NPR 2010-11-15

Taxation¹ is topic A as Congress returns to Washington for a lame-duck session. At issue, should the tax cuts adopted during the Bush administration extend beyond their year's end expiration² date? On NBC's "Meet the Press", Senator John McCain of Arizona expressed support for an across-the-board extension and a reevaluation.
"I think they should be extended until we're out of this recession. At such time then we could look at other tax hikes, but when we're in a serious recession, I cannot believe that raising taxes is a good thing on anybody."President Obama favors extending them for couples earning less than 250,000 a year. Congress also needs to tie up critical spending bills.
More personnel changes are slated³ at the White House. Top presidential advisor⁴ David Axelrod says he'll be leaving to begin work on the president's reelection campaign. He spoke⁵ on Fox News Sunday.
"Late winter, early spring I'll be going back - coming back here - to Chicago and beginning to work on that, on that project."The 55-year-old Axelrod is a longtime friend of President Obama and served as his chief strategist for the 2008 campaign.
In Myanmar today, thousands gathered at the party headquarters of newly freed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. We get more from NPR's Anthony Kuhn.
Aung San Suu Kyi offered to help unite Myanmar's fractious opposition⁶ parties and work to end the foreign sanctions against her country if that's what Burmese people wanted. She also said that a one-woman show was no democracy and that she wouldn't be free unless her fellow countrymen were also free. In talks with diplomats⁷, supporters and opposition party members, she stressed that she intended to continue fighting for freedom of speech and she urged her followers⁸ to do the same. Opposition parties welcomed her message of unity⁹. Her own party, the National League for Democracy, was banned last year after it decided¹⁰ to boycott¹¹ the elections. Some NLD leaders who opposed the boycott broke away to form a new party. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Bangkok.
The California Highway Patrol says a man who allegedly ran head-on into a pack of motorcyclists on a desert road, beginning a fatal chain reaction, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Five people died. The incident is believed to have been triggered by the driver of a Honda, who attempted to maneuver¹² around the caravan¹³ of motorcyclists. Here's officer DeeAnn Goudie of the California Highway Patrol.
"None of them are, you know, 100% sure on the year but they're 100% sure that it's a Honda Civic¹⁴ with a California plate."Several people were injured. The incident occurred Saturday.
This is NPR News.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today encouraged his cabinet to accept a package of security and diplomatic incentives¹⁵ the US has proposed in hopes of reviving Middle East peace talks. Part of the proposal calls for a 90-day moratorium¹⁶ on West Bank settlement construction.
A British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates and held for 388 days has been freed. Larry Miller¹⁷ reports from London that the UK government refused to pay a ransom¹⁸, but family, friends, Somali exiles and even Somali villagers chipped in to meet the demand.
Paul and Rachel Chandler had cruised the world for three years when they were abducted¹⁹ from their sailboat off the Seychelles. They were taken to Somalia by pirates, who demanded six million dollars but settled for a million. The British government said it doesn't pay ransoms²⁰. It's taken more than a year for the money to be collected privately²¹. During their captivity²², the Chandlers, who've been married for 30 years, were separated for long periods of time. They were taken from place to place. They suffered health problems and said they were poorly treated by the pirates. They are now reported to be in reasonably good health. They were handed over early this morning and phoned relatives. The Chandlers say they are just happy to be alive, adding "We're with the good guys now." For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.
The annual Global Language Monitor survey is out, declaring "spillcam" and "vuvuzela" the top words of 2010. "Spillcam" from the underwater camera, reflecting the months-long oil spill in the Gulf²³ of Mexico; and "vuvuzela", the noisy South African horns at the World Cup soccer tournament.
I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.

1 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

2 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。

3 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 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。

6 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。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

12 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

13 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

14 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

15 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

16 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

17 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

18 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

19 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

20 ransoms   

付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The kidnappers exacted ransoms for their hostages. 绑匪勒索人质的赎金。
• Hotel:Wealthy captives sleep at the hotel for an increase in their ransoms. 酒店：富有的俘虏们要住在酒店等待足够的赎金以回家。

21 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

22 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

23 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。