NPR 2010-06-11

The Secretary of the US Army delivers a stinging indictment¹ today against those accused of sloppy² record keeping at Arlington National Cemetery³.  And John McHugh tells the families of those resting in that hallowed ground that he is deeply sorry. Today McHugh announced the results of a seven-month investigation⁴ that found deficiencies including cremated⁵ remains⁶ mistakenly left in a dirt landfill or placed in a grave already in use. The report renders 76 separate findings.

“Some of which, disturbingly, are a repeat of the deficiencies detailed⁷ in the 1997 inspection⁸ report by the military district of Washington’s IG, deficiencies which apparently⁹ have gone largely unaddressed for the past 12 years.”

The cemetery’s longtime superintendent¹⁰ announced his retirement¹¹ last month.

 

After coming under more heat from the Obama administration and the public, BP is promising¹² to speed up its process, prepaying claims to those directly affected¹³ by the Gulf¹⁴ oil spill. This is officials from the Gulf Coast headed to Capitol Hill to ask who is in charge of the cleanup, President Obama or BP. Details from NPR’s Brian Mann.

 

At a Senate Homeland Security hearing, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser accused BP in the federal government of allowing bureaucracy to trump¹⁶ a rapid response to the spill. “I still don’t know who’s in charge. Is it BP? Is it the Coast Guard? I have spent more time fighting the officials of BP and the Coast Guard than fighting the oil.” The testimony¹⁷ came on a day when families of the oil spill workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion were visiting the White House. President Obama will make a fourth trip to the Gulf Coast on Monday. Brian Mann, NPR News, New Orleans.

 

Russia maintains that it still has the right to sell surface-to-air missiles to Iran, even after the UN approved the fresh round of sanctions against the Iranian regime over its nuclear program. But NPR’s David Greene says Russia has been sending mixed signals about the potential sale.

It’s been more than two years since Russia agreed to sell so-called S300 missiles to Iran. The US and Israel have always opposed the deal, since the missiles could help Iran defend its nuclear sites against attack. As for Russian officials, they have always been dodgy about whether they will ever deliver the weapons. That remained the case this week. After Russia backed the new round of sanctions, the well-sourced Russian news agency Interfax quoted an unnamed person in the Russian arms industry who said the new sanctions meant the contract to deliver S300 missile systems was frozen. Then within hours, a foreign ministry¹⁸ spokesman stressed that the new sanctions do not cover the missile systems, thus he said Russia is not required to scrap¹⁹ the deal. Analysts²⁰ have long said Russia likes using the potential sale as leverage²¹ over Iran and over the countries who are confronting Iran. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

 

US stocks surged alongside the euro. Dow was up more than 270 points at last check.

 

This is NPR.

 

New unemployment claims in the US were down for a third-straight week. The Labor²² Department is reporting applications dropped by 3,000 to a seasonally²³ adjusted 456,000 nearly what it was in January.

 

Latest snapshot of the trade deficit²⁴ finds the gap is growing over $40 billion in April. It was below $40 billion a month before. The Commerce Department finds foreign demand was weaker in April and that hurt US exports.

 

Researchers have discovered how a gene²⁵ linked to a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease causes damage to brain cells. The story from NPR’s Jon Hamilton.

 

It’s been 15 years since scientist discovered the presenilin gene which runs in families and can cause people in their thirties to develop Alzheimer’s. But it’s been unclear how mutations to this gene actually hurt brain cells until now. Researchers at New York University found that in mice presenilin mutations prevented cells from recycling proteins the way they usually do, and when this process broke down, brain cells died. The researchers also found that the gene mutations can kill brain cells even when there is no buildup of amyloid plaque¹⁵ in the brain. Amyloid has long been suspected of causing Alzheimer’s, but this finding suggests protein recycling is also part of the equation. The new research appears in the Journal Cell. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

 

The search is under way for a sixteen-year-old southern California girl attempting to sail solo around the world. The spokesman for Abby Sunderland’s family says the girl was believed to be in trouble in the southern India Ocean after her emergency beacons²⁶ went off. Relatives are working with the US government trying to organize a search for the girl.
 

1 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

2 sloppy   

adj.邋遢的，不整洁的

参考例句：

• If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。
• Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

3 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

9 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。

10 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

11 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。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 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。

15 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

16 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

17 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

18 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

19 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

20 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。

21 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

22 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

23 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

24 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。

25 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

26 beacons   

灯塔( beacon的名词复数 )； 烽火； 指路明灯； 无线电台或发射台

参考例句：

• A chain of beacons was lit across the region. 整个地区点起了一系列灯塔。
• Lighthouse and beacons flash at night. 晚上灯塔与信号台闪着光。