NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-05-22

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　Emergency workers outside Oklahoma city are racing¹ this hour to find more people who may still be trapped beneath the wreckage² of yesterday's menace tornado³. They have rescued dozens of people from the rubble⁴ of homes and schools, welcome news to first responders, who had earlier recovered 24 bodies including those of nine children.

 

　　Betsy Randolph a spokesperson for Oklahoma Highway Patrol says, rescuers are combing through the same areas they previously⁵ searched, hoping to find anyone they might have missed.

 

　　Some of those were covered with debris⁶ under a shelter and that's what we are hoping to continue to find through the remainder of the day. We are very hopeful for that.

 

　　So far more than 200 patients and more have been treated at area hospitals. Kurt Gwartney with member station KGOU has been surveying the tornado damage which stretches for about 17 miles and more. He says it's not just homes, schools and other buildings leveled. There are piles of twisted metal of what used to be vehicles.

 

　　There are probably, I would guess 80 to 90 cars just piled on each other and you can figure out really how that would happen.

 

　　Kurt Gwartney of member station KGOU.

 

　　Treasury⁷ Secretary Jack⁸ Lew says it was unacceptable and inexcusable for IRS agents to give extra scrutiny⁹ to Tea party type groups when they applied¹⁰ for tax-exempt status. But as NPR's Scott Horsley tells us Lew insists there is no evidence the agents were directed by higher-ups in the administration.

 

　　Lew says the newly appointed commissioner¹¹ of the IRS will hit the ground running this week and one of his first tasks will be to hold accountable anyone responsible for this special scrutiny given to Tea party type groups. But appearing before the Senate Banking¹² Committee, Lew pushed back strongly against the idea expressed here by Alabama Republican Richard Shelby that IRS agents were acting¹³ with direction from above.

 

　　Do you believe that someone  at the Cincinnati office would just own their own start targeting the conservative groups, slow them down, is that part of a culture at the Obama White House.

 

　　Lew insisted there was no political influence from the White House on the IRS and argument that's consistent with the findings in a watchdog report. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

 

　　Meanwhile, Tea Party activists¹⁴ reportedly staged rallies across the country today mainly at federal buildings.

 

　　Shareholders¹⁵ have spoken Jamie Dimon can keep both his titles, chairman and CEO, only 32% of  shareholders voted today at the bank's annual meeting in favor of a measure that have split Dimon's roles.

 

　　Before the closing bell, Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 53 points at 15,388.

 

　　From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

　　Los Angeles voters are going to the polls today to pick the city's next mayor. NPR's Anna Jaffe reports that in this non-partisan election, the candidates are both Democrats¹⁶ who agree on most policy issues.

 

　　Whoever is elected mayor will make history. City controller Wendy Greuel would be LA's first female mayor, City Council Member and former City Council President Eric Garcetti  would be the city's first elected Jewish mayor. He is also of Latino heritage on his father's side. Greuel has benefited from a lot of outside spending on the part of the union representing workers at the Department of Water and Power. She's also been endorsed¹⁷ by former President Bill Clinton. Garcetti has painted Greuel as beholden to city workers who are paid more than their counterparts in other cities. Meanwhile, he is backed by the Los Angeles Teachers Union. Turnout in the primary was extraordinarily¹⁸ low and just about 1/4 of registered voters are expected to cast ballots¹⁹ in the runoff. Anna Jaffe, NPR News.

 

　　While South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius who waits trial for murder. His family is celebrating one long-awaited victory today. His elder brother Carl Pistorius has been acquitted²⁰ of culpable²¹ homicide in a 2008 road accident. The magistrate²² ruled that the woman killed as a result of that accident, Maria Barnard was driving excessively fast when she crashed a motorcycle into the back of Pistorius' vehicle. Meanwhile, Oscar Pistorius is fighting a charge of premeditated murder in the shooting death of his girl friend on Valentine's Day.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, Dow was up 53 points at 15,388.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

3 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。

4 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

8 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。

9 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

11 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。

12 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

16 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》

17 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

19 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

21 culpable   

adj.有罪的，该受谴责的

参考例句：

• The judge found the man culpable.法官认为那个人有罪。
• Their decision to do nothing makes them culpable.他们不采取任何行动的决定使他们难辞其咎。

22 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。