NPR 2010-04-10

The longest-serving justice on the Supreme¹ Court is retiring. Justice John Paul Stevens is ending 35 years of service on the bench, effective this summer when the court finishes its work. President Obama praised Stevens as an impartial² guardian³ of the law. "He has applied⁴ the Constitution and the laws of the land with fidelity⁵ and restraint. He will soon turn 90 this month, but he leaves his position at the top of his game." President Obama says he hopes to nominate Stevens' successor in the coming weeks.

 

President Obama, meanwhile, is keeping a close watch on the rescue operation in Montcoal, West Virginia. Four miners are still missing after an explosion on Monday. Earlier today, workers tried to use a camera to check for a second emergency chamber⁶ where the miners may have taken refuge. But Kevin Stricklin of the Mine Safety and Health Administration says ultimately they decided⁷ to send rescuers back in. "Borehole that was put in at the refuge chamber did not hit a void, it hit a solid pillar. So basically, that the hole that was drilled from the surface does no use to us at all, and we will not be able to put a camera down in it, while we can put a camera down in it, but basically there will be nothing to see." The explosion killed 25 miners.

 

Michigan Congressman⁸ Bart Stupak, a target of conservatives against the new health care law, will not seek re-election. Today Stupak said he has no regrets. "Two years ago, I saw an opportunity to finally enact⁹ health care with the election of a new president. I thank President Obama and Speaker Pelosi for their leadership to put us across the line as we finally have health care in reality in this country." Stupak, who is anti-abortion, was one of the final holdouts to passing the health care bill.

 

The Israeli prime minister is sitting out this month's nuclear security meeting in Washington. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro sheds light on some of the issues in play.

 

The announcement that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't attend the summit came in response to concerns that a group of Muslim countries would try to get Israel to declare the existence of its suspected nuclear arsenal¹⁰. Israel is believed to be the only nuclear armed power in the Middle East but it has never confirmed or denied it. It has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That means it avoids mandatory¹¹ international inspections¹² of its nuclear facilities. International experts believe though that Israel has up to 200 nuclear bombs stockpiled. Its policy of ambiguity¹³ is supposed to act as a deterrent¹⁴ while preventing an arms race. Some Islamic regimes though accuse Israel of hypocrisy¹⁵. Israel is determined¹⁶ to stop countries like Iran from getting the bomb, they say, while keeping its own suspected nuclear arsenal away from international inspections. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Jerusalem.

 

Playing off commodity prices, the Dow hit 11,000 for the first time since September 2008. It's now up 70. This is NPR News.

 

Church files reportedly show that before he became Pope, Cardinal¹⁷ Joseph Ratzinger resisted defrocking a Californian priest who was accused of sexually abusing children. The Associated Press reports a 1985 letter signed by Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI. In the letter, Ratzinger cites concerns about the effect defrocking a priest would have on the Roman Catholic Church.

 

The Internet is apparently¹⁸ beating out television for viewers' choice. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports a new study that finds more people leaning toward the web.

 

The last time the survey was conducted was in 2001 by Arbitron which is better known for its radio ratings and Edison media research. Back then, 72% of respondents said they could live without the Internet. Now widespread broadband and sites like Hulu have changed how and where we watch TV. "Previously¹⁹ on V, I'm pregnant." Now more people say they would rather have Internet access than television. It's only 1%, but the survey suggests American media use is reaching a tipping point. The shift has most pronounced with viewers between the ages of 12 to 44, some of whom faced with expensive cable bills have dropped TV altogether. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

 

Astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Discovery are looking ahead to their second of three spacewalks outside the International Space Station. They want to hook up a new ammonia tank at the orbiting outpost before heading back home. Discovery is expected to be in space for two weeks. The shuttle mission is among the last ones for NASA which will be retiring its space shuttle program later this year.

 

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 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。

8 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。

9 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

10 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

11 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

12 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。

14 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

15 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

16 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

17 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

18 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

19 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。