NPR 2010-07-15

BP and the federal government are still not saying whether they plan to go ahead with the test that could shut down the well that's spewing oil into the Gulf¹ of Mexico. More details from NPR's Richard Harris.

BP had planned to start the test yesterday. It involves closing a set of valves on the top of the well. The test is designed to check the integrity of the undersea well, and if the well is in good shape, BP intended to leave the valves closed. But the test's been delayed for more than a day now as scientists weigh the benefits of conducting the test against the risk that they could actually damage the well by shutting the valves and allowing pressure to build up under the seafloor. The government and BP plan to say more about their deliberations later today. Richard Harris, NPR News.

The majority of advisors² to the Food and Drug Administration are recommending the controversial diabetes³ drug Avandia stay on the market. Today's vote was 20-12, but the panel told the FDA that Avandia needs additional warnings. In a two-day debate, the advisors found some evidence the drug increases the risk of heart attacks. But there was not enough evidence that it increases the risk of strokes or death.

Dozens of men from the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq are no longer in US custody⁴. They were handed over to Iraqi authorities. The men include Tariq Aziz, the public face of Saddam's regime for decades, as NPR's Kelly McEvers reports.

The US military says 26 former Saddam aides were handed over to Iraqi officials this week. The men were being held at Camp Cropper, the last detention⁵ center under American control in Iraq. That prison will be transferred to the Iraqis tomorrow as part of a security agreement negotiated by the two countries in 2008. Tariq Aziz turned himself into American authorities in 2003. He since has been charged with ordering the execution of Iraqi businessmen who profited during the years that Iraq was under UN sanctions. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Baghdad.

At least eight American soldiers have been killed in the last 24 hours in Taliban attacks in southern Afghanistan. At least a dozen Afghans have also been killed.

In the latest sign that the economic recovery in the US is slowing down, retail⁶ sales fell in June. An update from NPR's Anthony Brooks⁷.

According to the Commerce Department, spending on retail goods dropped by 0.5% last month. That followed a drop of just over 1% the month before. One of the big reasons for last month's decline: lower gas prices, which dropped by 2%, and slumping⁸ auto⁹ sales, which plunged¹⁰ by 2.3%. If you exclude the auto number, overall spending actually rose by a fraction in June. Consumer spending makes up about 70% of the nation's economic activity, so analysts¹¹ say last month's decline is further evidence that the recovery is slowing. Among the industries posting modest gains in sales last month, department stores and big retailers¹² like Wal-Mart. Anthony Brooks, NPR News.

Dow's up four. This is NPR.

A candidate for governor in Colorado is facing allegations of plagiarism¹³. From Denver, NPR's Jeff Brady tells us the local newspaper's calling on Republican Scott McInnis to drop out of the race.

McInnis is a former congressman¹⁴ from Colorado. He copied texts written by a judge for a series of essays on water issues in the West. Also, parts of a newspaper column he wrote in 1994 and a later speech resemble a piece that appeared in the Washington Post a month and a half earlier. For the essays, McInnis issued a statement, blaming the mistake on research by a water expert he hired to help write them. McInnis said the information was passed on to him without attribution. He says he should have been more vigilant¹⁵ in his review. McInnis hasn't responded to calls for him to drop out of the race for governor. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Denver.

The country's largest civil rights organization is unanimously backing a resolution, condemning¹⁶ what it calls "racist¹⁷ elements" of the Tea Party movement. The NAACP adopted the measure yesterday during its annual convention in Kansas City. Some Tea Party activists¹⁸ press the NAACP to withdraw the proposal, calling allegations of racism¹⁹ 'unfounded'.

Chileans are bracing²⁰ for more aftershocks hours after coastal²¹ villagers were jolted²² by powerful tremors²³ that were reminiscent of February's deadly earthquake. However, no injuries or damage were reported from today's earthquakes.

Here's an update from Wall Street: Dow Jones Industrial Average up slightly four points at 10,367 during a day of small gains, NASDAQ up eight points at 2,250, and S&P 500 down slightly; it's at 1,095.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 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。

2 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

3 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

4 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 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。

7 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

9 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

10 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

11 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。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

13 plagiarism   

n.剽窃，抄袭

参考例句：

• Teachers in America fight to control cheating and plagiarism.美国老师们努力对付欺骗和剽窃的问题。
• Now he's in real trouble.He's accused of plagiarism.现在他是真遇到麻烦了。他被指控剽窃。

14 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。

15 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

16 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

18 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》

19 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

20 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

21 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

22 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

23 tremors   

震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动

参考例句：

• The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。
• The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。