NPR 2010-07-10

The Justice Department is confirming the biggest spy swap¹ since the Cold War in a case that the Associated Press reports the White House started deliberating nearly a month ago. Ten confessed Russian agents deported² from the US arrived in Moscow today, and four men convicted in Russia of spying for the West have also been deported. We have the latest from NPR's David Greene.

The four men flown out of Russia were pardoned by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. One's a former arms control researcher, Igor Sutyagin. He was arrested in 1999 for passing information to a British company that, Russian officials said, was a CIA front. The other men all once served (for) the KGB, a Russian intelligence. Alexander Zaporozhsky was arrested in 2001 for spying for the US. Russian media suggested he helped the US uncover American Robert Hanssen, who was convicted of being a Russian spy. As for the Kremlin's decision to swap three former intelligence operatives, Russian political commentator³ Yulia Latynina called it a safe choice.

"Er, you know, I think they provided all the information they could back before they were arrested."

The Kremlin, she said, may have been worried about what ten foreign agents in the US would divulge⁴ during prolonged legal trials. David Greene, NPR News, Moscow.

The city of Oakland, California is cleaning up after a night of rioting. Protesters are outraged⁵ that a white ex-police officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter rather than second-degree murder in the death of an unarmed black man in 2009. The Justice Department says it will review whether the case warrants federal prosecution⁶.

Police have recovered a second body from the Delaware River, a site of this week's collision between a tour boat and a barge⁷. Two people went missing in Philadelphia when the boat capsized. Authorities have identified one of the remains⁸ is that of a teenage girl. They believe the second body may be that of a 20-year-old man.

BP could dramatically improve its ability to collect oil from the blown-out well in the Gulf⁹ of Mexico if the company gets the go-ahead to upgrade its equipment this weekend. More from NPR's Richard Harris.

BP is currently installing a new oil collection system that could double the amount of oil it collects over the next few days. At the same time, the company is waiting for federal approval to switch up the leaky cap on the top of the well with one that's designed to form a tight seal. If the company gets the thumbs-up, it could start that work this weekend. In the short run, more oil could spew into the Gulf when they remove the leaky cap. The procedure is a bit risky¹⁰, and it's not clear how many days it will take. But if it succeeds, it could essentially¹¹ stop the flow of oil into the Gulf. The new cap could also help BP control the well when it comes time to plug it with cement, and that's on track for later this month. Richard Harris, NPR News.

We're seeing steady gains on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 58 points at last check at 10,197, NASDAQ Composite Index up more than 20 at 2,196.

This is NPR News.

In Italy, journalists have been on strike over a proposed wiretap law. Supporters say it will protect people's privacy, but critics say it will protect graft¹². The bill, which comes to vote in parliament at the end of July, allows magistrates¹³ to order a wiretap and to ban newspapers from using transcripts¹⁴ until preliminary investigations¹⁵ are completed. Critics say that process can take years. The divisive issue continues to cut into Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's approval rating, which reportedly has been steadily¹⁶ dropping for the last six weeks.

Officials in northeastern Mexico have evacuated¹⁷ tens of thousands of people and issued a red alert as flood waters rise south of the Rio Grande. NPR's Jason Beaubien has more from Mexico City.

Heavy rains along the Texas-Mexico border have pushed rivers and streams far above flood stage. Several border crossings have been shut, and several bridges further south in Mexico have been completely destroyed. Authorities in Coahuila say 750,000 people, a roughly 30% of the state's population, remain without electricity or phone service. This area was hit hard last week by Hurricane Alex. The current rain is falling on ground that's already saturated¹⁸, and it's flowing into waterways already at or beyond their limits. In Tamaulipas, the Mexican military installed a temporary bridge over the San Antonio River, where 2,000 people have been trapped by the flood waters. An additional eight inches of rain is forecast to fall in some parts of northeastern Mexico. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Twin suicide bombings in Peshawar, Pakistan are blamed in the deaths of at least 62 people including children. The attack took place along the Afghan border

1 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

2 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

4 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

5 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

6 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

7 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

8 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。

9 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。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

11 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

12 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

13 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

14 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

15 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

16 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

17 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

18 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液