NPR 2009-01-14

Hillary Clinton got a warm reception from Senate colleagues today during her confirmation¹ hearing as Secretary of State. She fielded a number of questions but only a few had to do with potential conflicts of interests with her husband, former President Bill Clinton. NPR’s Corey Flintoff reports.

The questions Clinton answered included the conflict in Gaza, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the threat of nuclear proliferation. Clinton said the gravest threat facing America is the danger that weapons of mass destruction will fall into the hands of terrorists. “We must curb² the spread and use of these weapons -- nuclear, biological, chemical or cyber, and prevent the development and use of dangerous new weapons.” Several senators refer to an agreement outlining steps designed to minimize conflicts of interest with the charitable foundation of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, saying the foundation must disclose foreign contributions and allow them to be reviewed by a State Department ethics³ panel. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Washington.

More negotiations⁴ aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza today, even as Israeli forces continued their assault. The death toll⁵ in an 18-day-old conflict has risen to nearly a thousand Palestinians and more than a dozen Israelis. More explosions and heavy weapons fire were heard in Gaza City today after Israeli tanks moved closer to the densely⁶ populated downtown area. Meanwhile in Cairo, Hamas delegation⁷ resumed talks with Egypt on a proposed ceasefire. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have both called for an immediate⁸ ceasefire in Gaza. Israel says its defense⁹ minister will head to Egypt for talks later this week.

Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke said today the fiscal¹⁰ stimulus¹¹ package being considered by Congress and the incoming Obama administration could give a significant boost to economic activity, but he said that alone may not be enough to promote a lasting¹² recovery. NPR’s John Ydstie reports.

In a speech in London, Bernanke said that to get a full recovery, a stimulus package must be accompanied by additional measures to stabilize¹³ the financial system. “History demonstrates conclusively¹⁴ that a modern economy cannot grow if its financial system is not operating effectively.” Bernanke said stabilizing¹⁵ the financial system might require more capital injections into banks. Something the Bush administration has already done to the tune¹⁶ of 250 billion dollars. So far that hasn’t made the banks more attractive to private investors¹⁷. Bernanke argued that’s because banks still have toxic¹⁸ assets on their books including those related to troubled mortgages. He suggested reviving the original purpose of the TARP financial rescue plan which called for the government to help banks remove the troubled assets. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

The nation’s trade deficit¹⁹ fell to its lowest level in some five years in November. The government says the trade gap in November narrowed to 40.4 billion dollars.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 25 points to close at 8,448. The NASDAQ gained 7 points today.

This is NPR.

Authorities say the search continues today for an Indiana man who apparently²⁰ tried to fake his own death in a plane crash. Investigators²¹ say they believe 38-year-old Marcus Schrenker intentionally²² bailed²³ out of his small plane over Alabama after putting it on autopilot. The plane later crashed in Florida. Investigators say they determined²⁴ Schrenker had a motorcycle in a storage facility in Alabama which they say is now gone. Authorities believe Schrenker tried to fake his own death because of problems related to his financial management business. No one on the ground was injured when the small plane crashed after running out of fuel.

New study raises concerns about the safety of Vicks VapoRub, a menthol and eucalyptus²⁵ salve often used to help children with stuffy²⁶ nose, noses. NPR’s Patti Neighmond reports on the study.

Doctors at Wake Forest University Medical Center didn’t understand why an 18-month-old baby girl brought to the ER was having breathing problems. She had a common cold and this severe reaction didn’t make sense. The child got better on her own quickly. But after grandparents told doctors they applied²⁷ Vicks under the child’s nose, doctors decided²⁸ to investigate. They tested the product on ferrets who have airways²⁹ similar to humans. They found when ferrets were exposed to the VapoRub, they actually produced more mucus and their nostrils³⁰ became inflamed³¹. Researchers say parents should follow the product label, which says Vicks should not be used on children under two and should only be rubbed on the chest or throat of older children. Patti Neighmond, NPR News.

Crude Oil Futures³² ended the day higher today. The near-month contract for benchmark grade crude was up 19 cents a barrel, ending the session at $37.78 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

3 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 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。

10 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

11 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。

12 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

13 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

14 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

16 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

17 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

18 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

19 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

20 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

21 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

23 bailed   

保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Fortunately the pilot bailed out before the plane crashed. 飞机坠毁之前，驾驶员幸运地跳伞了。
• Some water had been shipped and the cook bailed it out. 船里进了些水，厨师把水舀了出去。

24 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

25 eucalyptus   

n.桉树，桉属植物

参考例句：

• Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains.桉树油可以很好地缓解肌肉的疼痛。
• The birds rustled in the eucalyptus trees.鸟在桉树弄出沙沙的响声。

26 stuffy   

adj.不透气的，闷热的

参考例句：

• It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。
• It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。

27 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

28 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

29 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

30 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

31 inflamed   

adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His comments have inflamed teachers all over the country. 他的评论激怒了全国教师。
• Her joints are severely inflamed. 她的关节严重发炎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 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。