NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2013-12-06

 President Obama is turning his attention back to two long standing¹ negative trends in American life, income inequality and a lack of upward mobility². NPR’s Mara Liasson has more.

 

President Obama told a familiar and depressing story describing Americans who feel  the desk is stacked against them and that the American dream just isn’t possible anymore. It’s relentless³ trend he says that has gone on for decades.

 

That’s a dangerous and growing inequality and lack of upward mobility that has jeopardised middle-class America’s basic bargain: that if you work hard, you had a chance to get ahead.

 

The president says this is the defining challenge of our time and to address it, he asked Congress once again to fund universal preschool, invest in education and infrastructure⁴ and raise the minimum wage. None of that is likely anytime soon, but the president says he’ll continue to focus on these issues for the rest of his term. Mara Liasson, NPR News, the White House. 

 

The international envoy⁵ overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapon stockpiles, says the experts are preparing for the most dangerous phase, moving the material out of the country. Key roads were still not secure. As NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports. 

 

After briefing the UN Security Council, Sigrid Kaag said security remains⁶ a big challenge for the UN and for the organisation⁷ for the prohibition⁸ of chemical weapons. They need to move dangerous chemicals to the Syrian port of Latakia, but when cargo⁹ try to go there recently, she had to travel via Lebanon and by helicopter. 

 

We hope that the situation will change, of course, and that the route will be open again. But we are not considering other routes currently at all.

 

No county has agreed to take the Syrian stockpiles for destruction, so the U.S. is outfitting¹⁰ a ship with a mobile hydrolysis system and the OPCW plans to have commercial companies destroy about 800 tons of chemicals. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

According to a report by the Washington Post, the National Security Agency tracks locations of nearly 5 billion cellphones everyday overseas, including apparently¹¹ some phones belonging to Americans. Post reporting the NSA inadvertently gathers location records of Americans who travel abroad along with billions of other records it obtains by tapping worldwide mobile phone cable networks. Post goes on to say that the agency uses powerful computer programs to establish patterns.

 

Payroll¹² processing from ADP says its survey shows big gains in manufacturing construction last month and says that helped to create additional 215,000 jobs. Scott Brown is an economist¹³  at Raymond James & Associates. 

 

This is an upside surprise with upside revisions, and it’s going to likely set a tone for the markets at least, we are looking for  a strong number on Friday. 

 

Government releases its jobs numbers on Friday, ADP also revised upwards¹⁴ its October jobs numbers. 

 

On Wall Street today, stocks slipped, the Dow was down 24 points to 15,889; the S&P 500 fell two points. This is NPR.

 

The man accused of opening fire inside the Los Angeles International Airport last month, killing¹⁵ a transportation security administration officer and wounding three other people, made a court appearance today. Paul Ciancia who appeared in court with bruises¹⁶ on his face and a bandage on his neck, said little during the brief appearance. He did not enter a plea. The 23-year-old Ciancia who was shot and wounded by airport police was allegedly targeting TSA agents according to investigators¹⁷. 

 

Officials at the U.S. Olympic Committee said they are considering a bid to host the 2024 summer games. NPR’s Howard Berkes reports an American bid is contingent¹⁸ on funding the right candidate city. 

 

It’s been nearly 12 years since the last Olympics on American soil, the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City. So a carefully worded statement from U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst has raised the Olympic hopes at several American cities, including Boston, Washington, Dallas and Los Angeles. Probst says the USOC intends to nominate an American city for the 2024 Summer Olympics, if a bid has the right technical plan, leadership, financing and government support. The group is vetting¹⁹ candidate cities now and has until the end of next year to make a decision. The USOC has also been working to repair a tighter relationship with the International Olympic Committee, which makes the final host city choice. Howard Berkes, NPR News.

 

Couple of technological²⁰ heavy weights are joining forces as part of an effort to get broadband Internet into every American school. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announcing the pair contributing a combined $ 9 million to education super highway. That’s a San Francisco based nonprofit working to improve connectivity in schools. While most schools have some Internet access, many classrooms still lack high speed communications networks. 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

3 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 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。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 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。

8 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

9 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

10 outfitting   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The outfitting installation activities carried out on the building berth or dock. 舾装在船台上或船钨内完成。 来自互联网
• There is so much outfitting work. Do you subcontract some of them? 有这么多的舾装工作要做，你们将工程分包出去吗？ 来自互联网

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 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。

13 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。

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

15 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。

16 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

19 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

20 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。