NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-03-24

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

 

　　It took all night, but the Senate passed a budget just before dawn today. The vote was 50:49. It's been four years since the Senate last adopted a budget blueprint¹. And Republican leader Mitch McConnell praised his colleagues for it.

 

　　I know everyone is exhausted² and you may not feel it at the moment, but this is one of the Senate's finest days in recent years and I commend everyone who's participated in this extraordinary debate.

 

　　The White House is praising the Senate's $3.7 trillion proposal. But NPR's Allison Keyes tells us it's very different than the plan approved by the Republican controlled House.

 

　　White House Spokesman Jay Carney says at a statement that the Senate's plan will create jobs, cut the deficit³ in a balanced way and eliminate tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans to reduce the deficit. And while he praises both the House and Senate for passing budgets. He says the Republican proposal makes deep cuts to education and manufacturing, while asking seniors and the middle class to pay more. He criticizes the Republican plan for not reducing the deficit, but closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. That, Carney says, is not an approach the White House supports. He says it's time for the leaders to come together to find common ground. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　The Federal health law known as Obamacare turns three years old today. And as NPR's Julie Rovner reports debate over the measure is still raging.

 

　　Backers of the law like Health and Human service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are relieved that it survived last year's election and supreme⁴ court ruling. They are looking ahead to October when enrollment⁵ begins for potentially millions of Americans.

 

　　We really have an opportunity now to put the law in full gear.

 

　　But opponents like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, haven't given up the hope of repealing⁶ the measure.

 

　　The biggest mistake in modern times, in my judgement, was the passage of Obamacare, which seeks to turn America into a Western European country.

 

　　The budget bill just passed by Congress didn't defund implementation⁷ effort as House Republicans wanted. But it didn't give the administration the additional money it asked for, either. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Politicians in Cyprus are rushing to finish a new legislative⁸ package that will save their country from bankruptcy⁹. Cypriots need to come up billions of dollars to secure a rescue loan from European countries. A prior plan was rejected this week by lawmakers, that's because it took up to 10% of money from people's savings¹⁰ in private banks.

 

　　The Pentagon says it's reached an agreement with Afghanistan on control of an Afghan prison. The U.S. is to transfer control of the Parwan facility on Monday to Afghan officials. The prison houses dangerous inmates¹¹. The U.S. was concerned that some of them would be released.

 

　　New Pope Francis paid a visit to predecessor¹² Pope Emeritus¹³ Benedict, the XVI today. They made(应该是had，口误) lunch together and they had a private talk at the papal summer residence south of Rome.

 

　　You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

　　A late winter snowstorm is coming out of the Rocky Mountains and headed for the Midwest. The National Weather Service says heavy snow is falling from Colorado and will reach Ohio. This will mean heavy rain further south along the Gulf¹⁴ Coast. It could shape up to be the third major snowstorm to hit the Midwest in a month. As much as eight inches of snow could fall.

 

　　Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate against the long list of proposed school closures in Chicago. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports the Chicago Teachers Union which has been at odds¹⁵ with the city's mayor, is calling for all opponents of school closings to join them in a rally next week.

 

　　No school close. No school close.

 

　　That's been the chant of angry demonstrators ever since the Chicago public school said it plans to shut down 54 schools and programs. That will make it the largest school shakeup in the country. The school district faces a $1 billion deficit and says the schools on the list are under utilized¹⁶. Joshua Marburger teaches at one of them.

 

　　None of the board has been at our school. How can you make a decision to close school without even being there.

 

　　The Chicago Teachers Union will rally against the proposed school closures on Wednesday. School officials say they will hold public hearings before a vote in May. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

 

　　Russian financier Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home in England. The cause of death is not known. Berezovsky was a severe critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He lived in England because he was wanted in Russia for charges of fraud. Berezovsky had been one of the Russia's oligarchs. He gained incredible amounts of wealth in the 1990s by handling the assets of the former Soviet¹⁷ Union.

 

　　I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.

1 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

2 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

3 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

6 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

7 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

8 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

9 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

10 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

11 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》

12 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

13 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

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 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？

16 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。