NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-05-09

 The bulk collection of Americans’ phone records that the National Security Agency has been carrying out for nearly a decade was ruled illegal today by a federal appeals court. As NPR’s David Welna explains, the program first revealed by former NSA contractor¹ Edward Snowden is set to expire June 1st. 

The decision by a second circuit appeals court panel was hailed by the lawyer who led the lawsuit—the American Civil Liberties Union’s Jameel Jaffer.

“The meticulous² ruling is 97 pages long and that told at the end that the call records program is unlawful.”

Still as Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton noted⁴, the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records continues. 

“And if President Obama wanted to end the program tomorrow, he could, but he hasn’t. That’s because this program is lawful³. It is faithful to the constitution.”

Cotton is pushing to extend bulk collection another five years. Others in Congress want the practice forbidden. If Congress does nothing, the program sunsets at the end of the month. David Welna, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Defense⁵ Secretary Ash Carter announced today that U.S. military troops have now begun training a small company-sized group of Syrian fighters to battle self-proclaimed Islamic State militants⁶ who overrun parts of Syria and Iraq. Speaking at a news conference today, Carter said a second group will begin training soon; moreover, he said Congress needs to take action to pass a budget that will adequately fund U.S. defense operations. 

“Given that the current budget approach is, as I said yesterday, a road to nowhere, we need members of Congress to come together as they’ve done in the past including in 2013 and agree to a multi-year budget agreement that provides the stability DOD needs and the resources our troops deserve.”

Carter called the Syrian training program a critical and complex part of a plan to defeat Isis. 

 

The FBI warned local officials to look out for one of the men who opened fire with assault rifles outside a Texas cartoon contest just hours before the incident. NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports federal agents said they had no direct evidence the man was plotting an attack though. 

FBI Director James Comey said the bureau sent out bulletin about Elton Simpson, including his photo and license⁷ plate a few hours before the assault in Garland, Texas. A local police officer shot and killed Simpson in an alleged⁸ compliance⁹. Federal agents had been investigating Simpson since March after picking up signs he wanted to engage in Jihad. FBI officials say he was motivated in part by postings from the self-described Islamic State. The FBI director says he worries that constant push of alerts from social media act like a devil on the shoulder of recruits, urging them to kill people. He said those plots can be difficult for the feds to track because they urge disturbed people to act against a wide range of targets. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Stocks regained¹⁰ some of their lost ground today. The Dow was up 82 points to 17,924. 

 

You are listening to NPR. 

 

According to prosecutors¹¹ at the trial of Boston Marathon bomber¹² Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the defendant¹³ wrote defiant¹⁴ notes while he lay injured in a hospital bed after his capture. The revelation by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb came during a sidebar discussion. Tsarnaev’s lawyer at the time has been trying to show in his interactions with U.S. marshals, her client was never defiant, hostile or uncooperative. A Boston jury seeking to decide whether Tsarnaev, who’s already admitted his role in the attack, should be sentenced to life in prison or be given the death penalty. 

 

New research has found that even very premature¹⁵ babies can survive if doctors treat them aggressively. As NPR’s Rob Stein explains, the study found even babies born only 22 weeks into a pregnancy¹⁶ can make it. 

Researchers studies nearly 5,000 premature babies born at 24 hospitals 22 to 27 weeks into a pregnancy. In this week’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers report that there is a lot of variability in how aggressively hospitals attempt to save these very premature babies, but that even those born as early as 22 weeks can survive if doctors treat them aggressively. The researchers caution though that most still don’t make it, and most of those who do are left with complications, such as deafness, blindness and cerebral¹⁷ palsy. But the researchers hope the new study will give both doctors and parents a more realistic view of what the prospects¹⁸ are for very premature babies. Rob Stein, NPR News. 

 

McDonald’s wants to show it’s serious about looking into reinventing itself as a more nutritious¹⁹ alternative in the fast-food world. The world’s biggest hamburger chain announcing it’s testing two new breakfast bowls in southern California, one which includes kale among the list of ingredients. 

1 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。

2 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

3 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 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。

7 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

10 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

11 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

13 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

14 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

15 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

16 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

17 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

18 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

19 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。