NPR 2008-08-22

Russia has stopped military cooperation with NATO in response to NATO's decision earlier this week to freeze consultations¹ with Russia. The standoff comes because of Russia's refusal to pull its troops out of Georgia. NPR's Mike Shuster reports from Brussels.

RIA, the Russian news agency quoted Moscow's Ambassador to NATO Dimitri Rogozin as saying the Russian Defense² Ministry³ has frozen military cooperation with the alliance. How long this freeze will last and what precisely⁴ it will mean is not yet clear. But the action was confirmed by NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero who said NATO had heard from the Russian defense ministry that it had halted military cooperation with the Brussels-based alliance. Earlier this week, NATO took similar action, declaring there would be no business as usual with Russia as long as Russian troops remained in Georgia. NATO and Russia have cooperated in various ways for many years including some joint⁵ exercises. Perhaps most important, this year Russia agreed to let NATO use its territory to transport some supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan. Neither side could say whether this would be affected⁶ by the mutual⁷ freeze. Mike Shuster, NPR News, Brussels.

There are continued mixed reports out of the former Soviet⁸ Republic of Georgia today where some observers report seeing Russian tanks rolling through the Georgian countryside towards home even as Russian troops were digging trenches⁹ and building fortifications in key areas of Georgia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that forces will pull back from Georgia tomorrow. The cease-fire agreement calls for Russian and Georgian forces to both pull back into respective positions held before fighting erupted there two weeks ago.

Torrential rains continue to fall in central Florida as barely-moving Tropical Storm Fay torments¹⁰ the state again today, flooding thousands of residents out of their homes. From member station WLRN in Miami, Phil Latzman reports.

Fay is still spinning just off Florida's northeast coast near Daytona Beach with tropical storm force winds. Its motion is nearly stationary¹¹, meaning it will continue dumping buckets of rain on already waterlogged areas that could see more than two feet of precipitation. Police and National Guard troops have been busy evacuating¹² residents from flooded areas in hard-hit Brevard County. At an EOC briefing this morning, Florida Governor Charlie Crist urged residents not to panic. "Floridians should continue to monitor local news for information pertinent¹³ to their geographic¹⁴ location. They should stay calm, stay smart and make sure that they stay safe. " Although Fay has stalled, forecasters do expect it to come ashore¹⁵ in Florida for a third time in a week, then cross over the peninsula, drenching¹⁶ the northern part of the state through the weekend. For NPR news, I'm Phil Latzman in Miami.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and central bankers are gathered this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for their annual symposium¹⁷. But most analysts¹⁸ are expecting few details about future possible Fed actions. Bernanke is scheduled to speak tomorrow morning at the conference.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 12 points today closing at 11,430. The NASDAQ lost eight points.

This is NPR.

It turns out there may have been something to all that talk about speculators influencing the oil market after all. According to a published report today, a single energy conglomerate¹⁹, at one point last month, held more than 10% of all futures²⁰ contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Washington Post reports that when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission examined the books of a private Swiss energy conglomerate, it found the firm held 11 percent of all the oil contracts on the Exchange. CFTC says it found more than 80 percent of oil contracts on the NYMEX were held by financial firms speculating either for themselves or clients.

Nearly a decade after US health officials declared measles²¹ officially eliminated in the US, cases now are on the rise. NPR's Patti Neighmond reports.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 131 new measles cases so far this year. That's already more than three times the number of cases reported for all of last year. In some cases, children were too young to be vaccinated²². But in half the cases, children were not vaccinated because of parents' religious beliefs. Many were home schooled and so not subject to vaccination²³ rules that apply to public schools. Fifteen patients were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Before the measles vaccination was available, millions of people got infected every year. Thousands were hospitalized and hundreds died. Health officials say they are working to educate parents about the safety of the vaccine²⁴ and the lack of evidence of dangerous side effects. Patti Neighmond, NPR News.

Big jump in oil prices today, the near month contract for benchmark grade crude was up $5.62 a barrel to end the session at $121.18 a barrel.

1 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 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。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 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。

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

10 torments   

（肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人]

参考例句：

• He released me from my torments. 他解除了我的痛苦。
• He suffered torments from his aching teeth. 他牙痛得难受。

11 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

12 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

13 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

14 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 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。

16 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

17 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

18 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。

19 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

20 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。

21 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

22 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

23 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

24 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。