NPR 2012-07-01

 An international conference meeting in Geneva today approved a plan designed to end the violence in Syria. It calls for all parties to work together to form a transitional government. It does not say whether President Bashar Assad would have any role in new regime. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

 

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called it a serious agreement. He’s pushing forward a new transitional government in Syria, and he managed to get the five permanent UN Security Council members and regional players to back this. But he did have to water it down quite a bit to get Russia onboard. Annan says that it can include current government officials and opposition¹ figures as long as there’s mutual² consent. NPR's Michele Kelemen reporting from Geneva.

 

Egypt has a new president, its first freely elected one. Muhammad Morsi took the oath of office in Cairo. He promised a new Egypt, saying today the Egyptian people are laying the foundation of a new life, absolute freedom, a genuine democracy and stability. Morsi is from the Muslim Brotherhood³, which had been banned by previous governments in Egypt. He’s the Arab world's first freely elected Islamist president and the fifth head of state in Egypt since the overthrow⁴ of the monarchy⁵ 60 years ago.

 

Israeli media reports say former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir died at a nursing home today at the age of 96. He served as prime minister for seven years during the 80s and 90s. He maintained throughout that he would never agree to give the Palestinians land in exchange for peace. Shamir once told the New York-based Jewish post the Arabs will always dream to destroy Israel.

 

Officials now say at least ten people died after a powerful storm swept the Eastern US last night. More than three million people are still without electricity in a day with 100-degree temperatures. Karen Kasler of Ohio Public Radio reports a third of those people are in Ohio.

 

Chain saws are roaring, temperatures are rising, as more than a million Ohioans are without power after winds topping 70 miles an hour uprooted⁶ trees and sheared⁷ off branches. Mindy Frank of the Columbia suburb of New Albany is taking in stride the news that it could be a week before the electricity is restored. 

 

“I think we’re gonna be throwing a lot of things away, whether in our refrigerators and our freezers. And I keep putting the lights on at home, even though I know there’s no power.”

 

Power outages have made it hard to find gas stations and stores that are open and cool places to escape the oppressive heat. For NPR News, I’m Karen Kasler in Columbus.

 

About 10,000 people are still out of their homes in Colorado Springs, Colorado because of a huge wildfire. At least two people were killed and more than 350 homes were destroyed. Officials report the blaze is now about 30% contained. It’s burned nearly 17,000 acres. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao is visiting Hong Kong this weekend. Today he was asked about the 1989 military crackdown on protesters. NPR's Louisa Lim reports the reporter who asked that question was briefly⁸ detained.

 

President Hu Jintao is visiting Hong Kong to mark the 15th anniversary of the island's return to Chinese rule. His tightly choreographed⁹ schedule has kept him away from protesters. But a reporter asked Hu Jintao whether he knew that Hong Kong people want a reappraisal of the 1989 protest. The Chinese president didn't answer. The journalist was then detained for 15 minutes by security officers who told him he was too noisy. This comes a day ahead of the inauguration¹⁰ of Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who is enmeshed in scandal even before he takes office. The anniversary will also be marked by a large protest march seen as a gauge¹¹ of discontent of Chinese rule. Louisa Lim, NPR News, Hong Kong.

 

Police in London are investigating the kidnapping of a hawk¹² named Rufus. This just isn't any ordinary hawk, but one with the job of clearing the skies of pigeons over the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Rufus was stolen with its cage from a car parked in a suburb of Wimbledon.

 

Someone has returned the Salvador Dali painting that had been stolen from a gallery in New York last week. It was mailed from a location in Europe and recovered by postal¹³ inspectors¹⁴ at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Earlier this week, the gallery had received an email saying the painting was "on its way back to you." Officials speculate that publicity¹⁵ surrounding the theft made it hard for the thief to sell it on the black market. 

 

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

1 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。

2 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

3 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

6 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 sheared   

v.剪羊毛( shear的过去式和过去分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• A jet plane sheared the blue sky. 一架喷气式飞机划破蓝空。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The pedal had sheared off at the pivot. 踏板在枢轴处断裂了。 来自辞典例句

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句

10 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

11 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

12 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

13 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

14 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。