NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-05-14

 Another strong earthquake has hit Nepal. The latest quake comes as people there are still struggling to recover from an even more powerful earthquake that hit there last month killing¹ more than 8,000. Dozens were killed in the latest strong 7.3 magnitude quake that hit between Kathmandu and Mount Everest. The BBC’s Simon Cox in Kathmandu says it a precarious² situation. 

I went out into the streets in Kathmandu. I went to one area where there was a collapsed³ building. Another 9-storey building nearby that had collapsed as well. Many others damaged beguile⁴ just taken out, often huge cracks. And interestingly, although they looked incredibly dangerous, people were walking past them unaware⁵ that above them were very very dangerous buildings.

Nepal’s parliament was in session when the latest earthquake hit. A U.S. rescue helicopter that was in Nepal helping⁶ victims of the earlier quake is missing. Not clear is whether it crashed or made an emergency landing. 

 

President Obama has been dealt a blow by members of his own party. All but one Democrat⁷ in the Senate voting against beginning debate on a proposal that would give the president so-called fast-track authority when it comes to trade initiatives. That means lawmakers could vote to accept or reject trade agreements put forth⁹ by the president, but would not have the ability to amend¹⁰ them. Like many Senate Democrats¹¹, New York’s Chuck Schumer voted against the measure saying it hurts American workers. 

“Passing a trade agenda without working protections will mean that American workers are left hung out to dry.” 

The vote highlights the deep divide between the president and many within his own party on trade. Presidential supporters say they will try again to move the measure forward possibly starting in the House. 

 

Secretary of State John Kerry spent hours in talks with Russian leaders in Sochi, Russia today, trying to overcome a tense period of bilateral¹² relations. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports Kerry thanked Vladimir Putin, the man U.S. is trying to isolate¹³, for spending so much time with him. 

After four hours of talks with the Kremlin leader at his Sochi resort compound, Kerry said he was grateful for Putin’s “directness” and his detailed¹⁴ explanations of Russia’s position.

“There is no substitute for talking directly to key decision makers⁸, particularly during a period that is as complex and fast moving as this is.”

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the two sides still disagree on what led up to the crisis in Ukraine, but say they want a peace agreement to be implemented¹⁵. On Syria, they spoke¹⁶ about their efforts to rid the country of chemical weapons, but they still seem to disagree on allegations that Bashar Assad’s regime is now using chlorine-fueled barrel bombs. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Sochi. 

 

Levels of household debt were pretty much unchanged during the first three months of the year. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reporting today the total household debt was up just 0.2% in the first quarter to around $11.85tn. 

 

On Wall Street stocks were lower. The Dow dropped 36 points to close at 1868. 

 

This is NPR.

 

The tornado¹⁷ that tore through the tiny town of Van, Texas earlier this week was apparently¹⁸ on the ground a long time, cutting a wide path of destruction. According to emergency management personnel there, the strong EF3 tornado with winds of around 140 miles an hour was on the ground for nearly ten miles, leaving a line of devastation¹⁹ that some spot was up to 700 yards wide. The tornado claimed the lives of two people and left dozens of others injured. 

 

The federal government is making loans available for Baltimore businesses to help them recover from the looting and arson²⁰ that broke out after the funeral for Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured in police custody²¹. NPR’s Jeff Brady reports Maryland Governor Larry Hogan requested the assistance from the Small Business Administration. 

The SBA has a temporary office across the street from a drug store that was ransacked²² and set on fire. Ed Williams with the agency says up to 200 businesses were affected²³ by the riot. He says most had physical damage, but they suffered losses because they had to shut down. 

“So they had no income coming in. Economic injury disaster loans will provide that working capital they lost to sustain their operations, make their bills since they might be short of income, until recovery takes place.”

Williams says for the few dozen businesses with significant physical damage, loans with 4% interest and a pay-back period up to 30 years are available. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Baltimore. 

 

JP Morgan Chase says it expects it will convert more than 70% of its outstanding Chase debit²⁴ and credit cards to chip technology by the end of the year. The company says more than 80% of total Chase cardholders’ spending will be down on such cards, which it considers to be more secure. 

 

I’m Jack²⁵ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 beguile   

vt.欺骗，消遣

参考例句：

• They are playing cards to beguile the time.他们在打牌以消磨时间。
• He used his newspapers to beguile the readers into buying shares in his company.他利用他的报纸诱骗读者买他公司的股票。

5 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 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。

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

10 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

13 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

14 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

15 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

16 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。

17 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

18 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

19 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

22 ransacked   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

23 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。

24 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

25 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。