NPR 2009-10-15

Better-than-expected earnings¹ reports from a couple of key sector² companies help to send the most closely-watched stock market index above 10, 000 for the first time in more than a year. The upbeat assessment's pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a yearly record high close. Sam Stovall is an economist³ of Standard & Poor's.

Closing above 10, 000 is a very good thing, certainly from an investor⁴ optimism standpoint. It was a year ago that we were last at around this level on the Dow and also was about ten years ago that the Dow first broke above this level, so certainly revisiting an old friend ten years later is not such a bad thing.

JP Morgan Chase, the nation's second biggest bank, says its third quarter profits rose to 3.6 billion dollars. Its earnings from its investment business offset⁵ losses from its credit card operations. Computer chip maker⁶ Intel also came out with a fairly optimistic earnings forecast.

On Wall Street, the Dow closed up 144 points today to end the session at 10, 015. The NASDAQ gained 32 points. The S&P 500 rose 18 points today.

Commerce Department says slumping⁷ auto⁸ sales in the wake of Cash for Clunkers helped push down retail⁹ sales last month in the US. NPR’s Scott Newman reports.

Analysts¹⁰ say it's no surprise that the brisk business at car lots across the country has settled down, now that hefty government incentives¹¹ are gone. That was the main force driving down retail sales by 1.5% after the 2.2% rise they experienced in August when Cash for Clunkers was in full swing. Still the September data was better than economists¹² had expected. Many analysts believe the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is growing by about 3% in the second half of the year. But unemployment and household debt continue to be a drag on consumer spending, which is key to any recovery. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington.

Federal Grand Jury has indicted¹³ a Twin Cities man who may be linked to the disappearance¹⁴ of some two dozen young Somalis from the Minneapolis area. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports.

A St. Paul Grand Jury formally indicted 26-year-old Abdow Abdow this morning. His arrest is the latest in a broad investigation¹⁵ into the recruitment of a roster¹⁶ of young Somali Americans for an Islamic militia¹⁷ called Al- Shabaab. Al-Shabaab has been waging a civil war against the transitional government in Somalia. It's on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations, and it's thought to have links to Al-Qaeda. Abdow has been indicted on two counts of making false statements to federal agents, never related to a cross-country drive he made earlier this month. Abdow also denied paying for the rental¹⁸ car he took to make the drive. The FBI says he used his debit¹⁹ card. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Investment banker Bruce Wasserstein who helped pioneer the hostile takeover in the 1980s has reportedly died today. Wasserstein was 61 years old. The cause of his death was not determined²⁰.

This is NPR.

Russia’s Prime Minister today criticized the idea of possible sanctions against Iran for that country’s disputed nuclear program. Speaking in China just a day after a Moscow visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that threatening such sanctions is “counterproductive” despite US hopes that Russia might be willing to put forth²¹ a united front with the US in terms of sending a message to Iran that has not happened. US and a number of western nations have maintained Russia's nuclear program is aimed at developing weapons. Iran claims the program is for peaceful purposes.

The rate of abortions²² around the world is declining. That's according to the Reproduction Rights Organization, the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Between 1995 and 2003, the number of abortions fell from a little more than 46 million to 42 million. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.

Most of the decline in abortions occurred in Eastern Europe where the rate was more than halved²³. Researchers say it was correlated with an increase in the use of contraceptives. Birth control became more available to women there when that part of the world opened to the West. And the decline continues a trend from the previous decade and all regions of the world. The decline is steepest where abortions are legal. Countries across the globe have eased restrictions²⁴ on abortions, among them Ethiopia, Mali, Swaziland in Africa, and Nepal, Thailand and Iran, as well as Switzerland in Europe, and Africa and other parts of the world where contraception has lagged. The report found that abortions are also often restrictive and unsafe. It's estimated that as many as 70, 000 women still die from abortions each year. Brenda Wilson, NPR News.

Once again the Dow closed above 10, 000 today.

I'm Jack²⁵ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

5 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 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。

11 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

14 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

15 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

16 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

17 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

18 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

19 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

20 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。

21 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

22 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

23 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

25 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。