NPR 2008-10-02

Senate lawmakers are moving toward a vote tonight on a revised 700-billion-dollar financial rescue plan, though from the floor debate it's clear there are lawmakers who continue to have reservations. Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders said there's no way he can vote for the bill at least in its current form. "This bill does not address the major economic crisis we face: growing unemployment, low wages and the need to create decent paying jobs, rebuilding our infrastructure¹, and moving us to energy efficiency and sustainable energy". But others in the Senate stressed the importance of getting the bill through. Connecticut Democrat² Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking³ Committee, said action needs to be taken, calling it not just a Wall Street but a main street issue.  "A halt from the flow of money threatens not only Wall Street firms, which would not bring us here today, but what is a danger is the way of life for millions of Americans far beyond lower Manhattan." Leaders in both parties are predicting the several sweeteners including raising the FDIC coverage⁴ limit on bank accounts, and putting in place middle-class tax breaks will help speed passage of the measure. It's expected the House will take up the bill on Friday.

Even as congressional lawmakers work toward a financial rescue package, one program geared toward helping⁶ troubled homeowners is already under way. Aimed at helping prevent additional mortgage holders⁷ from falling into foreclosure, the new program will let an estimated 400,000 homeowners swap⁸ their current mortgages from more affordable⁹ loans. It will be up to banks holding the mortgages to decide whether or not they participate. The qualified¹¹ borrower must be spending more than 31% of their income on mortgage payments.

US companies continued to hand out more pink slips in September. Thats according to a new report from Challenger Gray & Christmas. The number of announced layoffs¹² rose 7.2% last month. NPR's David Nogueras reports.

Most of the cuts came in the computer industry. Tech-companies eliminated more than 25,000 jobs in September. By comparison, financial services companies cut just over 8,000 jobs. But those numbers don't reflect the fall of Titans, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger Gray & Christmas, says things will only get worse for the financial sector¹³.  "For the year we've seen over 111,000 jobs cuts there. It's the leading sector in the economy and it looks like the lull¹⁴ before the storm." Challenger says troubles on Wall Street are largely overshadowing cuts in the auto¹⁵ industry. US auto-makers, he points out, have cut 75,000 jobs just this summer. David Nogueras, NPR News.

Major auto-makers weighed in with their September sales numbers today. Most showed double-digit declines. Ford¹⁰ says September sales were down more than 34.5%. GM says September sales fell 16%, compared to a year ago. Toyota's sales were down 32%.

On Wall Street today the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 19 points to end the session at 10,831. The NASDAQ lost 22 points today.

This is NPR.

Jurors at the trial of Alaska Senator Ted⁵ Stevens today were shown "Thank you" notes he wrote to an oil-pipeline contractor¹⁶ who oversaw¹⁷ work at the lawmakers' home. Federal prosecutors¹⁸ contend the notes show that Stevens was where he was getting renovations carried out on his Alaska home for free. Bill Allen of VECO Corporation, a long-time-friend of Stevens, has testified his company paid for the work. However the notes shown to jurors also discussed home financing, bolstering¹⁹ defense²⁰ attorney's claims the senator intended to pay for the project. Jurors meanwhile were sent home early today to accommodate one member of the jury panel. The government alleges²¹ the Alaska Republican lied on Senate forms about receiving 250,000 dollars in gifts.

National Transportation Safety Board has released new information from its investigation²² of the deadly collision between a Los Angeles commuter²³ train and a freight train last month. Karen Grigsby Bates reports.

In its latest update, the NTSB released subpoenaed²⁴ records from Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez's phone activity on the day of the crash. In the first two hours of the split shift, Sanchez's cell received 21 text messages and sent 24. During the second half of the shift, the phone received seven text messages and sent five. Record showed that the last text was sent from his cell at 4:22:01PM. Data recorders aboard the Union Pacific train the Metrolink crashed into indicate the collision occurred 22 seconds later. Soon after the crash a few teen train buffs told a reporter they'd been texting with Sanchez. The NTSB is continuing to coordinate²⁵ recorded times from train and signal data and the engineer's cell to refine the exact collision time. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

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 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。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

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 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

8 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 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。

11 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

12 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

13 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

14 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

15 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

16 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

17 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

18 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

19 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

20 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。

21 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

22 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

23 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

24 subpoenaed   

v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court subpoenaed her to appear as a witness. 法庭传唤她出庭作证。
• The finance director is subpoenaed by prosecution. 财务经理被检查机关传讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。