NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-02-03

 California State Water Project says it will provide no water to the state’s residents and farmers this year. As NPR’s Sam Sanders reports, it is the latest efforts to deal with the severe drought. 

 

At full capacity, the California State Water Project serves over 20 million people and irrigates¹ about 750,000 acres farmland. But this year water district across state will have to depend on more of their own groundwater or buy water from elsewhere. Department of Water Resource’s Director Mark Cowin says it will take a lot of rainfall soon to reverse the decision. 

 

Considering that we are now two-thirds through the white season, the state would have to experience heavy rainfall and snowfall every other day through May in order to just get us back to average precipitation levels.

 

California Governor Jerry Brown officially declared the drought in the state last month. Sam Sanders, NPR News.

 

The victims of a fire that broke out at a senior residence in Quebec last weekend where memorial lies today. Dan Karpenchuk reports.

 

Among the 900 people who filed into the Saint-Jean-Baptiste peace church Saturday to honor the victims of the deadly fire were friends and families of those who dead along with several political leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

 

We are all here to really express all our condolences and our sympathy to the victims, to their families and to the entire community.

 

Photos of the 32 victims were on display during the mass, outside the church, an empty rocking chair, a symbol of those who dead in the nursing home fire. Meanwhile recovering efforts continue, 24 bodies have been found, eight others are uncounted for and presumed dead. For NPR News, I am Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

 

Thousands of Australians are continuing to protest a controversial shark culling² policy. The plan to catching³ and killing⁴ shark off popular beaches was approved last month, following six fatal attacks over two years. Veteran filmmaker and conservationist Valerie Taylor says the authority should be protecting and not killing the great white shark. 

 

What makes them so powerful and so important that they can, with a few words take out a very special, incredible ancient marine⁵ animal from our oceans, an animal that is protected. This is what I would like to say the Western Australian government, you are stupid.

 

The State government of Western Australian has started placing baited hooks on drum lines.

 

Residences in Hong Kong running the Chinese New Year Saturday with the extravagant⁶ fireworks display over Victoria Harbor. 2014 is the year of horse. The holiday is celebrated⁷ that the turn of the Chinese lunar calendar. 

 

This is NPR.

 

Two former boy scouts⁸ leader who films themselves toppling in the ancient rock formation in Utah now face felony criminal charges. NPR’s Howard Berkes says the pair claimed the boulder⁹ was a threat to hikers. 

 

The felony criminal mischief¹⁰ of charges could result in 5,000 dollars fine and five years in jail upon conviction. But Emery County Attorney David Blackwell told the Associated Press he is working on a plea agreement for Glenn Taylor and David Hall. In October, the pair posted a Youtube video, showing them cheering as Taylor pushed over a rock formation known as Goblin in the state park set up to protect unusual formations. Prosecutors¹¹ and park officials spent months, trying to value the damage, settling on more than 15,000 dollars. Utah lawmakers are considering a bill that would more easily punish to structure of natural features. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

 

The world’s most famous groundhog will make its annual weather prediction tomorrow. Close 20,000 people are expected to gather in Gobblers Knob in western Pennsylvania to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Groundhog Club President Bill Deeley.

 

We are all aware of earlier spring. I do not like utility bill. I do not like getting up the sub-zero weather every morning. I do not like shovel¹² every morning. So I will welcome in earlier spring.

 

Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow winter will last for six more weeks.

 

The Associate Press has named Denver Broncos’s quarterback Peyton Manning most valuable player in offensive player of the year. Manning broke the NFL’s single season passing records this year with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns.

1 irrigates   

灌溉( irrigate的第三人称单数 )； 冲洗（伤口）

参考例句：

• The Yangtse River irrigates vast stretches of farmland along its course. 长江灌溉着两岸的大片农田。
• Water drafted from the well irrigates the field. 从井中抽出来的水用于灌溉田地。

2 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 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。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

9 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

10 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

11 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。