NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-08-09

 President Obama is confirming he has authorized¹ targeted air strikes in Iraq and said US planes conducted delivery of humanitarian² aid to a wreckage³ trapped by Islamic militants⁴. The President entered an address from the White House State Dining Room tonight, saying that as the situation continues to go increasingly dire⁵ for Iraqis, including a group of Kurds trapped on a mountain there. The administration needed to intervene to combat what he called a potential active genocide.

When we pace a situation like we do on that mountain, with innocent people facing the prospect⁶ of violence on a horrific scale, when we have a mandate⁷ to help, in this case, a request from the Iraqi government. And when we have the unique capabilities⁸ to help avert⁹ a massacre¹⁰, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye.

President said he will not allow US troops to be dragged back into fighting another war in Iraq. He said he hopes the decision will be taken more seriously than the use of any military decision.

 

 

The White House says Russia is only hurting itself by banning the imported food from countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the US says Russia has another way out.

The US has been wretched in up sanctions on Russia, hoping to pressure Moscow to stop supporting separatists in Ukraine, but Russian president Vladimir Putin announces he will ban import of western food. State Department spokesperson Marie Harfs says that Washington is studying what impact that will have on US businesses, but it's clear already, she says, that Putin's move will hurt Russian's.

Not only is he running their economy into the ground, and their gross is now predicted a zero, but he's also didn't have the basic things like food. She says Putin can either continue on this course, or take, as the US put it, a diplomatic offering to help ease the crisis in Ukraine. Michele Kelemen, NPR news, Washington.

 

 

People in Hawaii are breathing for two hurricanes that are bearing down on the Islands. The first of the storm Hurricane Iselle is expected to make landfall later tonight. NPR's Craig Windham reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency is making preparations to help those who would be affected¹¹.

State officials are telling Hawaiians to prepare not panic and FEMA administrator¹² Craig Fugate says that's a good advice.

Each one of these hours is gonna be a little bit different for population and vulnerabilities.

He says getting supplies positioned there takes time.

Part of the challenges you have is the distances involved in getting supplies if they are needed from the mainland. That's why we stock a lot of things there on the Island: generators¹³, water, conceivable supplies ahead of time just in case they're gonna use...

Fugate says the storms are likely to affect most of the Hawaiian Islands over the next couple of days. Craig Windham, NPR news, Washington.

 

 

US Senator Lamar Alexander has fought back a challenge from Tea Party-back challenger, State Representative, Joe Carr in that state's Republican Primary. He comes at victory today in Tennessee dealing¹⁴ yet another blow to the national Tea Party movement, which had been hoping to fill candidates in upcoming elections. 

 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow was down 75 points.

 

 

This is NPR.

 

 

Israel says it wants Hamas to disarm¹⁵ before we will leave in consider lifting of blockade on Gaza, while a senior Hamas official is rejecting that, saying it's not going to happen. Speaking with reporters in Gaza City today, Hamas official MM, says the suggestion is out of the question, in adding the weapons of resistance, as he called them, need to remain on the negotiating table.

 

 

Prominent wine dealer¹⁶ has been sentenced ten years in prison for selling counterfeit¹⁷ bottles for millions of dollars. Sarah Gonzales with member station WNYC has the story.

The US attorney in Manhattan said Rudy Kurniawan had an intricate counterfeit wine scheme. He'd mix cheap wines to mimic¹⁸ the taste of rare, expensive wines, pour the blend into empty, vintage bottles, print fake labels and sell them from millions of dollars. The FBI found his laboratory when they raided his California home last year. He was also found guilty of trying to fraudulently obtain a loan from a financing company in New York City. Aside from the prison sentence, Kurniawan was ordered to pay 28 million dollars to the customers he schemed, and forfeit¹⁹ another 20 million. For NPR news, I am Sarah Gonzales, in New York.

 

 

Nation's major airlines suffered a worst on-time performance reading in June and pulled the previous month containing what has been a string of poor performances this year. According to the government during the first six months of this year, the rate of the late flight was the highest that has been since 2008. Cancellations are levels not seen since 2000. Transportation Department says the major airlines had an on-time arrival rate of 71.8% in June, down from 76.9% in May. Hawaiian and Alaska airlines had the best on-time performance rates; Southwest regional carriers and Boeing express jet had the worst. 

1 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

6 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

10 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

11 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。

12 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

13 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

16 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

17 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

18 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

19 forfeit   

vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物

参考例句：

• If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎，就会失掉大家对你的好感。
• Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。