NPR 2009-02-18

President Barack Obama traveled to Denver today where he has signed into law the 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus¹ bill sent to him by Congress last week. The president called it a “balanced plan” which he said contains a mixture of tax cuts and investments and represents a new level of transparency and accountability. “With a recovery package of this size comes a responsibility to assure every tax payer that we are being careful with the money they work so hard to earn. And that’s why I’m assigning a team of managers to ensure that the precious dollars we’ve invested are being spent wisely and well." President promised to continue the effort to boost the economy including a plan to help people stay in their homes. Speaking on Air Force One on the way to Denver, the president’s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the White House isn’t ruling out another economic stimulus plan, however, he said there are currently no plans set in the works.

General Motors and Chrysler are due to submit their restructuring efforts to the US Treasury² today. Both companies are expected to say they’ll cut more jobs, close plants and reduce dealerships. Michigan Radio’s Tracy Samilton reports.

Both Chrysler and GM say people would stop buying their vehicles if they file for bankruptcy³. Auto⁴ industry analyst⁵ Eric Merkle says the companies may have to mention it as an option to show they are being realistic given the terrible tumble in auto sales. But he says bankruptcy could cost taxpayers⁶ much more than federal loans and it would be a huge mess if GM failed while in bankruptcy. “The government would be first in line for GM’s assets but I don’t know what the government would do with a, with a transmission plant miscellany." Congress told the automakers to get concessions⁷ from investors⁸ and the UAW, but negotiations⁹ have been difficult. Merkle thinks the companies will get a little more time to reach the deals if they needed. For NPR News, I’m Tracy Samilton in Ann Arbor¹⁰.

 Iraq’s Independent Election Commission says it has reviewed most complaints about last month’s elections for provincial¹¹ council and that none would affect the results. Commission says it will release the final vote tallies¹² on Thursday. NPR’s Corey Flintoff reports from Baghdad.The election was held to choose members of Iraqi provincial councils which are roughly equivalent to state legislatures in the United States. But it was widely seen as a forecast of what may happen when Iraq calls national elections later this year. The vote was largely peaceful and election officials said today that it was also free from major fraud. The head of the election commission said officials decided¹³ to throw out about 60 of the more than 40,000 boxes of ballots¹⁴, but that was because of a failure to follow election procedures rather than deliberate fraud. Some political groups especially in Iraq’s western Anbar province have charged that there was extensive vote rigging in their area and threatened not to accept the results. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Baghdad.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 297 points today. The NASDAQ lost 63 points.

This is NPR.

President Obama signed off on additional troops for Afghanistan today. The president has agreed to send one additional army brigade as well as more marines to the region. One official said that translates to around 12,000 additional combat troops. The announcement is part of the initial installment¹⁵ of what is expected to be a larger influx¹⁶ of US forces to the region. Officials say the plan will put more US troops on the ground ahead of warmer weather that often brings increased fighting in Afghanistan.

The founder¹⁷ of Laura Ashley fashion and home furnishings has died.  As Larry Miller¹⁸ reports from London, he was credited with building the brand into a global business.

Sir Bernard Ashley took his wife Laura’s flair¹⁹ for design and sold it. After a trip to Italy in 1953, she designed some headscarves with a small investment in a screen, dyes and linens²⁰. The business grew from there. Bernard Ashley once said they were two suburban²¹ kids who wanted the whole world. In retail²² terms they achieve their goal. By the time his wife Laura died in 1985 they had 200 stores in 12 countries. Five years later, the group had its first loss. Expansion into the US was difficult due to changing fashions and management clashes. A former chairman of the business said Bernard had the drive, Laura had better judgment²³. The Laura Ashley brand was sold to a Malaysian company in 1998. Bernard Ashley was 82 when he died at his home in Wales. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London.

Satellite radio company Sirius XM has been saved from bankruptcy. That’s after Denver-based Liberty Media agreed to lend Sirius 530 million dollars in exchange for a 40% equity²⁴ stake in the company. Liberty Media is controlled by cable mogul John Malone and sees few direct synergies for possible marketing²⁵ possibilities.

1 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。

2 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

3 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。

4 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。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 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

9 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。

10 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

11 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

12 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

16 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

17 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

18 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

19 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

20 linens   

n.亚麻布( linen的名词复数 )；家庭日用织品

参考例句：

• All linens and towels are provided. 提供全套日用织品和毛巾。 来自辞典例句
• Linen, Table Linens, Chair Covers, Bed and Bath Linens. Linen. 采购产品亚麻布，亚麻布，椅子套子，床和沭浴亚麻布。 来自互联网

21 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

22 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。

23 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

24 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

25 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。