NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-08-31

A stunning¹ defeat for British Prime Minister David Cameron, who lost a vote in Parliament endorsing³ military action against Syria by 13 votes today. The defeat comes as Britain had appeared to be ready to join the US in possible attacks against Syria over alleged⁴ chemical weapons use. The BBC's Rob Watson reports the non-binding vote leaves Cameron and the country in a tough spot.

 

The way at least Britain, if we dealt with that first, is in a very awkward position in some of its relationship with the United States and with other countries, who are thinking of backing military intervention⁵ against Syria. I think certainly domestically for David Cameron this is gonna be a rather sticky moment, although it's perfectly⁶ true that his defeat is in part to do with the long shadow cast over British politics by Iraq, in other words, by the actions of a previous government. Still people will be saying “Well, hang on a minute. He’s supposed to be the leader. Why didn't he foresee these problems.”

 

Cameron said he will not override⁷ Parliament. The White House says it will continue to consult with the UK government. It also plans to be guided by the best interest of the US.

 

So-called Rim² Fire continues to burn in and around Yosemite National Park, has now grown by several hundred more acres. The fire, which remains⁸ largely uncontained, now expanded to more than 300 square miles. A California fire spokesman says crews are confident that containment⁹ lines they do have in place are holding, to be concerned about rising temperatures. Temperatures in the area rose into the 90s today, the fire that began August 17th quickly becoming one of the costliest¹⁰ in California history.

 

The IRS has issued new tax guidance for married same-sex couples. NPR's Scott Horsley reports it's one of the moves by the Obama administration to implement¹¹ this summer’s Supreme¹² Court ruling extending federal recognition to gay marriage.

 

Starting next month, the IRS says legally married same-sex couples must file married tax returns, even if they live in states where their marriage’s not recognized. Treasury¹³ officials say treating married couples alike in all 50 states will make it easier to administer the tax code and assure same-sex couples their federal tax status won't change if they move from one state to another. For some couples marriage status will mean higher federal taxes while others will get a tax break. Those who seek their savings¹⁴ will have the option seeking refunds¹⁵ for up to three previous years. Same-sex married partners will also get the benefit of other federal tax breaks that straight couples enjoy, including tax-free inheritance and tax-free spousal health insurance. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

 

The economy was continuing to grow to a more robust¹⁶ rate during the second three months of the year than initially¹⁷ thought. That's according to the Commerce Department, who says this determined¹⁸ the economy expanded at a 2.5% annual rate in the second quarter and to a sharp upward revision from the 1.7% growth estimate just a month ago.

 

On Wall Street, stocks edged higher. The Dow was up 16 points at 14,840; the NASDAQ gained 26 points. You’re listening to NPR.

 

Starting soon, some bottles of the pain reliever Tylenol that are sold in the US will carry red warning labels, alerting users potentially fatal risk from taking too much of the drug. The maker¹⁹ of the drug Johnson & Johnson says new disclosure requirement comes amid mounting lawsuits²⁰ and pressure from the federal government. The main ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, is the nation's leading cause of liver failure.

 

It's part of a national protest. Fast-food workers union members and others demonstrated in front of a Church's Chicken in Atlanta today. Protesters want to raise their wages to 15 dollars an hour. From member station WABE, Michelle Wirth has more.

 

Dozens of protesters shouted and held signs in front of the fast restaurant. Church's cashier Tina McCoy says after taxes she makes a little more than 300 dollars every two weeks. She says it's not enough to support her family.

 

“I’m barely making it. I have to basically rob a penny to people. I’m going without, in one instance, just to be able to have a roof over my head.”

 

For its part, the National Restaurant Association says it welcomes a national discussion on wages, but it should be based on facts. The group says only 5% of restaurant employees make minimum wage, and they mostly work part-time, and half are teenagers. For NPR News, I'm Michelle Wirth in Atlanta.

 

Federal appeals court has upheld the state of California's ban on so-called conversion-therapy programs that advertise they can turn individuals who are a gay straight.

1 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

2 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

3 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；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：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

4 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

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

10 costliest   

adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失，是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
• Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰？克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网

11 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 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。

14 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

15 refunds   

n.归还，偿还额，退款( refund的名词复数 )v.归还，退还( refund的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Tomorrow he would return them to the store and claim refunds. 明天他要把它们退还给商店并要求退款。 来自辞典例句
• The new method means that taxpayers get refunds much faster. 这种新办法意味着纳税人可以较快地领到退还款。 来自辞典例句

16 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

17 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

18 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

19 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

20 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句