NPR 2009-04-15

Retail¹ sales fell more than 1% in March, the biggest decline in three months, and a surprise to most analysts² who expected sales to increase slightly. According to the Commerce Department, automobile³ sales fell the sharpest, down nearly 24% from the year before. Consumers also spent less on appliances, furniture and clothing. Meanwhile, President Obama today said his economic efforts are starting to have a positive effect, but he cautioned that 2009 will continue to be a difficult year. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

President Obama used his speech at Georgetown University to stitch together a variety of economic initiatives he’s taken during his first 12 weeks in office. He said the most urgent task has been to clear away the wreckage⁴ from a downward spiral of falling home prices, frozen credit and accelerating job losses.

“And since the problems we face are all working off each other to feed a vicious economic downturn, we've had no choice but to attack all fronts of our economic crisis simultaneously⁵.”

Mr. Obama offered a point by point defense⁶ to some of the more controversial efforts, to prop⁷ up the insurance company AIG, for example, may end an attempt to salvage⁸ General Motors and Chrysler. He also outlined plans for longer term efforts to put the economy on a stronger foundation. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

The White House says North Korea has taken a step in the wrong direction after Pyongyang said today it would reactivate its nuclear facilities. The North Korean move comes after the UN Security Council yesterday condemned⁹ Pyongyang’s April 5th’s rocket launch. The European Union is calling on North Korea to stick with the disarmament process. Teri Schultz has more from Brussels   .

Pyongyang reacted furiously to the United Nations Security Council’s unanimous condemnation¹⁰ of its April 5th rocket launch. The 15-member council also said it would take sanctions against the regime for the action that uses technology similar to that needed in a ballistic missile launch which a U.N. resolution bans the country from even testing. European Commission spokeswoman Christina
Hohmann underscored the significance of the unified¹¹ international reaction to the launch.

“We hope that this message is understood by North Korea and that North Korea is willing to continue working on the basis of dialog in the framework of the six-party talks.”

But Pyongyang is calling the disarmament negotiations¹² "useless" and vowing¹³ to restore the nuclear plant that’s partially¹⁴ disabled as part an agreement broker¹⁵ during the talks. For NPR News I’m Teri Schultz, in Brussels.

Anti-government protestors in Thailand have ended their demonstrations¹⁶ in Bangkok. Security forces issued arrest warrants for 14 leaders of the anti-government movement who urged their followers¹⁷ to go home after three weeks of violent protest.

On Wall Street today, the Dow closed down 137 points at
7,920. The NASDAQ was off 27 points at 1,625. The S&P fell 17.

This is NPR News.

The world’s biggest chip maker¹⁸ Intel Corporation says sales of personal computers have bottomed out and the industry is recovering. Intel today reported a first quarter profit of 647 million dollars. Company sales were about 100 million dollars higher than expected.

An appeals court has granted a stay of deportation¹⁹ for accused Nazi²⁰ war criminal John Demjanjuk. The ruling was made just after immigration officials removed the 89-year–old from his suburban²¹ Cleveland home to put him on an overnight flight to Germany. A German arrest warrant accuses Demjanjuk of being an accessory to some 29,000 deaths when he served as a Nazi death camp guard in Poland in 1943.  Demjanjuk denies the claim, saying he was a Ukrainian prisoner of war.

At the White House today, first dog Bo made his official debut²². NPR’s Julie Rovner has more.

Consider it another campaign promise kept, this one from President Obama to his daughters. Bo is a 6-month-old Portuguese²³ water dog and a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy who owned 3 Potees as they're known, including one of Bo's littermates. Bo was also already proving himself a handful, pulling both first daughter Malia and first lady Michelle Obama around the White House lawn, and resisting efforts to sit when asked. The President was quick, however, to profess²⁴ pride in his new family member and didn’t apologize for all the attention being lavished²⁵ on him.

“He’s spectacle and well deserve. He is a star, he’s got star quality.”

Now the first family who are also first time dog owners just have to figure it out how to get Bo to do what they want. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

Bo proved to be an entertaining though brief distraction²⁶ from a fair state.

1 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。

2 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。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

5 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

8 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

11 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

12 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。

13 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

14 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

15 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

16 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

17 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

18 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。

19 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

20 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

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 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

23 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

24 profess   

v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰

参考例句：

• I profess that I was surprised at the news.我承认这消息使我惊讶。
• What religion does he profess?他信仰哪种宗教？

25 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

26 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。