NPR 2009-06-07

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

Thousands of people gathered at an American cemetery¹, overlooking Omaha beach in Normandy, France today to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day. President Obama paid tribute to the courage of the thousands of Allied² soldiers who struggled to shore that day under heavy enemy fire. He said the bravery of those troops serves as a model for facing the challenges of the present day.

"For as we face down the hardships and struggles of our time, and arrive at that hour for which we were born, we cannot help but draw strength from those moments in history when the best among us were somehow able to swallow their fears and secure a beachhead on an unforgiving shore."

Mr. Obama was joined at the ceremony by the leaders of France, Britain and Canada as well as a number of D-Day veterans, as Eleanor Beardsley reports.

There is a strong realization³ here that this will be one of the last years where veterans who took part in the liberation of Normandy will be around to participate in commemorations. Mallefalse Menwise is a member of the town council of Saint Laurent sur Mer, the village overlooking Omaha beach. She says the town planned a big celebration this year.

"For us, it's very important in Normandy, and especially on Omaha beach to have the honor to welcome our liberators. We have a very very special friendship since many many many years."

Menwise says this may be one of the last times the American veterans come over for celebrations in the town. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Saint Laurent sur Mer, Normandy.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has ordered an investigation⁴ into a fire at a day-care center yesterday that killed at least 35 children. More than 40 others, most of them children, are hospitalized, many in critical condition. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Mexico City.

Firefighters smashed through the cement walls of the ABC day care Hermosillo Sonora, trying desperately⁵ to reach children trapped in the clouds of thick, black smoke. Officials say there were roughly 100 kids inside, ranging from infants to five-year-olds when the blaze engulfed⁶ the building. Workers at the facility initially⁷ were only able to rescue a few of the children. Parents rushed to the scene and scoured⁸ local hospitals, searching for information about their sons and daughters. Officials are checking whether the fire may have started in the tire warehouse⁹ next door. President Felipe Calderon has ordered the Mexican Attorney General to open an investigation into the blaze. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Hundreds of people attended funeral services in Wichita, Kansas today for Dr. George Tiller, a physician who performed abortions¹¹, who was shot to death in a Lutheran church where he was serving as an usher¹² last Sunday. Speakers at the service called Tiller a passionate¹³ and generous man. A 51-year-old abortion¹⁰ opponent is being charged in the shooting.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Two male bodies have been found in the Atlantic Ocean near the area where an Air France jetliner disappeared from air traffic control radar¹⁴ screens last Sunday night. Searchers also found a suitcase and a blue seat with the serial¹⁵ number matching that of the Airbus jet. But the BBC's Gary Duffy says officials in Brazil, where the plane took off, are not jumping to conclusions.

"The discovery of bodies, will, I think be seen by the authorities here as a grim confirmation¹⁶ that they have come across the site where the plane may have come down, but obviously we'll want more detail and more confirmation there was this, as you say, this confusion earlier in the weekend. A cargo¹⁷ pallet was recovered from the water and was thought initially to have come from the plane, and then this turned out to be incorrect, but so this is why I think when referring to the debris¹⁸, they say they've got an identifiable serial number, but they'll wait until they hear from Air France for certain." The BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo.

There's been no official word yet from North Korea about the trial of two American journalists believed to have gone on trial this week. The proceeding¹⁹ is carried behind closed doors. From Seoul, Doualy Xaykaothao has the story.

Both had been detained mid-March from the China-North Korean border while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women into China. North Korea in previous reports accused the women of illegally entering the North with unspecified hostile acts. Family members of the two journalists have given an indirect, public apology to the North this past week, saying the girls left the US with no intention of travelling into North Korea. For NPR News, I'm Doualy Xaykaothao in Seoul.

The family of actor David Carradine is asking the FBI to help investigate his death. His body was found hanging in a hotel room in Bangkok this week.

1 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

4 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。

5 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

6 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

9 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

12 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

13 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

14 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

15 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

16 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

17 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。

18 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

19 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。