NPR 2008-05-08

Senator Barack Obama won a big victory in North Carolina last night. He was ahead by 14 points with 93% of the vote counted. NPR’s Mara Liasson reports.

 Barack Obama ended last night with more delegates and popular votes than Senator Clinton. A visibly relieved Obama stood before supporters in Raleigh, North Carolina last night and assured them that his nomination¹ was close at hand. “Tonight, we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.” Obama had weathered the worst two months of his campaign. He’d been damaged by the comments of his former pastor² and by his own comments about bitter small town voters. But last night’s results showed that hasn’t prevented him from winning Democratic primaries or in winning the votes of super delegates. And today, his campaign expects more super delegates will be announcing their support for Obama. Mara liasson, NPR News, Washington.

 Rival Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, was not deterred³. Her narrow Indiana win gave her hope. “I’m going to work my heart out in West Virginia and Kentucky this month, and I, I intend to win them in November in the general election.” Clinton told supporters it’s “full speed ahead” to the White House”. Obama, however, is closest to winning the majority of pledged delegates. He’s fewer than 200 away from the number needed. But with the race so close, super delegates are likely to play a pivotal role in deciding the winner of the Democratic presidential nomination.

 It’s estimated that a million people in Myanmar are homeless after a devastating⁴ cyclone⁵ on Saturday. The death toll⁶ has topped 22,000 with more than 40,000 missing. UN officials have declared the Myanmar delta⁷ a major disaster. They say some aid is starting to reach people in and around the largest city Yangon, but getting visas for aid workers to go into the country has been a problem. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports.

 The World Food Program’s regional director in Asia, Tony Banbury, says his UN agency has started to deliver stockpiles of rice it had in Myanmar and he said the government has agreed to let WFP fly in some emergency food supplies. “The government is overwhelmed by the scale of this disaster. It took them time to realize how much devastation⁸ there was. They are reacting. They’ve agreed to give us some visas. They’ve agreed to let us bring food in and we do see signs of important cooperation.” But some UN workers are still waiting for visas to go to Myanmar to help. A US disaster assistance response team is also standing⁹ by in neighboring Thailand. President Bush, an outspoken¹⁰ critic of Myanmar’s military rulers, said he would offer US naval¹¹ assets if the American experts can get in. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 Oil prices held steady in Asian trading today. US light crude for June delivery fell by seven cents to $121.77 a barrel in electronic trading. This is NPR News.

 Israel today observes Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. Tonight, celebrations for the country’s 60th anniversary get under way. NPR’s Linda Gradstein reports.

 Israelis stopped their cars and stood in silence to remember the more than 22,000 soldiers killed since 1948. Memorial ceremonies were held at military cemeteries¹² around Israel. Speaking at the official ceremony in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed the bereaved¹³ families directly, saying “We will always hold in our hearts a debt of honor to your children”. All places of entertainment are closed until dusk and flags fly at half-staff. After dark, the mood will change dramatically and celebrations of Israel’s 60th anniversary will begin with music and fireworks. Police are on high alert for possible terrorist attacks. Linda Gradstein, NPR News, Jerusalem.

 It wasn’t long ago that ethanol, made from corn, was seen as the way to energy independence and a green fuel that would help take the country away from climate-changing fossil energy. Democrats¹⁴ and Republicans cheered its benefits as Congress directed a fivefold increase in ethanol use as a motor fuel. President Bush called it key to his strategy to cut gasoline use by 20% by 2010. But now, that has changed. With skyrocketing food costs and hunger spreading across the globe, there are second thoughts. And there is talk of asking the government to cut this year’s mandate¹⁵ for nine billion gallons of corn ethanol in a bid to ease food costs. The dramatic reversal has stunned¹⁶ producers and its supporters in the nation’s capital.

1 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。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

11 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

12 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

13 bereaved   

adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物）

参考例句：

• The ceremony was an ordeal for those who had been recently bereaved. 这个仪式对于那些新近丧失亲友的人来说是一种折磨。
• an organization offering counselling for the bereaved 为死者亲友提供辅导的组织

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

16 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。