NPR 2011-05-04

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

CIA analysts¹ are going through documents and other information taken from the raided compound in Pakistan where US special operations team killed Osama bin³ Laden⁴. NPR's Rachel Martin says the data could give important clues about the state of the al-Qaeda network.

According to US officials, the Navy SEALs team took papers, DVDs and hard drives away from the scene. The Obama administration's top counterterrorism official John Brennan says it's too early to tell how valuable the information is, but officials hope they may learn something about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda's next-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Osama bin Laden was killed with two shots, one of them hitting above his left eye. The White House is still weighing whether to release a photo of the slain⁵ al-Qaeda leader as proof of his death. Rachel Martin, NPR News, Washington.

Today, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said bin Laden was not armed when he was confronted by Navy SEALs. Carney also shed light on steps taken to bury bin Laden at sea, a means to preventing followers⁶ from turning the al-Qaeda leader's resting place into a shrine⁷.

"Aboard the USS Carl Vinson, the burial of bin Laden was done in conformance with Islamic precepts⁸ and practices. The deceased's body was washed and then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, and the deceased body eased into the sea."

Pakistan denies it gave shelter to bin Laden whose compound was less than 40 miles from the Pakistani capital. [The] White House says it'll get to the bottom of whether Pakistani authorities helped the al-Qaeda leader avoid capture.

Ohio and Mississippi River levels are falling today around Cairo, Illinois after the Army Corps⁹ of Engineers used explosives to breach¹⁰ a levee downriver to help alleviate¹¹ flooding. NPR's David Schaper reports, though, the Missouri farmers whose fields were intentionally¹³ flooded by the levee breach are filing lawsuit¹⁴.

The corps blew up a wide section of what's called the Birds Point levee on the Missouri side of the Mississippi, just downriver from where the Ohio flows into it, sending a wall of water, cascading¹⁵ over 130,000 acres of fertile farmland and flooding about 90 homes. Officials say the emergency action diverting the water into the designated floodway appears to be working as river levels started dropping immediately. It could be down four feet by Saturday, but the farmers whose crops are being destroyed and whose land will likely be ruined for farming for years to come filed a lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers, claiming the intentional¹² flooding of their land amounts to the government taking private property without due process in violation¹⁶ of the Fifth Amendment¹⁷. David Schaper, NPR News.

US stocks are down today. The Dow's down slightly at 12,807. NASDAQ down 22 points.

This is NPR.

Factory orders are up again. The latest snapshot for March reveals orders rose 3%. NPR's Zoe Chace reports that's an encouraging sign for job creation.

Factory orders, what are they ordering exactly? "Well, you know, what's being ordered? It's a good question. I have to think about it for two seconds." Ken² Goldstein with the Conference Board says, "Okay, think about a car." "It's everything from the role of aluminum¹⁸ to the paths that are gonna go into the engine, to an order for a fully¹⁹ assembly car." Goldstein hopes filling all these orders will require more people. "Not in every case, but in some cases, it probably means you have to go out and hire some of the folks laid off over the last two or three years." One downside inflation. "It's continuing to put up with pressure on prices for the raw materials needed in order to produce these things." High commodity prices can hurt a growing business. Zoe Chace, NPR News.

Archer²⁰ Daniels Midland is posting a 37% gain in its third-quarter profit. The health of the company is a snapshot of agribusiness overall because it is involved as both buyer and seller of commodities. ADM's earnings²¹ hit 578 million dollars in line with analysts' expectations.

A more than 1,700-square-foot flag honoring those killed in the 9/11 terror attacks is in Michigan. It is the Patriot²² Flag's first stop in its cross-country track since President Obama announced that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was dead.

Here's the latest from Wall Street. Dow's up slightly before the close at 12,808, and the NASDAQ still down 22 at 2,842.

1 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。

2 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

5 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

8 precepts   

n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accept the Prophet's precepts but reject some of his strictures. 他们接受先知的教训，但拒绝他的种种约束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质。 来自辞典例句

9 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

11 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

12 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

13 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

14 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

15 cascading   

流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流

参考例句：

• First of all, cascading menus are to be avoided at all costs. 首先，无论如何都要避免使用级联菜单。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Her sounds began cascading gently. 他的声音开始缓缓地低落下来。

16 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

17 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

18 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

20 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

21 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

22 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。