NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-03-06

 Secretary of State John Kerry flew from Ukraine to Paris today, and he took Ukraine's new foreign minister with him. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Kerry is trying to get talks started between Russia and Ukraine. 

Kerry says it's time to set the record straight about Ukraine. While Russia says it intervened in Crimea to protect ethnic¹ Russians there. Kerry said Moscow is hiding behind falsehoods. Speaking in Kiev, he called on Russia to pull troops back to their barracks, and begin talks with Ukraine's new leaders.

'It is not appropriate to invade a country, and at the end of a barrel of a gun, dictate² what you are trying to achieve.'

Kerry seems to be trying to arrange face-to-face talks between the Ukrainians and Russians. Ukrainian's foreign minister hitched³ a ride to Paris on Kerry's plane. Here Kerry has a busy day ahead including a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Michele Kelemen NPR News, Paris.

 

 

The Obama administration today unveiled its fiscal⁴ 2015 spending plan. According to White House, budget director Sylvia Burwell, the $3.9 tr spending blueprint⁵ for the fiscal year begins October 1. It'll be a road map for boosting the economy, fixing the nation's infrastructure⁶ and shrinking the deficits⁷.

It includes fully⁸ paid-for investments in infrastructure, job training preschool, and pro-work tax cuts. At the same time, it reduces deficits and strengthens our long-term fiscal outlook.

Those spending plans drew immediate⁹ condemnation¹⁰ from Republicans who called it little more than election-year pitch. The proposal has little chance to make it into the Republican-controlled House, where Speaker John Boehner labeled the President's most irresponsible budget yet. 

 

 

Los Angeles is joining a growing list of cities effectively banning E-cigarettes for most public spaces. NPR's * reports the city counsel there has unanimously approved the limits. 

Los Aangeles, cities such as New York, Chicago in several states, now put strict limits on the use of E-cigarettes, or what sometime refer to as vaping. E-cigarettes are battery-powered and their nicotine¹¹ vapor¹², is built as a safer healthier alternative to conventional cigarettes. And here in Los Angeles, those are still be allowed in vaping lounges and  Cigar and Hookah Bars, while use will be illegal in conventional bars, and restaurants, sands or beaches, parks, outdoor cafes,and workplaces. The counsel narrowly defeated an amendment¹³ that would've allowed E-cigarettes in bars and night clubs. *, NPR News.

 

 

After three straight months' decline, it now looks like the home price is around the ascendancy¹⁴. Real state data company CoreLogic reported * the house price index was up 9/10 a percent in January, after falling by 1/10 percent in December. The rise in prices also comes from the sale of existing homes fell in January in part to the cold weather across much of the country. While with supply of billboard¹⁵ homes on the market somewhat tight, the prices appear to be large enough.

 

 

One day after markets moved lower, stocks turn another way today. The Dow was up 227 points. The NASDAQ gained 74 points. 

 

 

This is NPR. 

 

 

Kentucky's Governor is now saying the state will hire outside attorneys as it seeks to appeal the judges' decision, granting legal recognition to same-sex couples married in other states in jurisdictions¹⁶. The announcement from Governor Steve Beshear came in just moments after the state's attorney general Jack¹⁷ Conway said he will not seek a higher court review of the judges' ruling, who've came just days after federal judge in Louisville says the state has 21 days to implement¹⁸ ruling that overturns a voter-approved issue, banning recognition of same-sex unions. 

 

 

Oil giant BP says it plans to challenge a federal appeals court decision connecting with the company's 2010 spill in the Gulf¹⁹ of Mexico. NPR's * reports the 5th circuit court of appeals in New Orleans rejected BP's efforts to block payments to some businesses. 

Under a huge settlement intended to compensate²⁰ those affected²¹ by the spill, some businesses that likely suffer no harm from the spill were able to collect money anyway. In a meeting with investors²², BP chief executive *  said the company would ask for a review of the most recent decision in the case. 

'We remain committed to paying legitimate²³ claims. But we'll continue to contest claims we believe to be unfounded.'

Attorneys for plaintiff argue BP can't rewrite the deal the company already agreed to. If BP loses, the settlement could cost the oil giant more than a nearly 8 billion dollars as is expected to pay. Jack NPR News.

 

 

A signature voice in NPR for decades, Carl Kasell is announcing affectively this spring he'll be stepping down from his work on the NPR quiz show wait wait don't tell me. Carl's before becoming the show's official score keeper in 1998, was NPR news caster for Morning Edition for 30 years. Kasell, 79, has been in Chicago for the past 15 years take part in wait wait don't tell me.

 

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

3 hitched   

（免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
• We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 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。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

11 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。

12 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

13 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

14 ascendancy   

n.统治权，支配力量

参考例句：

• We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
• The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。

15 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

16 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。

17 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

18 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

19 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。

20 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

21 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

22 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

23 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。