NPR 2012-01-15

 Evangelical Christian¹ leaders meeting in Texas are throwing their support behind Rick Santorum for the Republican presidential nomination². NPR's Joel Rose reports the attendees are hoping to give Santorum's candidacy a boost heading into the South Carolina and Florida primaries.

 

It took three rounds of balloting³, but more than two thirds of the Evangelical leaders meeting at a ranch⁴ outside Houston, Texas finally decided⁵ to endorse⁶ former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins announced the vote on a conference call with reporters.

 

"After a vigorous and passionate⁷ discussion, there emerged a strong consensus⁸ around Rick Santorum as the preferred candidate of this group."

 

Perkins says there was also enthusiastic support for Texas Governor Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but not, he conceded, for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁹ Romney. After finishing a close second to Romney in Iowa, Santorum faded in New Hampshire. In South Carolina, polls show him trailing Romney and Gingrich by more than ten points. Joel Rose, NPR News.

 

A bomb exploded near the southern Iraqi city of Basra today. Officials say 53 people were killed and at least 130 people were wounded. This is the latest of several attacks against Shiite pilgrims visiting shrines¹⁰ in Iraq. Today is the last day of forty days of Shiite observances, marking the anniversary of the death of a Shiite imam. Sunni insurgents¹¹ are suspected. Many Sunni Muslims fear being marginalized in the mainly Shiite country, especially now that US troops are withdrawn¹² from Iraq.

 

State television in Iran reported today that Iran has evidence that the CIA was behind the latest murder of one of its nuclear scientists. A bomb was attached to the scientist's car Wednesday, killing¹³ him and his driver. The US has denied any role and condemned¹⁴ the slaying¹⁵.

 

Dozens of people are still missing after an Italian luxury liner ran aground off a Tuscan island last night. Officials say at least three people are confirmed dead. More than 4,000 people were rescued and taken to a nearby town on the mainland. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports some passengers described a chaotic¹⁶ scene.

 

Some passengers told Italian media that it was like the Titanic¹⁷. Panic broke out at dinner time, they said, when they heard a loud bang, the boat shivered and power went out. The 290-meter-long Costa Concordia is believed to have hit a reef off the island of Giglio and immediately started taking in water. Passengers and crew were evacuated¹⁸ by lifeboats to the island of Giglio a few hundred yards away. People were also rescued by helicopters. But some passengers, apparently¹⁹ in panic, jumped off the boat into the cold waters. By dawn, photos of the ship showed it listing at more than 80 degrees. It had set sail yesterday evening from the port of Civitavecchia for a Mediterranean²⁰ cruise. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Florence.

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

The president of Taiwan won reelection today, barely. Officials say Ma Ying-jeou collected 51% of the vote, while the main opposition²¹ leader had 46.3%. Ma had campaigned on his efforts to tie Taiwan's economy closer to China. He's also lowered tensions with Beijing.

 

Egyptian presidential contender Mohammed ElBaradei is withdrawing from the race. Baradei is a Nobel laureate who once headed the UN nuclear watchdog agency. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports he's released a statement saying there is still no real democracy in Egypt.

 

In the statement, ElBaradei writes, "My conscience does not allow me to run for the presidency²² or any other official position unless there is real democracy." He compares the revolution to a boat, saying that the captains of the vessel²³ are still treading old waters as if the revolution did not take place. "We all feel that the former regime did not fall." he wrote. The statement comes after Egypt's parliamentary elections which the Carter Center called largely free and fair. Liberal groups which ElBaradei has championed fared particularly badly in the recent vote. But there is a growing concern here that the military junta²⁴ which controls Egypt is unwilling²⁵ to hand over power to a civilian²⁶ body. It has also been accused of repressive tactics including the use of torture and killings²⁷ against activists²⁸, something which ElBaradei condemned in his statement. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News, Cairo.

 

A bank in Ohio that took over another bank has found dozens of checks that had been written by famous Americans, including George Washington, Mark Twain and Thomas Edison. A plane dealer²⁹ in Cleveland reports a check written by Abraham Lincoln was made out to "self" for 800 dollars, and it was dated the day before Lincoln's assassination³⁰.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

4 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

7 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

10 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

11 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

12 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

13 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。

14 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

15 slaying   

杀戮。

参考例句：

• The man mimed the slaying of an enemy. 此人比手划脚地表演砍死一个敌人的情况。
• He is suspected of having been an accomplice in the slaying,butthey can't pin it on him. 他有嫌疑曾参与该杀人案，但他们找不到证据来指控他。

16 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

17 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

18 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

19 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。

20 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

21 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

22 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

23 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

24 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

25 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

26 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

27 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

28 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 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。

30 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。