NPR 2008-12-21

Much of the northern half of the nation is in the grip of an arctic air mass and is bracing¹ for another wave of snow and ice. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

People in western Washington State are gearing up for a "Mega-storm", that description is from a local official who warned that near hurricane force winds could soon start gusting² off the Cascade³ Mountain Range. Meanwhile, Iowans are digging out from a storm that dumped a foot of snow across the northern part of the state and a sheet of ice across the south. Temperatures in Oklahoma are dropping sharply thanks to an arctic blast pushing into the state. Residents in southern Minnesota are being asked to stay off the roads where heavy snowfall and low visibility have affected⁴ 25 counties. And the National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and watches for parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, New York State and Northern Illinois. Heavy gusts⁵ of wind there will make it feel like 20 degrees below zero. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

The Chairman of the Joint⁶ Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says the Pentagon may nearly double the number of US troops in Afghanistan by next summer. The reinforcements will help the 31, 000 American troops already there combat a resurgent Taliban.

A lawyer for a group that supports California's ban on same-sex marriage is criticizing the State Attorney General, calling his new legal stance on the issue "totally unprecedented⁷". That issue is Proposition 8, the ballot⁸ measure banning same-sex marriage that was approved by voters this fall. NPR's Alison Keys has more.

The State Attorney General Jerry Brown has decided⁹ to urge California's highest court to void Proposition 8, he says he changed his mind after probing the state constitution. Brown says the constitution guarantees people the right to marry, and the Proposition 8 deprives them of that right. But Anthony Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage. com, says it is disappointing that Brown "has refused to defend the vote of the people". Supporters of the measure filed legal papers, saying Proposition 8 simply restores the definition of marriage to what it had been. They also said it shouldn't validate¹⁰ any same-sex marriage that had been performed in the state. Alison Keys, NPR News, Washington.

President-elect Barack Obama says he is determined¹¹ to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology. "The highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States, and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work." Mr. Obama in his weekly radio address said he has chosen Harvard physicist¹² John Holdren to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, and marine¹³ biologist Jane Lubchenco to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric¹⁴ Administration. Both are experts on climate change. This selection is seen as an indication that the new administration will be aggressive in combating global warming.

This is NPR News.

President-elect Obama's transition team is zeroing in on spending at NASA, the Space Agency is being asked to account for some cost overruns. Pat Duggins of member station WMFE has the story.
Mr. Obama's transition team rolled up about 70 questions for NASA, more than half of them dealt with how the space program spent its money. One example was the tool bag that drifted away during last month's mission to the International Space Station, the lost equipment cost NASA 100, 000 dollars. When asked why the tools were so expensive, NASA had no immediate¹⁵ answer. Doctor Julian Chambliss is a presidential historian at Rollins College in Orlando. He says these questions reflect the challenge the Obama administration faces with the space shuttle program winding¹⁶ down. "I think he's probably gonna try to maintain the vision, that Bush has talked about, but he really has this initial economic crisis to deal with. I think in the first two year, his administration's gonna be very much concerned by that". The Bush White House ordered the space shuttle program to end in the year 2010 in favor of a new space capsule. For NPR News, I'm Pat Duggins, in Orlando.

For a third straight weekend, student demonstrators have clashed with police in Athens, the latest rioting began after a candlelight memorial gathering¹⁷ for the teenager boy whose killing¹⁸ by police triggered the unrest. Protestors firebombed a credit reporting agency and attacked the city's Christmas tree today.

A federal jury in New Jersey¹⁹ has completed its fourth day of deliberations in the case of five men accused of plotting to attack soldiers at the army's Fort Dix base. The five foreign-born Muslim, are facing charges that include conspiracy²⁰ to kill military personnel and attempted murder. All five insisted that they are innocent. The judge says he received a note from the jurors today, indicating they are making progress toward a verdict.

1 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

2 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。

3 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

4 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。

5 gusts   

一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作

参考例句：

• Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
• Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 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。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

13 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

14 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

15 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。

16 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

17 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

18 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。

19 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。

20 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。