NPR 2008-05-26

A strong aftershock jolted¹ Central China today, even as emergency workers were looking for more victims from this month's earthquake there. Today's temblor had a magnitude of six and it destroyed thousands of mainly vacant homes and buildings, at least one person ,though, was killed. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has more from Sichuan Province.

 The reaction was, at first, panic and terror, you can just see it on people's faces, looks of absolute terror as they came running out of theirhouses. And of course, they turned around and looked up the mountainside to see if there were any boulders² hurtling down them. And of course, I, myself, was very touched that they would, you know, think to protect the visitor by huddling³ around me. The aftershock only lasted for about four or five seconds. NPR's Anthony Kuhn in China's Sichuan Province.

 The Libertarian Party has chosen former Republican Congressman⁴ Bob Barr to be the party's presidential nominee⁵. As NPR's Jeff Brady reports, the win did not come easily.

 It took six rounds of balloting⁶ of more than four hours for Barr to get support from the majority of the 650 delegates who attended the convention. During two of the rounds, Barr and long-time Libertarian activist⁷ Mary Ruwart were tied. But after he won, Barr predicted the party would have the strongest ticket in its 37-year history. "And then I want everybody to remember that we have only 163 days to win this election, do not waste one single day. " Barr had faced repeated criticism during the convention, because he has been a libertarian for only two years. He also sponsored the Defense⁸ of Marriage Act and supported the Patriot⁹ Act, both are unpopular among libertarians. Barr now says he opposes both. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Denver.

 In less than an hour, NASA's Phoenix¹⁰ Mars Lander is set to touch down on the red planet. NPR's Joe Palca is at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

 NASA decided¹¹ to send a mission to the north polar region on Mars, because scientists say there is water in the form of ice under the soil near the poles. The Phoenix Lander has instruments onboard that can measure the physical and chemical characteristics of the ice. The mission won't be able to tell whether anything is living in the water, but it can tell whether the water could support life: not too acidic or too salty, for example. The mission has only one chance to land. It enters the atmosphere at more than 12, 000 miles per hour. The heat shield,  parachute and rocket engines will slow the craft down enough for a gentle touchdown if everything goes well. Mission scientist Peter Smith of the University of California says it's a fine day on Mars for a landing. "The sky is clear. We've been watching the weather, everything is set for us, (we) have a sunny day. " The landing is set for shortly before 8:00 tonight Eastern Time. Joe Palca, NPR News, Pasadena.

 An international conference in Myanmar has yielded pledges of tens of millions of dollars in help for people left homeless by Cyclone¹² Nargis, but the help is contingent¹³ on the country allowing relief workers and assessment¹⁴ teams in.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 International relief groups are set to provide help for tens of thousands of people who have fled fighting between Sudan's army and former southern rebels. Lisa Schlein has the story from Geneva.

 Around 60, 000 people have been displaced by fighting in Abyei. Spokesman for the International Organization for Migration¹⁵, Jean-Philippe Chauzy, says two convoys¹⁶ of relief goods are expected to arrive in the area over the weekend. "The situation of the displaced is seen, is said to be very bad and in desperate need of shelter, food, water and medical assistance. Of course, the relief operation is incredibly complicated because of chronic¹⁷ insecurity, because of the poor state of roads. " Both northern and southern Sudan cover the oil-rich town of Abyei. Three years after Sudan’s civil war ended, the area remains¹⁸ disputed. Analysts¹⁹ warn it could be the flash point to reignite war in Sudan, if this issue is not resolved quickly. For NPR News, I'm Lisa Schlein in Geneva.

 The sound of the annual Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Ride to honor military veterans, including those held captive or missing in action, drew tens of thousands of people to the nation's capital today. This was the 21st annual Rolling Thunder event. The group's executive director presented President Bush with a cowhide vest jacket at the White House and made him an honorary member.

 There was a close finish at this year's Indy 500. Scott Dixon of New Zealand crossed the finish line less than two seconds before Vitor Meira. Michael Andretti came in third. It was the first Indy 500 win for Dixon who led for most of the race.

1 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

2 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 huddling   

n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事

参考例句：

• Twenty or thirty monkeys are huddling along the thick branch. 三十只猴子挤在粗大的树枝上。
• The defenders are huddling down for cover. 捍卫者为了掩护缩成一团。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

10 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。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 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。

13 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

14 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

15 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

16 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

17 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

18 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

19 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。