NPR 2010-01-26

 So far, no survivors¹ have been found and the chances of finding the bodies of more victims today have faded with the daylight. Scenes of anguish² developed all day at Beirut's International Airport and at hospitals around the city where remains³ were taken. Officials released names of Lebanese passengers who were on board including two children who are thought to have perished. Other passengers on board were Ethiopian, British, Canadian, French, Iraqi, Russian and Syrian. Ethiopian Airlines said that it had sent a team to Beirut to investigate the crash. Meanwhile, as part of a separate Lebanese investigation⁴, recovered parts of the plane are being collected for testing. For NPR News, I'm Don Duncan in Beirut.

 The anticipated expiration⁵ of a tax credit for first-time home buyers is being blamed for a sharp drop in sales of previously⁶ owned homes last month. The National Association of Realtors says sales plunged⁷ nearly 17 percent. The tax credit that was set to expire at the end of November has been extended. The median price of homes sold in December was up 1.5 percent from the same period the previous year. And that price report helped boost stocks today, the Dow up 72 points.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 Better late than never for Burger King which is now selling charbroiled fast food at its first restaurant in Moscow. NPR's David Greene reports. It opened almost exactly 20 years after rival McDonald's set up a shop in what was then the Soviet⁸ Union.

McDonald's made huge news in January, 1990 when the company brought its Golden Arches to Pushkin Square just up the street from the Kremlin. On opening day, 30,000 people rushed to taste American fast food. Since then, scores of McDonald's have opened in Russia, millions of Big Macs have been served that Pushkin Square McDonald's became the busiest McDonald's in the world. And so there's always been this question —"Burger King, where are you?" Well, the time's finally come. The first Burger King opened in a mall in Moscow a few days ago. There was the Burger King(refer to the mascot⁹ not the restaurant), the bearded mascot posing for the cameras with two Russian models. More Russian Burger Kings are on the way. This news, well, may be not quite as big as when McDonald's braved the Cold War. Nevertheless, let the Burger wars here begin. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

People are still smiling in New Orleans today after a night of celebration following the New Orleans Saints' overtime¹⁰ victory in the NFC Championship Game. The Saints downed the Minnesota Vikings to earn their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin says the win was especially meaningful because it happened in the Superdome.

For us, this is really special, because four years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit that facility, you know, there was rain coming in and then last night we just celebrated¹¹ like you wouldn't believe.

 Nagin was on CBS's "The Early Show". The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in two weeks in the Super Bowl in Miami.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 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。

5 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 mascot   

n.福神，吉祥的东西

参考例句：

• The football team's mascot is a goat.足球队的吉祥物是山羊。
• We had a panda as our mascot.我们把熊猫作为吉详物。

10 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

11 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。