NPR 2010-09-14

President Obama's pressing the Senate to pass a bill that, he says, would cut taxes for small businesses and create much-needed jobs. Proposed tax cuts in general have led to a political showdown between the White House and congressional Republicans. As NPR's Scott Horsley tells us, the president's under even more pressure to convince voters that his economic policies are working, so he's holding more face-to-face meetings.

With the midterm elections less than two months away, all eyes are on the economy. And so, the president is really trying to show his concern about the economy, stress the success in bringing the economy back from the brink¹ as he would say, but also recognize that it's not where he wants to be with unemployment near ten percent. Today's sort of backyard town-hall meeting was a chance to talk with people to share his concern about where the economy is and where he wants to see it going.

NPR's Scott Horsley reporting on President Obama's appearance in Northern Virginia today.

The Swiss government is asking the government of Iran to rescind² its demand for half-a-million dollars bail³ in exchange for the release of one of the three American hikers being held in Iran. NPR's Mike Shuster has details.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests there, has asked Iran's government to drop the demand for bail in the case of Sarah Shourd. Shourd has been held in Iran for more than a year since she and two of her companions were seized at the Iraq-Iran border while they were hiking during a vacation. Iran's government claims they are spies. But last week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced she would be released as a goodwill⁴ gesture at the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month. A day later, Iran's judiciary announced Shourd would not be released and then demanded she pay $500,000 for her release. Shourd's family has said they cannot pay the required bail. They say she is ailing⁵ and needs medical attention. A spokesman for the State Department said the US government is maintaining close contact with the Swiss embassy in Tehran. Mike Shuster, NPR News.

Protesters are chanting in demonstrations⁶ in Srinagar, India that have led to at least 14 deaths today. Unrest against the Indian government was also fueled by mistaken rumors⁷ that copies of the Muslim holy book were burned in the US.

More survivors⁸ are being pulled from the wreckage⁹ of today's plane crash in eastern Venezuela. The Associated Press is reporting at least 33 people have been found alive, but local authorities say at least 13 people were killed. Several others, said to be aboard the Conviasa aircraft, are still unaccounted for.

Here's the latest from Wall Street: Dow Jones Industrial Average up 82 points at last check at 10,544 in trading of about four billion shares; NASDAQ Composite Index up 43 at 2,286; S&P 500 up 12 at 1,122.

You're listening to NPR News.

Cuba plans to cut at least half a million state jobs by the middle of next year in the communist government's most dramatic attempt yet at revamping employment on the island. President Raul Castro says in an effort to buffer¹⁰ the impact, Cuba would reduce restrictions¹¹ on the private sector¹².

The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium has acknowledged its clergies¹³ sexually abused children for decades and promised measures to ensure it cannot happen again. As NPR's Philip Reeves reports, the scale of the abuse has stunned¹⁴ the small European nation and deepens the crisis gripping the Vatican.

There were hundreds of cases. They took place in virtually every diocese. Some of the victims were toddlers. Those are the findings of an independent panel that with the church's support investigated child abuse committed by Catholic priests and lay workers in Belgium for decades. They've delivered a huge blow to public trust already battered¹⁵ by the resignation in April of the bishop¹⁶ of Bruges, who admitted sexually abusing his nephew. Today, the church in Belgium tried to begin rebuilding that trust. It pledged to punish abusers, to cooperate more closely with the police and to set up a reconciliation¹⁷ center to help victims. Already though, victims are saying these measures are not enough. Philip Reeves, NPR News, London.

Crime across the US appears to be going down. The FBI says that for the third straight year, police in 2009 received fewer reports of murders, aggravated¹⁸ assault, rape¹⁹ and other violent crimes. The number of non-violent property crimes such as auto²⁰ thefts also dropped for the seventh year in a row. FBI compiles its annual report from data provided by nearly 18,000 governmental units and universities.
 

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 rescind   

v.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan.他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。
• Trade Union leaders have demanded the government rescind the price rise.工会领导已经要求政府阻止价格上涨。

3 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

4 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

5 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

9 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

10 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

13 clergies   

（尤指基督教堂内的）牧师，教士（clergy的复数形式）

参考例句：

14 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

15 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

16 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

17 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

18 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

19 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

20 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。