NPR 2010-02-04

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Korva Coleman.

 

Attorney General Eric Holder¹ says he decided² to charge the suspect in civilian³ court in the failed plot to bomb a jet on Christmas Day over Detroit. Holder's remarks about the case are on a letter sent to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Holder notes the Bush administration used civilian court to convict more than 300 people on terror-related charges since 9/11.

 

A Pakistani scientist has been convicted in federal court of trying to kill Americans while she was being held in Afghanistan. Prosecutors⁴ said FBI agents and US soldiers were trying to question Aafia Siddiqui when she fired a rifle at them. None were injured; she was hurt by return fire.

 

Toyota says it's looking into complaints about braking problems with the new Prius Hybrid⁵. This occurs as the Transportation Department is contacting automakers to discuss accelerator linkages⁶. And Toyota recalls millions of vehicles due to acceleration⁷ problems. NPR's Paul Brown has more.

 

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the government is investigating both mechanical and possible electronic problems in Toyota throttles⁸, and he says while that's going on, the government will contact other companies. “Given what's happened to Toyota, our, our people are gonna, you know, look at that and consider it and talk to car manufacturers about that. It would just be the, the common-sense thing to do.” LaHood says Toyota didn't really move on its problem until US officials visited the company's headquarters in Japan. He characterized Toyota’s North American officials as possibly "safety deaf" to the issue until the visit. Toyota says it took appropriate action. A House committee has sent Toyota a letter, asking the company to clarify its response to problems with sticking accelerators. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

 

The US Embassy in Pakistan confirms three US service members were killed and two injured in a bombing today in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. From Islamabad NPR's Julie McCarthy has more.

 

In a statement, the American Embassy said those killed were US military personnel, who were in Pakistan to conduct training at the invitation of the Pakistan Frontier Corps⁹. The five Americans were traveling in a convoy¹⁰ when their bullet-proof vehicle was struck. The commandant of the Dir Scouts¹¹ who was traveling in the convoy told NPR that a suicide attacker detonated his bomb-laden car as the convoy passed. The area is a militant¹² stronghold, but the Pakistani army has insisted it had been cleared. The embassy said that the US personnel were in Lower Dir to attend the inauguration¹³ of a school for girls that had been recently renovated¹⁴ with US humanitarian¹⁵ assistance. The deadly explosion occurred near another girls’ school and also claimed the lives of three young students. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

 

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials are down 17 points at 10, 279; the NASDAQ is up a point at 2,191.

 

This is NPR.

 

Illinois voters chose party candidates in the state’s primary election yesterday. One prize this fall will be the Senate seat currently held by Roland Burris and before him, President Barack Obama. In the election yesterday, Republicans tapped Congressman¹⁶ Mark Kirk as their candidate for the Senate election; Democrats¹⁷ chose Alexi Giannoulias.

 

France has switched its stance and now supports a ban on the global trade in bluefin tuna. Eleanor Beardsley in Paris reports the ban is to come into force within 18 months.

 

France today joined Italy in supporting a ban. The about-face will no doubt anger French fishermen, but it is a win for environmentalists concerned about the dwindling¹⁸ stocks of the giant fish found mainly in the Mediterranean¹⁹ Sea. Still, environmental group Greenpeace accused France of caving in to the short-term interests of industrial fishing by postponing²⁰ the ban for the next two fishing seasons. Environmentalists have warned that a prolonged delay to any ban would prove disastrous²¹ to bluefin tuna stocks and could lead to the extinction²² of the species. The European Union has come close to supporting a ban in the past, but Europe's fishing nations blocked such moves. The French announcement comes just weeks ahead of a European decision to put bluefin tuna on the endangered species list. Mediterranean bluefin tuna commands high prices in Japan where 80% of the catch is exported. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

 

The International Criminal Court will reconsider a genocide charge against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. He already faces war crimes charges as well as accusations²³ of crimes against humanity for his role of the treatment of the residents of Darfur. They had been murdered, tortured, raped²⁴ and forced to flee their home. Sudan does not recognize the ICC.

 

I’m Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

 

1 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

2 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。

3 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。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

6 linkages   

n.连接( linkage的名词复数 )；结合；联系；联动装置

参考例句：

• Only the thermosetting resins provide a strong cohesive forces; this is due to molecular cross linkages. 只有热固性树脂具有巨大的凝聚力，这是由于分子交错链所造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The linkages between the stable units must be as near as possible of equal stability. 稳定链节之间的键必须有尽可能接近的稳定性。 来自辞典例句

7 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

8 throttles   

n.控制油、气流的阀门( throttle的名词复数 )；喉咙，气管v.扼杀( throttle的第三人称单数 )；勒死；使窒息；压制

参考例句：

• The Vimy, throttles full open, began to roll slowly down the field. “维米号”开足了马力，在机场上开始慢慢滑行。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• Throttles dense solutions of paper mill stock for headbox flow control, etc. 用于压头箱流体控制的造纸厂原料的稠密流体节流，等等。 来自互联网

9 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

11 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

12 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

13 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

14 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

15 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

16 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。

17 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

19 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

20 postponing   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He tried to gain time by postponing his decision. 他想以迟迟不作决定的手段来争取时间。 来自辞典例句
• I don't hold with the idea of postponing further discussion of the matter. 我不赞成推迟进一步讨论这件事的想法。 来自辞典例句

21 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

22 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

23 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

24 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句