NPR 2012-07-20

 From NPR News in Washington, I’m Lakshmi Singh.

 

Russia and China are again blocking the UN resolution that threatens sanctions against Syria, further vexing¹ their western counterparts on Security Council including US ambassador Susan Rice.

 

“It’s pitiful and deeply regrettable that again today Russia and China for the 3rd time have vetoed the resolution that garnered² the overwhelming support of this Security Council.”

From New York, Linda F offers more details on this controversial resolution what that could mean for the UN’s mandate³ in Syria.

 

“The resolution would have given the Syrian government 10 days to stop using heavy weapons and withdraw its troops in cities and towns or face the possible US sanctions against the regime officials. Russia had publicly warned it would block the measure if it included the threat of sanctions on the chapter 7 of the UN Charter, a provision it feared could open the way to the military intervention⁴ as Libya. Failure to adopt the measure leaves the future of UN observation mission Syria in limbo⁵. For NPR news, I’m Linda F, in New York."

 

Confronting voter worries over jobs, President Obama tried to make the case today that he’s trying the steer⁶ the country away from the kinds of Republican policies that he says brought the country to the brink⁷ of collapse⁸ a few year ago. 

 

“They don’t know the plan to revive the middle class. Everything they are proposing we tried for a decade and didn’t work.”

 

The president campaign in Jacksonville, Florida, in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Republican challenger, Mitt⁹ Romney told voters not to buy to the President’s promises, saying the incumbent¹⁰ is just looking out for No.1.

 

“The job he’s interested in protecting is his own. The job that should be protected is the job of men and women in this country who want to get jobs, who want to go back to work, who want to have rising incomes again.”

 

The presidential candidates’ comments come hours after the Labor¹¹ Department reported today that the number of people they fell 1st time unemployment claims rose last week by 34000. 

 

Sales of previously-owned homes have declined unexpectedly, dropping 5.4% in June. NPR’s Craig Windham reports home re-sales were down to the lowest level in 8 months. 

 

“Economy studies expected sales of existing homes to rise. Even with the decline though, sales were still 4.5% higher than they were in June last year. Walter Maloney with the National Association of Realtors says some procedures the ways may be contributing to the dropping closing.

‘There is a clog¹² of mortgage applications in the process, both for purchases and hand for refinances, and we are hearing more about delays in closing process, so hopefully we will see some of the belts back in the next months for sale.’

The median price previously-owned homes sold in June was about $189000. That’s up nearly 8% from a year earlier. Craig Windham, NPR news, Washington.”

 

Before the close on Wall Street, Dow was up 34 points at 12943. 

 

This is NPR.

 

Home interest rates are down yet again according to the mortgage giant Freddie Mac. The fix rate on 30-year loans felt to 3.53%. The rate on 15-year mortgage slipped to 2.83%.

Long range weather and drought outlooks have been released and the forecast is discouraging. From many it shows several more weeks of above average temperatures and dry conditions. South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Gary Ellenbolt has more.

 

“Officials are calling the current drought ‘the worst of 50 years’. About half of the country is going to through a long heats spelled summer and getting little relive from the former precipitation. South Dakota State Climate *** Toddy says the northern plains likely will remain hot and dry.

‘If you look over further east into the corn belts, their outlook looks even stronger, then the temperatures will be warmer than the average, and are stronger on staying dry even it is early part of the fall.’

Toddy says damage has mostly been done too much of the corn crop, but he says timely rains could help soybean farmers that he advised raising it effect today covering an area from Northwest Dakota to Southern Arkansas. For NPR news, I'm Gary Ellenbolt in Vermillion, South Dakota.”

 

Bulgaria’s authorities are working to confirm the identity of the man they say carried out a suicide attack yesterday on the bus filled with Israeli vacationers. They say the bomber¹³ was carrying an apparently¹⁴ fake Michigan driver’s license¹⁵. Israel has blamed Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant¹⁶ group supported by Iran.

 

Before the close on Wall Street, Dow was up 35 points, NASDAQ gaining 23 and the S&P 500 was up 4 points. 

1 vexing   

adj.使人烦恼的，使人恼火的v.使烦恼( vex的现在分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• It is vexing to have to wait a long time for him. 长时间地等他真使人厌烦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Lately a vexing problem had grown infuriatingly worse. 最近发生了一个讨厌的问题，而且严重到令人发指的地步。 来自辞典例句

2 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

3 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

7 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

9 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

10 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

11 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。

12 clog   

vt.塞满，阻塞；n.[常pl.]木屐

参考例句：

• In cotton and wool processing,short length fibers may clog sewers.在棉毛生产中，短纤维可能堵塞下水管道。
• These streets often clog during the rush hour.这几条大街在交通高峰时间常常发生交通堵塞。

13 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

14 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

15 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

16 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。