美国国家电台 NPR 2012-08-10

 The trade deficit¹ has fallen to its lowest point in one and a half year, an unexpected turn in June, according to economist² Hugh Johnson.

 

“It was a big surprise. Most of us had been expecting a number that was somewhere close to say 47 to 48 billion deficit for the month of June, and this was a decline to 42.9 billion, a very, very substantial surprise for the US economy.”

 

The gap narrowed due in part to more exports and to sharp drop in oil imports.

 

Well, fewer Americans are filing for unemployment first time. Claims dropped last week by 6,000 to a seasonally³ adjusted 361,000. However, the four-week average which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations⁴ rose slightly. Both figures still signal stronger hiring.

 

President Obama drew loud cheers in southern Colorado today when he talked about his plan to allow undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children stay in the country. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the issue resonates with Latino voters whose support could be critical for Mr. Obama's reelection hopes.

 

Speaking to a largely Latino crowd in Pueblo⁵, Colorado, President Obama called his decision not to keep deporting⁶ illegal immigrants who came to US as children the right thing to do. He drew a sharp contrast with Mitt⁷ Romney, who stood out even among Republican candidates for his hard line against illegal immigration.

 

“Mr. Romney believes in something called self-deportation, thinks Arizona is a model of pre-immigration laws across the country.”

 

Polls show Mr. Obama with a strong lead over Romney among Latino voters nationwide. How much that helps him will depend on the strength of Latino turnout. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Pueblo, Colorado.

 

The Romney campaign is firing back at the Obama camp for an ad that it's calling despicable. The Republican is protesting a super PAC commercial in which a steel worker suggests Romney and the private equity⁸ firm he founded might have contributed to his wife's death from cancer when the firm closed the plant and he lost his health insurance. 

 

Syrian rebels say they have retreated from a key stronghold in Aleppo, the site of fierce battles for the last two weeks. Details from NPR's Anthony Kuhn.

 

Activists⁹ in Aleppo say rebels there have staged a tactical withdrawal¹⁰ from parts of the Salahedin neighborhood which the government has tried for days to take without success. Activists indicated that the rebels are running low on ammunition¹¹. Syria's main backer Iran, meanwhile, says it's willing to broker¹² peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition¹³. It's convening¹⁴ a conference to discuss the Syrian conflict. Iran says representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iraq and others will attend. Western governments are skeptical¹⁵ that the conference will do much besides supporting the Syrian regime. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beirut.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

4 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

5 pueblo   

n.（美国西南部或墨西哥等）印第安人的村庄

参考例句：

• For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2，000多年的时间里，印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
• The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit

6 deporting   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的现在分词 )；举止

参考例句：

7 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。

8 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

9 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》

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

12 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

13 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。

14 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。