NPR 2012-05-21

 President Obama says Afghanistan is ready to move from a decade of war to a period of peace and development. NPR Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama is hosting a NATO summit in Chicago on Afghanistan’s postwar future.

President Obama says there is still a lot of work to do in Afghanistan and he warned more lives will be lost there. Still, he is clearly looking ahead to the end of US combat operations. The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen says by 2014, Afghanistan will be responsible for its own security. Though he promised other countries are not walking away.

"This would be a powerful demonstration¹ of the commitment, of the whole international community to the future of Afghanistan.”

Leaders are also discussing the future of NATO itself and how to ensure the alliance adequately funded at a time when many member governments are cutting their own budgets. Scott Horsley, NPR news, Chicago.

 

 

The NATO summit has brought thousands of protestors to Chicago. NPR’s David Schaper talked with antiwar veterans who organized the march to the convention site.

"Some of the veterans will be returning their medal, medals they were awarded in combat to NATO. The protests they have continued involve the * in Afghanistan. The advantage is that they would likely to be * withdraw and in 2014, for many of them it's too late.” NPR’s David Schaper, reporting from Chicago.

 

 

The only man ever found guilty in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has died at the age of 60. NPR’s * reports Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi had been suffering from prostate cancer.

The 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie Scotland was a Christmas tragedy. A Pan American jumbo jet has crashed into a town in Scotland. It suddenly disappeared from Scotland radar². I saw something which resembled * bomb… The attack killed 270 people. Lisa Gipson lost her 20-year-old brother Ken³ on that flight.

I’ve always believed that openly he will have his day of reckoning and I believe it’s happening today.

In a highly controversial 2009 decision Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released from the prison in the UK and allowed to return home to Libya on humanitarian⁴ grounds. The former Libyan intelligence officer had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. On the *, he died a freeman in his home in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Asmaholid NPR news.

 

 

A bomb exploded in Syria today about 500 feet from the chief of the United Nations’ observers. No causality is reported. Major General Robert is in Syria to see how the ceasefire is holding. It’s not. The UN truce⁵ went into effect last month. But there’ve been always daily violence since then.

 

 

The UN Nuclear Agency Chief is on his way to Tehran for meetings with officials on Iran’s nuclear program. Yukiya Amano told reporters he is optimistic about his chances for agreement that allow his organization to resume its investigation⁶ into whether Iran’s trying to develop nuclear weapons.

 

 

This is NPR news.

 

 

It appears Congress is heading for another showdown on the debt limit eventually. The nation will almost likely reach the limit sometimes after the election. And congress would have to raise it to keep the government from defaulting on its debts, money that’s already been spent. On the TV talk show this morning, House speaker John told ABC this week when the issue does come up, he will insist on spending cuts. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed that position on CBS's Face the Nation.

 

 

The glamorous⁷ Cannes Film festival has been accused of sexism. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports this year's 22-film selection includes no women directors.

As stars walk up the legendary⁸ red carpet, the cameras flash. But this year, women film makers⁹ have signed up a partition, protesting the lack of female directors in the running from Cannes top prize, the Palme d'Or. More than 1000 women in the business from far field as Australia, Brazil and Indian signed an online appeal which urges Cannes juries to commit transparency and quality in the selection process of their films. But the Festival hit back, saying it would continue to select picture based solely¹⁰ on their merits. The Cannes Festival Board said that it would continue to program the best films from around the world without distinction as to race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinion or national or social origin. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

 

In Hollywood, the superhero movie, the Avengers is number 1 of the box office this weekend for the third weekend in a row. Preliminary figures show it's bringing more than 55 million dollars. A movie based on a board game Battleship opened the distance second. Well, the comedy, the Dictator came in Third.

1 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

2 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 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。

5 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

6 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。

7 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。