NPR 2010-12-02

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.

The White House is wrapping up its effort to get a nuclear arms treaty with Russia through Congress this year. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on the latest big Republican gun to come to the White House's aid.

The White House keeps adding to its list of prominent Republicans who support the arms treaty known as New START. A few weeks ago, President Obama held an event with Republican former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and James Baker². Now, President George W. Bush's former Secretary of State Colin Powell has added his voice.

"I fully³ support this treaty and I hope that the Senate will give its advice and consent to the ratification⁴ of the treaty as soon as possible."

Senate Republicans have informed Majority Leader Harry⁵ Reid that they will not allow votes on anything until Congress extends Bush-era tax cuts and passes spending bills to fund the government. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

The co-chairs of the Presidential Commission charged with coming up with ways to bring down the federal deficit⁶ say the ball is now in Congress's court. The proposal, among other things, would raise the social security retirement⁷ age, slash⁸ spending for Medicare and some popular tax breaks, such as mortgage interest rate deductions⁹ on a second home, and raise the gas tax. The Co-Chair Erskine Bowles said today the time for Washington dithering is over.

"We have started an adult conversation that will dominate the debate until the elected leadership here in Washington does something real."

While it will not balance the budget, it would cut the deficit to less than half a trillion dollars in the next four years. Two Senators, Kent Conrad and Judd Gregg, today put their support behind the plan.

More than 70 million people shopped online from their offices on Cyber Monday, boosting online sales by 16 percent this year. Danielle Karson reports retailers¹² raked in a huge chunk¹³ of business.

With almost 90 percent of retailers posting some kind of Cyber Monday bargains, shoppers jumped on promotions¹⁴ and online deals, shelling out an eye-popping billion dollars, making it the busiest online shopping day ever. John Long, a retail¹¹ analyst¹⁵ at Kurt Solomon Associates, says for many retailers online sales have been their biggest growth engine.

"The convenience of online and the fact that more consumers than ever before are connected with fast connections to the Internet means that they are gonna be out there and shopping."

Online shoppers spend about 25 percent more than store shoppers. Analysts¹⁶ say these blockbuster sales should be a good omen¹⁷ for holiday shopping. It tells retailers that Americans are spending more freely, even if they are still holding out for bargains. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson in Washington.

New private employment survey has given the market a boost today. ADP Employer Services, which looks at non-government hiring, says companies added 93,000 workers to their payrolls¹⁸ in November. Small business considered a crucial engine of the economy added its largest number of jobs in some three years. Those numbers helped send all of the stock market indexes up more than two percent today. The Dow was up 249 points to close at 11,255. The NASDAQ gained 15 points. The S&P 500 rose 25 points today.

This is NPR.

Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was arraigned¹⁹ today in Texas after being extradited from Utah to face trial on bigamy and sexual assault charges. Jeffs appeared in a West Texas courtroom today, where, according to the Texas's Attorney General's Office, he was not asked to enter a plea since he told the judge he needs time to find a lawyer. The 54-year-old Jeffs, who heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is scheduled to go to trial next month. He faces charges stemming from a 2008 raid on a ranch²⁰ owned by the group where authorities seized more than 400 children to investigate possible abuse. Most were eventually returned.

Federal government will give five and a half of billion dollars to black farmers and American Indians to settle long-standing lawsuits²¹. The settlement awaits President Obama's signature. NPR's Ted¹⁰ Robbins reports.

The government is supposed to manage royalties²² for timber, oil and gas and minerals taken from tribal²³ lands. But for much of the last 122 years, that management has been a mess. Interior Department records are missing; some Indians have even alleged²⁴ theft. What the Claims Settlement Act of 2010 does is resolve a long-standing class-action suit brought by Indians against the government, although $3.4 billion is a fraction of what tribes say is actually owed. The bill also gives a billion dollars to resolve Indian water-rights cases across the nation. And it gives more than a billion dollars to black farmers who sued the Agriculture Department for discriminatory lending practices. The Obama administration actively²⁵ supported the bill's passage. Ted Robbins, NPR News.

Mortgage applications fell last week as interest rates rose to their highest level since mid-August. The Mortgage Bankers Association says the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.56 percent.

I'm Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 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。

7 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。

8 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

9 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。

10 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

11 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

13 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

14 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。

15 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

16 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。

17 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

18 payrolls   

n.（公司员工的）工资名单( payroll的名词复数 )；（公司的）工资总支出，工薪总额

参考例句：

• Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月，就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
• Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网

19 arraigned   

v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责

参考例句：

• He was arraigned for murder. 他因谋杀罪而被提讯。
• She was arraigned for high treason. 她被控叛国罪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

21 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

22 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

23 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

24 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

25 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。