NPR 2011-10-17

 President Obama praised Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today as a man who stirred the nation's conscience and made the nation more perfect. He spoke¹ during the dedication² of a memorial of King on the National Mall on the same spot where King had addressed the March on Washington in 1963.

 

"It is right that we honor that march, that we lift up Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech–for without that shining moment, without Dr. King's glorious words, we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have."

 

Then the president joined hands with other dignitaries on the stage and sang along with the choir³. About 1.5 million people have visited the 30-foot-tall statue of King since it was opened to the public in August.

 

The heads of the Intelligence Committees in the House and the Senate say the US must take very seriously the alleged⁴ Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US on the American soil. House Republican Mike Rodgers says the US was very fortunate. He told ABC's "This Week" the plot appeared amateurish⁵ only because it was prevented early in the planning stages. Democrat⁶ Dianne Feinstein of a Senate panel told "Fox News Sunday" the US must do more to stop Iran’s bad behavior.

 

"It’s a very dangerous situation and my hope is that there can be some kind of discussion that can be convincing for the Iranians to change course. Absent that, at one time or another, if you project out a number of years, we are on a collision course."

 

Both Feinstein and Rodgers say the US should push for tougher economic sanctions and should pressure China and Russia to support the US.

 

Israel has begun the process of exchanging Palestinian prisoners for a captive Israeli soldier. The BBC's Richard Galpin in Jerusalem reports that some Israelis are trying to prevent the release of the Palestinian prisoners.

 

"More than half the Palestinian prisoners on the list which has now been published are serving life sentences. Some were found guilty of involvement in the most serious attacks of the past decade. These include the bombing of a hotel in the coastal⁷ city of Netanya in which 29 people were killed. One organization representing the relatives of those killed or injured in the violence of recent years has already lodged⁸ an appeal with the High Court to stop or delay the release of the prisoners. But analysts⁹ believe the appeals will be dismissed by the court." 

 

The BBC's Richard Galpin reporting from Jerusalem.

 

The Arab League called an emergency meeting in Cairo today to consider suspending Syria from the league. Several Gulf¹⁰ countries asked for the meeting, showed soldiers' pleasure over Syria's bloody¹¹ crack-down on anti-government demonstrations¹². UN officials estimate at least 3,000 people have died since the protest began in March.

 

This is NPR News.

 

It appears Bangkok would escape for now the worst flooding in Thailand in decades. Barriers erected¹³ to protect the capital are holding and the floodwaters are starting to recede¹⁴. Relentless¹⁵ monsoon¹⁶ rains began in July and caused floods and mudslides that have affected¹⁷ 2/3 of the nation, swamping farms, factories and entire villages. Officials say at least 297 have died.

 

Movie studios estimate that Real Steel may be the No.1 movie at the box office again this weekend. It stars Hugh Jackman as a father who bonds with his son, while restoring a boxing robot to fight the championship.

 

"You still had human fighters, human bodies. So you couldn't give the people what they really wanted. True, no-holds-barred violence. So the next logical step, get the humans out of there and let the machines kill each other." 

 

It's earned 16.3 million dollars this year, but it has a very close challenger.

 

Yes. Footloose, a remake of the 1980s hit movie about a town that banned dancing.

 

In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals¹⁸ are leading the Milwaukee Brewers three games to two in the National League Championship. Game 6 will be held tonight in Milwaukee. Brewers third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. says the team is happy to be home. "Our record kind of, you know, speaks volumes. Our crowd has been outstanding for us all year. We definitely get energized¹⁹ by them. Uh, So, you know, we feel confident at home." 

 

But St. Louis can wrap up its best-of-seven series and its 18th National League pennant²⁰ tonight. The Texas Rangers²¹ won the American League Championship series. They beat the Detroit Tigers 15-5 last night.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

3 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 amateurish   

n.业余爱好的，不熟练的

参考例句：

• The concert was rather an amateurish affair.这场音乐会颇有些外行客串的味道。
• The paintings looked amateurish.这些画作看起来只具备业余水准。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

8 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 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。

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 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。

13 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

14 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

15 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

16 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

17 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

18 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

19 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

20 pennant   

n.三角旗；锦标旗

参考例句：

• The second car was flying the Ghanaian pennant.第二辆车插着加纳的三角旗。
• The revitalized team came from the cellar to win the pennant.该队重整旗鼓，从最后一名一跃而赢得冠军奖旗。

21 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册