NPR 2012-12-23

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

 

　　Egypt's vice¹ president resigned hours before the final phase of voting on the constitution. NPR's Leila Fadel reports the vice president led attempts by the embattled President Mohamed Morsi at national dialogue in the days leading up to the vote on the constitution.

 

　　Vice President Mahmoud Mekki issued a statement saying he first submitted his resignation to the president early last month, but until today the political climate forced him to stay on. In a statement Mekki said that he realised the nature of politics didn't suit his profession as a judge. The statement hinted a dissatisfaction with Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's policies. Morsi enraged² the opposition³ and a majority of judges when he issued decrees that put himself above the law last month before rushing an imperfect constitution to a referendum. Mekki defended those policies as Morsi's deputy, despite his history as an activist⁴ for the independence of the judiciary. It was unclear if Mekki's resignation had anything to do the clause in Egypt's Constitution that eliminates the position of vice president. Leila Fadel NPR News, Cairo.

 

　　Police in India used tear gas and water cannons⁵ to break up mass demonstrations⁷ in the capital, New Delhi today. Protesters are demanding justice for a student who was gang-raped in a bus last weekend. NPR's Julie McCarthy is following the march and says police have also been beating demonstrators.

 

　　The crowds are choking, putting hankerchiefs over their mouths so that they can breathe. And by the thousands, they are now repairing back to India Gate. It's not clear where this demonstration⁶ is going. The determination of demonstrators is extremely high. But this use of force against them today is dispersing⁸ them for the moment. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, in central Delhi.

 

　　Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he welcomed the nomination⁹ of Senator John Kerry to be secretary of state. He said Kerry is experienced and a known supporter of Israel security. President Obama nominated Kerry yesterday.

 

　　The President is in Hawaii to celebrate Christmas. No public events are scheduled, but tomorrow, he will attend a memorial service for the late Senator Daniel Inouye. Before leaving Washington last night, the President recorded his weekly address with some help from the first lady.

 

　　And on behalf of my favourite Americans,Michelle, Malia, Sasha and Bo, Merry Christmas, everybody.

 

　　Happy holidays.

 

　　House Speaker John Boehner delivered the Republican address. He urged Democrats¹⁰ to work with Republicans to avert¹¹ the so-called "fiscal¹² cliff".

 

　　Hope springs eternal and I know we have it in us to come together and to do the right thing.

 

　　Unless they can reach an agreement by the end of the year, income tax rates will go up and spending will be cut throughout the federal government.

 

　　This is NPR News from Washington.

 

　　A winter storm is complicating¹³ travel in many parts of the US this weekend. Several inches of snow fell today in parts of Pennsylvania. Danielle Karson reports this is expected to be the busiest holiday travel season in six years.

 

　　Americans are shrugging off the snowstorms, heavy rain and fog that are causing flight delays and traffic jams. AAA predicts more than 93 million people will travel this weekend, packing hotels, airports and roads. Personal incomes rose last month, so AAA spokeswoman Heather Hunter says that's putting more money in people's wallets.

 

　　People do have a bit more money for travel, also any of the pent-up demand after the recession when a lot of people pulled back is starting to work itself through.

 

　　Economic growths in the jobs market are picking up. And that's good news for two key industries after a nearly two-year slump¹⁴. Hotels are seeing their occupancy rates steadily¹⁵ climb and airlines have been packing planes at record levels. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson.

 

　　A pharmacy¹⁶ connected to the deadly meningitis outbreak this year has filed for a bankruptcy¹⁷ protection. The New England Compounding Center said it's facing 130 lawsuits¹⁸ and another 270 people have filed claims, saying they were injured by contaminated steroid injections. Filing bankruptcy protects the companies from its creditors¹⁹ while regarded its debts under the supervision²⁰ of a bankruptcy judge.

 

　　Writer Larry L. King has died. His wife said he died at a retirement²¹ home in Washington D.C. Thursday night. No cause was given. King wrote a magazine article that became a Broadway musical and became a movie starring  Burt Reynolds, the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Larry L. King was 83.

 

　　I'm Nora Raum, NPR News, in Washington.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

3 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。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 dispersing   

adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
• Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。

9 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。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

12 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

13 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

14 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

15 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。

16 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

17 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

18 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

19 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

21 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。