NPR 2010-07-18

BP officials say they're encouraged by the way a cap is working to prevent more oil from gushing¹ from a broken well in the Gulf² of Mexico. Vice³ President Kent Wells says they're closely monitoring information on pressure and temperature since the well was capped.

 

"Based on that information at that point in time, we'll make decisions on whether to end the test and go into containment⁴ mode or continue on with the test or any other decision that might be taken at that time."

 

Wells said so far there's no sign that oil is escaping again. BP stopped the flow Thursday for the first time since April 20th, when the oil rig exploded, killing⁵ 11 workers. Meanwhile, the cleanup continues and much of the Gulf of Mexico is off-limits to fishing. Although the spill has caused great hardship, not all fishermen are opposed to more drilling in the future. From member station WUSF in Tampa, Joshua Stewart reports.

 

Adeen Pruitt has been a longline fisherman since high school. He usually has six boats trolling Gulf waters for grouper and other popular restaurant fish. But his catch is down, and some of his boats are staying at the docks. Pruitt is worried about the future of his business, and he's filed a claim with BP for his lost revenue. But he doesn't want oil drilling stop altogether in the Gulf.

 

"I don't want to pay five, or seven dollars a gallon for fuel. If that would happen, I would lose our business. We can't afford to even run these boats, so we got to have domestic oil."

 

Pruitt does not support deepwater drilling, but he thinks there's a sweet spot that's not too close to shore either. For NPR News, I'm Joshua Stewart in Tampa.

 

Officials in Arizona report the number of people dying in the desert is on pace to set a record for a single month. Migrants are succumbing⁶ to desert heat as they try to cross into the US illegally. From member station KJZZ in Phoenix⁷, Mark Marion reports.

 

Since July 1st, the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office in southern Arizona has received 40 bodies, enough to prompt it to use a refrigerated truck for the space to store some of them. At the current rate, the county will surpass the single-month record of 68 bodies recorded in 2005. Numbers for the first six months of the year are up dramatically as well. Officials attribute that to well above normal temperatures this spring combined with heightened border security. Arizona's new immigration law, which allows police to ask people about their immigration status while enforcing another law, is scheduled to go into effect in less than two weeks. But there are lawsuits⁸ pending⁹ that could result in an injunction. For NPR News, I'm Mark Marion in Phoenix.

 

About 40 miles east of Phoenix, three hikers are still missing in the Superstition¹⁰ Mountains in Arizona. The men are from Utah while looking for the legendary¹¹ Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Their vehicle was spotted¹² empty almost a week ago.

 

You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

Officials in Pakistan say at least 16 people were killed in an ambush¹³ on civilian¹⁴ vehicles in the northwestern region near the border with Afghanistan. The BBC's Jill Mcgivering reports there's been a number of recent attacks in the volatile¹⁵ area.

 

Local officials said the group of civilians¹⁶, which included a woman, was travelling in a small convoy¹⁷ through the Kurram tribal¹⁸ area towards Peshawar. All of those killed are thought to be Shia Muslims, who've become particularly vulnerable to attack in this lawless and Sunni-dominated area. The road between Kurram and Peshawar has become a notorious flashpoint. The direct route only takes a few hours, and there've been various attempts by the security forces recently to secure the road. But militant¹⁹ violence has continued with frequent attacks on Pakistani forces and on local Shias.

 

The BBC's Jill McGivering reporting.

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he'll agree to direct peace talks with Israel if Israel accepts a future Palestinian state, based on land occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. President Obama's envoy²⁰ to the region, George Mitchell, said a Palestinian state would be part of an ideal settlement.

 

"It also will include peace between Israel and Syria and normalized relations between Israel and all of the countries of the region."

 

Mitchell met today with Abbas and yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu.

 

Tennis star Serena Williams needs surgery on her right foot. Officials say she cut her foot last week on glass at a restaurant. No details were provided. She's to miss three tournaments leading to the US Open.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington

1 gushing   

adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• blood gushing from a wound 从伤口冒出的血
• The young mother was gushing over a baby. 那位年轻的母亲正喋喋不休地和婴儿说话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 succumbing   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• Mrs. Smith washed and ironed clothes for him, succumbing to him. 史密斯太太被他迷住了，愿意为他洗衣烫衣。
• They would not in the end abandon their vital interests by succumbing to Soviet blandishment. 他们最终决不会受苏联人的甜言蜜语的诱惑，从而抛弃自己的切身利益。

7 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

8 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

9 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

10 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

11 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

12 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

13 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

16 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。

17 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。

18 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

19 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

20 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。