NPR 2008-03-16

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

 

A possible tornado¹ tore through downtown Atlanta last night, injuring at least 9 people. The storm took out windows, brought down power lines and shook a crowded sports arena². From Atlanta, NPR's Kathy Lohr reports.

 

The Men's Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament was disrupted when severe tornado-like winds swept through downtown and hit the Georgia Dome³. Witnesses say a large screen monitor began swaying and debris⁴ fell from the roof. Some fans began running for the exits. Outside, tourists reported swirling⁵ debris and windows shattering in hotels and apartment buildings. The storm also struck the CNN Center, Philips Arena and Centennial Olympic Park, where trees and decorative⁶ lights came crashing down. Pieces of twisted metal are hanging off buildings. But amazingly, only minor⁷ injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service has not yet determined⁸ whether the storm was a tornado. A tornado warning was issued just minutes before the high winds hit the central part of the city. Police have blocked off streets downtown and are warning people to stay away. Kathy Lohr, NPR News, Atlanta.

 

The National Weather Service is forecasting another major storm today will bring heavy rains and high winds to the region.

 

In Beijing today, Chinese President Hu Jintao was re-elected to a second 5-year term, a formality that also kept him as head of China's Military Commission.

 

Iranian officials claim there was a large turnout for the country's parliamentary elections yesterday. Early results show that hard-line allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are ahead. The BBC's John Lion reports from Tehran.

 

With many of the government's opponents disqualified before voting even started, the authorities' big concern has been to prove the legitimacy⁹ of this election with a high turnout. One official has claimed it was as high as 65%, well up on the 51% of electors who voted last time. There was certainly no evidence of such a high turnout in Tehran where polling stations were not busy and many people said they felt there was nothing or no one to vote for. The suspicion will be that the government has either massaged¹⁰ the figures or provided incentives¹¹ to persuade more sympathetic voters in the provinces and the villages to come out in force. The BBC's John Lion.

 

A US State Department official says the election was cooked since hundreds of potential candidates were not allowed to run.

 

You're listening to NPR News.

 

The military is searching a remote area of Arizona for an Air Force pilot, missing since a fighter jet crashed yesterday. An F-16 went down during a training exercise about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix¹². The pilot was part of the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, the largest F-16 training base in the world.

 

Stocks plunged¹³ yesterday to end another shaky week on Wall Street. Steve Beckner of Market News International reports.

 

The stock market got some good news in the form of a flat Consumer Price Index which should give the Federal Reserve greater leeway to cut interest rates next Tuesday to help the economy. But Wall Street was more focused on continued disruption in the credit market which forced the Fed to take the unusual step of opening its discount window to troubled investment bank Bear Stearns. As investors¹⁴ became increasingly convinced the economy is in recession, prospects¹⁵ for corporate¹⁶ earnings¹⁷ dimmed and with them share prices. The Dow Jones Industrials closed down 1.6% while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite lost more than 2%. Thanks to a big rally Tuesday, the Dow rose half a percent for the week, but the S&P lost 4/10 of 1%. The NASDAQ was flat. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

 

It appears some people can't get enough of the Eliot Spitzer scandal. SIRIUS Satellite Radio has created a separate station just to talk about the New York governor's alleged¹⁸ link to a prostitution ring. Guests are to include the former New York Governor Ed Koch and Dennis Hof, the owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch,a brothel in Nevada. The station is called "Client 9 Radio" for the code name investigators¹⁹ used for Spitzer.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News.

 

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

3 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

6 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 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。

9 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

10 massaged   

按摩，推拿( massage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He massaged her back with scented oil. 他用芳香油按摩她的背部。
• The script is massaged into final form. 这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。

11 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

12 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

13 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

14 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

15 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

16 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

17 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

18 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

19 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》