NPR 2008-12-17

The Federal Reserve slashed¹ a key bank lending rate to just about zero today. The move establishes the federal funds target rate between 0 and 0.25%. The rate cut is an effort to spur the economy. NPR's Wendy Kaufman has more.

The action by the Fed sets the rates at historic lows. The Central Bank also signaled that it will keep rates exceptionally low for some time. Officials said the Federal Reserve said they would also rely more heavily on a process known as quantitative² easing, essentially³ creating more cash and using that to finance lending activity. Historically, the Fed has lowered interest rates to spur the economy, and the Fed has been reducing rates for some time, but it hasn't had the desired effect. So now it's turning to what Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke calls the second arrow in the Federal Reserve's quiver: providing liquidity⁴. The Fed had previously⁵ announced it would purchase large quantities of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities. The Fed says now it stands ready to expand such purchases and it's considering to purchase a longer-term treasury⁶ securities. Wendy Kaufman, NPR News.

The White House said today while it doesn't believe bankruptcies⁷ of viable⁸ solution to the domestic automakers' problems, neither does it apparently⁹ intend to be rushed into throwing a lifeline to the Big Three. White House spokesperson Dana Perino during a daily briefing today said the administration is (quote) "moving with all deliberate speed trying to put together a plan". Both General Motors and Chrysler said they needed an immediate¹⁰ cash infusion¹¹ to survive. Ford¹² said it's ok without government money for now, though the automaker said it would like a government line of credit it could tap into in the event its condition worsens more than expected in 2009.

Environmentalists are fuming¹³ over President-elect Barack Obama's apparent choice of secretary of the interior. They say Colorado Senator Ken¹⁴ Salazar is too cozy¹⁵ with agriculture, mining and oil interests. NPR's Jeff Brady reports.

Salazar is a Democrat¹⁶ from Colorado and on paper his credentials¹⁷ look good for the post. He has a ranching¹⁸ background, he ran Colorado's department of natural resources and those in the industry respect him. Laura Skaer with the Northwest Mining Association says Salazar is fair and balanced. "And he understands the importance of producing domestic minerals and domestic energy to meet our country's needs." The most environmental groups say Barack Obama promised change and they want one of the round to run the interior department, specifically, Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva. The department of the interior is responsible for managing a half billion acres of public land, mostly in the West. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Washington.

Even all those deep discounts on the part of retailers²⁰ apparently aren’t prompting many people to open their wallets; the National Retail¹⁹ Federation²¹ says its most recent survey finds by the second week of December, a significant number of people have not yet begun their holiday shopping.

On Wall Street today, the Dow closed up 359 points, the NASDAQ gained 81 points. This is NPR.

The lawyer for three Guantanamo detainees said today the men have been sent to Bosnia where they are expected to be released to their families, the lawyer calling it a very happy ending. The three were reportedly taken to Bosnia, boarded an unscheduled flight then transported by armored car to police headquarters there. A judge in Washington last month ordered the release of the three Algerian-born men on the ground that government's case was not strong enough to hold them. Result was a hearing on the government's evidence for holding the prisoners as so-called enemy combatants.

Police in the Hollywood, Florida have closed the book on one of the country's best-known unsolved cases--the 1981 abduction and murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh. Police say they've concluded a man long considered the chief suspect in the case was in fact the child's murderer. From Miami, NPR's Greg Allen reports.

The 27-year search for the son's murderer became a crusade for John and Reve Walsh. Preliminary odds²² with Hollywood police, they are accused of botching the investigation²³. But at a news conference in Hollywood, John Walsh had only praise for police who finally concluded what he's long maintained. But Adam's murderer was convicted a serial²⁴ killer²⁵, now dead named Ottis Toole. "It's not about closure; see that picture of that little boy? We will always be the parent of that murdered little boy. It's about justice." Galvanized in the action by their son's murder, the Walsh's testified before Congress and lobbied for passage of the missing children's act. Walsh's the host of America's Most Wanted, with his wife also co-funded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who was on own effort, he said, to make sure Adam didn't die in vain. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

1 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 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。

7 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 fuming   

愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• She sat in the car, silently fuming at the traffic jam. 她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• I was fuming at their inefficiency. 我正因为他们效率低而发火。

14 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

15 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

16 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。

17 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

18 ranching   

adj.放牧的

参考例句：

• They cleared large tracts of forest for farming, logging and ranching. 他们清除了大片的森林以经营农耕、采伐与畜牧。
• This is a trade center in a ranching and oil-producing region. 这是一个牧场与产油区的贸易中心。

19 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

20 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

21 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

22 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

23 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。

24 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

25 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。