NPR 2008-02-18

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

 

Ignoring protests from Russia and Serbia, the European Union has appointed a diplomatic envoy¹ to Kosovo, which is expected to announce its independence today. Frank Browning reports from Paris.

 

Pieter Feith, the Dutchman, will head the EU mission in Kosovo overseeing justice police and diplomatic relations between the European Union and Kosovo. The EU has committed some 300 million dollars to the mission. Early Saturday, the EU approved sending a 2000-person policing mission to Kosovo to function as a peacekeeping force as the decade-old UN forces retreat. Anxiety is high across Europe over how the Serbs and their Russian allies will react to the declaration of independence. Serbs' newly elected President Boris Tadic has vowed² to fight to keep Kosovo as part of Serbia, but without violence. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning in Paris.

 

A suicide bomber³ in Kandahar, Afghanistan has killed at least 80 people. The bomber set off his device in a crowd of several hundred people gathered to watch a dog-fighting competition. The suspected target may have been a local tribal⁴ elder who had bodyguards⁵ at his side. Dozens of people are hurt.

 

Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber killed at least 3 people today. Officers in central Baghdad had stopped to question her when she ran into a nearby building and then set off her device. This is the second of two bombings today in Iraq. Police in Mosul say a car bomb went off in the northern city, killing⁶ a police officer and 2 civilians⁷.

 

In Pakistan, authorities have imposed a curfew in the northwest region a day after a suicide bomber there killed at least 39 people. It's the most deadly attack during the campaign for tomorrow's parliamentary elections. NPR's Jackie Northam reports from Islamabad.

 

Pakistani security officials say most of the victims of Saturday's attack appeared to be members of the opposition⁸ Pakistan People's Party, which was led by Benazir Bhutto before she was assassinated⁹. Supporters were gathering¹⁰ at the home of the local candidate when a suicide bomber rammed¹¹ a car loaded with explosives into the crowd. Authorities say they will decide later whether polling will take place in the town. The attack comes just two days before Pakistanis vote in parliamentary elections. Security has been increased throughout the country. Police are banning Afghan refugees from entering urban areas along the Afghanistan border and have arrested hundreds of people. In the frontier city of Peshawar, police say they discovered a cache of explosives and detonators, which they believe, were going to be used in an attack. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Islamabad.

 

President Bush is spending a second day in Tanzania, that's part of his visit to Africa. He signed an agreement with Tanzania to offer that government nearly 3 quarters of a billion dollars to fight AIDS and malaria¹². Part of Mr. Bush's trip to Africa is to highlight American help aid for these diseases. As he signed the pact¹³, the president urged the U.S. Congress to renew his program to fight AIDS around the world.

 

You're listening to NPR News, from Washington.

 

British smokers¹⁴ may need to purchase a 20-dollar license¹⁵ under plans being considered by the British government. Larry Miller¹⁶ reports from London.

 

Britain banned smoking in public places last year, now it's looking at forcing smokers to buy a license to be shown every time they want to buy cigarettes. To be granted the license, the smokers would need to obtain a declaration from their doctor, asserting their health is not at massive risk from continued use of tobacco. The proposal was drawn¹⁷ up at the request of the government and is being considered by the Health Minister. The rationale is that a permit would help smokers break their addiction¹⁸ and help pay for the medical care they may ultimately require. However, smokers' rights groups accuse the government of bullying¹⁹. They say a license would encourage smokers to smuggle²⁰ tobacco in from other countries. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller, in London.

 

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is urging rival Barack Obama to debate her in Wisconsin before Tuesday's primary election. Both candidates are stumping²¹ there. Republican candidate John McCain has picked up new nominating delegates. Republicans in Louisiana and Michigan divided their presidential delegates yesterday. The Associated Press estimates McCain garnered²² at least 32 Louisiana delegates and the support of the Michigan delegation²³. It's not clear how many Michigan delegates will go to this September's national convention.

 

Officials in DeKalb, Illinois say 7 people are still in the hospital following last week's shooting at Northern Illinois University. The DeKalb police department says officers have searched a hotel room that the gunman had recently stayed in. There, they discovered a sealed duffle bag and a laptop computer. Officials haven't rather disclosed what's inside.

 

This is NPR.

 

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

13 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

14 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

15 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

16 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

17 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

18 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

19 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

21 stumping   

僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的现在分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说

参考例句：

• She's tired of stumping up for school fees, books and uniform. 她讨厌为学费、课本和校服掏腰包。
• But Democrats and Republicans are still dumping stumping for the young. 但是民主党和共和党依然向年轻人发表演说以争取他们的支持。

22 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

23 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。