NPR 2009-6-28

NATO and Russia are resuming formal military cooperation on a range of security threats. John Psaropoulos has the story from Athens.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop¹ Scheffer said that NATO and Russia have restarted military-to-military contacts in an effort to address pressing security concerns. Those contacts have been frozen since last August when Russian troops occupied a part of the Republic of Georgia. But Russian and NATO officials have now agreed to restart the NATO-Russian council during an informal meeting on the Greek island of Corfu .The council will focus on some of the most sensitive issues for US foreign policy, such as defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan, fighting piracy² off Somalia and stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the breakthrough was due to the fact that both sides recognize they need each other. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

President Obama is praising the House for narrowly passing a major climate and energy bill last night. In his weekly radio address today, Mr. Obama urged the Senate to follow suit. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

President Obama says the sweeping³ climate bill approved by the House would spark a clean energy transformation⁴ in the United States. By capping green house gas emissions⁵, he says the bill would create an economic incentive⁶ for alternative energy sources including wind, solar and nuclear power.

"There is no longer a question about whether the jobs and industries of the 21st century will be centered around clean, renewable energy. The question is, which country will create these jobs and these industries.  I want that answer to be the United States of America."

Mr. Obama said the cost of the bill will be born by polluters who emit green house gases. But under the House passed bill, most pollution credits will be given away rather than auctioned⁷ off as the president initially⁸ proposed.  Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

The physician who was reportedly with Michael Jackson when the entertainer died is to be interviewed by police investigators⁹ today. But an attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray says his client is not a target of any investigation¹⁰. The Reverend Jesse Jackson says Michael Jackson's family wants to have their own autopsy¹¹ conducted because of unanswered questions about the sudden death. The Los Angeles County Cororner's office completed an autopsy on Jackson yesterday, but it's awaiting the results of toxicology and other lab tests. Jackson's fans have been mobbing social networking and other internet sites to share their feelings about his death. And clinical psychologist Jill Webber says those online discussions can be helpful.

"People tend to move through the stages of grief quicker and show better overall adjustment when they are able to share their experience with others. You know, just verbally, just feeling access of support and shared experience."

At Jackson's mansion¹² today, two moving vans pulled up and the workers carried out a number of items.

This is NPR News.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reportedly pledging to make the US regret its criticism of the government's crackdown on demonstrators following Iran's disputed presidential election. In a speech to members of Iran's judiciary, Ahmadinejad said the response of the Iranian nation will be in his words crushing and the response will cause remorse¹³. Opposition¹⁴ leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi has rejected proposals for a partial recount of votes from the election. He renewed his demand that the election results be voided and a new election be held.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is calling on the Taliban to get involved in that country's upcoming presidential election. NPR's Jackie Northam has more from Kabul.

During a press conference hear in the capital Kabul, President Karzai urged the Taliban and other Islamist militants¹⁵ to participate in the upcoming elections and vote for the country's future leader. The Taliban quickly responded to Karzai's request, saying its militants would disrupt the voting, but said there would be no attacks on places where there will be civilian¹⁶ casualties, such as polling booth. Tens of thousands of national and international troops will be stationed across the country on voting day. Campaigning got underway over a week ago, but so far it’s been lackluster. A recent survey shows Karzai with a commanding lead in the polls. And although the US has not publicly backed any of the 41 candidates running in the election, many Afghans believe Washington is throwing a support behind Karzai. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Kabul.

The US Supreme¹⁷ Court will finish its work for the session on Monday. It will also be Justice David Souter's last day on the bench. Three cases are left to decide including a closely watched discrimination lawsuit¹⁸ by white firefighters who say they have been unfairly being denied promotions¹⁹.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

2 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 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》

10 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。

11 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

12 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

13 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

14 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。

15 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

16 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

17 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

18 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

19 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。