NPR 2008-12-13

The White House says it's exploring new options to save the auto¹ industry after a 14-billion-dollar bailout bill collapsed² in the Senate yesterday. Congressional Democrats⁴ want the Bush Administration to act quickly. NPR's Debbi Elliot reports.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President Bush is concerned about the ramifications⁶ that a disorderly bankruptcy⁷ in the automotive industry could have on the economy. Democrat³ Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking⁸ Committee, welcomed the news that the White House was prepared to intervene. "Well, I'm encouraged on this Friday afternoon, that at some point, today, or over the weekend, the White House will announce a course of action that will avoid the kind of catastrophe⁹ that all of us are worried about. " In a policy reversal, the administration now says it's willing to consider helping¹⁰ auto makers¹¹ with funds from the 700 billion dollars financial bailout. Debbi Elliot, NPR News, the Capitol.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit¹² with the state supreme¹³ court to remove Governor Rod Blagojevich from office temporarily. "I've asked the Supreme Court to appoint the lieutenant¹⁴ governor as the acting¹⁵ governor, pursuant to the Succession Act. I recognize that this is an extraordinary request, but these are extraordinary circumstances. " Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested Tuesday on corruption¹⁶ charges. Authorities alleged¹⁷ they tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat. The Democratic governor denies any wrongdoing. Madigan said she filed the suit to prevent Blagojevich from exercising the governor's authority to fill the vacancy¹⁸.

An ice storm has slammed New England, and shut down power to more than a million homes and businesses throughout the region. In central and western Massachusetts alone, tens of thousands of residents have been without power since last night. We have details from Jill Kaufman of WFCR in Amherst.

The governor declared a state of emergency earlier today which allows the National Guard to assist local communities, those hardest hit by last night storm living in rural hill towns. In the town of ShootsBerry nearby to Amherst which woke up to mostly slush, the fire department made a pervasive¹⁹ 911 call at 5: 00 A. M. to residents, alerting them to stay in their homes. Almost every home is without electricity, many roads remain impassable with downed tree limbs and power lines. Town administrator²⁰ David Den⁵ says the town of about 2, 000 people has implemented²¹ its own 24-hour state of emergency. "We only have two command posts, one at the fire station in town hall, where we have emergency generators²² going.” With temperatures expected below freezing tonight in much of the area, utility companies say it could be days before everyone's power is restored. For NPR, I'm Jill Kaufman in Amherst, Massachusetts.

On Wall Street today, the Dow gained 64 points to close at 8, 629. The NASDAQ was up 32 points to close at 1, 540. The S&P gained six.

This is NPR.

A former hospital CEO in Los Angeles has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that billed the government for unnecessary health care. Doctor Rudra Sabaratnam who ran the City of Angels Medical Center had been accused of paying a recruiter nearly 500, 000 dollars, to bring homeless people to the hospital for unnecessary treatments which were then billed to public health programs. Sabaratnam also agreed to pay more than 4 million dollars in restitution²³ to medicare and medi-Cal.

Movie actor Van Johnson, a star from Hollywood's Golden Era has died of natural causes at the age of 92. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, Johnson made a name for himself in such films as "30 Seconds over Tokyo", "A Guy Named Joe", and "The Caine Mutiny". NPR's Felix Contreras has more.

Versatility²⁴ was Van Johnson's most enduring quality. As a contract actor for MGM studios, Johnson started in comedies, war dramas, love stories and musicals. As a child, Charles Van Dell Johnson was fascinated by theatre companies traveling through his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. But, it was in front of the camera that Van Johnson made his mark. He spent two decades with the MGM, staring opposite such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, June Allyson and Nester Williams. Van Johnson said that after his phone stopped ringing at the ripe age of 45, he went back to the stage and spent the next three decades working in regional theatres around the country. Felix Contreras, NPR News.

1 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。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 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。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

6 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 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。

9 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

10 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。

11 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。

13 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。

14 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

15 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。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 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

18 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

19 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

20 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

21 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

22 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 restitution   

n.赔偿；恢复原状

参考例句：

• It's only fair that those who do the damage should make restitution.损坏东西的人应负责赔偿，这是再公平不过的了。
• The victims are demanding full restitution.受害人要求全额赔偿。

24 versatility   

n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能

参考例句：

• Versatility is another of your strong points,but don't overdo it by having too many irons in the fire.你还有一个长处是多才多艺，但不要揽事太多而太露锋芒。
• This versatility comes from a dual weather influence.这种多样性是由于双重的气候影响而形成的。