NPR 2012-02-05

 Russia and China joined forces at the United Nations Security Council today to block a resolution that called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. The other 13 members supportive of the measure aimed at ending Syria's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that began 11 months ago. Meanwhile, the violence continues. The BBC's Jim Muir reports anti-government activists¹ say an army offensive against the city of Homs has killed at least 250 people.

 

Activists said most of the casualties were in the Khalidiya quarter of Homs, which they said came under massive bombardment by security forces in the middle of the night. They said victims were still being dug out of the rubble² of collapsed³ buildings. Video posted on the Internet showed many bodies sprawled⁴ in pools of blood. The reasons for the sudden reported escalation⁵ weren't immediately clear. Parts of Homs have become virtually no-go areas for government forces with rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army well entrenched⁶.

 

The BBC's Jim Muir.

 

Four inches of snow brought the Italian capital to a standstill, shutting schools, museums and public offices. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports it's the biggest snowfall in 26 years.

 

Crowds of Romans and tourists were walking cautiously on slippery streets, but there was a mood of excitement over the unusual sight, St. Peter's dome⁷, the Colosseum and Roan Forum⁸ covered in snow. But the snowfall and low temperatures caused much disruption. Lack of snow plows⁹ left many drivers trapped in their vehicles for up to ten hours on the ring road circling Rome, and snow-covered streets led to traffic jams and long bus service delays. The snowfall had been forecast for days, but many Romans blame City Hall for lack of preparedness. Mayor Gianni Alemanno ordered 2,000 shovels¹⁰ to be distributed and appealed to residents to chip in and help clean up streets and sidewalks. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

The snow is letting up in Colorado after the most powerful storm there this winter. The Rocky Mountain foothills received as much as six feet of snow. About 600 flights were canceled in Denver.

 

Republicans in Nevada are voting today on a nominee¹¹ for president. Polls show that Mitt¹² Romney will win as he won that state's caucuses¹⁴ four years ago. NPR's Carrie Kahn has been talking to people attending a caucus¹³ at a retirement¹⁵ community in Henderson. 

 

A lot of people are undecided. Many people are favoring Romney. I heard that a lot. But then you have some people say that they just want to come in and give a protest vote because they don't believe that he should be the nominee. But then one thing that you hear from everybody is that whoever the nominee is, they will unite around them because they are all unified¹⁶ in wanting to defeat Obama.

 

NPR's Carrie Kahn reporting from Henderson, Nevada. After the voting, Romney is to hold a party for supporters at a casino in Las Vegas. His closest challenger Newt Gingrich is not holding a public event tonight, but will issue a statement after the results are announced.

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

Officials in Northern California say propane gas exploded in an area housing Marine¹⁷ Corp families last night. One person was killed, and two others were injured. The blast occurred in Coleville, about 30 miles from the Marine Corp Mountain Warfare¹⁸ Training Center, where Marines train for mountain operations. Thirty-eight families were forced out of their homes because of the lack of utilities. Officials say they don't know yet why the propane gas leaked and then ignited.

 

The rocket scientist who tried to stop the fatal launch of the space shuttle Challenger has died. Roger Boisjoly led a group of Morton Thiokol engineers who argued with NASA officials the night before the launch that cold temperatures could lead to a catastrophe¹⁹. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

 

Roger Boisjoly was so destroyed about the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. He suffered depression and severe headaches. All he could do at one point he told me at the time was move boulders²⁰ around his yard for therapy. Boisjoly and four other Thiokol engineers argued vigorously with their own managers and NASA officials the night before the launch. They presented data indicating that coldest launch-time temperatures ever would stiffen²¹ seals in the joints²² of the multi-stage booster rockets. When the spacecraft exploded, Boisjoly told NPR, "We knew exactly what happened." Roger Boisjoly was 73 and suffering from cancer in Utah when he died. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

 

US Park Police on horseback moved into a park near the White House early this morning to enforce a no-camping ban. Protesters connected to the Occupy movement have been living in McPherson Square for months. Some of the protesters removed their camping gear. Six people were arrested. Officials say this is not an eviction²³. The protesters have the right to be in the park at all hours, but they can't sleep there.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 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》

2 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 sprawled   

v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
• He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。

5 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

6 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

7 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

8 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

9 plows   

n.犁( plow的名词复数 )；犁型铲雪机v.耕( plow的第三人称单数 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• Alex and Tony were turning awkward hands to plows and hoe handles. 亚历克斯和托尼在犁耙等农活方面都几乎变成新手了。
• Plows are still pulled by oxen in some countries. 在一些国家犁头仍由牛拖拉。

10 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

11 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

12 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。

13 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

14 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

15 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。

16 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

17 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。

18 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

19 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

20 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 stiffen   

v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬

参考例句：

• The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时，皮肤的供血量就减少了。
• I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。

22 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

23 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。