NPR 2009-09-11

A widening trade deficit¹ indicating increased consumer demand along with falling unemployment claims are showing that the economy may be picking up steam. NPR’s Audie Cornish reports.

 First, the US trade deficit saw some increases in import, partly because of the surging demand for cars. The results, economists² say, have a rebound³ in auto⁴ industry and the Cash for Clunkers government rebate⁵ program encouraging more dealers⁶ to build up their inventory⁷. Overall, imports were up 4.7 percent. That’s the highest monthly gain since 1992. Exports increased just well but just over two percent. These signs of increased demand did not necessarily mean companies are hiring. While first-time job claims did drop lower than expected, the total number of people on the unemployment rolls notched⁸ up in the late weeks of August. And economists project the unemployment rate will reach 10 percent by the end of this year. Audie Cornish, NPR News.

 President Obama spent a second day promoting his healthcare plan. The President spoke⁹ to a group of nurses who supported his overhaul¹⁰ initiative, pointing to the growing number of Americans who are losing their health insurance. President said the latest figures show it’s more important than ever to rework healthcare. Mr. Obama also said he has accepted the apology of a South Carolina Congressman¹¹ who interjected during the President’s nationally televised speech on healthcare last night. President said he has accepted an apology from Republican Joe Wilson who shouted “You lie!” in response to a statement that the illegal immigrants would not be covered under the administration’s healthcare initiative.

 Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has condemned¹² today’s truck bombing in northern Iraq that left at least 20 civilians¹⁴ dead, 30 wounded and 40 buildings destroyed. The deadly attack struck a Kurdish village outside the northern city of Mosul. NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports.

 Iraqi security officials said the truck bomb ripped through the village Wardak in the early hours of the morning, causing a heavy civilian¹³ loss of life. Officials said local security men prevented an even worse death toll¹⁵ by stopping and defusing a second truck bomb before it could go off. There was no immediate¹⁶ claim of responsibility for the attack, but in the past Sunni insurgents¹⁷ with ties to al-Qaeda have targeted small villages in the north. Talibani’s statement said today’s attack underlines the need to enhance intelligence gathering¹⁸ and security measures in the north. Separately, a coordinated¹⁹ bomb attack at a market in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, killed several Iraqis and wounded dozens. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Baghdad.

 President’s Council on Economic Advisers²⁰ has out with its assessment²¹ of the effectiveness of the government’s 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus²² package. The councilor report released today is now estimating the measure put in place earlier this year created as many as 1.1 million jobs by the third quarter and also added substantially to economic growth.

 On Wall Street today the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 80 points to close at 9,627. The NASDAQ was up 23 points. The S&P 500 rose 10 points today.

 This is NPR.

 Police in Connecticut say they are continuing the search today for a missing Yale University graduate student. They say 24-year-old Annie Le, a doctoral student in pharmacology, was last seen Tuesday at a laboratory. They say she has not contacted family or friends. Police said the young woman’s purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were all left in her office. Le was an Asian descendant described as being roughly 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 90 pounds. She was scheduled to be married Sunday. And a woman who worked in the university's pharmacology department said she was excited about the upcoming wedding.

 NASA is hoping to bring the space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew home later this evening, though the weather could be a problem. Meanwhile a new robotic cargo²³ ship is on its way to the space station after successful launch. It’s a milestone²⁴ for Japan’s space agency. NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce reports.

 For years only the space shuttle or Russian space ships went to the space station, but last year Europe sent up an unmanned cargo ship and now Japan has done the same thing. A rocket blasted off carrying a robotic ship the size of a bus. It holds tons of cargo. If all goes well, it will approach the space station in about a week. The astronauts living there will grab it, using the station’s robotic arm. Future cargo ships like this one will help keep the station supplied after NASA’s planned retirement²⁵ of the space shuttle next year. Japan’s space agency currently has no ship that can carry people up, but experience with unmanned freighters could help Japan someday develop its own vehicle for human space flight. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.

 Crude oil rose 65 cents a barrel to close at $71.96 a barrel in New York.

 I’m Jack²⁶ Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 rebate   

v./n.折扣，回扣，退款；vt.给...回扣，给...打折扣

参考例句：

• You can claim a rebate on your tax.你可以要求退回部分税款。
• Customers are to benefit from a rebate on their electricity bills.顾客将从他们的电费退费中得到实惠。

6 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

7 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

8 notched   

a.有凹口的，有缺口的

参考例句：

• Torino notched up a 2-1 win at Lazio. 都灵队以2 比1 赢了拉齐奧队。
• He notched up ten points in the first five minutes of the game. 他在比赛开始后的五分钟里得了十分。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 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。

13 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。

14 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

15 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

18 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

19 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

21 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

22 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。

23 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。

24 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

25 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

26 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。