NPR 2008-08-06

President Bush has arrived in South Korea at the start of his Asian tour. The president's plane landed today at a military airport near the South Korean capital. He is expected to meet with South Korea's president tomorrow. North Korea's nuclear program will be at the top of their agenda. Mr. Bush also hopes to persuade South Korea to commit to sending more troops to Afghanistan. Mr. Bush will also visit Thailand and attend the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Texas and Louisiana are preparing for Tropical Storm Edouard. The storm has top sustained winds of 65 mph and could strengthen into a hurricane before going ashore¹ near Galveston. Jack² Williams with member station KUHF reports.

Heavy rain and high winds are expected when Edouard comes ashore most likely near Galveston Island about 50 miles southeast of Houston. Emergency responders are on standby in case flooding and wind damage affect residents. Ed Emmett is the top administrator³ in Harris County. "There will be either a strong tropical storm or a very weak Category 1 hurricane. Nevertheless, 10 hours or so of constant wind and five, eight, ten, inches of rain can create dangerous situations." Officials in Galveston have not called for mandatory⁴ evacuations but do expect flooding. For NPR News I'm Jack Williams in Houston.

Nasty storms swept through northern Illinois last night, leaving tens of thousands of customers without power. Fans of the Cubs⁵ game had to clear the stands because of the intense storm. Steve Alshinburger lives in suburban⁶ Chicago. He was caught driving in it.

"There were trees down on my drive home and water pooling in streets that normally handle the rain as much as four or five inches deep. We see blocks without power, I didn't see any power lines down but it sounds like Commonwealth⁷ Edison is gonna have their hands full. " The National Weather Service says trained spotters reported seeing funnel⁸ clouds in two counties west of Chicago.

Wall Street will be watching Federal Reserve decision makers⁹ today. The Fed is widely expected to leave its key interest rate right where it is. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.

With the economy sending downbeat signals, investors¹⁰ eagerly await the Central Bank's verdict on rates. On the one hand, oil prices have backed off their highs, but continuing concern about higher overall prices, rising unemployment and more potential weakness in the financial sector¹¹ make the economic picture hard to assess. Many economists¹² expect the policy makers will leave the rates unchanged. There is concern the economy is too weak to withstand a rate increase, but there is also concern that a further reduction could worsen inflation. Also this week, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank will issue their rate decisions. Both US and European financial institutions continue to struggle from the aftermath of billions of dollars in bad housing loans. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

And from Washington, this is NPR News.

A strong earthquake has hit China's Sichuan Province. There have not yet been any reports of injuries or damage. The US Geological Survey puts the quake's magnitude at 6.0. It's the latest of scores of aftershocks from the more powerful quake that hit in May and killed at least 70, 000 people. Today's quake hit on the same day the Olympic torch was carried through Sichuan's capital on its way to Beijing where the Games will open on Friday. Meanwhile Olympic organizers are seeking to reassure¹³ the public that the Beijing Games will be safe after yesterday's attack that killed 16 police officers in western China.

The Transportation Security Administration says it's suspending new enrollments in a program to help airline passengers get through security checkpoints faster. The action was prompted by the theft of a laptop containing sensitive personal information. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

The suspension involves the Clear Registered Traveler program which has about 200, 000 customers so far. Verified Identity Pass, which runs Clear, says a company laptop containing sensitive information was stolen last week from San Francisco International Airport. Verified Identity Pass says the information includes names, addresses and birthdates for some 33, 000 new applicants¹⁵ and in some cases passport and driver's license¹⁶ numbers. It does not contain biometric data collected from applicants as part of a security check. The suspension only applies to new enrollments in the program. TSA says the company needs to ensure that future enrollment¹⁴ data is encrypted. One of the company's selling points has been that the information it collects is secure. Pam Fessler, NPR News Washington.

1 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

5 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

7 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

8 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

9 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

14 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

15 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

16 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。