NPR 2010-02-07

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

A popular sound in the nation's capital where snow blowers are hard at work as white stuff keeps falling. Forecasters say the winter storm blanketing the Mid-Atlantic States could be the biggest in modern history. A record 2.5 feet or more is predicted for Washington D.C. For the most part, people are staying home, but hundreds of thousands of them across the region have to endure the cold without electricity. The storm has virtually paralyzed transportation. All flights out of the area airports were canceled through this afternoon. So what to do when there is no place to go? NPR's Craig Windham trudged¹ over to Washington's Dupont Circle. After getting a tip on Facebook about a snowball fight, turns out, it was a whopper.

 

It's a war zone out here. This is a park in the middle of one of the traffic circles in the city. It started out as a pretty mild-mannered competition with two teams. One team is defending the frozen site in the middle of the circle, the other is attacking it. But it's still, uh, getting pretty crazy. There are salvos of snowballs flying through the air. I can tell you this reporters like me are sitting ducks. We are pelted² wherever we walk, anywhere near here. There are probably a good thousand or more people out here. This plan was set up on Facebook, and it's a good relief for people who have nothing better to do in the city that's gridlocked by snow.

 

That's NPR's Craig Windham reporting from Washington's Dupont Circle.

 

It's election day in New Orleans. Voters are choosing a mayor to replace the term-limited Ray Nagin. NPR's Debbie Elliott has more.

 

It's something of a magic weekend for New Orleans. The carnival³ parades are rolling, the Super Bowl party is already underway, and the city will soon have a new mayor. Candidates have been pushing hard to get the attention of voters distracted by the Saints’ first appearance in the Super Bowl. Turnout was strong for early voting. Many voters think this election is critical to jump-start the city's uneven⁴ recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana Lieutenant⁵ Governor Mitch Landrieu is making his third bid for the job once held by his father Moon Landrieu in the 1970s. Businessmen Troy Henry and John Georges are considered to be in tight competition to make it into a run-off with Landrieu. Other candidates include housing advocate James Perry and former judge Nadine Ramsey. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, New Orleans.

 

A US missionary⁶ held by North Korea for 43 days is heading home. Robert Park was taken to Beijing today where he was due to leave for the US. The 28-year-old from Arizona crossed a frozen river from China to North Korea on Christmas Day with letters protesting Kim Jong-il's government. On Friday, Pyongyang announced it would release Park, saying he now believes North Korea allowed complete religious freedom for all people.

 

From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

Defense⁷ Secretary Robert Gates says he's skeptical⁸ that Iran's close to reaching an agreement with the United Nations on its nuclear program. This week in Ankara, Gates urged Turkish officials not to underscore the threat that, he says, Iran posed. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadienjad recently indicated that his country would be willing to send much of its low-enriched uranium abroad for processing in line with the UN proposal. Iran says it is interested in developing energy, not nuclear weapons as the West suspects.

 

Well, there's been another clash between Japanese whalers and anti-whaling activists⁹ in the waters off Antarctica. It's the second collision of boats belonging to the two groups in as many months. From Sydney, Stewart Colleen has details.

 

A Japanese whaling ship and a boat from the anti-whaling group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, have collided in Australian waters near Antarctica. It's the second collision of boats belonging to the two groups in as many months. The head of the Sea Shepherd Society says the Japanese harpoon¹⁰ ship intentionally¹¹ rammed¹² his boat, the Bob Barker, tearing a three-foot long gash¹³ in the hull¹⁴ of the ship above the waterline. Nobody was injured in the collision and the ship isn't in danger of sinking. The boat is indeed named for the former host of "The Price is Right" Bob Barker who donated millions of dollars to the Sea Shepherd Society. Last month, another Japanese whaling ship collided with a high-tech¹⁵ trimaran owned by Sea Shepherd. That collision ripped the bow off the multi-million-dollar trimaran and forced the crew to abandon ship. The boat later sank while being towed back to port for repairs. For NPR News, I'm Stewart Colleen in Sydney.

 

Floods and mudslides are threatening some homes in foothills of Los Angeles following a second round of storms, but no injuries have been reported.

 

This is NPR.
 

1 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pelted   

（连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮

参考例句：

• The children pelted him with snowballs. 孩子们向他投掷雪球。
• The rain pelted down. 天下着大雨。

3 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

4 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

5 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

6 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 harpoon   

n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获

参考例句：

• The harpoon drove deep into the body of the whale.渔叉深深地扎进鲸鱼体内。
• The fisherman transfixed the shark with a harpoon.渔夫用鱼叉刺住鲨鱼。

11 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

12 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 gash   

v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝

参考例句：

• The deep gash in his arm would take weeks to heal over.他胳膊上的割伤很深，需要几个星期的时间才能痊愈。
• After the collision,the body of the ship had a big gash.船被撞后，船身裂开了一个大口子。

14 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

15 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。