NPR 2008-02-14

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

Flanked by lawmakers in red and blue ties, President Bush today signed into the law a 152-billion-dollar economic stimulus² package in the East Room of the White House, NPR's David Nogueras reports.

President Bush said that after 6 years of economic growth, the economy has begun to slow, causing many Americans to worry about its overall health.' And so in January, important phone call with the leaders of the Congress, to talk about whether or not we could come together to provide a booster shot for our economy.' That booster shot came through one stroke of the pen, providing tax rebates³ and tax incentives⁴ for small business. Under the plan, most individual tax payers will receive a check for up to 600 dollars, that's 1200 dollars per couple. Couples with children will receive additional 300 dollars per child. Whether or not the stimulus package will actually fight off recession, it's a topic of great debate. Many economists⁵ are worried that people will use the money to pay off their debt rather than spend. David Nogueras NPR News, Washington.

Baseball star Roger Clemens and the man who has accused him of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, former trainer Brian McNamee were both on Capitol Hill today where they were grilled⁶ by lawmakers. Clemens was asked to explain statements made by his long-time friend and teammate Andy Pettitte, who contends that Clemens admitted to him he used human growth hormone⁷. Clemens said that Pettitte had misremembered the conversation. As for McNamee, lawmakers wanted to know why he held on to what he says is proof he injected the baseball star with drugs, used syringes he contends contain DNA⁸ evidence linking Clemens to the use of banned substances. McNamee said he did so because he did not trust the pitcher⁹. Clemens has denied using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The number of home foreclosures skyrocketed last year. Detroit had the highest number, nearly 5 times than national average. Steve Julian at member station KPCC says half a dozen cities in California also made the top 20 list.

More than 41,000 homes in the Detroit metro¹⁰ area are in some stage of foreclosure. That's a 68% jump from 2006. James Saccacio with California-based RealtyTrac says 86 of the nation's top 100 metro areas reported increases last year. In California, the slump¹¹ has hit inland regions where home prices ran up and lending standards grew tighter. The Riverside-San Bernardino area, east of Los Angeles, was ranked 4th, and Sacramento, 5th. Also in the top 20, were California cities Bakersfield, Fresno and Oakland. Ohio had 4 metro areas among the top 20. Florida had 2. Treasury¹² Secretary Henry Paulson this week announced Project Lifeline. It gives homeowners facing foreclosure a 30-day reprieve¹³. For NPR News, I'm Steve Julian, in Los Angeles.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 178 points today to close at 12,552, the NASDAQ gained 53 points, the S&P 500 was up 18.

This is NPR.

After a string of losses to Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination¹⁴, Hillary Clinton is trying to regain¹⁵ momentum¹⁶. She spent today in Texas, the state where she hopes support from Latino voters can help her win a primary on March 4th. More from NPR's David Greene.

Senator Clinton spoke¹⁷ to reporters after a rally in McAllen, Texas. She for the first time congratulated Barack Obama for his Tuesday victories in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC. Clinton was asked if she was worried that Obama's beginning to do well among groups who usually support her like women and older voters. 'No. You know, this is the back and forth¹⁸ of a campaign. Now it's on to Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin next week. This is a very competitive campaign.' Clinton said both she and Obama will have ups and downs and even as she lost a number of contests, Clinton said she's still been picking up delegates. David Greene, NPR News, McAllen, Texas.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama howled of his primary wins, outlined his plan to help the ailing¹⁹ U.S. economy today. Speaking in Wisconsin, Obama said that as president he would spend more than 200 billion dollars on creating new jobs in construction and environmental industries, with the money coming from reducing tax rates for corporations and wealthy individuals and ending the war in Iraq. Obama said 150 billion dollars, that money would go to create so-called 'green collar' jobs, remaining funds will be allocated²⁰ to what he termed a National Infrastructure²¹ Reinvestment Bank which will rebuild the highways, bridges, airports and other public projects.

Crude oil futures²² ended the day higher today, the near month contract for benchmark crude rose 49 cents a barrel to close at 93.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News, in Washington.

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 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

3 rebates   

n.退还款( rebate的名词复数 )；回扣；返还（退还的部份货价）；折扣

参考例句：

• The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点，如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
• In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

7 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

9 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

10 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

11 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

12 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。

13 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

14 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

15 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

16 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

19 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

20 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

21 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

22 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。