NPR 2008-08-18

Russia's president says Russian forces will begin withdrawing in Georgia tomorrow back to positions held before fighting broke out last week. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says he expects some stalling. But he says such tactics could further damage Russia's relationships with the US and other nations. "The longer they take to get out and to observe the cease-fire that's been declared and the arrangements that have been worked out, I think the greater those consequences will be.” Gates was on ABC's This Week. He said no decision has been made yet about whether to block Russia from joining the World Trade Organization or removing it from the Group of Eight Major Industrialized Nations. NPR's Ivan Watson says work crews in Georgia spent today scrambling² to repair a vital railway that leads to the country's capital.

I'm walking on the large concrete and steel train bridge, which was sabotaged⁴ on Saturday by a huge explosion which blew out a 20-foot span at the bridge over a river. In a flash, that helped a blockade of the Georgian capital because on the parallel east-west highway nearby, Russian soldiers are standing⁵ there. They're blocking vehicular traffic completely. Moscow has denied any responsibility for this explosion as act of sabotage³, but the timing⁶ is very suspicious.

NPR's Ivan Watson in Georgia.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been talking up his economic proposals today and criticizing his GOP rival for opposing tax credits for entrepreneurs trying to develop renewable energy sources. Obama was speaking at an event in Reno, Nevada, as Willy Obright of member station KXJC reports.

Obama told 250 supporters that rival Senator John McCain's economic policies represent more of the same, and that his own plan is sound. "I've got news for John McCain. My plan's not gonna bring about economic disaster. We already have economic disaster from John McCain's President George W. Bush. " Before this appearance, Obama met with oil baron⁷ T. Boone Pickens to discuss strategies for developing alternative energy. Many Nevadans favor renewable energy because the state may host a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain near Las Vegas. For NPR News, I'm Willy Obright in Reno, Nevada.

Tropical Storm Fay is on a track that will take it into the Florida Keys by early Tuesday. Forecasters say Fay could be at hurricane strength by then. Tourists have been ordered to leave the Keys. Residents have been told to keep a close watch on the storm. Craig Fugate is Florida's emergency management director. "These storms don't have to be this deadly, if people will just use some commonsense⁸, stay inside and follow those local directions and those evacuation orders.” Fugate said shelters have been open/ to handle any evacuation from the Keys.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Constantina Tomescu, a 38-year-old mother from Romania, easily won the gold medal in the Olympic marathon in Beijing. But the real race was for the silver. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from Beijing.

Tomescu took the lead midway through the race and never gave it up. She won it about two hours and twenty-six minutes. That was twenty seconds ahead of the next finisher, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya. Ndereba was in second place on the final lap in the Bird's Nest, then China's Zhou Chunxiu pulled ahead, but Zhou made her move too soon. Ndereba passed Zhou later and held on to win silver by one one hundredth of a second. World record holder⁹ Paula Radcliffe had to stop toward the end of the race to stretch her calf¹⁰. Radcliffe who’s recovering from a stress fracture finished 23rd. She said it was better to be here than watching the race back home in England. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Beijing.

An earthen dam that had been weakened by heavy rains in Arizona last night gave way today near the Grand Canyon¹¹. That dam-break flooded a tribal¹² village as well as a number of campgrounds in the canyon. Sherry Collins is the county's emergency management director. "We're conducting, um, precautionary evacuations of the residents and campers in the campground. They are right now in Supai village area. " Collins says about 400 members of the Havasupai tribe were evacuated¹³, along with dozens of campers as well as some river runners. Helicopters from the National Guard, the National Park Service, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were used to airlift people out of the canyon. Most of the evacuees¹⁴ were taken to a Red Cross shelter.

1 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。

2 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

4 sabotaged   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. 供水主管道被叛乱分子蓄意破坏了。
• They had no competition because competitors found their trucks burned and sabotaged. 他们之所以没有竞争对象，那是因为竞争对象老是发现自己的卡车遭火烧或被破坏。 来自教父部分

5 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。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

8 commonsense   

adj.有常识的；明白事理的；注重实际的

参考例句：

• It is commonsense to carry an umbrella in this weather.这种天气带把伞是很自然的。
• These results are no more than a vindication of commonsense analysis.这些结果只不过是按常理分析得出的事实。

9 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

10 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

11 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

12 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

13 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。

14 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网