NPR 2012-07-22

 Police have triggered a controlled explosion at the apartment of James Holmes. He's the man suspected in the mass shooting at the Aurora¹ Colorado movie theater. Police say the apartment is filled with chemicals, explosive material and trip wires. Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC was close by when the preemptive explosion went off. 

I am staying here just about 100 yards across the street from the suspect's apartment. We just heard one loud blast following authorities yelling fire in the hall.

Kirk Siegler reporting.

Aurora police sergeant² Cassidee Carlson says earlier today bomb experts found a trip wire inside Holmes' apartment. 

This trip wire was set up to clearly detonate when somebody enter that apartment. It was set up to kill that person.

Authorities have since disabled at least one other trigger device. James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and wounded 58 others at a movie theater early Friday. Fans were there to watch a premier³ of the latest Batman film when the gunman opened fire. Aurora police learned of the explosives at Holmes' apartment after they arrested him. Authorities say they'd continued would? rather they've dealt with all major threats inside but they continued to investigate other hazards and to collect evidence. 

A South Dakota wild fire has forced evacuation of more than 240 homes and caused the closure of Wind Cave National Park. The Myrtle Fire started 2 days ago and has charred⁴ more than 7500 acres in the Black Hills, but still only 15% contained. South Dakota public broadcasting's Charles Michael Ray reports.

While high temperatures and low humidity are making it difficult for those battling the Myrtle Fire, information officer Kelly Stover says cruise are happy they're getting the air resources they need. She says fire fighters on the ground are getting help from above by 6 helicopters and 3 air tankers⁵. 

For up a ?? fire to have all those air resources, that's pretty unusual. But because there's really nothing going else going on in the region. We were able to get those, so we're really lucky with that right now. Cruse in the Black Hill have put out more than 15 lightening caused wild wire since Monday. Stover notes that afternoon thunderstorms brought in more lightening today, which could mean more new fires. For NPR News, I'm Charles Michael Ray in Rapid City, South Dakota.

A military jury sentenced an air force instructor⁶ to 20 years in prison today for sexual misconduct. Staff Sergeant Luis Walker was convicted yesterday on 28 accounts of rape⁷ and other sexual attacks at Lackland air force base in Texas. Earlier today he asked jurors for leniency⁸. He could have faced life in prison. During the trial 10 women testified that Walker assaulted them in 2010 and 2011. He's one of the 6 air force instructors⁹ charged with sexual attacks against recruits. 

This is NPR News.

Syrian rebels and government troops are battling in Aleppo. That's a city considered loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. It's a commercial hub and is Syria's largest city. Fighting continues in Damasks after a bombing this week killed 4 key members of Assad's government, including the defense¹⁰ secretary. The violence has prompt? thousands to flee into Lebanon and Iraq.

United Nations has condemned¹¹ Debby Clashes in the west of Ivory Coast in which up to a dozen people are reported killed. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton says 7 of the dead lost their lives in a UN protected displaced people's camp. 

Despite the presence of UN peace keeper, angry youth reportedly set fire to the camp. Residents sought refuge there last year after deadly fighting in the town of Duekoue in western Ivory Coast during the post-election violence. The latest incident followed the reported killing¹² of 4 people on Thursday in /anatakon/ Kokoma, a neighborhood where mainly people from Malike tribe live. Witnesses say in an apparent revenge attack, Kokoma used torch the displaced people's camp in Niambly. Most of the camp's residents hail from the /geilet/tribe which was closely allied¹³ to Ivory Coast ousted¹⁴ president during last year's troubles. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.

Pope Benedict's butler is out of Vatican custody¹⁵ and under house arrest. Paolo Gabriele was arrested in May and accused of stealing Vatican documents and then leaking them. The documents told power struggles within hierarchy¹⁶ of Roman Catholic church. It's not clear yet whether Gabriele will stand trial.

I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

1 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

4 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

6 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

7 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

8 leniency   

n.宽大（不严厉）

参考例句：

• udges are advised to show greater leniency towards first-time offenders.建议法官对初犯者宽大处理。
• Police offer leniency to criminals in return for information.警方给罪犯宽大处理以换取情报。

9 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

15 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

16 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。