NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-05-02

 Baltimore police say their investigation¹ into the death of the young black man arrested earlier this month has shown a police van made an additional stop while transporting him. At one of the stops, Freddie Gray was placed in leg cuffs² because police say he’d become irate³. Baltimore Police Commissioner⁴ Anthony Batts says the police department’s initial investigation is over and it’s been submitted to the state’s attorney’s office. 

“Out of due care for the family, the citizens, the police officers, I set a date, not the mayor. I set a date to get this done. I was communicating clearly I wanted a sense of urgency on this case to get the results out there.”

Grace suffered a critical spinal⁵ injury and died a week later. His death sparked rioting earlier this week in Baltimore, has led to protest marches in other major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Tensions have eased somewhat in Baltimore with an overnight curfew in effect and police and National Guard troops out on the streets.  

 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is getting into Democratic race for president. As NPR’s Mara Liasson explains, he’ll be taking on the party’s frontrunner from the left.

Hillary Clinton now has one official challenger—Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. He calls himself a Democratic Socialist⁷ and he’s the longest serving Independent in congressional history. His website says “paid for by Bernie, not the billionaires”. Today he said his issues will be climate change, campaign finance reform and the disappearing American middle class.

“How does it happen that the top 1% owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%. And my conclusion is that that type of economics is not only immoral⁸, it’s not only wrong, it is unsustainable. It can’t continue.”

Sanders says he thinks the questions about Clinton’s ethics⁹ are fair game, but he will not be airing any negative ends against her. Mara Liasson, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Legislation tightening¹⁰ restrictions¹¹ on government surveillance cleared the House Judiciary Committee today. As NPR’s David Welna reports, the measure ends the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records (that) were revealed nearly two years ago by former NSA contractor¹² Edward Snowden. 

Under the so-called USA Freedom Act, the National Security Agency could no longer hold Americans’ phone records in bulk; instead, it would have to get specific court-ordered records from the phone companies. Wisconsin Republican Jim Sensenbrenner sponsored the measure.

“For years the NSA has collected our phone records. Yet it cannot point to a single attack that bulk collection has stopped. ” 

But California Democrat⁶ Zoe Lofgren notes that other laws still allow collections of records without a warrant.

“I want to be clear that while I do believe this bill makes meaningful reforms, it doesn’t stop the bulk collection.” 

The bill is competing with a Senate GOP bill extending bulk collection for five years. David Welna, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Sale off on Wall Street appears to have picked up speed as the session wound down today. The Dow was down 195 points at 17,840. The Nasdaq closed down 82 points. 

 

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A volcano in Chile that erupted twice last week has been sending a new cloud of ash and gas into the sky today. The Calbuco Volcano that spewed upwards¹³ of 200 million tons of ash clouding nearby towns and villages continues to be unstable¹⁴. The geologists¹⁵ are warning about the risk of a new eruption¹⁶. Calbuco is one of those most active volcanoes along a chain of about 2,000 in Chile. TV pictures show a thick grey plume¹⁷ rising into the sky hitting southeast over the Andes in neighboring Argentina. A 12-mile exclusion¹⁸ zone around the volcano has been in place since it erupted earlier in the month. 

 

A NASA spacecraft has crashed into the surface of the closest planet to the Sun – Mercury. NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel reports researchers are saying goodbye.

The Messenger spacecraft was the first ever orbit Mercury. For four years it endured blustering¹⁹ temperatures and intense solar radiation. After finally running out of fuel, it plunged²⁰ into the far side of the planet. Larry Nittler was a senior scientist on the robotic mission.

“I’m sad this little intrepid²¹ robot of ours has worked under tremendously difficult circumstances.” 

In the years before it died, Messenger sent back maps, pictures and measurements. They showed Mercury as a planet not unlike Earth, but its proximity²² to the Sun has left it a charred²³ desert world. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR News. 

 

British luxury carmaker Aston Martin, despite James Bond’s automaker of choice, announced today it’s raised up worth of $307m in an equity²⁴ issue. That money is expected to go towards moving the 102-year-old car company into production of crossover models. The company says it expects global demand for its luxury sports cars to stay strong this year. 

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 cuffs   

n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• a collar and cuffs of white lace 带白色蕾丝花边的衣领和袖口
• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。

3 irate   

adj.发怒的，生气

参考例句：

• The irate animal made for us,coming at a full jump.那头发怒的动物以最快的速度向我们冲过来。
• We have received some irate phone calls from customers.我们接到顾客打来的一些愤怒的电话

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

8 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

9 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

10 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

13 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

14 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

15 geologists   

地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
• Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。

16 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

17 plume   

n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰

参考例句：

• Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
• He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。

18 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。

19 blustering   

adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹

参考例句：

• It was five and a half o'clock now, and a raw, blustering morning. 这时才五点半，正是寒气逼人，狂风咆哮的早晨。 来自辞典例句
• So sink the shadows of night, blustering, rainy, and all paths grow dark. 夜色深沉，风狂雨骤；到处途暗路黑。 来自辞典例句

20 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

21 intrepid   

adj.无畏的，刚毅的

参考例句：

• He is not really satisfied with his intrepid action.他没有真正满意他的无畏行动。
• John's intrepid personality made him a good choice for team leader.约翰勇敢的个性适合作领导工作。

22 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

23 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。