NPR 2008-05-20

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is accusing Barack Obama of understating the threat posed by Iran. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

 John McCain took time out from an economic speech in Chicago to criticize remarks made by Barack Obama over the weekend. Obama noted¹ that Iran's military budget is a fraction of the United States and said the US should not be afraid to negotiate with Iranian leaders. McCain fired back, saying Iran has provided weapons used against US troops in Iraq and could pose a dire² threat if it were to acquire nuclear weapons. The criticism was the latest attempt by McCain to paint his likely Democratic adversary³ as inexperienced when it comes to foreign policy. Scott Horsley, NPR News.

 Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton again took aim at her opponent Barack Obama for, as she put it, “acting like he has the Democratic nomination⁴ sewn up”. Clinton made the remarks while campaigning in the town of Maysville, Kentucky today. Clinton said while there are those who may be tempted⁵ to say the race for the nomination is over, neither candidate has it locked up. "We have a very close contest---the votes, the delegates. And this is nowhere near over. None of us is ganna have the number of delegates we're gonna need to get to the nomination. " Still, Clinton trails Obama in the delegate count as the two prepare for primaries tomorrow in Oregon and Kentucky. Clinton hopes with a convincing win in Kentucky, she can sway some uncommitted super delegates to back her campaign.

 Municipal bond industry heaved a big sigh of relief today when the US Supreme⁶ Court ruled that states can continue to give special tax breaks to their own municipal bonds. These are bonds that fund schools, roads, sewers⁷ and utilities, among other things. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

 Like most states, Kentucky gives tax exemptions⁹ to its residents for interest on its municipal bonds while, at the same time, not extending that tax exemption⁸ to bonds from other states. A Kentucky couple wanted the same tax exemption for bonds from other states and argued that the Constitution forbids this sort of instate preference. But today, the US Supreme Court, by a 7-2 vote, said no. Writing for the majority, Justice David Souter noted that some 532 billion in municipal bonds were issued in 2006 when this case was brought, and he said that the justices are simply unwilling¹⁰ to throw a monkey wrench¹¹ into the markets by invalidating a practice that's been in effect for nearly a century in almost every state in the Union. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

 Twelve construction workers in San Diego were hurt today, two of them critically, in an apparent explosion at a downtown hotel that is under construction there. Fire officials say the incident occurred shortly after 2pm Pacific Time at a Hilton Hotel being built near the San Diego Convention Center. It's not yet clear what caused the explosion. People throughout the area reported hearing a loud blast.

 On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 41 points today. This is NPR News.

 Leaders of Myanmar's ruling military junta¹² say more than two weeks after a devastating¹³ cyclone¹⁴ that has left more than 130, 000 people dead or missing, they're willing to allow Southeast Asian countries to take the lead in an international aid effort for storm victims. However, the country's leaders say they will not give western relief organizations total access to the country. The announcement comes as the UN is working out details of a large scale foreign aid effort for the country, along with a donor¹⁵ conference that is planned for later this month in the capital of Yangon. Myanmar said today it will accept nearly 300 medical personnel from neighboring countries.

 In South Florida, inmates¹⁶ are being evacuated¹⁷ from a state prison and a federal detention¹⁸ facility because of a 36, 000-acre wildfire burning in the nearby Everglades. From Miami, NPR's Greg Allen reports.

 Officials with Florida's Department of Corrections say they were notified that the Mustang Corner fire burning in the Everglades had not been controlled and that it could pose a threat to a nearby state prison which houses more than 1, 700 inmates. The prisoners were loaded on buses and moved to other correctional facilities. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are taking similar action, moving detainees held at the Krome Detention Center to other facilities in Florida. Firefighters have been using helicopters and air tankers¹⁹ to battle the fire since last week. There's a smoke advisory²⁰ in effect for much of South Florida with public health officials warning people to stay indoors when smoke is especially heavy. So far, no structures have been affected²¹, but fire crews are working to protect two roads that run near the park. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

 Crude oil futures²² rose 76 cents a barrel to close at $127. 05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

4 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。

5 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 sewers   

n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sewers discharge out at sea. 下水道的污水排入海里。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Another municipal waste problem is street runoff into storm sewers. 有关都市废水的另外一个问题是进入雨水沟的街道雨水。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

9 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

10 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

11 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

12 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

13 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。

14 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。

15 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

16 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

18 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

19 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

20 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

21 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。

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。