NPR 2008-07-24

The House of Representatives passed a bill today designed to deal with the housing crisis. It would authorize¹ the Treasury² Department to give unlimited³ credit to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for 18 months to keep the mortgage giants from collapsing⁴. During the debate, Florida Democrat⁵ Kathy Castor said the measure is needed in case the problems worsen. "This is something of an insurance policy against broader losses in the housing market that could bubble up." The bill would also provide 3.9 billion dollars for neighbourhoods hit hardest by foreclosures to buy and fix up foreclosed properties. That provision prompted President Bush to threaten a veto. Now, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the president will sign the bill. "When legislation finally comes to the president's desk, it often has a few things in there that he might not be able to support or that he wouldn´t have recommended. But when there is bipartisan support for a bill, he will sign it." The House vote was 272 to 152. The Senate is also expected to approve the measure.

Hurricane Dolly struck South Texas today with heavy winds and rain. It had strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane just before it made landfall, but then was downgraded to a Category 1 as it moved inland. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports from San Antonio.

Dolly delivered sustained winds of 100 miles per hour as its eye approached South Padre Island, according to the National Hurricane Center. There are reports of wind damage---mostly large trees being knocked over, and also causing scattered⁶ power outages. There were no evacuations ordered for the region. But emergency shelters were set up inland. They are reporting full capacity at many of the shelters. The real test for the border region is the deluge⁷ of rain. Dolly is a slow-moving storm and could dump about a foot of rain in some areas. The levees that lie in the Rio Grande are in disrepair. Texas Governor Rick Perry activated⁸ 1,200 National Guard personnel and half a dozen Black Hawk⁹ helicopters which can deliver emergency supplies. For NPR News, I'm David Martin Davies in San Antonio.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency argued in federal court in New Orleans today that it should be immune from lawsuits¹⁰ over potentially dangerous trailers. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf¹¹ Coast in 2005, FEMA housed tens of thousands of people in trailers that contained elevated levels of formaldehyde, a preservative¹² used in construction materials that could cause health problems. Several lawsuits were filed against the government and the companies that made the trailers. FEMA argued today that it was responding to a disaster and should be protected from judicial¹³ second-guessing.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up more than 29 points to 11,632. More than six and a half billion shares were traded. The NASDAQ was up 22 points to 2,325.

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Senator Barack Obama's overseas trip takes him to Berlin, Germany tomorrow. He will meet with German leaders and give an evening speech in front of what officials estimate could be as many as one million people. Kyle James reports from Berlin.

In the run-up to the Illinois senator's visit, Obamamania has gotten a solid grip on Germany. The country's leading news magazine put the candidate on its cover under the title "Germany is meeting the Superstar". Obama will give an outdoor speech on Thursday evening on trans-Atlantic relations. His camp had floated the idea of holding it in front of the Brandenburg Gate. But that proved controversial. So, it's been moved a mile down the road to the Victory Column. A recent poll found that 76% of Germans support Obama, compared to just 10% for McCain. His visit is being compared to the 1963 trip to the city by John F Kennedy at the height of the Cold War. And hopes are high that Obama, as president, could restore ties between Germany and the US that have frayed¹⁴ somewhat during the Bush administration. For NPR News, I'm Kyle James in Berlin.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain continued to portray¹⁵ Obama as naive¹⁶ on foreign affairs as he campaigned in Pennsylvania today, specifically on what to do about the war in Iraq. McCain says Obama's plans to withdraw troops over a 16-month period would mean the US would have to return to Iraq to finish the job. "When I'm President of the United States, we will come home; we will come home with victory and honor. But we'll never have to go back because we will have won this conflict." McCain also says he is deeply disappointed that Senator Obama will not recognize that this troop surge has succeeded, saying no rational person could think otherwise.

1 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

2 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

3 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

7 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

8 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

11 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

12 preservative   

n.防腐剂；防腐料；保护料；预防药

参考例句：

• New timber should be treated with a preservative.新采的圆木应进行防腐处理。
• Salt is a common food preservative.盐是一种常用的食物防腐剂。

13 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

14 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

16 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。