NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-04-11

 Police in South Carolina have released dashcam video of the traffic stop in North Charleston that ended in the shooting death of Walter Scott. The video shows the initial calm exchange between Scott and Officer Michael Slager, then Scott running away when the officer returns to his cruiser. NPR’s Martin Kaste has more from South Carolina.

It’s an open question whether it changes things in terms of the, whether the shooting was all justified¹. Right now the sense is that this doesn’t change that because you don’t see any direct evidence of whatever struggle the two men had. So right now all you see is the demeanor² of the officer at Walter Scott during the initial traffic stop and you see that Walter Scott suddenly ran which started the entire encounter that led ultimately to his shooting death. 

NPR’s Martin Caste reporting. The NAACP chapter in North Charleston is calling on all citizens to record police interactions whenever they see one.

 

The last person to be hospitalized with Ebola in the U.S. has been sent home. NPR’s Richard Harris reports he had been treated at the National Institute of Health outside Washington D.C. 

The medical worker contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone last month. He was flown by charter jet to the NIH and his health initially³ deteriorated⁴ to critical condition. But the unidentified man’s health steadily⁵ improved to the point that the NIH was able to discharge him from the hospital. Doctors say he is no longer contagious⁶. The NIH had access to experimental Ebola drugs, but citing patient privacy, doctors are not releasing any information about the man’s care. Nine of the eleven patients treated in the U.S. for Ebola have survived. The epidemic⁷ is slowing in West Africa with just 30 cases reported last week. But it has claimed more than 10,000 lives. Richard Harris, NPR News. 

 

Amidst the warm welcome from Caribbean leaders, President Obama sought to reassert U.S. influence in the area and the America’s pledging energy assistance and diplomatic fence building. His historic diplomatic opening with Cuba got much of the attention with several leaders praising his efforts. Speaking in a town hall at the University of the West Indies, Obama says he thinks more can be done through talking than through exclusion⁸.

“We are as committed as ever to supporting human rights and political freedom in Cuba and around the world, but I believe that engagement is a more force than isolation⁹ and the changes we are making can help improve the lives of the Cuban people.”

Obama says the State Department has completed its review on whether to drop Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, but no decision has been reached yet. 

 

Wall Street was higher by the closing bell today—the Dow gaining 56 points to end at 17,958, the Nasdaq gaining 23 points to close at 4974. And the S&P500 gained 9 points to close at 2091. 

 

This is NPR.

 

Real estate heir Robert Durst has pleaded not guilty to two weapons charges in New Orleans. That issue has kept him in the city, even though he waved extradition¹⁰ to Los Angeles, where he has been charged in the death of a long time friend. His estranged¹¹ family runs one World Trade Centre in New York. 

 

The governor of Oklahoma is expected to sign off on a new law that would make Oklahoma the first state in the nation to use gas to carry out executions. Kate Carlton Greer from member station KGOU reports the state senate voted unanimously today to add nitrogen hypoxia to the state’s list of approved methods of execution. 

The process replaces the inmates-available oxygen with nitrogen. The gas is administered through a mask or bag placed over the face. No other state in the country currently uses nitrogen hypoxia for executions, but supporters of the method claim it’s quick and humane¹². It also does not require that a doctor be involved. Oklahoma is one of several states searching for new execution methods since it’s become more difficult to obtain lethal¹³ injection drugs. The U.S. Supreme¹⁴ Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments later this month on whether Oklahoma’s current method amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. It uses a drug that critics say is unreliable. For NPR News, I’m Kate Carlton Greer in Norman, Oklahoma.   

 

California regulators fined Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E $1.6bn for a gas pipeline¹⁵ explosion in 2010 that killed eight people. That fine is the largest against the utility in Californian history. Federal investigators¹⁶ faulted PG&E and lax oversight¹⁷ by the state’s utility commission. 

1 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。

2 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

7 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

8 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

9 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

10 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

11 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

12 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

13 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

14 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

15 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

16 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。