NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-03-31

 The death toll¹ has risen in the devastating² mudslide in Washington States. Jason Biermann is with the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management.

 

They have identified one more victim, bring the total of confirmed fatalities³ to 18 and we also know that rescuers discovered one additional victim in the debris⁴ field. That victim has not yet been identified.

 

The number of people missing has dropped from 90 to 30, rescue teams halt their work today for a moment of silent to mark the moment when the mud crashed down one week ago today.

 

Ukraine’s former boxing champion is dropping out of the race for president and throwing his support behind businessman Petro Poroshenko. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports that Vitali Klitschko will run for Kiev mayor instead. 

 

In a message on his website, ex-boxer Vitali Klitschko says he wants to focus the elector on the single pro-reformer candidate for president to avoid splitting the vote and allowing reminiscence of former President Viktor Yanukovych’s party to return to power. Klitschko is now backing pro-European oligarch Petro Poroshenko who has been leaving in most political polls ahead of May 25th  election. Analysts⁶ say Poroshenko’s frontrunner status is a sign that voter of Ukraine want a moderate leader someone who can work both with Europe and with Russia. There are more than a dozen candidates including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Kiev.

 

US sugar producers are accusing Mexico of dumping cheap sugar into the American market and violating the North American Free Tread Agreement. NPR’s Sam Sanders reports the Mexican government has responded to the allegations.

 

An international sugar battle is underway. The American Sugar Coalition⁷ which represents growers has filed antidumping petitions against Mexico. The complaints were filed with the US International Tread Commission and the Commerce Department. They will both investigate. US growers say government’s subsidies⁸ in Mexico make the cost of Mexican sugar sold in the US lower than it should be, a full 45% lower than it would be in the Mexico. They say this should cost US sugar industry up to one billion dollars this growing season along. For its part, the Mexican government says it regrets the US’s growers’ decision and added it is contrary to the spirit of cooperation that has existed between the two countries. Sam Sanders, NPR News.

 

Gay couples can now get married in England and Wales. Same-sex marriage became a legal at mid-night last night. Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were among the first to tie the knot. 

 

Honestly it is a wonderful feeling, it was a much more special I thought it is going to be and I fell just kind of happy and buzzing. This exciting is a new site for this new beginning, it is all about the ……

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron today says congratulatory tweets. Britain is the 15th country to legalize same sex marriage. 

 

This is NPR.

 

The US Navy has officially deactivated⁹ a fire damaged nuclear-powered submarine. Roger Wood reports.

 

On May 23rd, 2012 a worker at the Portsmouth Naval¹⁰ Shipyard in Maine set fire to the USS Miami. He was convicted of arson¹¹ and serving a 17-year prison term. At the time, the Miami was undergoing resetting¹² at the yard. Rear Adm. Ken⁵ Perry while attending a decommissioning ceremony justified¹³ the decision to scrap¹⁴ the submarine. 

 

That is a very serious consideration at the top level of the Navy, it said to decom Miami after a very severe fire and very, very significant damage to the ship.

 

The Navy estimated it will cost over 450 million dollars for repairing the damage. For NPR News, I am Roger Wood in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

 

Two of the nation’s highest profiles, Republican governors, are calling for more aggressive leadership on the America’s challengers abroad. They emphasis their support for Israel as they “powerful Jewish donors” at the Republican Jewish coalition’s annual spring gathering¹⁵ in Los Vegas today. New Jersey¹⁶ Governor Chris Christie was among those who spoke¹⁷. He said the US is not setting a good example for the world.

 

The dysfunction in Washington DC is not longer being emulated¹⁸ around the world. It has being mocked around the world. As a government that cannot get out of its own way because people will not come together to work together. 

 

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker also attended the four-day conference. He said the nation needs a swift and decisive foreign policy.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deactivated   

v.解除动员( deactivate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；复员；使不活动

参考例句：

• \"The brain can be deactivated. It can be yours to command.\" “大脑计算机可以被停止。如果你下达命令的话。” 来自互联网
• He successfully deactivated a nuclear reactor in a laboratory before meltdown. 他成功停用一个核反应堆在实验室之前崩溃。 来自互联网

10 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

11 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

12 resetting   

v.重新安放或安置( reset的现在分词 )；重拨（测量仪器指针）；为（考试、测试等）出一套新题；重新安置，将…恢复原位

参考例句：

• Range represents the maximum strain which can be recorded without resetting or replacing the strain gage. 量程表示无需重调或重装应变计就能记录到的最大应变。 来自辞典例句
• Adding weight to the puddle jumper by resetting its inertial dampeners. 通过调节飞船的惯性装置来增加重量。 来自电影对白

13 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

14 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

15 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

16 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 emulated   

v.与…竞争( emulate的过去式和过去分词 )；努力赶上；计算机程序等仿真；模仿

参考例句：

• The havoc that months had previously wrought was now emulated by the inroads of hours. 前几个月已经使他垮下来，如今更是一小时一小时地在恶化。 来自辞典例句
• The key technology emulated by CAD and the circuit is showed. 对关键技术进行了仿真，给出了电路实现形式。 来自互联网