NPR 2009-07-05

Former national football league quarterback Steve McNair was found shot to death in an apartment complex in Nashville today. McNair played 13 seasons in the NFL. Blake Farmer of member station WPLN has more.

Nashville police say no suspects have been taken into custody¹ in connection with McNair's death. Police are, however, questioning potential witnesses. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron "The investigation² is going to be conducted by the police department’s centralized homicide unit. Those detectives have assembled here at the scene." The 36-year-old McNair spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans. He was well liked and known for his toughness playing through multiple injuries. He led the team to the 2000 Super Bowl with a bitter loss to the St. Louis Rams³. McNair ended his 13-year football career in Baltimore with the Ravens⁴ last year, and he’s lived in Nashville since retiring. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville.

Honduras's new post-coup⁵ government says it has withdrawn⁶ from the Organization of American States. The move came before the OAS today could consider suspending the country's membership for failing to restore elected president Manuel Zelaya to office. But OAS officials say the current regime in Honduras does not have the authority to withdraw. The UN and the OAS have condemned⁷ last weekend's coup as illegal and they’ve called for the restoration of the country's elected leadership.

Two US troops have been killed by rocket and mortar⁸ shells fired by Taliban militants⁹ in a fierce battle in eastern Afghanistan. The fighting took place near the area where an American soldier was captured earlier this week. The battle ended only after US forces called in air strikes on the militants.

President Obama is calling on Americans and members of Congress to look to the spirit of the nation's founding fathers this Fourth of July as the US faces a number of daunting¹⁰ challenges. Mr. Obama made the remark in his weekly radio and internet address as NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

From two wars and a deep recession to skyrocketing health care costs and a dependence¹¹ on foreign oil, the president said that facing challenges is what Americans do best. "It’s what has always led us, as a people, not to wilt¹² or cower¹³ at a difficult moment, but to face down any trial and rise to any challenge." And he said the challenges Americans must rise to include revamping the nation's education system, reforming health care and beefing up our reliance on clean energy. He called on Americans to summon the same spirit as those that inhabited Independence Hall 233 years ago today. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and state and city authorities in New York have arrested a dozen people and seized 33 pounds of heroin¹⁴ with the street value of about $30 million. The drugs were stuffed in Build-A-Bear teddy bears and stamped with brand names such as swine flu. Officials say the arrest broke up a drug ring based in the Bronx that sold hundreds of thousands of small bags of narcotics¹⁵ a week.

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More than 1.2 million people have signed up for a chance to get tickets to the memorial service for Michael Jackson next week in Los Angeles, the drawing to be held in three hours, but only 11,000 people would get tickets to the Staples¹⁶ Center where the event will be held. Another 6,500 will get to watch at a theater next door. Police are bracing¹⁷ for massive crowds. The city's assistant police chief says hundreds of thousands of people may try to reach the arena¹⁸ even though a wide area around the Staples Center will be sealed off.

Serena Williams defeated older sister Venus today to capture her third women's singles title at Wimbledon. NPR's Rob Gifford reports from London.

If Switzerland's Roger Federer had a monopoly on the men's singles here till last year, the Williams sisters have had a duopoly on the women's. It was the fourth all Williams final at Wimbledon, and Serena came out on top for the third time winning 7-6, 6-2. They've won eight of the last ten Wimbledon singles titles between them. By winning her third title, 27-year-old Serena stopped her 29-year-old sister Venus from making it three in a row. Today she was too good, Venus said, she had an answer for everything. The men's final is tomorrow and sees five-time-champion Roger Federer playing two-time runner-up American Andy Roddick. Federer is seeking a record 15th grand slam title. Rob Gifford, NPR News, London.

After competing in singles, the Williams sisters teamed up to win their fourth Wimbledon doubles title today.

A truckload of fireworks exploded as a crew was setting up for a holiday display on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina. The blast killed one worker and critically injured four others.

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 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。

3 rams   

n.公羊( ram的名词复数 )；(R-)白羊（星）座；夯；攻城槌v.夯实（土等）( ram的第三人称单数 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• A couple of rams are butting at each other. 两只羊正在用角互相抵触。 来自辞典例句
• More than anything the rams helped to break what should have been on interminable marriage. 那些牡羊比任何东西都更严重地加速了他们那本该天长地久的婚姻的破裂。 来自辞典例句

4 ravens   

n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸，哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

9 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。

10 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

11 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

12 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

13 cower   

v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩

参考例句：

• I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.我决不会在任何一位大师面前发抖，也不会为任何恐吓所屈服。
• Will the Chinese cower before difficulties when they are not afraid even of death?中国人死都不怕，还怕困难吗？

14 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

15 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

17 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

18 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。