NPR 2011-10-08

 The nation's jobless rate for September held steady at 9.1%. One hundred three thousand non-farm jobs were added across the nation last month. Economist¹ Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial in Chicago.

 

"The net effect is that the US economy is better than we thought, less close to recession, but recession is not being taken off the table."

 

The overall figure got a big boost from the return of 45,000 striking Verizon Communications workers. They had dropped out of the unemployment market in an August strike. Also, there were upward revisions in some unemployment reports. Gene² Sperling, the head of the National Economic Council, says there's not enough good economic news today for Congress to reject President Obama's jobs bill.

 

"We're obviously pleased that the job numbers were better than expected. But let's be clear: they're not nearly strong enough for us to be successfully climbing out of the worst financial recession since the Great Depression." 

 

He says without the jobs bill, the economy could stall.

 

In a foreign policy speech today, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt³ Romney laced into Obama administration foreign policy. NPR's Ari Shapiro has details.

 

Romney has limited foreign policy experience, and this speech was an effort to show competence⁴ on the key issues. He laid out some specific steps he would take in office. But on some of the thorniest⁵ problems, such as the war in Afghanistan, he spoke⁶ in more general terms, saying he would order a thorough review of US policy.

 

"I'll speak with our generals in the field and receive the best recommendations of our military commanders. The force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully is a decision I will make free from politics."

 

Romney hammered President Obama repeatedly, describing him as a president who does not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Charleston, South Carolina.

 

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been shared by three women. NPR's Philip Reeves says the award's intended to recognize the importance of the rights of women and their role in peacemaking.

 

The Nobel Committee says it hopes it will help end the suppression of women and realize the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent. They split the prize three ways. It's going to Africa's first democratically elected female head of state, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She's widely credited with rebuilding Liberia after the civil war there. Also honored is another Liberian, Leymah Gbowee, who led thousands of women campaigning for gender⁸ rights and peace, and Tawakkol Karman, whose long battle for human rights and democracy in Yemen. Karman's dedicated⁹ her prize to those killed and injured struggling for their rights during the so-called Arab Spring. Philip Reeves, NPR News, London.

 

On Wall Street, approaching the close, the Dow was down four at 11,119.

 

This is NPR News.

 

The American Chemistry Council is asking federal regulators to phase out the rules that allow the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) to be used in baby bottles and sippy cups due to consumer demand that children's products are no longer containing the plastic-hardening ingredient. The industry though is facing the potential of tough laws that could ban the chemical from some types of packaging because of health worries.

 

Environmental and labor¹⁰ activists¹¹ are facing off over a proposed oil pipeline¹² between Canada and the Gulf¹³ Coast. NPR's Jeff Brady has more on the State Department's final hearing on the Keystone XL Pipeline.

 

Jeanne DeMarino is with the Laborers¹⁴' International Union, which supports the Keystone pipeline, and the estimated 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs building it would create.

 

"So this is a good opportunity to get jobs that you can sustain a family, so that's why we're here. We think and we believe that this is a good start for us."

 

The pipeline would carry oil from Alberta's tar⁷ sands. Producing it emits more pollution than traditional means. Carol Gate traveled from New Jersey¹⁵ to encourage the State Department to reject the pipeline.

 

"And I support jobs in clean green energy, not in the dirty industry."

 

A decision on the permit for the pipeline is expected by the end of the year. Jeff Brady, NPR News,Washington.

 

A truckload of fruits and vegetables en route to North Carolina from Florida never got to its commercial destination because of an accident in South Carolina. The driver wasn't hurt. The shipping¹⁶ company decided¹⁷ to give the produce to local charities in Chester County. The truck was carrying apples, bananas, potatoes and dozens of other foods.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

4 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

5 thorniest   

adj.多刺的( thorny的最高级 )；有刺的；棘手的；多障碍的

参考例句：

• Paradoxically, the thorniest outstanding issue involves Bolivia. 而荒谬可笑的是，最棘手的国家要事却牵涉到了玻利维亚。 来自互联网

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

8 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

14 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

15 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

16 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。