NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-04-03

 Still no word on this extensive damages but a powerful earthquake has hit off the coast of Chile tonight. According to the US geological survey, the 8.2 magnitude quake struck around 4:46 p.m. local time in areas some 60 miles northwest the Chilean city of Iquique. Chile's emergency service has reported some road blocked by landslide¹ caused by the earthquake. Pharell Garage , who is in Pacific tsunami² warning center. He says the quake did trigger tsunami. 

"We can confirm that there was a tsunami. It's recorded at 2.1 meters at the time of peak, quite toward the epicenter and where other sites in northern Chile. We see water with a half meter."

Quake was also felt in Peru where the country's civil defense³ official says evacuations are underway along the coast. A magnitude of 8.8 quake and tsunami has hit the central Chile in 2010 killed more than 500 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. 

 

7.1 million of Americans have signed up for health insurance during the 6-month opening and enrollment⁵. President Obama announced that at White House today. But NPR's Julie Rovner reports even the president conceded the unlikely achievement is merely the start. 

Back October when the dysfunctional federal website was struggling to enroll⁴ anyone, the idea of signing up 7 million people, the original target goal, seemed improbable. And those numbers are likely to grow as people started a process before a Monday deadline finish up in the coming day, and more states report their figures. But what's amount to a victory lap, the president noted⁶ that tens of millions of people still lacking insurance. 

"And we work to get more Americans cover with the each passing year."

What remains⁷ to be determined⁸ is how many of those people who signed up follow through and pay their premiums⁹, and whether the mix of the healthy and the sick is good enough to keep insurance from raising premiums. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington. 

 

After nearly a month of bickering¹⁰ and horse training, Congress is now acting¹¹ a package aid for Ukraine and sanctions impose on Russia for its annexation¹² of Crimea. NPR's David Welna reports final passage of measures came tonight when the House voted overwhelmingly, sent the package on the president Obama. 

Just 34 house members voted against the economic system and sanction package, but that was only after the Senate degraded to drop provisions strongly opposed by House Republicans, the shift US fund and International Monetary¹³ Fund. The White House has been seeking Congressional approval for that change at IMF for the past 4 years, arguing that it will make bigger loans available to counties such as Ukraine. Sanctions against Russian citizens and some of its enterprises are brought in legislation and those are already announced by president Obama. This one is also different that it becomes mandatory¹⁴ when signed into law. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

Major automakers are reported a strong sales in March. Ford¹⁵ and Chrysler posted its sales gain: Ford sales up 3%; Chrysler saw 13% sales gain. 

 

On Wall Street, the Dow was up 74 points today.

 

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A federal judge has officially slammed the door on a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit¹⁶ found by a New York man claimed half of ownership of popular social network site Facebook. Judge Richard Arcara has granted Facebook and its founder¹⁷, Mark Zuckerberg motion to dismiss the case brought by Paul Ceglia. The ruling reaffirmed another judge recommendation from a year ago, saying the lawsuit should be dismissed because the contract he had was fake claimed he and Zuckerberg have signed a contract and titling the half ownership of Facebook in exchange for start-off money. 

 

The godfather of house music has died. Frankie Knuckles¹⁸ was 59 years old. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports the pioneer DJ suffered from diabetes¹⁹ but his death came as a surprise to fans and friends. 

In mastering something to an abandoned Chicago warehouse²⁰ club in the 1970 when Frankie Knuckles changed the way people moved to music. 

In fact, some people say their style of electronic dancing music --- house takes its name from a warehouse. Knuckles was born from Bronx, started his spinning at some famous New York gay clubs and brought together black, white, gay and straight funs with the sound they were reflected his taste for @@ R&B, disco and @@ independent music. The tune²¹ of Knuckles mix and road was the starting point for music you hear now in almost any night clubs anywhere. In fact, at this very moment, someplace people are dancing to music Frankie Knuckles helped to create. Neda Ulaby, NPR News. 

 

Star attraction at national zoo in Washington got a bit of outdoor time today. Giant panda cub²² Bao Bao, venturing outside for the first time, spent about 2 hours in the zoo outdoor enclosure with its mother Mei Xiang. In aim to keep distance from panda cub proofing, placing collars on some trees to prevent Bao Bao from climbing too high. 

1 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

2 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

3 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。

4 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

5 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 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。

12 annexation   

n.吞并，合并

参考例句：

• He mentioned the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 .他提及1910年日本对朝鲜的吞并。
• I regard the question of annexation as belonging exclusively to the United States and Texas.我认为合并的问题，完全属于德克萨斯和美国之间的事。

13 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

14 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

15 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

16 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

17 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

18 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

20 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

21 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

22 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。