NPR 2010-08-20

New unemployment claims hit the half million mark, the highest level since November. Analysts¹ say last week's surge underscores more trouble in the jobs market with employers slashing² positions as the economic recovery continues to slow.

A symbolic³ moment for American troops today. The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry⁴ Division is the last official combat brigade to leave Iraq more than seven years after the US-led invasion. And it happened well before the Obama administration's August 31st deadline, but the withdrawal⁵ had been taken place for months. And as NPR's Mike Schuster reports, many American troops will stay behind.

After September 1st, the goal and it looks like it's going to be reached. There will be 50,000 American troops left in Iraq, and Their role will shift from primarily combat to primarily assisting the Iraqi security forces. But this doesn't mean that these American troops are out of harm's way, and it doesn't mean that they are not armed or may not be involved in combat in the coming year.

NPR's Mike Schuster.

Three weeks after Pakistan's flood disaster began, assistance is beginning to ramp⁶ up. Senator John Kerry says the US will contribute 150 million for emergency aid to the country, but international efforts still slow. NPR's Margot Adler with details.

The foreign minister of Pakistan is in New York, responding to criticism that his government was slow to respond. He said there was initial shock and paralysis⁷. The Pakistani community here has also been slow to respond. Pakistani journalist Jehangir Khattak.

"Those who want to donate, they don't want to donate to the government. They are funding the money through private channels."

The UN and other aid groups have complained that donors⁸ have not been quick or generous in a crisis that has inundated⁹ 1/5 of Pakistan and affected¹⁰ 20 million people. He says half of the 459 million pledged for initial relief funding has been secured. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

A grand jury's indicted¹¹ former baseball pitcher¹² Roger Clemens on obstruction¹³ of justice, false statements and perjury¹⁴ charges. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports the criminal charges stemmed from the pitcher's testimony¹⁵ to Congress in 2008.

Roger Clemens made a defiant¹⁶ appearance before the House Government Reform Committee in February, 2008. Congress was conducting a broad investigation¹⁷ into the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. Clemens started as a pitcher in Toronto and New York in a career that's spanned more than two decades, but prosecutors¹⁸ say he lied to Congress when Clemens flatly denied using anabolic steroids and human growth hormone¹⁹ to improve his performance. Clemens faces as many as 30 years in prison, if he's convicted of obstruction, false statements and perjury. His defense²⁰ team has already signaled they will attack the credibility of a key government witness who says he provided steroids to the baseball star. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

Dow's down 145 points at 10,271. This is NPR.

Well, fans have heard this before, but Brett Favre says this NFL season really is his last. The 40-year-old is back with the Minnesota Vikings. The three-time MVP returned to the field yesterday, hoping to cap this 20th season with a Super Bowl victory. Last season, the Vikings were just one win away from appearing in the NFL Championship.

A recall due to salmonella contamination has been extended to nearly 400 million eggs in several states. Federal authorities say the eggs were sold by an Iowa farmer and may have sickened hundreds of people since May.

The heat wave that's crippled Russia for two months is finally over. From Moscow, Peter Van Dyk reports cooler temperatures are helping²¹ firefighting efforts and the numbers of wildfires burning across the country is down by 100 just the past 24 hours.

Temperatures in the Russian capital have returned to normal and are not expected to rise above the mid-70s today. The change was sudden. Yesterday was the hottest August 18th on record. The 23rd time since June a daily record has been set. Forest and peat bog²² fires near Moscow are almost all out, and the situation continues to improve in the rest of the country. The Emergencies Ministry²³ says 313 fires are burning, but most are under control. More than 28,000 fires have been extinguished since the start of the summer. More than 50 people have died in the fires, but the toll²⁴ from the heat and smoke could run into the thousands. Figures from Moscow alone for this July show almost 6,000 more deaths than in July, 2009. For NPR News, I'm Peter Van Dyk in Moscow.

Parts of Tennessee hit with severe floods in recent months received another dose of heavy rains and flash floods. Authorities say high water swept through a town northeast of Nashville this morning.

This is NPR News.
 

1 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。

2 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

3 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

4 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

7 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

8 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

12 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

13 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

14 perjury   

n.伪证；伪证罪

参考例句：

• You'll be punished if you procure the witness to commit perjury.如果你诱使证人作伪证，你要受罚的。
• She appeared in court on a perjury charge.她因被指控做了伪证而出庭受审。

15 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。

16 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

17 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。

18 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。

19 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

20 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

21 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

22 bog   

n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖

参考例句：

• We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
• The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

23 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。

24 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。