NPR 2009-05-08

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.

The government has released results of its so-called "stress tests", involving 19 of the nation's largest banks and financial institutions. Some banks like J.P. Morgan Chase have been told they don't need to raise capital, while others like Bank of America were told they need to boost their reserves by 34 billion dollars. At a briefing earlier today, Treasury² Secretary Timothy Geithner said the results should give both banks and borrowers some confidence though he said there are still ways to go.

"Our hope is that with these actions today, banks are gonna be able to get back to the business of banking³. The leaders of our nation's banks have a lot to do to earn back the public's trust."

The findings of the combination of a-month-long exercise aimed at assessing the health of the financial system. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said today none of the financial firms are technically⁴ insolvent⁵ though he said the government has determined⁶ just over half need to increase their capital.

  Today, Attorney General Eric Holder⁷ tried to calm Senators' fears about bringing Guantanamo Bay detainees to the US. He said his top priority is American's safety. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

  Attorney General Holders⁸ said he's not made any decisions about where Guantanamo detainees will go. Senators from both parties responded "Not in my backyard". Richard Shelby is a Republican from Alabama.

"Do you know of any community in the United States of America that would welcome terrorists, former terrorists, would-be terrorists, people trained as terrorists that have been incarcerated⁹ in Guantanamo Bay into any community in this country?"

"It will not be the intention of this task force review, the intention of this administration or this Attorney General to place anybody in any part of this world who is a risk."

Holder has encouraged other countries to take some detainees. There are roughly 240 men at Guantanamo. Ari Shapiro NPR News, Washington.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and her Russian counterpart are trying to take bilateral¹⁰ relations to a new level. She met today to set the stage for a US- Russia summit this summer. NPR's Michelle Kelemen reports.

Secretary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both told reporters they want to normalize relations and look forward, not backward. Clinton said US and Russian negotiators are already hard at work on a replacement¹¹ for the strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. And she said lingering tensions over Russia's war in neighboring Georgia last year won't get in the way.

"I think old thinking to say that, you know, we have a disagreement in one area, therefore we shouldn't work in something else that is of overwhelming importance. That's just not the way we think."

President Obama is expected to meet his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow in July. Michelle Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 102 points, ending the session at 8,409; the NASDAQ was down 42 points today; the S&P 500 fell 12 points.

This is NPR.

According to the US health officials, only around 10% of the Americans who've contracted swine flu actually went to Mexico. The government says the remainder of those with the virus appeared to have gotten it in the US or elsewhere. That's a change from the weekend when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about a third of US cases involved people who have travelled to Mexico when the current outbreak began. According to the CDC, there are now about 900 confirmed cases of swine flu in the US.

Less than two days after losing a bid for re-election, the mayor of Mississippi's capital city has died. NPR's Debbie Elliott has more.

Jackson mayor Frank Melton died overnight after being admitted to a Jackson hospital Tuesday shortly after a poll’s closed. He finished third in the municipal primary. A former television station owner and personality, Melton was elected in 2005 by a landslide¹². He was a mentor¹³ to inner city youth and promised to stamp out crime in Mississippi's largest city. But his unorthodox tactics drew controversy¹⁴. He was set to go on trial Monday on federal civil rights charges for a warrantless police-style raid on what Melton believed to be a crack house. He was accused of busting¹⁵ up the duplex with the sledgehammer. In recent years, Melton had been repeatedly hospitalized with heart problems and had undergone bypass surgery. He was 60 years old. Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

Consumers sharply reined¹⁶ in the pace of their borrowing in March. The Federal Reserve says consumer credit plunged¹⁷ by more than 5%, the biggest decline since a more than 8% drop-off in December. Government says revolving¹⁸ credit which includes credit card and store charge card debt fell by 6.8%, non-revolving debt was down by 4%.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

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 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

5 insolvent   

adj.破产的，无偿还能力的

参考例句：

• They lost orders and were insolvent within weeks.他们失去了订货，几周后就无法偿还债务。
• The bank was declared insolvent.银行被宣布破产。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

8 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

9 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

10 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

11 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

12 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

13 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

15 busting   

打破，打碎( bust的现在分词 )； 突击搜查（或搜捕）； （使）降级，降低军阶

参考例句：

• Jim and his wife were busting up again yesterday. 吉姆和他的妻子昨天又吵架了。
• He figured she was busting his chops, but it was all true. 他以为她在捉弄他，其实完全是真的。

16 reined   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
• The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

17 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

18 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。