NPR 2010-09-27

US officials are meeting with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators this weekend, hoping to salvage¹ the just resumed peace talks. One complication is that in two hours, a partial moratorium² on new Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank will expire. Sheera Frenkel is in the northern part of the West Bank. She says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he’d walk away from the talks if there’s no extension, but later told an Arab newspaper he wouldn’t withdraw right away.

Abbas is in contradiction because of course the Palestinians have taken the line, a very hard line, against settlements and said that if there’s settlement construction, they don’t want to take part in peace talks. They stated this repeatedly, including on the days that they stood on the White House lawn and then launched direct peace talks with Israelis. They said, you know, it’s clear it could be that if Israel(’s) building of settlements comes September 26, they would withdraw from peace talks. Now, they find themselves under intense pressure both from American and from their European partners, their European diplomats³ that is, to continue with peace talks.

Sheera Frenkel in the northern part of the West Bank.

The top Republican in the House says he wants Congress to settle whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts sooner rather than later. NPR’s Giles Snyder reports.

House Republican Leader John Boehner says Congress has an opportunity to put the issue to rest this week.

“And to adjourn⁴ without dealing⁵ with this means that in their minds the elections are more important than the jobs for the American people, and it’s just politics as usual.”

Boehner was speaking on Fox News Sunday. It’s not clear when the House will take up the issue, but on the Senate side, Majority Leader Harry⁶ Reid has postponed⁷ the vote until a lame-duck session scheduled to convene⁸ November 15th. The cuts due to expire at the end of the year are a big issue heading into the November 2nd elections. President Obama wants to let the taxes rise for the wealthiest Americans. Republicans want all the cuts extended. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.

BP’s chief investigator⁹ into April’s oil rig explosion acknowledged today his work had limitations. Mark Bly told the National Academy of Engineering Committee his team only looked at the immediate¹⁰ cause of the disaster and did not interview employees from other companies. Members of the panel noted¹¹ that the BP investigators¹² didn’t examine whether organizational flaws could have contributed; have they concentrated on decisions made on the rig, not by the managers on shore.

Bishop¹³ Eddie Long addressed his congregation near Atlanta this morning for the first time since four lawsuits¹⁴ were filed, claiming he allured¹⁵ young men into sexual relationships.

“I have never in my life portrayed¹⁶ myself as a perfect man, but I am not the man that’s being portrayed on the television.”

Long did not address the allegations directly, but he promised that he would fight them.

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What’s left of tropical depression Matthew is drenching¹⁷ parts of Central America. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say the storm could trigger flash floods and mudslides. In Guatemala, officials are worried about people in low-lying areas, who’re refusing to go to shelters. They say people are afraid looters will steal their possessions if they leave their homes.

France is considering legalizing so-called “shooting galleries” medically supervise clinics for drug addicts¹⁸. Frank Browning reports.

So-called “legalized shooting galleries” exist in a number of countries including Spain, Switzerland and some Nordic nations. Supervised drug injection centers have won wide support across the French political spectrum¹⁹, where it’s regarded not as a moral issue about a health and public security question. However, French Prime Minister François Fillon has been a vocal²⁰ opponent of such centers, saying they’re neither wise nor timely in France. Drug addiction²¹ in France has risen steadily²² in recent years. Canadian medical specialists in Vancouver have also reported that a similar experiment there was effective in helping²³ addicts break their habits and avoid infection with HIV and other diseases. For NPR News, I’m Frank Browning.

A company called Liquid Comics is coming up with a new comic book in November, featuring a new superhero called “Silver Scorpion”. He’s a Muslim boy in a wheelchair. The storyline is the boy lost his legs in a landmine²⁴ accident and then finds that he has the power to control metal with his mind. The idea came from a group of young disabled Americans and Syrians, brought together by a non-profit organization. It’ll be distributed in both English and Arabic.
 

1 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

2 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 adjourn   

v.（使）休会，（使）休庭

参考例句：

• The motion to adjourn was carried.休会的提议通过了。
• I am afraid the court may not adjourn until three or even later.我担心法庭要到3点或更晚时才会休庭。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

9 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 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

15 allured   

诱引，吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They allured her into a snare. 他们诱她落入圈套。
• Many settlers were allured by promises of easy wealth. 很多安家落户的人都是受了诱惑，以为转眼就能发财而来的。

16 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

18 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

19 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

20 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

21 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

22 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。

23 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。

24 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。