NPR 2012-01-24

 A Marine¹ sergeant² who faced manslaughter charges for killing³ unarmed Iraqi men, women and children in 2005 has entered a plea deal with military prosecutors⁴. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich agreed to plead guilty to dereliction of duty for his role in the slayings at Haditha. As NPR’s Tom Bowman reports, all other charges have been dropped.

 

Sgt. Wuterich was the last of eight Marines to face charges for the Haditha killings⁵ that resulted in the deaths of 24 Iraqis, including ten women and children. All other Marines had their charges dropped or dismissed. One was acquitted⁶. The case centered on the rules of engagement which govern one of Marines can use his weapon against an enemy. Prosecutors argued that Wuterich lost control of his quad⁷ and failed to have the positive identification that’s required before opening fire. The defense⁸ said the killings were a tragic⁹ mistake, but Sgt. Wuterich acted within the military combat rules at the time. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

 

Oil prices have risen about 1% today following worry that the European Union has banned imports of oil from Iran. NPR’s John Ydstie reports tension over Iran’s nuclear development program is putting upward pressure on oil prices. 

 

With its ban on Iranian oil imports, the EU is joining the US in ratcheting up pressure on Iran to curb¹⁰ its nuclear development program which the West believes it’s aimed at developing nuclear weapons. On December 31, President Obama signed an order imposing¹¹ a new round of US sanctions, including penalties on financial firms doing business with Iran. Oil prices have risen steadily¹² in recent weeks as Iranian officials have threatened to block the strait of Hermuz and oil export route vital to the global economy. A senior Iranian member of parliament repeated the threat after the EU ban was announced. However, the increase in oil prices was minor¹³. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 

The White House says President Obama will host Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on February 9th. Both leaders [are] expected to discuss Italy’s efforts to restore market confidence. Monti is an economist¹⁴ and academic, and he took over late last year to over-sweeping debt cutting measures in Italy. 

 

Destructive storms are moving through the Southern US today. NPR’s Debbie Elliott reports at least two people are dead, more than 100 injured. 

 

A predawn tornado¹⁵ ripped through Alabama, destroying homes and knocking down trees and power lines in at least seven counties. Roads are blocked, and tens of thousands of people lost electricity. Several communities near Birmingham were hit. Rescue workers are combing the damaged areas to make sure there are no more victims trapped in the debris¹⁶. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has declared a state of emergency. The path of the storm was similar to that of a deadly round of storms that struck the state in April but smaller in scope. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. 

 

This is NPR.

 

Republican US Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois is recovering after undergoing surgery early this morning. NPR’s Cheryl Corley reports the freshman¹⁷ senator suffered a stroke over the weekend. 

 

Senator Kirk checked into a hospital on Saturday, and tests revealed the senator had suffered a stroke on the right side of his brain. Doctors say the surgery performed to release swirling¹⁸ around the brain was successful, and that Kirk’s general good health, the nature of the stroke and his relative young age - he’s 52 - are positive factors. The stroke has affected¹⁹ his left arm and leg as well as some facial movement. Kirk was first elected to the Senate in 2010, then a member of the US House. He won one of most closely watched Senate races, capturing the seat formerly²⁰ held by President Obama with 48% of the vote. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago. 

 

The European Union plans to ease its sanctions on Myanmar after the country also known as Burma agreed to move toward pro-democratic reforms. The EU says the first step is ending its visa ban on Myanmar’s president and other senior officials. 

 

Well, News Corp. is hoping to bring MundoFox to a Spanish-language market near you. Today the company said it was teaming up with Columbia-based RCN Television Group to launch a Latino broadcast network in the US. MundoFox will be carried on stations access were to about three quarters of US households. MundoFox will compete with Univision and Telemundo, and it launches this fall. 

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average down 30 points at 12,609 in trading just over two billion shares; NASDAQ off six points; it’s at 2,781.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• 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。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 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。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 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。

6 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

7 quad   

n.四方院；四胞胎之一；v.在…填补空铅

参考例句：

• His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.他的房间位于四方院的左侧。
• She is a 34-year-old mother of quads.她是个生了四胞胎的34岁的母亲。

8 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。

9 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

10 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

11 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。

12 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

13 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

14 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。

15 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

16 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

17 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

18 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

19 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

20 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。