NPR 2011-01-17

The prime minister of Tunisia says a new government will be announced tomorrow. The president had left the country suddenly Friday night after weeks of anti-government protests. Sporadic¹ violence has been reported since then with gun battles today outside the interior ministry², the headquarters of the opposition³ party, and the presidential palace in a suburb of Tunis. Eleanor Beardsley reports that some Tunisians fear that the police might be behind some of the violence.

Actually, a lot of people here think that the militia⁴, the police that were very loyal to Ben Ali that they are starting trouble then and still trying to make things chaotic⁵ not only in Tunis but here in the south of the country. And I asked a person, you know, "How do you feel about the military and the police?" He said the military are correct; they are good; they've never done anything wrong. He said, "We hate the police."

Eleanor Beardsley reporting from Tunis.

The sudden expulsion of the president in Tunisia may be encouraging protests in Jordan, demanding the government's resignation over inflation and unemployment. Dale Gavlak in Amman says demonstrators from the left and the right have joined the protests.

More than 1,000 people called on Prime Minister Samir Rifai to step down, saying "changes" at the door. Lawyer Lynn Iyad says she's an independent who felt she had to register her opposition to the government's policies by her presence.

"We had a very big gap between the government and between the people. And many legislations are against the people's benefits. I do believe that they do understand it, but they are not capable enough to change their policies."

Jordan's government recently slashed⁶ prices and taxes on some foods and fuels, but critics say they don't go far enough. For NPR News, I'm Dale Gavlak in Amman.

President Obama is congratulating Sudan for its week-long referendum. Results are expected to show support for independence for the South. The president said in a statement that the sight of so many Sudanese voting in peaceful and orderly elections is an inspiration to the world.

In South Korea, people are seeing one of the coldest winters in decades. Michael Rhee reports from Seoul temperatures in some cases have plunged⁷ below minus ten degrees Fahrenheit⁸.

Cities throughout the country have been witnessing record lows this weekend. According to Yonhap News, the southern port city of Busan broke a record set more than 90 years ago, back in 1915. It wasn't as freezing here in Seoul which saw its coldest temperatures in a decade. But that didn't stop Chung Kang-il from selling popcorn⁹ on the street.

"It hasn't been this cold in years. It's extremely cold. But I can still move so I have to work."

Record lows have gripped the country all winter and have driven Korea's energy consumption to all-time highs. For NPR News, I'm Michael Rhee in Seoul.

More floods are expected today in Brazil, where more than 600 people have died.

This is NPR News.

A chairlift at a ski resort malfunctioned¹⁰ in Ohio yesterday, leaving stranded¹¹ skiers and snowboarders dangling¹² 30 feet from the ground for several hours. It happened at Alpine¹³ Valley in Munson Township, east of Cleveland. Responders threw blankets and hand warmers to the more than 80 people while they installed ropes and pulleys to lower them to safety one by one. Eventually, emergency crews were able to rescue everyone. There were no injuries.

General Motors is expanding a recall of sport utility vehicles and pickup¹⁴ trucks. WDET's Jerome Vaughn reports a faulty part could cause the rear axle to lock up.

The recall includes a dozen different models from 2011, including the Cadillac Escalade SUV as well as the Chevrolet Avalanche¹⁵ and GMC Canyon¹⁶ pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says pins in the rear axle may not have been heat treated, making them more susceptible¹⁷ to fracture. Broken pins could allow the rear axle to lock, increasing the possibility of a crash. GM had originally recalled 1,200 vehicles last month, but expanded the action to more than 26,000 after finding more trucks with the faulty parts. The automaker is advising owners not to drive the vehicles until the rear axle pins have been replaced by dealers¹⁸. For NPR News, I'm Jerome Vaughn in Detroit.

The farther of the youngest person who died in the shootings in Tucson a week and a day ago says some of her organs were donated to a young girl in the Boston area. John Green told the Boston Globe he received a phone call about the transplant but didn't know any details about it. Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green had gone to meet the congresswoman last Saturday because of her interest in government.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

2 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。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

6 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

8 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

9 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。

10 malfunctioned   

发生故障(malfunction的过去式与过去分词)

参考例句：

• Is there any way the dye pack malfunctioned back at the bank? 什么能使爆色板在银行内就失效？ 来自电影对白
• The malfunctioned roller of his mouse is under repair. 他鼠标的滚轴失灵了，正在修呢。 来自互联网

11 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

12 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

13 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

14 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

15 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

16 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

17 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

18 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。