NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-03-04

 NATO allies meeting in emergency session are demanding Russia pull its forces out of Ukraine. Teri Schultz reports from NATO headquarters. The alliance says it will support Ukrainian sovereignty, but it pledges little beyond political encouragement.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Russia is breaking international law with its effective takeover of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula. 

'We call on Russia to de-escalate tensions. We call up on Russia to honor all its international commitments, to withdraw its forces to its bases, and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine.'

Fogh Rasmussen gave no indication that measures beyond expressions of political support were even debated in the hours long meeting, which included a session with the head of the Ukrainian mission to NATO. Rasmussen says 'I'd like a plan to meet soon with Russia.' For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz at NATO headquarters in Brussels.                                                     

 

 

More than 1,000 southern California home owners are being allowed to return home after a powerful storm brought inches of rain and mudslides to the area. NPR's Nathan Rott reports.

More than 10 inches of rain fell on the mountains northeast of Los Angeles over the weekend. That rain razed¹ down fire scared hillsides, causing mudslides and washing out roads. Roughly 1,200 homes in the nearby foothills were evacuated² late last week before the storm. Only one was declared temporarily uninhabitable Sunday after the worst of the storm had passed. The storm hit the entire California coast: downtown LA received more than 4 inches of rain, downtown San Francisco got more than 8. Forecasters, though, say it won't end California's long running drought. The state's rainfall is still far below where it will normally be for this time of the year. And the weather is expected to return to hot and dry conditions as early as this week. Nathan Rott, NPR News.

 

 

California Governor Jerry Brown says he has mixed emotions about legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. Speaking on NBC's Meet The Press today, Brown said he's worried that if pot use gains more legitimacy³, it could have negative effects on the sate⁴ and the nation.  

How many people can get stoned and still have a great state or great nation. World's pretty dangerous, very competitive. And I think we need to stay alert, if not 24 hours a day, more than some of the potheads... 

Brown says he is watching closely to see how Colorado and Washington handle their new laws bacco, a step further by regulating the growth and sales of taxed marijuana at state licensed⁵ stores. The use of medical marijuana was legalized in California in 1996.

 

 

The 86th Annual Academy Award ceremony is under way in Los Aangeles. Some among the movies, opts⁶ for an Oscar this year, are 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and American Hustle⁷. So far Jared Leto picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.

 

 

This is NPR.

 

 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon meet this week with Venezuela's Foreign Minister as the violent street demonstrations⁸ continue in Caracas. Protesters are demanding that Nicolas Maduro step down because of high inflation, crime an food shortages. They are also demanding the release of protesters who've been jailed at a halt to crackdowns on demonstrations. 

 

 

In Syria, residents in the capital Damascus are reporting fresh shelling by soldiers. They choose between rebel factions⁹ and the government. And the Yarmouk neighborhood has fallen apart. The area has been cut off from food and medicine for months. NPR's * reports fighting is continuing across the country.

In Yarmouk, an al-Qaeda linked rebel group distributed fliers, saying that the regime did not adhere to fragile truce¹⁰ that was struck there. Soldiers loyal to President Bashar Assad had arrested people who mastered food distributions, they said, further unless the area could hold UN food handouts¹¹, which aid workers say are desperately¹² needed. Along the boarder with Lebanon in the contested town of Yabroud, residents said the rebel-held hideouts in the hills were bombed, but the center of the town remained peaceful, with markets open. Alice Bordan, NPR News, Beirut.

 

 

At least 90 people are dead after attacks in Nigeria. Officials say at least 51 people were killed after twin car bombs at the busy market place. Suspected Islamic extremists also launched attacks in another village, killing¹³ 39. 

 

 

The Chinese government is blaming Muslim separatists for a deadly attack at a railway station in southwest China. At least 29 people were stabbed to death yesterday. More than 100 are injured.

 

1 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

3 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

4 sate   

v.使充分满足

参考例句：

• Nothing could sate the careerist's greed for power.什么也满足不了这个野心家的权力欲。
• I am sate with opera after listening to it for a whole weekend.听了整整一个周末的歌剧，我觉得腻了。

5 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

6 opts   

v.选择，挑选( opt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• One player hoping to get another chance to shine if Mourinho opts to rest Cole backBridge. 假如穆里尼奥安排阿。科尔轮休，那么同一位置上的将会得到一个上场的机会来证实自己。 来自互联网
• If he opts out this summer, he d sign a five year deal. 如果今夏跳出，他估计会签五年。 来自互联网

7 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

8 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。

9 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

10 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

11 handouts   

救济品( handout的名词复数 )； 施舍物； 印刷品； 讲义

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts. 士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Even after losing his job, he was too proud to accept handouts. 甚至在失去工作后，他仍然很骄傲，不愿接受施舍。

12 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

13 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。