NPR 2009-09-22

The top US military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, says that unless more troops are sent to the country, the war there will fail. McChrystal's assessment¹ is detailed² in a classified report obtained by the Washington Post. The General has completed a second report which has not yet reached Washington outlining how many more troops are needed. NPR's Tom Bowman reports.

 General McChrystal says that despite considerable effort and sacrifice during eight years of war, the overall situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating³, and the need McChrystal says goes beyond just sending more troops, the US and its allies need to work more closely with the Afghan people, helping⁴ rebuild the country and taking extra care, not to cause civilian⁵ causalities. Moreover, he says the US must better organize its efforts with its NATO allies. McChrystal says unless the US and its allies gain the initiative over the next year, they risk an outcome where defeating the insurgency⁶ is no longer possible. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

The post Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras and taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. NPR's Jason Beaubien has more.

Speaking by phone to a Spanish language service of CNN, Zelaya said he and his wife are inside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital. Brazilian officials also confirmed that Zelaya has taken refuge at their compound. De facto President Roberto Micheletti earlier in the day denied that Zelaya had returned but said he would be immediately arrested if he is on Honduran soil. Zelaya was ousted⁸ three months ago in a coup⁹ and forcefully deported¹⁰ to Costa Rica. Thousands of Zelaya's supporters poured into the streets of the central American capital when news of his return filtered out. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a strong backer of Zelaya, says the ousted president traveled overland for two days to reach Tegucigalpa. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Heavy rains in the southeastern US are now being blamed for at least three deaths, and authority say others are missing as flood waters continue to rise there, among those missing is a toddler whose family's mobile home was split apart by a rain swollen¹¹ creek¹².

Private business research groups says a key gauge¹³ of economic activity rose in August for a fifth straight month. The NEW YORK based Conference Board says it's index of leading economic indicators¹⁴ designed to predict the direction of the economy 3 to 6 month down the road was up 0.6%. However Conference Board economist¹⁵ Ken⁷ Goldstein noted¹⁶ it is still a little early to begin celebrating.

"It still feels like a recession out there, and the question about how long before it's start even feeling like a recession was still month away yet from that point, partly because they had to remember just how steep a hole we dug ourselves into." Last month’s rise follows a 0.9 % gain in July.

On Wall Street today the Dow Joes Industrial Average closed down 41 points to end the session at 9778. The NASDAQ was up 5 points. The S&P 500 dropped 3 points today.

This is NPR.

Heavily armed police are patrolling some airports and train stations in Germany today following a warning from Al-Qaeda that if Germans do not push the country's political parties to withdraw forces from Afghanistan, the country can expect a terror attack. The threat which has led to heighten German security comes ahead of national elections on Sunday, and it comes on the heels of the airstrike that was ordered by Germany in northern Afghanistan, in which dozens of people died. German Chancellor¹⁷ Angela Merkel has assured German citizens all safety precautions are being taken.

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission delivered a speech today outlining a new direction for regulating the Internet. NPR's Neda Ulaby has more.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the Internet today is quite different from the one of forty or even five years ago. It has cracks and fissures¹⁸, he said, that some companies have exploited for financial gain. For example, they've blocked users from accessing legal material in the public domain¹⁹ and even political content.

“Saying nothing and doing nothing would impose its own form about acceptable cost. It would deprive innovators, investors²⁰ and the public of confidence that a free and open Internet we depend upon today will still be here tomorrow.”

Julius Genachowski's intention is to preserve the Internet. His proposal includes open access to any legal material and letting computers and mobile phones begin to sharing content and software in new waves. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Funeral services will be held this weekend for the 24-year-old Yale university graduate student found dead in a lab building on campus. Annie Le vanished from a research building where she was working September 8th. Her body was found five days later in a recessed²¹ wall of that building.

I’m Jack²² Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 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？

2 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。

3 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 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。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 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。

9 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。

10 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

12 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

13 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

14 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

15 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

18 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

19 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

20 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

21 recessed   

v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的过去式和过去分词 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭

参考例句：

• My rooms were large, with deeply recessed windows and painted, eighteenth-century panellin. 我住的房间很宽敞，有向里凹陷很深的窗户，油漆过的十八世纪的镶花地板。 来自辞典例句
• The Geneva meeting recessed while Kennety and Khrushchev met in Vienna. 肯尼迪同赫鲁晓夫在维也纳会晤时，日内瓦会议已经休会。 来自辞典例句

22 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。