NPR 2009-10-11

Pakistan's military is struggling to defuse a hostage standoff at the country's army headquarters which was attacked today by insurgents¹ wearing military fatigues². At least six military personnel were killed, and gunmen are now holding up to 15 people captive. From Lahore, NPR's Julie McCarthy has the latest.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas estimated that between four and five militants³ are holding the hostages. He says security forces have surrounded the building where the surviving attackers are holed up. The dramatic events in Rawalpindi 20 minutes outside the capital Islamabad unfolding when gunmen driving a white van and dressed in army uniforms fired their way through a checkpoint leading to one of the main gates of the headquarters. The symbol of Pakistan's military might under siege in broad daylight has alarmed the country. The Pakistani Taliban has taken responsibility for the attack. It's third such high profile assault in less than a week on three different cities. Analysts⁴ say any suggestion that the militants have been mortally wounded by the death of their leader at the hands of a US drone missile in August is mistaken. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Lahore.

US troops are helping⁵ with relief operations in the Philippines where back to back major storms have triggered widespread flooding and deadly landslides⁶ that have covered entire villages. Doualy Xaykaothao has more.

Tropical storms Ketsana and Parma triggered floods and landslides that have killed hundreds of people in less than two weeks. In the rain-soaked provinces, north of Manila, roads and highways remain impassible. US military choppers have been flying over flooded areas assisting with rescue and relief operations. The Philippine president has mobilized soldiers and cadets from a local military academy to clear muddied roads, many blocked by debris⁷. Although in some places water was receding⁸, much of the rice grown in Pangasinan province was still flooded by water released from dams. Philippine officials say they hope to find more survivors⁹ this weekend. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao.

President Obama is pointing to what he sees as a disconnect in the health care debate. On the one hand, he says there's an unprecedented¹⁰ consensus¹¹ away from Capitol Hill even among some former GOP lawmakers for overhauling¹² the nation's health care system. But in his weekly address, Mr. Obama said it's a different story for current Republican members of Congress. "Still, there are some in Washington today who seem determined¹³ to play the same old partisan¹⁴ politics, working to score political points, even if it means burdening this country with an unsustainable status quo." But Republican Senator George LeMieux of Florida had a different take on the health care legislation that is now before Congress. "The solution should not be worse than the problem we are trying to solve." LeMieux was giving the GOP's weekly radio and internet address today. He said any solution to the nation's health care problems should not be rushed.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Turkey and Armenia have signed a peace accord to restore diplomatic ties and open the border they share after a century of hostile relations. Signing ceremony in Zurich was delayed for several hours though while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton helped the two sides work out some last-minute disagreements.

The world's major airlines have agreed to set tougher new fuel efficiency and emission¹⁵ standards. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the new standards go even further than levels required by international regulation.

At a meeting in Montreal with the International Air Transport Association or IATA's headquarters, the airlines agreed to the new standards. IATA represents 230 airlines. It says air carriers, airports and aerospace¹⁶ companies have pledged to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% a year between now and 2020. They also agreed to setting a goal of carbon neutral growth within the same period and to a 50% net reduction of carbon emissions¹⁷ in 2050 compared to 2005 levels. IATA's director general says that the airlines have set even more ambitious targets than governments for the long term. He says no other industry has been able to achieve what we've done, adding the airline industry is on the high ground and it's now up to governments to catch up. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

Firefighters in southern California have capitalized on cooler temperatures and have now gotten the wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains nearly fully¹⁸ contained. That blaze has charred¹⁹ more than 11 square miles.

A mix of snow rain and ice has hit the Rocky mountain region today. Parts of the Denver area got about two inches of snow which caused hundreds of fender-benders. The unseasonable weather also forced postponement²⁰ of tonight's Major League Baseball playoff game in Denver between the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 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。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

7 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

8 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；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：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

11 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？

12 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

15 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

16 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。

17 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

18 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

19 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。