NPR 2009-07-06

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

A plane carrying the ousted¹ president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya is reportedly being denied permission to land in that country. Honduras's civil aviation director says the plane has been diverted to El Salvador. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs has more.

Interim² president Micheletti has called for Honduras's neighbors to show restraint as this crisis escalates³. At Tegucigalpa Airport, thousands of those that support President Zelaya have attempted to form a welcoming party. But a security corps⁴ on and around the area has prevented most from getting through. The BBC's Stephen Gibbs reporting.

Vice⁵ president Biden says the Obama administration misread the severity of the economic troubles it inherited in January, but he says it's too soon to say whether a second economic stimulus⁶ package will be needed. NPR's Jennifer Ludden has the story.

When officials were selling the current stimulus plan, they predicted that unemployment would peak at about 8%. But the latest figure is 9.5%, the worst level in more than two decades. Biden was asked to explain this on ABC's "This Week".

"We and everyone else misread the economy. The figures we worked off of in January were the consensus⁷ figures and most of the blue chip indexes out there." Some analysts⁸ were calling for another stimulus package, but the vice President said money from the first one is only beginning to be spent and the pace of that will soon pick up. He said several thousand highway projects will get underway. In September, programs to expand broadband, high-speed rail and a new electric grid⁹ will take effect. Biden said the bill has also increased benefits for 12 million people out of work. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

President Obama departs Washington in a couple of hours for a summit with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is offering a word of caution that President Obama not take on too much at too great a financial cost. NPR's Paul Brown has more.

Powell was the top military officer under the first President Bush and Secretary of State under the second President Bush. He supported a Democrat¹⁰, then Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. He said he always votes for candidates he considers best regardless of party. On CNN, Powell expressed no regret about supporting Mr. Obama, but he said he is now worried about the scope of the president's agenda.

"You can't have so many things on the table that you can't absorb it all and we can't pay for it all." Powell said he's talked with people in the administration about his concerns. He said the first priority for government is to effectively serve the nation's needs. But he said the government should be as small as possible and should be affordable¹¹. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

A key group of religious leaders in Iran is calling the results of that country's disputed presidential election invalid¹². The statement is seen as defying Iran's supreme¹³ leader. Also today opposition¹⁴ leader Mir Hossein Mousavi detailed¹⁵ what he says was widespread fraud in the election.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The second stage of the Tour de France Bicycle Race ended today in the hills of Provence in southeastern France. Mark Cavendish of Britain was today's leader. Frank Browning has the story.

The 117-mile ride from Monaco into the steep and often winding¹⁶ hills of Provence was tight all the way and offset¹⁷ by a crash near the end of the afternoon. Cavendish, who was 1,300 feet from the accident, was not injured and finished the racing¹⁸ four hours 30 minutes for Team Columbia. Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee, Washington riding for the Garmin-Slipstream team finished second. Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, who was attempting a comeback after three years' absence from the Tour de France, finished far behind in 80th place. Monday's race stretches 122 miles from Marseilles, France's second city to La Grande Motte, the Mediterranean¹⁹ tourist town built on the once mosquito-infested swamps of the Camargue. For NPR News, I'm Frank Browning.

Police in Nashville say the shooting death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was a homicide. The 36-year-old McNair was found dead yesterday of multiple gunshot wounds. His 20-year-old girlfriend was at his side with one bullet wound to the head and a handgun nearby. But police spokesman Don Aaron says investigators²⁰ are not yet ruling the shooting a murder suicide.

"As we talk to witnesses, as we look for laboratory testing, as we wait the results of testing from medical examiner's office , all options are gonna remain on the table. We are not gonna be close-minded into one particular scenario²¹."

Aaron says investigators are looking into whether the shootings were the result of a lovers' quarrel. McNair was married and had four children.

1 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

2 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

3 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

4 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

7 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

13 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。

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 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

16 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

17 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

18 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

19 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

20 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》

21 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。