NPR 2009-06-08

Search crews have recovered four more bodies from the Atlantic Ocean in the area where an Air France jet is thought to have crashed last week and more bodies have been spotted¹ in the water. French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck says objects that may be debris² from the jetliner were floating near the bodies.

"Facts that the bodies have been found in this part of the ocean will conduct us to reorganize the operation; it concentrates on the area where the bodies have been found."

Prazuck says France has dispatched a nuclear-powered submarine to the area with advanced sonar gear to help locate the jetliner's black boxes and any sunken debris from the plane.

Chinese health authorities have quarantined New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife in Shanghai after another passenger on their airline flight showed signs of the flu. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has the story.

Mayor Nagin was headed to China on Friday for meetings on economic development when according to a spokesman with Nagin's press office, a passenger on the mayor's flight showed flu-like symptoms. Authorities responded by placing Nagin, his wife and the security guard under quarantine in Shanghai. The spokesman said the measure was taken simply as a precaution and none of the three were exhibiting any signs of illness. The spokesman said the Chinese officials were treating Nagin with utmost courtesy and that Nagin was well and in touch with his staff. Nagin was due to travel on to Australia to speak at a conference on climate change, but Nagin's spokesman said the mayor's travel plans might now need to be changed. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

Tens of millions of people cast ballots³ in elections for members of the European Parliament, but still the turnout is estimated to be only about 43% which would be a record low. Early exit polling indicates that opposition⁴ parties are defeating governing parties in a number of countries such as Greece. John Psaropoulos has more from Athens.

The big winners were two incongruous groups, the Eco Greens and the right. Both fringe parties made gains of about three percent relative to their showing five years ago. That squeezes the Greek environmentalists into Europe Parliament for the first time, but it makes the right-wing LAOS party a force in Greek politics. The party has been boosted largely by massive influxes⁵ of illegal immigrants from Africa and South Asia, and by the deterioration⁶ in public education and health. The big losers are the two main parties, the Socialists⁷ and Conservatives. The combined taking of both parties has fallen ten points to 70% of the vote. That suggests voters' discontent with the political system in general. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

Funerals were held in Hermosillo, Mexico today for some of the children killed when fire broke out in a day-care center there last week. The blaze killed 40 infants and toddlers.

This is NPR News.

At least 16 people were killed in an intense gun battle between drug gangs and Mexican soldiers near the tourist hotels in the resort city of Acapulco. The gunmen were holed up in a drug cartel safe house. They hurled⁸ grenades at the troops and fired automatic weapons at them. Turf wars between Mexico's drug gangs have left more than 2, 000 people dead this year. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has deployed⁹ some 45, 000 troops and federal police to try to quell¹⁰ the drug violence.

Roger Federer has finally won the French Open tennis tournament, the one major event that had eluded¹¹ him. He defeated Robin¹² Soderling of Sweden to claim a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title today. NPR's Tom Goldman has more.

It's hard to think of a guy labeled "the greatest player ever" is having a monkey on his back, but Roger Federer felt the pressure of never winning a title on the red clay courts in Paris. Not any more, Sunday, Federer recalled his 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 win over Robin Soderling "maybe his greatest victory". In a statement that will probably send a big "Ah-oh" through the rest of men's tennis, Federer said "I think now and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace." This 14th Grand Slam title ties Federer at the top with Pete Sampras. Federer is just the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam events in his career. Notably¹³ missing from Sunday's final was Spain's Rafael Nadal, who'd beaten Federer in the three previous French Open finals. Nadal lost in the tournament to Soderling and is dealing¹⁴ with an injured knee. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

After a six-day overseas trip, President Obama returned to the White House this afternoon. First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters have remained in Paris for some more sightseeing.

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 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。

3 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 influxes   

n.大量涌入( influx的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Such rapid influxes of sediment probably overwhelm the bottom dwellers in an area. 沉积物如此迅速的汇集可能把这一地区的海底生物全部淹没了。 来自辞典例句
• Conduction,Convection and radiation can bring heat influxes. 计算过程考虑了核热沉积以及热传导、热辐射、对流引起的换热过程。 来自互联网

6 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

7 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。

8 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

11 eluded   

v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到

参考例句：

• The sly fox nimbly eluded the dogs. 那只狡猾的狐狸灵活地躲避开那群狗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The criminal eluded the police. 那个罪犯甩掉了警察的追捕。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

13 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。