美国国家电台 NPR 2012-10-09

 The Pew Research Center is reporting a major shift in voter attitudes following last week's presidential debate. Pew finds that Republican Mitt¹ Romney has drawn² even with President Obama in the presidential race among registered voters despite having trailed about 9 points in September. Among likely voters, Romney holds a marginal lead of 49% to Mr. Obama's 45%. Today President Obama rallied California's Hispanic voters in a farming community north of Los Angeles. 

 

The president spoke³ at the dedication⁴ of the Cesar E. Chavez national Monument in Keene California. The park honors the Latino who led the farm worker labor⁵ movement.

 

Cesar would be the first to say that this is not a monument to one man. The movement he helped to lead was sustained by a generation of organizers who stood up and spoke out, and urged others to do the same.

 

The president currently holds a strong lead among Latino voters.

 

The White House congratulated another Chavez, the reelected president of Venezuela. Hugo Chavez defeated his challenger 54% to 45%. 

 

In a foreign policy address at Virginia Military Institute, GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney declared the world had become more volatile⁶ under the presidency⁷ of Barack Obama. He cited the most recent deadly attack on the U.S. consulate⁸ in Benghazi, Libya. 

 

It is our responsibility, and the responsibility of the president to use America's greatest power to shape history, not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events.

 

Romney says the U.S. should be more assertive⁹ in Syria. 

 

German Chancellor¹⁰ Angela Merkel is expected to face loud protest when she arrives in Athens tomorrow for her first visit since Greek debt crisis erupted three years ago. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports. 

 

The German media are focusing on the security measures in Athens and the government's assertion that the visit will not lead to additional decisions on further aid to heavily indebted Greece. The visit, according to the government will serve to praise the Greek government for its efforts to cut spending and reduce its mountain of debt. But there is intense media speculation¹¹ what might be the visit's real purpose. One theory has it that the chancellor's convinced the Greece will ultimately have to leave the Eurozone but wants to show solidarity¹², so as not to be accused of not supported Athens. The other theory holds that Merkel is aware that Greek exit could have unforeseen consequences on the entire Eurozone, and she is trying to do everything to keep Athens inside the club. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Berlin.

 

Wall Street approaching the close, the Dow down 18. 

 

This is NPR.

 

Detroit's police chief has stepped down. The decision comes after allegations of a sex scandal.  WDET's Jerome Vaughn has more.

 

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee's retirement¹³ is effective immediately. Mayor Dave Bing suspended Godbee last week after an internal affairs officer claimed she was having an affair with the Chief. During a news conference, Bing told reporters about his last conversation with Godbee. 

 

He was very contrite¹⁴. I think embarrassed. Yes, he did apologize. He felt he had let me down. He felt he had let the department down. He felt he had let the citizens of Detroit down.

 

Godbee's predecessor¹⁵ was forced to resign in 2010 after complaints surfaced about a relationship with his subordinate. An interim¹⁶ chief has been named and Mayor Bing says the process to find a new police chief will begin shortly.

 

For NPR News, I'm Jerome Vaughn in Detroit. 

 

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California wants the Federal Trade Commission to investigate why gasoline prices in her state have gone through the roof. Consumers have been told that a supply interruption has caused the spike¹⁷. The AAA puts today's average price for a gallon of regular unleaded at 467 in California compared to a nationwide average of 382. China could confront a pronounced slowdown according to a warning from the World Bank. Word of the weaker economic forecast in the world second largest economy sent markets and oil prices lower today. Benchmark Crude fell 55 cents to close at $89.33 in New York. 

1 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。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

7 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。

8 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

9 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

10 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

11 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

12 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

14 contrite   

adj.悔悟了的，后悔的，痛悔的

参考例句：

• She was contrite the morning after her angry outburst.她发了一顿脾气之后一早上追悔莫及。
• She assumed a contrite expression.她装出一副后悔的表情。

15 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

16 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

17 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。