NPR 2011-06-16

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

Stocks are down sharply partly on news of more uncertainty¹ out of Greece. Thousands of protesters gathering² in Athens today outrage³ about deep cutbacks. The Greek government says the country needs the cuts remain eligible⁴ for an internationally-backed financial rescue, signaling a looming⁵ impact on other nations. Moody's says it may downgrade the credit ratings of France's three largest banks because of their exposure to Greek debt. Hours ago, the prime minister of Greece announced he would form a new government and seek a vote of confidence.

Investors⁶ aren't too happy about data on the US economy either. The Consumer Price Index rose more than expected in May. A survey of manufacturers in the New York area found a slowdown over activity, and Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist⁷ at the Economy Outlook Group in Princeton, New Jersey⁸, says overall industrial production has been flat.

"You would expect the industrial production numbers to be a lot higher, now that we're two years into the economic recovery. But it's not. It's crawling around, and, and this is simply a reflection of an economy that has been sputtering⁹ this year, as a result of many forces that are dragging economic activity down."

The Dow was down 180 points before the close at 11,896, about 1.5%; Nasdaq down more than 1.5% at 2,631.

Ten Democratic and Republican lawmakers are suing President Obama for taking military action against Libya without war authorization¹⁰ from Congress. Democratic Congressman¹¹ Dennis Kucinich of Ohio was among the plaintiffs. Earlier, the White House said it planned to send Congress a detailed¹² response to questions about the US's military role in Libya.

Hundreds of Pakistani journalists rallied before parliament today, demanding the government investigate last month's murder of an investigative journalist. From Islamabad, NPR's Julie McCarthy has details.

"We want justice. We want justice."

Pakistan's journalists demanding justice for their colleague Syed Saleem Shahzad abducted¹³ and killed late last month. His tortured body was dumped eight miles from the capital. The case has ignited a public outcry. Carrying banners that read "Respect the Voice of Dissent," Pakistan's journalists pressed for a judicial¹⁴ inquiry¹⁵ into Shahzad's murder. Many and the news media suspect the country's intelligence agency, the ISI, in the killing¹⁶, a charge the spy agency denies. Shahzad's last report claimed that the Pakistani navy was in talks with al-Qaeda over the release of navy personnel who have been detained for their alleged¹⁷ links to the terror group thought to be behind the siege of a Karachi naval¹⁸ facility last month after the talks broke down. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

Missouri River floodwaters are rolling toward Hamburg, Iowa. The Army Corps¹⁹ of Engineers is trying to shore up a temporary levee, hoping that will be enough to save the town. Farmer Mike Nenneman says he's seen the floodwaters coming.

"You can drive upon the bluff²⁰ of both towns, look out across the bottom, which just water for miles."

If the new levee fails, the whole parts of Hamburg could be under as much as 10 feet of water.

Arizona authorities are questioning two people in connection with the so-called Wallow Fire. They're trying to determine if an abandoned campfire was the source of a blaze that had grown to at least 733 square miles and made it one of the largest fires in state history.

With Father's Day just around the corner, there's a new study that's drawing a lot of attention and finds that more than a quarter of fathers in the United States now live apart from their children. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports that share has more than doubled in the past half century.

According to the Pew Research Center, the trend is fueled by a surge in out-of-wedlock births, and its study finds big disparities across race and social economic status. Black fathers are twice as likely as white ones who live apart from children. Forty percent of fathers who never finished high school is separately from their kids, compared to only 7% with a college degree. Pew also finds Americans overwhelmingly say having a dad at home is essential to children's happiness. For fathers who are in the same house, the study finds they're more actively²¹ involved in their children's daily life than in decades past. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

Before the close, the Dow was down 179 points at 11,897.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 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。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

9 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

10 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

13 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。

14 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

15 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

16 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。

17 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

18 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

19 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。

20 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

21 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。