NPR 2010-05-19

Federal prosecutors¹ say the man accused of trying to bomb Times Square in New York City will appear in court today. Faisal Shahzad has been detained since he was arrested May 3rd and charged with five counts related to the bombing attempt. It will be Shahzad's first court appearance.

Energy company BP has released new video of the undersea oil spill in the Gulf² of Mexico to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The video can be used to measure the true magnitude of the oil spill. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Scientists were able to get a ballpark figure for the size of the leak last week after BP released a few short video clips of the spewing oil and gas. Scientists reviewing these clips at the request of NPR concluded the official estimate of 5,000 barrels a day was way low. That quick bit of science also showed it's possible to use video to make good measurements of the flow despite BP's assertion to the contrary. But the original video clip provided just a glimpse of the spill and doesn't tell the whole story of how much oil and gas has shot up into the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists will soon have much more material to go on. Democratic Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and Barbara Boxer⁴ of California asked BP to turn over all the video, and the company has started to comply. Richard Harris, NPR News.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter is facing a tough challenge from Congressman⁵ Joe Sestak in today's Democratic Senate primary. Scott Detrow of member station WITF in Harrisburg has more.

Specter is the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history. And today, he is hoping to win a spot on the fall ballot⁶ for a sixth term. But this is the first time Specter has run as a Democrat³. The 80-year-old switched parties last year after his vote for President Obama's stimulus⁷ package caused his popularity with Pennsylvania Republicans to plummet⁸. Specter received the endorsement⁹ of Mr Obama, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and the rest of the Democratic establishment right after his switch. But he’s facing a stiff challenge from suburban¹⁰ Philadelphia Congressman Joe Sestak. Sestak served 31 years in the navy and was first elected to Congress in 2006. Recent polls show the two in a dead heat, and both have spent millions of dollars on increasingly negative television ads. For NPR News, I'm Scott Detrow in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Connecticut Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal says he misspoke when he previously¹¹ claimed to have served in the military in Vietnam.

"I may have misspoken. I did misspeak on a few occasions out of hundreds."

The New York Times has reported Blumenthal served six years in the Marine¹² Reserve but none of it overseas. He received several deferments between 1965 and 1970. In today's news conference, Blumenthal said he regretted misspeaking but would not allow his record to be impugned¹³.

On Wall Street before the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 109 points at 10,515. The NASDAQ was down 36, and the S&P was down 13.

You're listening to NPR News.

Authorities in China have sentenced a former retail¹⁴ tycoon¹⁵ to 14 years in jail for economic crimes. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Guangzhou the case is one of  several instances of Chinese billionaires who've got in trouble with the law.

A Beijing court found Huang Guangyu guilty of insider trading in shares of his own company, China's largest electronics retailer¹⁶. The court also fined him $88 million. State media report that Huang paid more than half a million dollars in bribes¹⁷ to five officials, which, according to some reports, was to win approval for a Hong Kong stock market listing. A high-ranking police official is awaiting sentencing for taking bribes from Huang. As of 2008, Huang ranked No.1 on a local rich list before falling to No.17 last year with a net worth of $3.4 billion. Analysts¹⁸ see the case as an example of cozy¹⁹ ties between tycoons²⁰ and officials and pervasive²¹ corruption²². Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Guangzhou, China.

A car bomb killed at least 18 people in the capital of Afghanistan today. Five of them were American troops; more were Afghan civilians²³. The bomb exploded on a major street in Kabul just as a NATO convoy²⁴ passed. The Taliban is claiming responsibility for today's attack.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States has come up with a draft resolution to impose new sanctions on Iran. Members of the UN Security Council are meeting today to discuss it. Clinton says the five permanent members of the Security Council have agreed on the plan. It imposes consequences for Iran's behavior over its nuclear program even though Iran's decided²⁵ to send some of its nuclear material out of the country for processing.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

5 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。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

8 plummet   

vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物

参考例句：

• Mengniu and Yili have seen their shares plummet since the incident broke.自事件发生以来，蒙牛和伊利的股票大幅下跌。
• Even if rice prices were to plummet,other brakes on poverty alleviation remain.就算大米价格下跌，其它阻止导致贫困的因素仍然存在。

9 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

10 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

11 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。

12 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• 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。

13 impugned   

v.非难，指谪( impugn的过去式和过去分词 )；对…有怀疑

参考例句：

• All I can hope is that the good name of the Bank will not be impugned in some way. 我所希望的，就是该银行的好名声不要在某些方面受到质疑。 来自辞典例句

14 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。

15 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

16 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

17 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

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。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

18 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。

19 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

20 tycoons   

大君( tycoon的名词复数 )； 将军； 企业巨头； 大亨

参考例句：

• The great tycoons were fierce competitors, single-minded in their pursuit of financial success and power. 企业巨头都是激烈的竞争者，他们一心追求钱财和权势。
• Tycoons and their conglomerates are even raising money again on international markets. 企业大亨们以及他们的企业甚至正再次从国际市场上筹集资金。

21 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

22 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

23 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

24 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。

25 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。