NPR 2008-12-16

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.

President-elect Barack Obama is again saying there is no indication from a review by his own lawyers that shows he had any direct contact with disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Speaking in Chicago today, Mr. Obama said details of an internal probe would be withheld² for several days, however, at the request of the US Attorney's Office, so as not to compromise their investigation³.

"There is nothing in the review that was presented to me, that in any way contradicted my earlier statements, that, er, this appalling⁴ set of circumstances that we've seen arise had nothing to do with my office, and that, you know, those facts will be forthcoming to all of you in due course."

Mr. Obama meanwhile announced today he's chosen Steven Chu to be his energy secretary, he said he's picked Environmental Protection Agency chief, ex-Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner to handle White House energy policy and Lisa Jackson was his picked EPA.

US Supreme⁵ Court ruled today the tobacco industry must face dozens of lawsuits⁶ across the country, alleging⁷ cigarette makers⁹ engaged in false and deceptive¹⁰ practices in marketing¹¹ light cigarettes. NPR's Nina Totenberg has that story.

By a 5-to-4 vote, the court rejected the tobacco industry claim that it's immune from such state lawsuits under the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertizing law. Writing for the court majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said that the federal law does not exempt¹² the tobacco industry from the regular anti-fraud provisions of state law. Georgetown law professor David Vladeck represents a number of antismoking groups.

"We won a right to sue the tobacco industry for lying about whether light and low-tar cigarettes are actually safer than regular cigarettes."

The Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and at least one federal court have already concluded that light cigarettes are no safer than regular full-flavor cigarettes. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

Closing arguments began today in the case of five Moslem¹³ men accused of planning a terror attack against soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey¹⁴. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

Prosecutors¹⁵ say the FBI informants prevented the men from killing¹⁶ soldiers on Fort Dix. Defense¹⁷ attorneys say their clients were goaded¹⁸ into planning an attack by the informants themselves. The Fort Dix case only came to light after a clerk at a local Circuit City alerted law enforcement. He reported seeing a video of men firing assault rifles and praising Allah in Arabic. A short time later, the FBI infiltrated¹⁹ the group of men, and caught them on tape planning an attack on Fort Dix. Those recordings²⁰ were played extensively during the 26-day trial. Assistant US Attorney Michael Hammer said that the men had the mind-set to carry out an attack. The defendant²¹ says the words were just bravado²² in tough talk. The men never attacked the base. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News, New York.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 65 points today.

This is NPR.

While the White House is still saying no firm decisions have been made, Detroit is waiting to hear what kind of help might be forthcoming for domestic automakers who've said they needed immediate²⁴ cash infusion²⁵ to survive. Senator Carl Levin said he expects the deal will include around 8 billion dollars in immediate loans for General Motors and 7 billion dollars for Chrysler, Ford²⁶ said it does not yet need access to federal dollars. Levin says he expects the deal to be similar to a plan that was blocked by some Republican lawmakers. However, a Treasury²⁷ Department official would not say how long it might be before an announcement is made.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy meets with French auto²³ executives today as the global financial crisis spreads to the European auto industry. NPR's Sylvia poggioli reports from Paris.

The heads of Renault,Nissan and Fiat²⁸ say the car market will decline further next year. Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of French maker⁸ Renault, says he does not see a rapid end to the crisis in the auto industry, adding that if financial markets remain as they are, we will all be having problems. Sergio Marchionne, head of Italy's Fiat has predicted that only 6 car makers will survive in the long run from the current 50, adding that 2009 will be the most difficult year he has ever seen in his life. German car maker BMW is putting up more than 130 million dollars in aid for its German dealer²⁹ network. Robert Bosch, Europe's biggest car parts firm plans to cut 2,000 jobs while Volkswagen will discuss cost cuts this week. Sylvia poggioli, NPR News, Paris.

Tens of thousands remain without electricity in New York today following a massive ice storm last week. In  Massachusetts school is out in a number of communities there as utility crews continue their work. All told hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Northeast were affected³⁰.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

5 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。

6 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

7 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

8 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

9 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》

10 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

11 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

12 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

13 Moslem   

n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的

参考例句：

• Moslem women used to veil their faces before going into public.信回教的妇女出门之前往往用面纱把脸遮起来。
• If possible every Moslem must make the pilgrimage to Mecca once in his life.如有可能，每个回教徒一生中必须去麦加朝觐一次。

14 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

15 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。

16 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

17 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。

18 goaded   

v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人

参考例句：

• Goaded beyond endurance, she turned on him and hit out. 她被气得忍无可忍，于是转身向他猛击。
• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

21 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

22 bravado   

n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能

参考例句：

• Their behaviour was just sheer bravado. 他们的行为完全是虚张声势。
• He flourished the weapon in an attempt at bravado. 他挥舞武器意在虚张声势。

23 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。

24 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

25 infusion   

n.灌输

参考例句：

• Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
• Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。

26 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。

27 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。

28 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

29 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

30 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。