NPR 2008-08-30

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is John McCain's choice for vice¹ president. McCain introduced his running mate to a crowd of Republican supporters in the battleground state of Ohio. NPR's David Schaper has more from Dayton, Ohio.

The 44-year-old first term governor says she's just average hockey mom, going from the PTA in the City Council, then elected mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska. Sarah Palin is a steadfast² opponent of abortion³ and a strong supporter of gun owners' rights who rose quickly through Alaska politics to the governor's office with a reputation as a reformer. And in her first speech as John McCain's running mate here in Dayton, she emphasized those reform credentials⁴. "I told Congress 'thanks, but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere. " Palin also made an appeal to Democrats⁵ who supported Hillary Clinton saying while they may have made 18 million cracks in America's glass ceiling, with her, women can shatter it once and for all. David Schaper, NPR News in Dayton Ohio.

Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on the Cayman Islands after churning for almost a day over Jamaica. Gustav is forecast to hit the Gulf⁶ coast of the US as a major hurricane early next week. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Mexico City.

Gustav has veered⁷ slightly to the east and is now on track to pound Cuba over the weekend. Hurricane warnings are in effect for the Cayman Islands and the western tip of Cuba. So far Gustav has killed dozens in its journey across the Caribbean and the storm is expected to grow even stronger once it enters the Gulf of Mexico. Petroleum⁸ companies are evacuating⁹ staff from offshore¹⁰ oil and natural gas rigs in preparation for what could be the worst storm season since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The Gulf of Mexico provides almost a quarter of US crude production and the threat of Gustav has pushed oil futures¹¹ higher. Forecaster has warned that it's still too early to predict where Gustav will make landfall on the US gulf coast. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Leadership of Boeing's biggest union is recommending its members reject what the airplane builder's called its last best contract offer. The leadership of the 27, 000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace¹² Workers says the offer from Boeing which called for 11% pay raise over three years and a 3% cost of living adjustment isn't good enough. The Union leadership has also authorized¹³ a possible strike. Boeing spokesperson said the company was extremely disappointed by the Union's response.

The average American worker may have noticed their wallets were a little lighter¹⁴ last month, and that also seems to show up in terms of consumer spending. The Commerce Department says incomes fell by the largest amount in nearly three years in July, down 0. 7%. Consumer spending was up but just barely 0. 2%. The numbers would seem to indicate that much of the effect from those one-time government stimulus¹⁵ payments has now receded¹⁶.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 171 points ending the session at 11, 543. For the week, the Dow was down 0. 7%. The S&P 500 fell 17 points. This is NPR News.

The former Soviet¹⁷ Republic of Georgia announced today it is cutting diplomatic ties with Russia to protest the Russian occupation of two breakaway provinces. Georgia said today it will withdraw its remaining diplomats¹⁸ from Moscow tomorrow. The move follows a unanimous vote by Georgia's parliament yesterday to sever¹⁹ ties with Russia. Russia for its part says it will have to close its embassy in Georgia if diplomatic ties are ended. Two sides have been in a tense standoff since a brief war erupted between them after Georgian forces moved into the two restive²⁰ provinces and Russia responded with a massive show of force, moving its troops into Georgia.

The recall of 857, 000 vehicles includes more than a dozen different GM nameplates including the Buick Luceme, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Yukon. The affected²¹ models are from the 2007 and 2008 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the recalled vehicles are equipped with a heated windshield wiper system. The federal agency says a short circuit in the system can cause it to overheat. The problem could create smoke, cause other electric systems to fail and increase the risk of fire. In a separate action, GM is recalling 80, 000 GMC Acadia and Saturn²² Outlook SUVs in 28 states because snow or ice could cause the wiper to detach from its motor. Dealers²³ will make repairs at no cost to consumers. For NPR News, I'm Jerome Vaughn in Detroit.

Memorial service will be held tomorrow for Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress died last week at the age of 58 after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured²⁴ aneurysm. Among those scheduled to attend, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

3 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

4 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 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？

10 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

11 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。

12 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

13 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

14 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

15 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

16 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

17 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。

18 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

20 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

21 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。

22 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

23 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

24 ruptured   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了，预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句