NPR 2009-05-09

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

The nation's unemployment rate rose to 8.9% in April, that's the highest level in almost 26 years, but the job losses slowed last month, President Obama said the number was somewhat encouraging but still sobering. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

After the jobless numbers were announced, President Obama outlined some steps he said would help unemployed² Americans go back to school and get retrained. He urged schools to make financial aid like Pell Grants more easily available to the unemployed. And Mr. Obama called on states to allow unemployed workers to continue to collect jobless benefits while attending classes. "That's what our unemployment system should be, not just a safety net, but a stepping stone to a new future."  But it will be up to the states and the colleges themselves to make the changes the president seeks. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the White House.

In the words of one Santa Barbara, California fire official "all hell broke loose" earlier today, as wind-whipped wildfire moved to the edge of the city limits, destroying dozens of foothill homes along the way. Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Andy Dimizio said today that fire crews have been working to prevent the fast moving fire from spreading into the city but are facing hot-dry weather and gusty³ winds that are making the job difficult. Officials said the wildfire now stretches five miles and has jumped across a main highway-US 154. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of around 30,000 people ahead of the flames which so far have damaged or demolished⁴ some 75 homes.

Thunderstorms, some packing 100 mile an hour winds and funnel⁵ clouds have been moving to the Midwest today, causing deaths and extensive damage. Jack Hayes is the meteorologist from National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. He says the storms are moving east in a part of a large weather system. "We are in a pattern that is pretty potent⁶ because it is a battle zone with this very moist tropical air coming up from the gulf⁷ of Mexico and very unusually strong jet stream going across middle part of the country, and so we expect a series of these thunderstorm complexes that develop and move across central part of the country to the east coast for the next several days." Storms are blamed for at least four deaths.

In Montana, jury has acquitted⁸ W.R. Grace & Company and three of its former executives. They were accused of covering up evidence the company's mine released asbestos into the air. NPR's Jeff Brady reports.

The jury deliberated just one full day before returning its verdict Friday morning for a case that lasted almost three months. Federal prosecutors⁹ claimed W.R. Grace and its executives knowingly endangered the lives of mineworkers and Libby residents. At least 200 people in the small town have died as a result of being exposed to asbestos, the dangerous substance in the vermiculite that was mined on the edge of town from the 1960s until Grace closed the mine in 1990. The company has since filed bankruptcy¹⁰ amid a sea of asbestos claims that are not related to the situation in Libby. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

On Wall Street, the Dow was up 165 points.

This is NPR.

A group of dissenting¹¹ Chrysler bondholders that had been challenging a government restructuring plan for the bankrupt automaker, now said they will drop at least part of their fight. The disbanding of the group essentially¹² clears the last legal hurdle¹³ standing¹⁴ in the way of a proposed merger¹⁵ deal involving Chrysler and Italian automaker Fiat¹⁶. While attorney representing the bondholders said the group does not intend to agree to a proposal that would exchange their outstanding debts for 29 cents on the dollar. They also realize they lack the critical mass to challenge the government on the merger.

US and Afghan officials investigating a military operation earlier this week in which dozens of civilians¹⁷ were allegedly killed have finished their preliminary assessment¹⁸. An official tells NPR the investigators¹⁹ found between 30 and 50 people were killed in the operation. NPR's Tom Bowman has more.

The military operation occured earlier this week in two villages in western Afghanistan. US military officials say Afghan police responded to attacks by Taliban forces and came under withering²⁰ fire. US marines were called in to help, then ordered air strikes. The F-18 war plane dropped several bombs. International Red Cross visited the scene and reported dozens killed by the bombs including women and children. Among the dead, an Afghan Red Cross volunteer and 13 members of his family. US and Afghan investigators were told Taliban forces used civilians as cover. Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has started a separate investigation²¹. Tom Bowman, NPR News, the Pentagon.

Inventories²² at the wholesale²³ level tumbled in March made some signs  businesses are working to knock down their stockpiles of unsold goods. Commerce Department reported today wholesale inventories fell 1.6% in March, that was a bigger drop than expected. At the same time sales at the wholesale level fell by even larger amount.

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 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

3 gusty   

adj.起大风的

参考例句：

• Weather forecasts predict more hot weather,gusty winds and lightning strikes.天气预报预测高温、大风和雷电天气将继续。
• Why was Candlestick Park so windy and gusty? 埃德尔斯蒂克公园里为什么会有那么多的强劲阵风？

4 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

5 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

6 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 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。

11 dissenting   

adj.不同意的

参考例句：

• He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
• A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。

12 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

13 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

16 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

17 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。

18 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

19 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 withering   

使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的

参考例句：

• She gave him a withering look. 她极其蔑视地看了他一眼。
• The grass is gradually dried-up and withering and pallen leaves. 草渐渐干枯、枯萎并落叶。

21 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

22 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

23 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。