NPR 2011-03-16

Japan's Transportation Ministry¹ has imposed a no-fly zone over a 20-mile radius² around the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. A military spokesman says the fears of more radioactive particles leaking from the complex after a fire in three explosions prompted the decision. The zone does not apply to helicopters that could be sent into the plant to spray water over a reactor³ where a cooling pool for spent-fuel rods might be overheating. Officials have told residents in the area to stay inside their homes. Doualy Xaykaothao in nearby Koriyama City says many coastal⁴ residents apparently⁵ don't feel safe at home.

The lines continue. People are essentially⁶ moving away from the coast regardless of the 20-mile radius which the government says is safe. And the prime minister said stay inside, but people in fact are disregarding that, putting themselves in their cars and driving away from the area.

Doualy Xaykaothao reporting. Japanese officials are scrambling⁷ to address the safety breaches⁸ at four out of six reactors⁹ at the nuclear complex following Friday's earthquake and tsunami¹⁰.

Iran has denounced the movement of Saudi troops into Bahrain. NPR's Mike Shuster reports from nearby Iraq that the Iranian government had tough words for the Saudi government.

"Unacceptable." That's how Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman characterized the Saudi move during a news conference in Tehran. On Monday night, some 1,000 Saudi troops rode into Bahrain in small armored carriers. They came via the causeway that separates the tiny island kingdom from Saudi Arabia. The king of Bahrain asked for the troops despite pressure from the US to negotiate with demonstrators who have taken to the streets to demand democracy. Bahrain's people are mostly Shia but the Sunni minority rules. Iran has often criticized Bahrain's government for its treatment of the Shia. The Iranian spokesman said the arrival of Saudi troops, in his words, will further complicate¹¹ the issue. He added: "Violent confrontation¹² is not the solution to the legitimate¹³ demands of the people." Mike Shuster, NPR News, Baghdad.

The Fed's keeping its monetary¹⁴ policy unchanged. Steve Beckner reports.

The Fed's policymaking Federal Open Market Committee in a unanimous vote is keeping the federal funds rate near zero, where it's been for more than two years, and repeats it will keep that key short-term interest rate exceptionally low for an extended period. What's more, Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues plan to keep buying treasury¹⁵ bonds through midyear to hold down long-term rates. Making no mention of Middle East turmoil¹⁶ or earthquake damage to Japan's important economy, the Fed says the recovery is on a firmer footing. While acknowledging oil prices have risen significantly, the Fed says that's likely to be transitory and calls underlying¹⁷ inflations "subdued¹⁸", even low relative to the Fed's target. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner in Washington.

This is NPR.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is telling Egyptians to seize the moment and build on the success of the revolution that has ousted¹⁹ long-time autocratic leaders across the region. Speaking in Cairo today, she said it's going to be hard, work to continue demanding democratic reforms, but says America will help. Clinton says the transition that's happening right now is as important as the peaceful protests that led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak's 31-year leadership.

Owsley Stanley has died. He was known for producing large quantities of LSD during the 1960s and for his sound recording²⁰ work with the Grateful Dead. NPR's Margot Adler reports Stanley was killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 76.

Owsley Stanley became famous for his LSD, which included names like White Lightning and Monterey Purple. Owsley acid was considered the purest in quality. Stanley was also a very good sound engineer, who worked for the Grateful Dead and was their financial backer. Lyrics²¹ sung by the Dead, by Jimmy Hendrix and Frank Zappa have references to Stanley and his brushes with the law. Stanley was never repentant²² about his role in producing the drug and spent two years in prison. He told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007: "What I did was a community service, the way I look at it." Stanley moved to Australia in the 1980s, convinced that an ice age was coming to the Northern Hemisphere. A family statement says Stanley is survived by his wife, four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Margot Adler, NPR News.

In Miami, the mayor could be recalled from office after a campaign led by a billionaire car dealer²³ mobilized thousands upset over property tax increases and a raise for county workers. Carlos Alvarez was twice-elected mayor of Miami-Dade.

On Wall Street, the Dow Industrials are down 136.

1 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。

2 radius   

n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限

参考例句：

• He has visited every shop within a radius of two miles.周围两英里以内的店铺他都去过。
• We are measuring the radius of the circle.我们正在测量圆的半径。

3 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

4 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。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 breaches   

破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背

参考例句：

• He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
• This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

9 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

10 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

11 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

12 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

13 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

14 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

15 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。

16 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

17 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

18 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

19 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。

20 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

21 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

22 repentant   

adj.对…感到悔恨的

参考例句：

• He was repentant when he saw what he'd done.他看到自己的作为，心里悔恨。
• I'll be meek under their coldness and repentant of my evil ways.我愿意乖乖地忍受她们的奚落，忏悔我过去的恶行。

23 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。