NPR 2009-04-13

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

The American cargo¹ ship captain who was held hostage for days by Somali pirates has been rescued and is said to be in good health. A top navy official says the commander in charge ordered snipers to attack the pirates when at least one of the pirates was seen aiming an AK47 rifle at the captain. More from NPR's Dina Temple-Raston

President Barack Obama had given the navy permission to move in if they felt Philips was in imminent² danger. Navy snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge saw an opportunity to take up the pirates and took advantage of it. Briefing reporters, Vice³ Admiral William Gortney said the intent had been to let the negotiations⁴ work toward a non-violent end, but it became clear that Philips's life was hanging in the balance. The navy declined to provide specifics aside from saying they thought the pirates were about to shoot Philips. The navy sharpshooters who were about 100 feet away were able to get a clear shot at the three pirates on the lifeboat and took them out. A fourth pirate was on board the Bainbridge, negotiating Philips's release. He's now in custody⁵. The justice department will decide whether to prosecute⁶ him in the US. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

The commander of US troops in Iraq says the United States plans to abide⁷ by the Iraqi prime minister's decisions regarding US troop withdrawals⁸ in the coming months. NPR's Paul Brown has more.

All US combat troops are supposed to be out of major Iraqi cities by June 30th of this year and US troops are to cease conducting combat missions in Iraq by September of next year. Recently violence has been increasing in Iraq after a downturn, prompting questions about whether US troops can change missions and pull out on schedule. General Raymond Odierno told CNN's "State of the Union" that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki still has the final say.

If we believe that we'll need troops to maintain presence in some of the cities, we will recommend that. But ultimately it will be the decision of Prime Minister Al-Maliki.

Asked specifically whether President Obama's goal to have all US troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011 can be met, Odierno said he thinks it can. Paul Brown,NPR News,Washington.

Easter Sunday Service is at St.Patrick's Cathedral in New York. It was the last Easter Mass to be celebrated⁹ by Cardinal¹⁰ Edward Egan before he steps down later this week as head of the city's Roman Catholic Archdiocese. In his message, Egan said a recent ailment¹¹ has made him more aware than ever that life is fleeting¹² and that in his words, “we are here for a moment in eternity¹³.” He added that Easter is all about hope and message that Egan says is more relevant than ever in a time of financial turmoil¹⁴. “My prayer for all of us is that we listen to the message Easter that we become enthralled¹⁵ by it and that we hold onto it as tightly as we can.” Egan will be succeeded by Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

This is NPR.

Rainy weather is hindering cleanup efforts in the Arkansas community that was heavily damaged by a tornado¹⁶ late last week. The storm has left 3 people dead and injured at least 30 others.

A women's rights advocate in Afghanistan who served on a Provincial¹⁷ Council in that country has been killed by the Taliban. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has more from Kabul.

Sitara Achakzai was gunned down in front of her home in the city of Kandahar as she was getting out of her car. Her colleagues say she was a dual¹⁸ German-Afghan citizen who was a strong defender¹⁹ of women's rights. The Taliban which opposes women's serving in government claimed responsibility for the attack. Last September in a similar attack in Kandahar, the Taliban shot dead the city's most high-profile female police officer. The night before in neighboring Zabul Province, officials said Afghan soldiers and police killed 22 militants²⁰ in a gun battle. The US military meanwhile reported killing²¹ 18 militants in Kunar, a volatile²² eastern province that borders Pakistan. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson,NPR News,Kabul.

Gasoline prices have jumped almost 10 cents a gallon over the past 3 weeks. The national average now for a gallon of self-service regular is $2.05. And industry analyst²³ Trilby Lundberg says she expects the upward trend in prices at the pump to continue. “We could probably see about this rate of change about 3 pennies per week increase for the next month.” Lundberg says the reasons for the rise include a seasonal²⁴ surge in demand for gasoline and the cost of reformulating gasoline blends to meet spring and summer environmental standards.

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 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。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

7 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

8 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

9 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

10 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

11 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

12 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

13 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

14 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

15 enthralled   

迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快

参考例句：

• The child watched, enthralled by the bright moving images. 这孩子看着那明亮的移动的影像，被迷住了。
• The children listened enthralled as the storyteller unfolded her tale. 讲故事的人一步步展开故事情节，孩子们都听得入迷了。

16 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

17 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。

18 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

19 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

20 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。

21 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

22 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

23 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。

24 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。