美国国家电台 NPR 2012-08-19

 General Motors said today it is recalling a quarter of a million SUVs in the United State because of problems with the power door lock. As NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports the problem can cause a circuit to short creating a fire hazard. 

The problem is that fluid can seep¹ into door's lock and window controls, especially in there areas where salt and other class of materials are used on icy roads in the winter. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received several dozen complaints, including one's alleging² it let to driver side door fires. The recall covers 2006, and 2007 model years for SUVs, including the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the GMC Envoy³, the Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97-X. All the cars were sold in 20 states including the district of Columbia. GM says the problem has led to no-known injuries and that dealers⁴ will replace the problematic switch for free. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

 

 

The last members of the United Nations observer mission in Syria are leaving this weekend. Their mandate⁵ was not renewed by the UN Security Council. Violence kept the observers from doing much of their work and the head of the mission, lieutenant⁶ General Babacar Gaye says both the Syrian government troops and rebels failed to comply with the UN Peace accord.

Both parties have obligations under international humanitarian⁷ law to ensure that civilians⁸ are protected. These obligations have not been respected.

 

 

Now the UN will open a small liaison⁹ office in the Syrian capital, Damascus. 

 

 

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi plans to attend a summit of none allied¹⁰ nations that will be held in Iran at the end of the month. The organisation¹¹ advocates for countries in the developing world. Iran and Egypt have had a breakdown¹² in relations in the 70s after Egypt signed the peace treaty with brother Israel, and Iran went through its Islamic revolution. 

 

 

Pakistan is flying religious minorities to their troubled home province for the Muslim holidays. From Islamabad, NPR's Lauren Frayer reports the military is trying to ensure the safety of Shiite Muslims who have come under attack from rival extremists. 

Pakistan's military has dispatched C-130 transport planes to fly civilians from the capital to Gilgit, a far northern region where Sunni muslim extremists have attacked Shiite travellers in buses. About 20 Shiites were pulled off buses and shot execution-style near Gilgit on Thursday. Then a bus bomb targeted Shiites travelling in Karachi yesterday killing¹³ one. Some Sunni extremists consider Shiites heretics and have targeted them in the past. But attacks appear to be on the rise. The military has stepped in to give some Shiite safe flights home for eat, a holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Islamabad.

 

 

Tropical storm Helene is now a tropical depression, it's slushing north along Mexico's Gulf¹⁴ Coast.

 

 

You're listening to NPR News.

 

 

Detroit is the place to beat today if you know lots about old cars. As Stewart Colin reports around 45,000 classic cars will converge¹⁵ on the city for the world's largest classic car event, the annual Woodworld Avenue Dream Cruise. 

Well, the migration¹⁶ of summit returning to the street where they were born, the old cars have returned to the motor city.  Chrysler Corvette must stay in thunder words of here but so two are the more unusual ones, like old Kris cruisers, Volks wagon¹⁷ micro buses and even a few Deloreans . Organisers say drivers come from all 50 states and beyond. ** drove his 1979 Pontiac GTO across the border from Canada.  

Every type of car record remembered from my childhood is here. And there is a plenty of other car who is going on all summer along. But this is a grand daddy to show off them all, this is the big pumpkin¹⁸.

As many as two million spectators, some from as far away as Australia are expected to line the 60 mile long roadside to watch the cars go by. For NPR News, I'm Stewart Colin in Detroit.

 

 

People in central Idaho are being warned to evacuate¹⁹ as a nearly two-week old fire gets more threatening. Two towns lie in the path of the blaze. Fire crews say it's safer for people to leave now. 

 

 

In Washington state, people are starting to return home to a small town about 75 miles east of Seattle after fire forced them to run. One fire in the Cascade²⁰ mountains burned more than 60 buildings, most of them homes.

 

 

Dallas county Texas will not try again tonight to spray mosquito insecticide to fight the bug's ability to spread West Nile virus. There has been too much rain. At least ten people have died from West Nile virus, scores of more people are sick.

1 seep   

v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑

参考例句：

• My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
• If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。

2 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

3 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

10 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

11 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

12 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

15 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。

16 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

17 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

18 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

19 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

20 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。