NPR 2011-01-15

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains¹ in critical condition at a hospital in Tucson, but the neurosurgeon treating her says doctors are, in his words, actually confident that she's making progress.

"We can even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events, more complex sequences of activity in response to our commands or even spontaneously."

Giffords was shot in the head Saturday in the attack in Tucson that wounded 12 others and killed six people. One of those wounded, an aide to Congresswoman Giffords, left the hospital today to attend the funeral of a federal judge killed in the attack.

Anti-government riots in Tunisia have forced the country's president to step down. The prime minister made the announcement on state television today, saying he's taking over until promised elections can be held. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton explains what led up to today's events.

The catalyst² for the current unrest in Tunisia was the attempted suicide of a jobless graduate, who was desperately³ trying to make ends meet. His fate enraged⁴ other young Tunisians, who've taken to the streets in protest. Tunisia has an admirable education system, but chronic⁵ unemployment means graduates have no jobs. A flourishing tourist industry and other economic gains have not spread the country's wealth. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's promise of greater democracy and freedoms has done little to weaken the intensity⁶ of the violent challenge to his almost quarter-century rule. The perceived cupidity⁷ and corruption⁸ of an authoritarian⁹ presidential clique¹⁰ have galvanized the nation to oppose Ben Ali. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.

Flooding is claiming lives in several parts of the world. In Australia, at least 20 people have died in weeks of flooding in the country's northeast. Heavy rain has triggered widespread flooding in Sri Lanka, where the death toll's at least 23. And in Brazil, heavy rains have killed nearly 500 people. Many homes have been washed away. NPR's Juan Forero reports that the rains have been the worst in years.

Brazilian authorities said 222 people have died in Teresopolis just north of Rio de Janeiro. Another 216 lives were lost in nearby Nova Friburgo and 41 more in Petropolis. Thousands more have been driven from their homes by days of heavy rains. The poor, who live in rickety homes on hillsides, are the ones who suffer most. Houses have come crashing down, and residents say there are dozens perhaps hundreds missing. The rains which continue today hinder rescue efforts. Local morgues, meanwhile, are filled to capacity. The rains prompted new President Dilma Rousseff to lament¹¹ at years of poor urban planning. Mountains fell apart, Rousseff told reporters, noting that housing in high-risk areas is the rule, not the exception. Juan Forero, NPR News.

Stocks are positive on Wall Street. The Dow is up 54 points, and NASDAQ up 15.

This is NPR News.

The late Pope John Paul II has moved one step closer to sainthood. His successor has approved a decree, attributing a miracle to John Paul. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports a beatification ceremony will take place May 1st and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of worshipers.

John Paul's beatification will be the fastest on record just six years after his death and beating Mother Teresa by a few days. A month after he died, Pope Benedict responded to chants at the funeral of "Santo subito! Sainthood!" immediately and put John Paul on the fast track, waving the traditional five-year waiting period. The beatification decree recognizes the recovery from Parkinson's disease of a French nun¹² as a miracle. A healthy looking Sister Marie Simon-Pierre appeared on French TV and said she felt reborn when she woke up two months after John Paul's death cured of the disease. She had prayed to him. John Paul's 27-year papacy covered the tumultuous period of communism's collapse¹³ starting in his native Poland. His dogmatic conservatism dismayed liberal Catholics, but his common touch and worldwide travels made him a crowd-pleasing superstar. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News.

Bank shares are leading stocks higher this afternoon. JP Morgan's report that its income surged 47 percent in the fourth quarter is helping¹⁴ send the Dow into positive territory. JP Morgan also says it expects to raise its dividends¹⁵ soon. The NASDAQ and S&P500 are also posting modest gains.

Bankers are also buzzing about AIG. The Treasury¹⁶ Department says the bailed-out insurer has completed a restructuring plan that will allow it to repay the $182 billion it received from taxpayers¹⁷. The government now owns 92 percent of the company and says it plans to sell its stake quickly.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

3 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

4 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

5 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

6 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

7 cupidity   

n.贪心，贪财

参考例句：

• Her cupidity is well known.她的贪婪尽人皆知。
• His eyes gave him away,shining with cupidity.他的眼里闪着贪婪的光芒，使他暴露无遗。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

10 clique   

n.朋党派系，小集团

参考例句：

• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。
• If the renegade clique of that country were in power,it would have meant serious disaster for the people.如果那个国家的叛徒集团一得势，人民就要遭殃。

11 lament   

n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹

参考例句：

• Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
• We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。

12 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

13 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

14 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。

15 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

16 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

17 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。