NPR 2008-11-16

The world leaders at the summit in Washington on the global financial crisis have agreed on an action plan that includes greater regulation of financial markets, something European leaders have been advocating for years. And countries such as India, Brazil and China demanded a greater role in international financial institutions. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has more.

Speaking after the two-day meeting, President Bush said he was glad he included developing countries in the summit. He said the broader group of 20 nations were able to reach a consensus¹ on some key issues facing the world's economy. 'We agree that we must strengthen cooperation among the world's financial authorities, there was a lot of discussion about the International Monetary² Fund and the World Bank, for example. ‘In coming months, the finance ministers from the countries will meet and hammer out details of the G20's reform plan. Mr. Bush said President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has been briefed on the summit to ease the transition of power. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

Firefighters are struggling to contain two major wildfires north of Los Angeles whose flames are being intensified³ by Santa Ana winds gusting⁴ to more than 70 miles an hour, one of the blazes has destroyed more than 500 mobile homes, the other has charred⁵ more than 100 houses. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency. And the mayor of Los Angeles is warning residents the fires could threaten the city's electricity supply. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

Mayor Antonio Villaragoisa says the flames may threaten the lines bringing power into the city and he's asking residents for help. “Please, conserve⁶ energy, do not wash today, don't use your power, you know, conserve your power as much as possible.” Officials say residents who wait to see the fire before fleeing their homes have waited too long. Fire officials say residents should be alert for expanded evacuations because of high wind to the movement of the fires. Allison Keyes, NPR News.

Demonstrators gathered in Los Angeles, Washington and a number of other cities today to protestvoter approval of California's Proposition 8 and similar measures which banned gay marriage. There was a large turnout at City Hall in Boston. Massachusetts has a law which allows gay couples to marry. From Member Station WBUR in Boston, Andrew Phelps reports crowds there were five blocks deep.

We just heard several people, both gays and straight introduced themselves to the crowd, are talking about their different professions, are explaining the fact that, yes they are gay, but they are part of the community just like everyone else. We see signs that say, if marriages they create abolish divorce, I don't vote on your marriage. People basically saying to me, that a gay marriage doesn't hurt anybody, and it's not imposing⁷ on the rights of the heterosexual couples to marry, so why not allow for everyone else?

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote to provide help to troubled US automakers, but the assistance will have strings⁸ attached , she says companies will have to meet new fuel efficiency standards and restructure to ensure the long-term economic viability⁹ of the industry. Pelosi says help for automakers should come from the government's financial rescue plan, but President Bush opposes that.

Chrysler says it is obligated to pay millions of dollars in bonuses to its executives even as it asked the federal government for cash to avoid bankruptcy¹⁰. Sara Swick of Detroit Public Radio has more.

Chrysler owes so-called retention¹¹ bonuses totaling about 30 million dollars to dozens of top executives. The company says the bonuses were promised when German automaker Daimler sold the share of Chrysler in 2007, and Daimler instituted the program to ensure a smooth transition, Chrysler spokeswoman Lori McTavish says the bonuses can't be compared to golden parachutes. 'This is much different than a golden parachute where at a time executives are paid to leave a company, this is our retention plan that is, put in place to actually keep talent and that,a talent that is there must fulfill¹² their obligation. ' Chrysler's earnings¹³ aren't publically available, but CEO Bob Nardelli says that Chrysler needs federal funding and an alliance with other automakers to survive. For NPR News, I'm Sara Swick in Detroit.

The head of the United Autoworkers Union Ron Gettelfinger says automakers do need federal loans to survive, but he says Union workers have made enough sacrifices and should not be asked to make anymore. Gettelfinger says it is unfair to blame UAW workers and retirees for the problems facing US automakers. He says Union workers have already made dramatic changes and concessions¹⁴.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 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。

3 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gusting   

（风）猛刮（gust的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Then the treacherous North Atlantic struck, with hail, rain, lightning and gusting wind. 这时，气候变幻莫测的北大西洋出现了冰雹、大雨、闪电和狂风。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• Jeff: Sometimes, the partiality and miscarriage of justice are dis-gusting too. 杰夫： 有时，裁判的不公平和误判也真是令人讨厌的一件事情。

5 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

7 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

8 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

9 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

10 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

11 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

12 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

13 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

14 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。