NPR 2012-06-18

 The first exit polls in closely watched elections in Greece show the conservative and the radical¹ leftist parties are very close. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Athens.

 

Six major polling companies issued their first exit polls showing the conservative New Democracy at between 27.5% and 30.5%, and the leftist Syriza at between 27% and 30%. It will be a long night before it's clear who the winner is. Contrary to expectations, the exit polls suggest the ultra-right Golden Dawn party, some of whose members professed² neo-Nazi sympathies, is holding on to a surprised showing in last month's inconclusive election, where it entered parliament with 7%. The election is being closely followed in European capitals and global markets worry that the Syriza victory could trigger Greece's exit from the eurozone with unforeseen consequences for the global economy. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Athens.

 

Initial results from France show the Socialist³ Party of President Francois Hollande won a majority in parliamentary elections today. The win would help Hollande pass tax hikes and spending increases. He views it’s necessary to boost the economy.

 

Rodney King has died. Captain Randy DeAnda with the police in Rialto, California told CNN King was found at the bottom of his swimming pool early this morning.

 

“Paramedics arrived on scene and immediately transported him to the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead at about 6:11 this morning.”

 

DeAnda said a preliminary investigation⁴ shows no signs of foul⁵ play. A videotape of King being beaten by police officers in the Los Angeles after a traffic stop ignited riots in 1992, when the officers were acquitted⁶ of criminal charges. Rodney King was 47.

 

A rally is getting underway at this hour in New York City. Protesters object to a police tactic⁷ known as “stop and frisk.” NPR's Joel Rose reports.

 

Protesters plan to march down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to protest what they see is an unjust and ineffective policing tool. Last year, the NYPD stopped, questioned and frisked more than 685,000 people without a warrant. The vast majority were young, black and Latino men and were released without any charge. Police commissioner⁸ Rick Kelley and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have defended the practice, saying it helps save lives, but even they have recently pledged to rein⁹ in the number of stops. A poll out last week shows that a slight majority of New York voters disapprove¹⁰ of the practice with support largely split along racial lines. Joel Rose, NPR News, New York. 

 

Fire officials in Colorado say it may take as long as four weeks to fully¹¹ contain a wildfire near Fort Collins. The blaze has burned 85 square miles and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history. It's now about 55% contained. 

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

It rained in New Mexico yesterday, which helped firefighters fighting a blaze in the Lincoln National Forest. But the rain could cause flash floods as well. Officials say the fire is now about 60% contained. Lightening started at nearly two weeks ago. It's burned 59 square miles since then and destroyed 242 homes and commercial structures. 

 

Analysts¹² expect the stock market will keep swinging sharply in the coming weeks, as the investors¹³ watched the Greek election and a summit of leaders of 20 leading economies this weekend. Danielle Karson reports.

 

The outcome of Greece's elections is expected to be front and center at the G20 summit on Monday. But expectations are low. A lot of talk but little action to get Europe's fiscal¹⁴ house in order. Joe Saluzzi at Themis Trading predicts the stock market will stay volatile¹⁵, responding to what he calls the headlines Le Soir from Europe. 

 

“Today obviously we’re talking about Greek elections. Maybe tomorrow we'll be talking about Spanish banks, and after that Italian department sources. Who knows, right? It’s always something. So it's almost like a crapshoot at this point.

 

If Greek shocks the euro currencies, some analysts say it could send shock waves through financial markets. But Saluzzi says Greece accounts for less than 0.5% of the global economy, and that far bigger troubles are looming¹⁶ in Spain and Italy. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson.

 

The National Park Service says it's ending its efforts to find the bodies of four Japanese climbers killed in avalanche¹⁷ at Alaska's Mount McKinley last week. A spokeswoman says a rescue team reached the likely location of the climbers yesterday and dug through avalanche debris¹⁸. But the risk of falling ice was too great to continue. One Japanese climber had survived the avalanche and had hiked down the mountain for help.

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 professed   

公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的

参考例句：

• These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
• Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。

3 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。

4 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。

5 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

6 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

7 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

10 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

14 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。

15 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。

16 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

17 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

18 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。