NPR 2012-02-18

 Congress is backing President Obama's request to extend the payroll¹ tax cut and unemployment insurance which would affect tens of millions of Americans. The legislation approved today also averts² a scheduled cut to doctors who treat Medicare patients. But as NPR's Julie Rovner tells us, doctors are not very happy with the final product.

 

Without the action by Congress, doctors who treat Medicare and military patient in the TRICARE program would have been subject to a cut of 27.4% starting March 1st. That won't happen now, but the relief is only temporary, and if Congress doesn't act again, the reimbursement³ cut starting next January will be even bigger in the neighborhood of 32%. Doctors are frustrated⁴ that lawmakers have continued to address this ongoing⁵ problem with Medicare's reimbursement system by delaying an ultimate solution. And with every delay, the price tag to fix it has gone up. It's now over 300 billion dollars. Few think a solution will be reached until there's a bigger deal on the overall federal budget. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

 

The Syrian government is undeterred by a UN vote that condemns⁶ the regime's crackdown. Evident on the streets of Homs today. Sound from amateur video purported⁷ to show a man shouting as a mosque⁸ is targeted by troops. The recording⁹ could not be independently verified, but reports from members of the international media who've managed to cross into Syria are reaffirming anti-government activists¹⁰' claims of continued bombardment in Homs. In Egypt, thousands of people are expressing solidarity¹¹ with Syrian Revolutionary. In Cairo, heart of the uprising that toppled the Mubarak government, crowds rallied outside the Syrian embassy today.

 

Our world of journalism¹² is mourning the loss of New York Times war correspondent Anthony Shadid. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist died in eastern Syria from an apparent asthma¹³ attack. From member station KOSU, Michael Cross reports the Oklahoma City native had an impact on all those who knew him.

 

Anthony Shadid never lost contact with his high school freshman¹⁴ English teacher Lynne Roller, who says she was impressed with his writing skills even then. Lynne now works for the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and says when she first got word of his death, she felt the tragic¹⁵ loss of his life.

 

"But I also thought about the fact that he died pursuing his life's passion and his life's work and doing the work that he thought was important."

 

Shadid visited the National Memorial last year, soon after he was captured and released along with three colleagues while reporting on the Libyan uprising. For NPR News, I'm Michael Cross in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

 

Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in for Shadid.

 

From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

Italian police have seized some six trillion dollars of fake American treasury¹⁶ bonds in Switzerland. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports arrest warrants have been issued against eight people charged with international fraud.

 

The operation is being coordinated¹⁷ by police in the southern city of Potenza. It was carried out by Italian and Swiss authorities following a year-long investigation¹⁸. The fake securities, nominally¹⁹ worth more than a third of the US national debt and more than twice Italy's, were seized in January from a Swiss company where they were held in three large trunks. The suspects are accused of counterfeiting²⁰ bonds, credit card forgery²¹ and loansharking in various Italian regions. Swiss authorities involved in the investigation said they had handed over the findings in July last year. In 2009, Italian financial police seized more than 700 billion dollars in fake US bearer bonds in the Italian town of Chiasso on the Swiss border. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

A five-mile stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana was closed because of an oil spill caused by a barge²² collision early this morning. Took place about 50 miles upriver from New Orleans. US Coast Guard says no one was hurt. The leak is contained. However, the Coast Guard is still trying to determine how much oil has spilled.

 

More expensive food, gas and clothing are among the main factors behind January's increase in the Labor²³ Department's Consumer Price Index. Rose 0.2%, following a flat reading in December. The reading was the same on core prices which excludes the volatile²⁴ energy and food categories.

 

US stocks mixed, Dow up 43 points, NASDAQ off nine.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 averts   

防止，避免( avert的第三人称单数 )； 转移

参考例句：

• Cautious speech averts eavesdropping. Cautious behavior arrests gossip. 若欲杜人之口，莫若自己谨言；若欲塞人之耳，莫若自己慎行。
• A gift in secret averts anger; and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. 暗中送的礼物，挽回怒气；怀中搋的贿赂，止息暴怒。

3 reimbursement   

n.偿还，退还

参考例句：

• He received reimbursement for his travel expenses.由于出差的花费他可以得到公司的补偿。
• Which forms do I need to complete for my travel reimbursement?我需要填什么表来报我的旅费？

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

9 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

10 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》

11 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。

12 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

13 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

14 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。

15 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。

16 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

17 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

18 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

19 nominally   

在名义上，表面地； 应名儿

参考例句：

• Dad, nominally a Methodist, entered Churches only for weddings and funerals. 爸名义上是卫理公会教徒，可只去教堂参加婚礼和葬礼。
• The company could not indicate a person even nominally responsible for staff training. 该公司甚至不能指出一个名义上负责职员培训的人。

20 counterfeiting   

n.伪造v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was sent to prison for counterfeiting five-dollar bills. 他因伪造5美元的钞票被捕入狱。 来自辞典例句
• National bureau released securities, certificates with security anti-counterfeiting paper technical standards. 国家质量技术监督局发布了证券、证件用安全性防伪纸张技术标准。 来自互联网

21 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。

22 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

23 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。

24 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。