美国国家电台 NPR 2012-09-17

 The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the attack last week on a US consulate¹ in Libya was spontaneous. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports that appears at odds² with what Libyan officials are saying. 

 

Libya's president has told NPR that al-Qaeda was behind the attack, and used protests over an anti-Muslim video as a pretext³. But U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice says so far the U.S sees no signs of pre-planned coordination⁴. Still she tells Fox News Sunday, the FBI is investigating.

 

We obviously did have a strong security presence and unfortunately two of the four Americans who died in Benghazi were there to provide security. But it obviously wasn't sufficient in the circumstances to prevent the overrun of the consulate. 

 

Rice says the U.S. has stepped up security in other outposts. She also insists the wave of Mideast demonstrations⁵ this week does not reflect a broad hostility⁶ toward the U.S. or its policies. Jennifer Ludden NPR News, Washington.

 

On another television talk show this morning, Rice said the US takes no options off the table in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons including a military option. But she told NBC's Meet the Press, there is still time for sanctions and diplomacy⁷ to work. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on the same program he says time is running out.

 

During the last 20 yards, you can't let them cross that goal line. You can't let them score a touchdown, because that would have unbelievable consequences, grievous consequences for the peace and security of us all, of the world, really.

 

He says the U.S. should set a clear redline that Tehran may not cross.

 

A top Iranian official acknowledges Iran has troops in Syria supporting Syria's president on the ground as well as financially. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

 

The commander of Iran's Elite⁸ Revolutionary Guard says his forces are in Syria, providing what he called non-military assistance. Syrian activists⁹ have long charged that Iran was providing technical support, advising the Syrian government on breaking Internet codes to track them for arrest. The Iranian commander Ali Jafari denied his troops were directly part of a military offensive against Syrian rebels but rather acting¹⁰ as advisors¹¹. Iran is the chief ally of the Syrian regime, western government charged Iran is providing Syria with financial and military aid undercutting draconian¹² sanctions imposed by western governments. Deborah Amos, NPR News, Antakya.

 

NATO officials report another so-called insider attack against its troops in Afghanistan today. They say four Americans were killed by Afghan police officers. Also today, NATO officials say they are investigating a report that a NATO airstrike killed eight women and girls in the eastern Afghanistan.  

 

This is NPR News in Washington.

 

Representatives of the Chicago Teachers Union are meeting at this hour to consider a proposed contract. If they accepted, they could vote to end a week-long strike, which means the public schools could open tomorrow. Union President  Karen Lewis says she is recommending ratification¹³.

 

Space shuttle Endeavour is sitting on top of a modified jumbo jet waiting to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, its destination, Los Angeles where it will become an exhibit at the California Science Center. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports the cross country trip will take several days. 

 

Endeavour's farewell tour will take it over many sites that are important to NASA. It's expected to do a low fly over of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, before landing in Houston, home of mission control. Endeavor will stay there for a day before flying over a backup landing site in New Mexico and continuing on to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The plane is to fly near NASA's Ames Research Center as well as landmarks¹⁴ and cities that includes San Francisco and Sacramento before landing in Los Angeles. Then in mid-October, the shuttle will travel 12 miles through city streets to reach its final home. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.

 

Republican presidential candidate Mitt¹⁵ Romney is on his way to Los Angeles where he will speak tomorrow to the Hispanic Chamber¹⁶ of Commerce. He was supposed to stop in Pueblo¹⁷ Colorado but decided¹⁸ to skip the event after a small plane crashed at the airport there. A spokesman said that Romney didn't want to get in the way of investigators¹⁹ or emergency responders. President Obama begins his week of campaign travel tomorrow in Ohio.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News, in Washington.

1 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

12 draconian   

adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的

参考例句：

• You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。
• The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

13 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

14 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

15 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。

16 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

17 pueblo   

n.（美国西南部或墨西哥等）印第安人的村庄

参考例句：

• For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2，000多年的时间里，印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
• The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 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》