NPR 2009-01-06

President-elect Barack Obama says the US economy is "bad and getting worse". The President-elect made his remarks today during a visit to Capitol Hill for a meeting with House and Senate leaders to talk about an economic stimulus¹ plan. For a meeting today with Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid, Mr. Obama said in order to break the momentum³ of the recession, it's important to act now. He has called for a bipartisan cooperation on an approval over the economic stimulus package that is expected to include around 300 billion dollars in middle class tax cuts.

For the first time, a woman has been named to be the government's top advocate in the Supreme⁴ Court. President-elect Obama today named Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan to be Solicitor⁵ General of the US. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

Kagan is unlike recent Solicitor General in that she is not an experienced Supreme Court advocate, rather she fits the model of an earlier era - when highly regarded scholars fill the post, men like Robert Bork and Archibald Cox. As dean of Harvard Law School, Kagan has won widespread praise for bringing consensus⁶ to a warring faculty⁷ and for stellar fundraising. Prior to that, she taught at the University of Chicago at the same time Barack Obama did. During the Clinton administration, she served as associate White House counsel and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. In 1999, President Clinton nominated her for a judgeship on the US Court of Appeals here in Washington. But for a year and a half, Republicans refused to act on that nomination⁸. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

President-elect Obama has picked former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency; the choice of Panetta to head the CIA is among the last major nominations⁹ for the incoming administration which takes over the White House January 20th. Panetta is a somewhat unexpected pick given a lack of intelligence background. Democratic officials say Mr. Obama has chosen retired¹⁰ Admiral Dennis Blair to be his new national intelligence director.

Economic outlook continues to weaken: construction spending is down and US automakers're reporting a big decline in sales. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

Ford¹¹, GM and Toyota all saw sales drop by more than 30% in December compared to the year before. Chrysler sales plunged¹² by more than 50%. Meanwhile, construction spending edged lower as the trouble in the housing market keeps home building at very low levels. Layoffs¹³ have been rising as well. President-elect Barack Obama: "We've got an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us. We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week. " Mr. Obama is in Washington meeting with his economic team and lawmakers. They are working on an economic stimulus package. As expected, it will include upwards¹⁴ of 700 billion dollars worth of tax cuts and spending on things like infrastructure¹⁵. The huge tax cuts for both individuals and businesses could help the plan quickly win bipartisan support. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 81 points today. The NASDAQ lost four points. The S&P 500 also dropped four points today.

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US is joining a host of other nations that are calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East. That call comes as Israel continues its tenth day of assaults on Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas militants¹⁶ have continued to target Israel with rockets including one that struck an empty kindergarten. Israel has effectively cut Gaza in half after seizing the main highway. After moving into Gaza over the weekend, Israeli troops are dug in on the edge of Gaza city. President-elect Barack Obama said today he has been receiving daily briefings on situation in the Middle East, but he's offered little comments saying there can not be two voices coming from the US at the same time. Earlier today President Bush said the Jewish state is justified¹⁷ in protecting itself against Hamas militants.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has admitted that health problems will keep him from giving the keynote address at this year's MacWorld trade show which opens tomorrow. Elaine Korry  has more from San Francisco.

In a letter to employees, Jobs said that from now until late spring, he will undergo treatment for what he called a "Hormone¹⁸ Imbalance". He said blood test had confirmed that a nutritional¹⁹ problem was denying his body the proteins needed for good health. Over the past year, the Apple cofounder has suffered substantial weight loss. His gaunt appearance is leading to widespread rumors²⁰ about his health. Jobs said he will continue as Apple CEO while he recuperates²¹. The high-profile MacWorld conference begins Tuesday in San Francisco. Apple shocked the tech community last month when it announced that for the first time Jobs would not be giving the keynote address. At that time the company insisted health concerns were not a factor in that decision. For NPR News, I'm Elaine Korry in San Francisco.

Crude oil futures²² rose $2. 47 a barrel, ending the session at $48. 81 a barrel in New York.

1 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。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

8 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

9 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

12 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

13 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

15 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

16 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

17 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

18 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

19 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

20 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 recuperates   

v.恢复（健康、体力等），复原( recuperate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This is the season in which Nature recuperates. 这是大自然休眠的季节。 来自辞典例句
• Until last year, she tried to use medicine recuperates symptoms, only better. 直到去年，她尝试着用中医调理，症状才有所好转。 来自互联网

22 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。