NPR 2010-10-26

President Obama is back on the campaign trail today, stumping¹ for political allies in the run-up to next week's midterm elections. He has just arrived in Rhode Island. There is one Democrat² expected to give the president the cold shoulder today. Gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio told WPRO-AM today what he thought about the president's decision not to endorse³ him.

"I never asked for President Obama's endorsement⁴. You know, he could take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I'm concerned."

Caprio's independent rival is Lincoln Chafee, the former Republican senator, who happened to endorse Barack Obama ahead of the Democratic primary in 2008.

The Obama administration says it is skeptical⁵ about Iranian intentions in Afghanistan following word that Iran is giving the Afghan government bags of cash. We have more on this from NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government is receiving cash from Iran, but he called it transparent⁶ aid that's helping⁷ him cover his expenses, and he says the US does the same.

"It did, does give bags of money, yes. Yes, it does."

But State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says while US aid may have been in the form of cash early on in the conflict, it is now sent to Afghanistan electronically.

"Our assistance flows to the government through institutions that have been carefully vetted⁸."

He says the US is trying to help Afghanistan build up institutions and is skeptical about Iranian motives⁹, given what he called Iran's history of playing a destabilizing role with its neighbors. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

Dock workers in Marseille, France take to singing to protest their government's long-term economic plans namely reforming the pension system. But as Frank Browning reports from Paris, unions have made their first serious concession¹¹ in nearly two months of strikes against President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Dock workers in Marseille today lifted a blockade that has caused more than 60 oil tankers¹² to drop anchor in the port, cutting off France's primary supply of crude oil, which in turn threatened fuel supplies for most of France and some Northern European countries. The dock workers' primary complaint concerned privatization of the port of Marseille and loss of jobs, but they also joined sympathy strikes by other unions over the retirement¹³ reform. For the moment, all of  France's refineries¹⁴ remain shut, but blockades around them are gradually being lifted with hope that new gas and diesel¹⁵ production could begin by week's end. A quarter of France's gas stations are without fuel. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning in Paris.

A Canadian prisoner at Guantanamo is pleading guilty to all five terrorism charges against him. That includes murdering an American soldier. Omar Khadr made the plea under an agreement with military authorities.

Dow's up 32 at last check.

This is NPR.

The cholera¹⁶ outbreak in Haiti may be stabilizing¹⁰. The Associated Press citing the Pan American Health Organization reports the number of people died from the illness as well as the number of new infections are dropping. The Haitian government says of the more than 3,000 cases of cholera reported, 253 people have died.

After a two-and-a-half year suspension, South Korea has started to deliver rice again to North Korea. From Seoul, Doualy Xaykaothao reports on the latest shipment of aid.

About 5,000 tons of rice, three million packs of instant noodles and other emergency supplies will be delivered to a Chinese port, where trucks will then transport the aid to flood victims along the China-North Korean border. Severe floods last month affected¹⁷ more than 80,000 people. The government-funded assistance to the North is the first since South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office. Lee had pledged to stop unconditional¹⁸ assistance to North Korea to pressure the military regime to end its nuclear programs. A Red Cross official overseeing the shipment to the North said Seoul is sending this flood aid with brotherly love. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao in Seoul.

In the US, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says regulators are taking a closer look at foreclosure practices at some of the country's largest mortgage firms after reports said some banks were cutting corners basically to speed up foreclosures. Bernanke's comments come as attorneys general across the country are also investigating whether people were forced out of their homes prematurely¹⁹. Separately, the country is seeing a 10%  jump in sales of existing homes, although that's still far below the sale level same time a year ago.
 

1 stumping   

僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的现在分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说

参考例句：

• She's tired of stumping up for school fees, books and uniform. 她讨厌为学费、课本和校服掏腰包。
• But Democrats and Republicans are still dumping stumping for the young. 但是民主党和共和党依然向年轻人发表演说以争取他们的支持。

2 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。

3 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

4 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

5 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

6 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

7 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。

8 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

9 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

10 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

11 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

12 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

14 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

15 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

16 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

17 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。

18 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

19 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句