NPR 2009-11-10

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Craig Windham.

 

The suspected gunman in the deadly shooting attack at Fort Hood¹, Texas is alert and talking to medical personnel at the hospital where he is being treated. Investigators² from the Army and the FBI have been waiting to question him. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston has more.

 

Major Nidal Malik Hasan is the only suspect in last week’s shooting spree. He’s at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas, recovering from gunshot wounds. He was shot in the torso four times by civilian³ police trying to end the rampage. Investigators are still searching for a motive⁴ and have been hoping to interview Major Hasan to understand why he allegedly shot fellow soldiers. The FBI has been focused on trying to figure out if Hasan acted with others. Investigators think he acted alone. What is unclear is why. There are two competing theories. The first is that the attack was related to some sort of Muslim extremism on Hasan’s part. The second is that he buckled⁵ under pressure ahead of his impending⁶ deployment⁷. Talking to him could clear all that up. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

 

The Supreme⁸ Court heard arguments today on the issue of whether sentencing a juvenile⁹ to life in prison without possibility of parole for crimes less serious than homicide amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. The arguments came in appeals on behalf of two Florida men, including Joe Sullivan who was convicted of raping¹⁰ an elderly woman when he was 13. Bryan Stevenson is Sullivan’s attorney.

 

To say to any child of 13, and that you are only fit to die in prison is cruel. And we believe that the constitution prohibits that kind of punishment.

 

But Florida Solicitor¹¹ General Scott Makar says the life without parole sentence is used sparingly.

 

We'd like to think that it is only used rarely, in those cases that are justified¹² for public safety purposes where we have serious violent offenders¹³.

 

Four years ago, the Supreme Court barred the execution of people who were younger than 18 when they committed their crimes.

 

Three young American hikers who were arrested in Iran this summer after straying across the country’s border with Iraq have now reportedly been charged with espionage¹⁴. NPR’s Mike Shuster has the story.

 

According to an official Iranian news agency, Tehran’s chief prosecutor¹⁵ says the three have been accused of espionage. But the prosecutor’s also quoted as saying the investigation¹⁶ of their case is continuing and an opinion will be given in the not-too-distant future. But it’s not yet certain whether formal charges of espionage have actually been issued against them. The three Americans say they were hiking in the region on the Kurdistan side of the border and strayed across inadvertently. The Obama administration has asked Iran for a speedy resolution of their case. In Berlin, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said we believe strongly there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever¹⁷. Mike Shuster, NPR News.

 

It’s been a big day on the Wall Street, just before the closing bell, the Dow Industrials are up 195 points at 10,218. The NASDAQ has gained 39. The S&P 500 is up 23.

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

The Vatican is reaffirming that a recent overture¹⁸ to married Anglican priests should not be seen as an indication that the Roman Catholic Church might soon lift its celibacy¹⁹ requirement for catholic priests. NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli has the story from Rome.

 

Anglicans who were opposed to their church’s embrace of openly gay priests, women priests and the blessing²⁰ of same sex unions will be allowed to join new parishes called Personal Ordinariates, headed by former Anglican priests. The Vatican had said that married Anglican priests will be allowed to remain in the priesthood on a case-by-case basis as they join the Catholic Church. That announcement had led to speculation²¹ on whether the Roman Catholic ban on married priests might be lifted. Today’s document dashed any such hopes. It says the possibility envisioned for some married clergy²² within the Personal Ordinariates does not signify any change in the church’s discipline on clerical celibacy. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

The sound of celebration today at a bridge in Berlin over which East Berliners crossed 20 years ago at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Speaking at the event, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, nations such as Germany must honor their past while facing the future.

 

Our minds are focused on the challenges we face and our hearts are beating faster at the possibility that we will be able to meet the challenges of today as those who came before us met theirs.

 

Clinton said that while the Berlin Wall is history, other walls still exist and must be overcome.

 

I’m Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

 

1 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

2 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》

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

5 buckled   

a. 有带扣的

参考例句：

• She buckled her belt. 她扣上了腰带。
• The accident buckled the wheel of my bicycle. 我自行车的轮子在事故中弄弯了。

6 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

7 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

8 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。

9 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

10 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 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。

13 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

14 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

15 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

16 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。

17 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

18 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

19 celibacy   

n.独身(主义)

参考例句：

• People in some religious orders take a vow of celibacy. 有些宗教修会的人发誓不结婚。
• The concept of celibacy carries connotations of asceticism and religious fervor. 修道者的独身观念含有禁欲与宗教热情之意。

20 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

21 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

22 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。