NPR 2012-02-15

 Hu Jintao's heir apparent in China Xi Jinping is on his first high-level visit to the White House, where President Obama raised a number of disputes looming¹ over US-China relations.

 

 

"On critical issues like human rights, we will continue to emphasize what we believe is the importance of recognizing the aspirations² and rights of all people."

 

 

Vice³ President Joe Biden told Mr. Xi that human rights is a fundamental aspect of US foreign policy. He also reiterated⁴ that the US disagrees with China’s decision to join Russia in vetoing a UN resolution condemning⁵ Syria’s crackdown on political dissent⁶.

 

 

Meanwhile, shelling continues in Homs, Syria. Activists⁷ are accusing Syrian snipers of firing on residents trying to leave their homes in search of basic supplies. The region has been under constant siege for days, but the Syrian government accuses gangs of fomenting⁸ violence in that country.

 

 

Back in the US, Treasure Secretary Timothy Geithner’s defending President Obama’s 2013 budget proposal before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill. NPR’s John Ydstie reports Geithner urged quick adoption¹⁰ of two elements of the budget.

 

 

Geithner told lawmakers that the president’s budget contains substantial support for economic growth and job creation, and he said by the end of the month, Congress must extend the proposed payroll¹¹ tax cut and emergency unemployment insurance. If it fails to do so, said Geithner, 160 million Americans will immediately pay more in payroll taxes.

 

 

“And the five million people looking for work will lose or be denied in unemployment insurance benefits over the rest of the year.”

 

 

There are signs Republicans in Congress will go along with continuing the payroll tax cut. The extension of emergency unemployment benefits is less likely. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 

 

Federal authorities say they have recovered more than four billion dollars in health care fraud judgements last year. That’s a record high. NPR’s Giles Snyder reports officials credit new tools for cracking down on deceitful Medicare claims.

 

 

Authorities are crediting new tools for uncovering fraudulent Medicare claims, boosting the money recovered in fraud judgements by about 50% from 2009. They tell the Associated Press that government agencies are doing a better job of screening providers before they get in the system, have strengthened enrollment¹² requirements and subjected higher risk providers to fingerprint¹³ and criminal background checks. Authorities say teams operating in fraud hot spots around the country charged more than 320 defendants¹⁴ who collectively billed the Medicare program out of more than a billion dollars last year. Attorney General Eric Holder¹⁵ and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are expected to team up for the announcement. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.

 

 

At last glance on Wall Street, Dow was down 45 points at 12,829; NASDAQ off 12 points; S&P 500 down six.

 

 

You’re listening to NPR News.

 

 

Gas prices have hit record highs in France. NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports the issue is seeping¹⁶ into the presidential race in that country.

 

 

A liter of unleaded gasoline costs as much as 1.62 euros. That translates into more than eight dollars a gallon. Prices are up because of problems with two of France’s main oil suplliers. Nigeria is racked by civil unrest, and European Union sanctions bar France from importing oil from Iran. A lower euro has also raised the price of gasoline because crude oil prices are denominated in dollars. Front-running socialist¹⁷ candidate Francois Hollande suggested a temporary freeze on pump prices, but President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party immediately shot that idea down, calling it passé. The head of Total, France’s largest oil company, said he could not exclude prices going as high as two euros a liter or more than ten dollars a gallon.Total says the only way to bring prices down is to find more sources of oil. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

 

It’s a similar scene in the US, gas prices also steadily¹⁸ rising last month. According to the Commerce Department, prices hit their highest level in ten months.

 

 

Three new polls show Republican Rick Santorum neck and neck with rival Mitt⁹ Romney in the race for GOP’s presidential nomination¹⁹. Santorum is coming off a three-state sweep last week as he paints himself as the only true conservative to face President Obama in November.

 

 

Explosions in the Thai capital today are blamed on an Iranian suspected bomber²⁰. Bankok police say that man has been seriously wounded from an explosive that went off prematurely²¹. But shortly before a bomb reportedly exploded at a house he was renting and later on a nearby road. Israel is calling it an attempted terrorist attack by Iran.

1 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

2 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

3 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。

4 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

5 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

7 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》

8 fomenting   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They accused him of fomenting political unrest. 他们指控他煽动政治动乱。
• Three sailors were fomenting a mutiny on the ship. 三个水手正在船上煽动叛变。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

11 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

12 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

13 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

14 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

15 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

16 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

17 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

18 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。

19 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。

20 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

21 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句