NPR 2011-04-16

Congressional Democrats² warn that the budget plan the House's Republican majority approved today by a vote of 235-193 won't go over well with voters. As NPR's Julie Rovner reports, critics say Americans will resist sweeping³ changes to the Medicare and Medicaid health programs.

Not a single Democrat¹ voted for the budget plan devised by Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan. One of the key reasons: it would end the current Medicare program for people currently under the age of 55 and give them a voucher⁴ to help purchase private insurance instead. And as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi pointed⁵ out, that voucher would be worth less overtime⁶, so patients would pay more.

"The average senior would be forced to pay twice as much for half the benefits, as much as $20,000 per year more for some seniors."

The plan would also cut the Medicaid program for the poor by more than a third over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

While lawmakers' budget crunch⁷ in Washington, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is promising⁸ he'll always find the money to keep air travel as safe as possible. He is outraged⁹ by four recent cases of air traffic controllers who fell asleep on the job. Appearing on NBC today, Lahood said he would work with Congress to make sure there was enough money to hire the right number of controllers and make sure they're well-trained and well-rested.

A storm system believed to have spawned¹⁰ several tornados¹¹ and straight-line winds in the South overnight is blamed on at least nine deaths. There were dozens of reports of injuries. Most of the fatalities¹² were in Arkansas, where Kelly MacNeil of member station KUAR at Little Rock reports local residents are stunned¹³ by the loss.

Three children were among those killed by falling trees. Tommy Jackson with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management says an 18-month-old, a six-year-old boy and an eight-year-old boy were each killed in their homes.

"Of course any there sustained situation is always certainly to hear about our children, it was a very bad, long night."

Workers are now assessing the damage by daylight, and experts are trying to determine how many tornados the storm produced. For NPR News, I'm Kelly MacNeil in Little Rock.

More demonstrations¹⁴ today in Syria including Daraa. Thousands of people turned out staging protests to oust¹⁵ President Bashar Alassad, whose regime is widely viewed as among the most repressive in the Middle East. Human rights groups say more than 200 people have been killed since the start of a Syrian uprising about a month ago. There is word of more confrontations¹⁶ as well. Syrian forces have fired tear gas at protesters attempting to reach a main square in Damascus.

A suicide attack's blamed on the death of a second Afghan police chief in a month, the latest reminder¹⁷ of the daily threats security forces face from insurgents¹⁸ in Afghanistan.

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Gaza's Hamas rulers are spearheading a manhunt for members of a more radical¹⁹ Islamist group, who are suspected of killing²⁰ a pro-Palestinian activist²¹ from Italy. Sheera Frenkel reports a 36-year-old well-known figure in Gaza was found dead within hours of his abduction.

Thirty-six-year-old Vittorio Arrigoni was kidnapped on Thursday from Gaza City. This morning, he was found strangled to death in a small empty apartment, said Hamas police. In a video, the group threatened to kill Arrigoni unless their leader was freed from Hamas prison. They called Arrigoni an Italian hostage from an infidel state. Police said the group was linked to Salafi Islamists, who believe that Hamas is too moderate in its policies. Salafi groups have been growing in numbers in Gaza over the last few years. Friends and family of Arrigoni said they were shocked by his death. He had been living in Gaza since August, 2008. As an active member of the International Solidarity²² Group, he organized protests for Palestinian rights and against Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. For NPR News, I'm Sheera Frenkel.

Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa's still sending oil prices climbing. It's continuing to send gas prices in the US rising as well. In an interview with ABC, President Obama says he understands the financial toll²³ on drivers, but he also says he's not so sure that tapping the nation's strategic petroleum²⁴ reserve is the answer.

"The reserves I think are something that we've got to be very careful about. And what we don't want to do is catch ourselves in a situation, particularly when things are uncertain in the Middle East, where we're using it now and it turns out we need more later."

President Obama in an interview with ABC.

1 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。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 voucher   

n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证

参考例句：

• The government should run a voucher system.政府应该施行凭证制度。
• Whenever cash is paid out,a voucher or receipt should be obtained.无论何时只要支付现金，就必须要有一张凭据或者收据。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

7 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

10 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

11 tornados   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And the national weather service reports several tornados touch down. 国家气象中心报告预测龙卷风将来袭。 来自互联网
• They had stock footage of lightning, tornados, and hurricanes. 他们存有关于闪电、龙卷风和飓风的电影胶片。 来自互联网

12 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

14 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。

15 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

16 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

17 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

18 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

19 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

20 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

21 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

22 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

23 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

24 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。