NPR 2011-11-11

 GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain is meeting voters today for the first time since he came under fire for alleged¹ sexual harassment². In the Ypsilanti, Michigan, supporters gave the businessman a warm welcome. Last night, Republican candidates held their ninth debate in suburban³ Detroit. The focus was on the economy at the events sponsored by CNBC. But as NPR's Don Gonyea reports, a stumble by Texas Governor Rick Perry is getting much of the attention.

 

The backdrop is this: Governor Perry entered the race this summer, the immediate⁴ frontrunner, then after a series of disappointing debate appearances slumped⁵ in the polls. He's worked to revive his candidacy but last night came another difficult moment. In the middle of an answer about regulations, he said he would eliminate three government departments but then couldn't list them.

 

"The third agency of government I would do away with the Education, uh, the, uh, Commerce, and let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops."

 

Perry later told reporters it was an embarrassing moment, but that he hasn't forgotten his conservative values. He said he'll be at the next debate this Saturday in South Carolina. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Rochester, Michigan.

 

Penn State's newly named football coach Tom Bradley describes feeling mixed emotions about his new temporary role. He spoke⁶ out a day after the board of trustees fired longtime coach Joe Paterno for his handling of child sex abuse claims launched against his former assistant Jerry Sandusky. Last night, some Paterno's supporters rioted in the streets and included tipping over a news van.  

 

The Associated Press reports a French court has convicted American cyclist Floyd Landis in absentia for masterminding a plot to hack⁷ into the computers of a French doping lab. Landis was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence.

 

Economist⁸ Lucas Papademos will lead Greece in a coalition⁹ government tasked with implementing¹¹ the latest eurozone bailout deal. His appointment as interim¹² prime minister was announced today. And as Joanna Kakissis reports from Athens, he faces a difficult road ahead.

 

Papademos is the former vice¹³ president of the European Central Bank. He's taking on what may be the toughest job in Greece right now. His main task is to implement¹⁰ a bailout deal that eurozone leaders hammered out late last month. That plan includes a major write-down of Greek debt as well as more bailout loans in exchange for implementing painful austerity measures. Papademos is viewed as a technocrat¹⁴ who will focus on the nuts and bolts of saving Greece from default. But many Greeks are wary¹⁵ of having an unelected official making decisions that will affect them for decades. An interim cabinet is expected to be sworn in tomorrow. For NPR News, I'm Joanna Kakissis in Athens.

 

The Dow was up 151 points.

 

This is NPR News.

 

The firebrand youth leader of South Africa's governing African National Congress has been fired from his job and suspended from the party for allegedly being divisive, disruptive and ill-disciplined. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports this follows a series of controversial statements he made, which were deemed to have some division in the ANC and brought it into disrepute.

 

Julius Malema has two weeks to appeal the verdict of the disciplinary hearing in South Africa. The hugely divisive ousted¹⁶ head of the ANC Youth League is no longer a member of the party for the next five years. Suspending Malema means his rivalry¹⁷ with President Jacob Zuma may be at an end for now. The ANC leadership had to do something about him because he's criticized for lavish¹⁸ life style and outspoken¹⁹ utterances²⁰. Malema had challenged the authority of the party just three years after vowing²¹ to kill for Zuma his erstwhile ally. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Dakar.

 

Venezuelan police are on the hunt for a gang accused of kidnapping Washington Nationals' catcher Wilson Ramos last night. They say armed men abducted²² the Major League Baseball player from his family home in Valencia. There's still no word on the ransom²³ demand, not officially. The 24-year-old athlete was in Venezuela to play for the Aragua Tigers during the US off-season.

 

US stocks gaining ground. At last check, the Dow was up 135 points, more than 1%, at 11,914 in trading of about two billion shares; NASDAQ up seven points at 2,628; S&P 500 up slightly.

1 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

2 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 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。

5 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

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 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

8 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。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

11 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

12 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

13 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

14 technocrat   

n.技术人员，技术官僚

参考例句：

• He is a distant technocrat who is unable to connect with ordinary voters.作为一个冷淡的技术官僚，他不能做到与普通选民息息相通。
• Jack Lew,the new budget director,is the quintessential technocrat.新预算主管杰克·卢就是一个典型的技术官僚。

15 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

16 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

17 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

18 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

19 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

20 utterances   

n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论

参考例句：

• John Maynard Keynes used somewhat gnomic utterances in his General Theory. 约翰·梅纳德·凯恩斯在其《通论》中用了许多精辟言辞。 来自辞典例句
• Elsewhere, particularly in his more public utterances, Hawthorne speaks very differently. 在别的地方，特别是在比较公开的谈话里，霍桑讲的话则完全不同。 来自辞典例句

21 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

22 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

23 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。