

“That house was a secure location.”

 

 

“Safe House” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds is in first place for now with 24 million in estimated ticket sales. It's up a spot from its debut¹⁸ last weekend. That could change when final figures are released as last week's champion “The Vow” is virtually tight, earning an estimated 23.6 million dollars.

 

 

Nicolas Cage and “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” opens in third place. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s family adventure “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” debuts¹⁹ at No.4. Closing out the top five is a third newcomer, romantic comedy “This Means War” starring Reese Witherspoon. Trina Williams, NPR News.

 

 

The owner of the New York Knicks has reportedly finalized its deal to return the NBA teams’ games to about two million Time Warner Cable subscribers in the New York area. The Madison Square Garden Company said Monday that it agreed to a multi-year deal under which the cable operator would carry its various networks. The dispute between MSG and Time Warner had left the cable subscribers unable to watch Knicks games since January 1st.

 

 

Wal-Mart Stores plans to buy a controlling interest in a fast-growing Chinese online retailer²⁰. The big-box chain operator Yihaodian said it has agreed to increase its stake in holding company to approximately 51%.

 

 

Again US stocks or the market that is closed for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

 

 

This is NPR News.

1 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

2 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

4 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 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。

8 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》

9 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

10 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

12 penitentiary   

n.感化院；监狱

参考例句：

• He worked as a warden at the state penitentiary.他在这所州监狱任看守长。
• While he was in the penitentiary her father died and the family broke up.他坐牢的时候，她的父亲死了，家庭就拆散了。

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

14 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

15 melee   

n.混战；混战的人群

参考例句：

• There was a scuffle and I lost my hat in the melee.因发生一场斗殴，我的帽子也在混乱中丢失了。
• In the melee that followed they trampled their mother a couple of times.他们打在一团，七手八脚的又踩了他们的母亲几下。

16 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

17 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

18 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

19 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

20 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。