NPR 2011-05-19

Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says he believes somebody in Pakistan security establishment, maybe someone who's retired² or a low-level employee, was aware that Osama bin³ Laden⁴ was hiding in the country for years, but as NPR's Tom Bowman reports, Gates says there's no evidence that Pakistan's leadership knew of bin Laden's presence.

Secretary Gates told reporters it's his supposition that somebody in Pakistan knew bin Laden was living in a compound not far from a military facility, but Gates says he has no evidence yet that any Pakistanis were involved. Both Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint⁵ Chiefs of Staff, say the US is still combing through documents found at bin Laden's compound, and those documents may offer details about any Pakistani complicity. There were growing calls in Congress to cut US aid to Pakistan, but both Gates and Mullen urged caution and said they were pressing Pakistani leaders to do more to curtail⁶ extremism. Tom Bowman, NPR News, the Pentagon.

The US is imposing⁷ sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. The US is freezing his assets, and Assad and other top Syrian officials will be prevented from doing business with Americans.

The Army Corps⁸ of Engineers is opening more floodgates at Louisiana's Morganza Spillway, sending water from the Mississippi River away from Baton⁹ Rouge¹⁰. Several Louisiana communities are bracing¹¹ for the Mississippi River to crest¹² later this week, and as NPR's Greg Allen reports, high water is already covering some roads and forcing wildlife to flee.

Police have been out on Louisiana Highway 190, slowing traffic to allow herds¹³ of deer to cross safely. Few people live directly in the Morganza Floodway, but nearby communities are preparing for flooding when the rivers and bayous fill, and water begins to back up throughout the basin. Crawfishman Mike Bienvenu, who lives near Butte La Rose, says the way the water and the weather is now, he's not too worried about the backwater.

"The only thing bad with the backwater is that like if you get a storm, like Hurricane Rita or something like that, where you get a lot of rain that pushs that water. Everybody is gonna be in trouble."

Throughout the region, crews are working to build temporary barriers and add height to existing levees. In St. Martin Parish, work is almost complete on a temporary barrier in Bayou Chene, made up of sunken barges¹⁴. Greg Allen, NPR News, Baton Rouge.

If you have a used car you're thinking of selling, don't think too long. The National Automobile¹⁵ Dealers¹⁶ Association's Johnathan Banks says this is a historically good time to sell.

"If you own a two-to-five-year-old small car, meaning like a Civic¹⁷ or Corolla, the trading value that you'll get today is about 30% higher than what you would have got last year."

Banks says used car sales have been up double digits¹⁸ every month this year, and prices for them are also up.

Just before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 75 points; the NASDAQ was up 31; the S&P up 11.

This is NPR News.

Europe's Airbus says the World Trade Organization has ruled in its favor, overturning a ruling that the aircraft maker¹⁹ received illegal subsidies²⁰ from European governments. The US brought the case, arguing the subsidies are illegal, and put Boeing at a competitive disadvantage.

A new study concludes there's only one way to boost the college graduation rate in this country: pay attention to low-income students. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

According to the study by the Pell Institute, American education is working well for middle and higher income students. If only those students are counted, 59% of Americans are getting degrees, but once you figure in lower-income students, that rate drops to 42% and contributes to the current US ranking of 12th among industrialized countries. The study says the reasons behind these dropout²¹ rates need to be studied more closely. The Pell Institute study says the findings are a reason to defend Pell Grants against proposed cuts in Congress and to fund other programs focused on impoverished²² students. Larry Abramson, NPR News.

This year's Man Booker International Prize goes to American writer Philip Roth. The award is given to a writer for achievement in fiction on the world stage. Roth first came to the world's attention in 1969.

This is NPR.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

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 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

7 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

8 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。

9 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

10 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

11 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

12 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

13 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

14 barges   

驳船( barge的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
• There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。

15 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

16 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

17 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

18 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

20 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

22 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》