NPR 2008-10-10

Stock prices fell sharply in the final half hour of trading today because of continued fears about the banking¹ and auto² industries. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 7.3% of its value today. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.
 
Prices were down throughout much of the day, but the drop accelerated after a credit downgrade of General Motors. The decline was unusually swift with the Dow tumbling several hundred points in minutes. By the end of the day, the Dow was down below 9,000 for the first time in five years. It's lost nearly 40% of its value in a year. This is the 7th straight day of losses in the markets, and it's happened despite a number of extraordinary attempts by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury⁴ Department to restore confidence. That's included an unusual coordinated⁵ interest rate cut by the world's major central banks. Over the weekend, US officials will meet with finance ministers and central bankers in Washington to discuss further steps to take. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.
 
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 678 points today to end the session at 8,579. The NASDAQ lost 95 points. The Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 75 points today.
 
The White House says President Bush will address the American people tomorrow morning in an effort to reassure⁶ them about the state of the US economy despite recent market volatility⁷. The administration, meanwhile, is said to be looking at partial government ownership of many of the nation's banks. Administration officials are quoted as saying that the 700-billion-dollar financial rescue package passed by Congress and signed into law by the president last week will give Treasury the ability to inject capital into those financial institutions in exchange for an ownership stake.
 
GOP White House hopeful John McCain says the government needs to prop⁸ up home prices in order to stabilize⁹ the faltering¹⁰ economy. NPR's Scott Horsley has that story.
 
John McCain says families and small businesses won't see their economic fortunes rebound¹¹ until home prices stop falling. He's proposed having the federal government buy at risk mortgages directly from struggling home owners, replacing them with cheaper fixed-rate loans that would help prevent foreclosure. Barack Obama has criticized the plan as a taxpayer-funded reward for irresponsible lenders. But McCain told a town hall meeting in Wisconsin, it's necessary to address a once-in-a-life-time financial crisis. "So these are somber¹² times and they are difficult times and they are challenging times, all across the state of Wisconsin and all across America." Even so, many of the questions at the townhall meeting weren't about pocketbook issues, but abortion¹³, Iraq and when McCain will get more aggressive in attacking his Democratic rival. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Waukesha, Wisconsin.
 
Shares of some insurance companies sank further today amid worries that further capital needs could hit more companies similar to the problems that caused the government to rush to the rescue of AIG. Shares of Prudential Financial, the second largest US insurer, fell, as did a number of other companies. AIG, once the world's biggest insurance company, several weeks ago got an 85-billion-dollar loan from the government.

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Prosecutors¹⁴ have now rested their case in the trial of Alaska Senator Ted³ Stevens. Prosecutors have accused Stevens of lying about more than 250,000 dollars worth of renovations done to his home in Alaska as well as other gifts received from VECO Corporation, a giant oil pipeline¹⁵ company. The prosecution¹⁶ had said its case was wrapped up yesterday, but was subsequently allowed to call one more witness, an oil company worker who reportedly worked at Stevens' home. Among those scheduled to testify on behalf of Stevens are former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.
 
Last year, one in four teenage girls received the HPV vaccine¹⁷, which protects against most types of cervical cancer. NPR's Patti Neighmond reports on the vaccination¹⁸ survey from federal health officials.

The HPV vaccine came on the market two years ago. It's recommended for 11 and 12-year old girls before they become sexually active. The human papillomavirus is the most common sexually-transmitted infection in the US. Health officials say they're pleased with the vaccine rates, but they'd like to see 90% of girls vaccinated¹⁹. Although the vaccine is expensive, three doses cost about $350. Most insurance companies pay for it. Federal health officials surveyed 3,000 households with teenagers and found rates for all recommended vaccines²⁰ were up, including vaccines against meningitis and whooping²¹ cough. Patricia Neighmond, NPR News.
 
Mormon Church has added its voice to the list of those working to pass a California ballot²² initiative banning same sex marriage. Under its Proposition 8, the ballot initiative would amend²³ the state's constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman, in an effort to overcome a State Supreme²⁴ Court decision that legalized same sex unions in California.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

8 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

9 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

10 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

11 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

12 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

13 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

14 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。

15 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

16 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

17 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

18 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

19 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

20 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

21 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

22 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

23 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

24 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。