NPR 2009-11-17

General Motors says it's ready to begin repaying its federal loans years before they're due. The automaker reported that it lost nearly 1.2 billion dollars in the third quarter after emerging from bankruptcy¹ protection in July. But GM’s Chief Executive Fritz Henderson says that loss represents an improvement.

 

Certainly much lower than what has been, uh, although it’s not necessarily comparable and certainly better than our plan going into bankruptcy. But nonetheless, it's a loss, and you can not be satisfied with it.

 

Henderson says he’s intent on proving wrong a Government Accountability Office report that said GM was unlikely ever to repay all of its government loans.

 

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke says he expects the US economy to keep growing in the New Year.

 

However, some important headwinds, such as constrained² bank lending and a weak job market, likely will prevent the expansion from being as robust³ as we would hope.

 

Bernanke's speaking at the Economic Club of New York. He said FED policy makers⁴ are likely to keep interest rates at low levels in the coming months.

 

The global economy is expected to be one of the topics discussed when President Obama confers with China's President Hu Jintao tomorrow in Beijing. The two leaders met informally over dinner this evening.

 

Inspectors⁵ from the UN's nuclear watchdog agency are raising new questions about whether Iran has any more secret nuclear facilities. NPR's Mike Shuster reports the inspectors have made their first visit to Iran's recently disclosed nuclear site.

 

The facility is located at a military base at Fordo, about 12 miles north of Qom. Its existence was secret until late September. Iranian officials told the IAEA they decided⁶ to build the facility in 2007 when there was much talk of a US or Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites. But the IAEA says it has satellite photos that show construction at the site began in 2002. Currently there are no gas centrifuges installed at the Fordo facility. Iran uses the centrifuges to enrich uranium. There is also no nuclear material at the site. The IAEA has asked Iran to provide a letter stating there are no other secret nuclear sites in the country. Mike Shuster, NPR News.

 

The space shuttle Atlantis is safely in orbit after a launch from the Kennedy Space Center today. From member station WMFE, Judith Smelser has more.

 

There were concerns earlier in the day about low clouds at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. But the launch time weather cooperated longer enough for a picture-perfect liftoff.

 

One, zero, and lift off...

 

Atlantis is carrying more than 27,000 pounds of spare parts to the space station. The equipment will be stored on big platforms outside the orbiting lab for use after the space shuttles are retired⁷. The shuttle is the only existing spacecraft capable of carrying up the heavy equipment. Atlantis will also be bringing astronaut Nicole Stott back to earth. She's been on the Space Station since August. For NPR News, I'm Judith Smelser, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

Just before the close on Wall Street the Dow was up 133 points.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Insurgents⁸ in Afghanistan fired rockets into a crowded market area northeast of Kabul today. The attack killed 12 Afghan civilians⁹ and wounded dozens of others, but missed its presumed target-a meeting between France's top general in that country and dozens of local officials and tribal¹⁰ elders.

 

A new report from the Agriculture Department finds that a record number of Americans had trouble providing enough food for their families last year. NPR's Pam Fessler has details.

 

Almost 15% of US households faced food shortages at some point during the past year. That's up from 11% in 2007, and the highest level since 1995 when the government first began to measure the level of food security. About 2/3 of the affected¹¹ families were able to make up some of the shortfall with Food Stamps and other government programs, as well as with the emergency aid from Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens. But some 17 million Americans did not have enough food last year for active healthy lives according to the Department, and more than a million of those were children. Agriculture officials say rising unemployment was one of the main reasons for the increasing hunger last year. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.

 

This year's Rookies of the Year in Major League Baseball are Florida Marlins' left fielder Chris Coghlan in the National League. He edged out Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher¹² J.A. Happ. The American League honors go to Oakland A's closer Andrew Bailey.

 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pledging to veto a bill set for enactment¹³ by the City Council that would give drivers a five-minute grace period when time expires at thousands of electronic parking meters. Bloomberg said that measure would create chaos¹⁴ in the city.

 

I’m Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

2 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

3 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 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。

8 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

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

13 enactment   

n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过

参考例句：

• Enactment refers to action.演出指行为的表演。
• We support the call for the enactment of a Bill of Rights.我们支持要求通过《权利法案》的呼声。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。