NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-04-01

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

 

　　The FBI state and local authorities are investigating another killing¹ of a prosecutor² in Kaufman county, Texas. Sheriff David Byrnes says the body of the district attorney and his wife were discovered yesterday at their home about 20 miles from Dallas.

 

　　We padded that scene and they did find the district attorney and his wife Cynthia deceased at that time, they both have been shot.

 

　　Two months ago, one of McLelland's assistants was found shot to death a block from the office. There has been no arrest in that case. Officials say they don't know yet if the deaths are connected.

 

　　There is word a deal is close on legislation that would overhaul³ the country's immigration system.  NPR's Kirk Siegler reports some members of the so-called gang of eight senators working on a compromise are signaling that legislation could be introduced this week.

 

　　New York Senator Chuck Schumer says a basic agreement has been reached on every major policy issue. Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, the Democrat⁴ said he hopes the full Senate will vote on the bill by May.

 

　　First people will be legalized, in other words, not citizens but they will be allowed to work, come out of the shadows travel. Then we will make sure the border is secure and we have specific metrics that are in the bill. I am not going to get into what they are to make sure that happens.

 

　　Schumer's optimism follows a compromise reached late Friday between the U.S. Chamber⁵ of Commerce and the AFL,CIO, two groups, long at odds⁶ over how to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Kirk Siegler, NPR News.

 

　　Malian troops backed by French forces have clashed with Islamist fighters who've returned to the city of Timbuktu. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports the Islamist militants⁷ have launched a series of attacks, since France rose from part of the north of Mali in January.

 

　　The al-Qaeda linked Islamists who controlled the entrance Saharan city before French and Malian soldiers recaptured in January, have returned, blending into the population to launch attacks. Several suicide attacks in the past days have killed rebels and Malian soldiers. At least three Malian soldiers were injured in Sunday's fighting in Timbuktu and residents were forced to take shelter indoors. The attacks reflect the challenge of securing Mali as France prepares to reduce its troop presence. President  Francois Hollande  said France will reduce its troop numbers in Mali to 1,000 by the end of the year, down from 4,000 at present. Security will be passed to an ill-equipped Malian army and more than 7,000 strong regional African force. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

　　The Nigerian military says its soldiers raided a house in the northern city of Kano today and killed 14 suspected Islamist extremists. The Islamist Sect⁸ Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people since it began its campaign two years ago, to create an Islamic state in Nigeria. The group frequently targets Christian⁹ churches especially during holidays.

 

　　This is NPR News from Washington.

 

　　Christians¹⁰ around the world celebrated¹¹ Easter today. Kamila Banasz traveled from Poland to attend Easter Sunday Mass in Jerusalem. She says it's worth of the trip.

 

　　We came here like Christians, the catholic people, they've touched the lock to visit the empty bomb of  Jesus today and to be sure who can see this place to the era like empty and to be sure here is a relaxation¹² last night.

 

　　Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Mass today in St Peter's Square. The Vatican estimates that more than 250,000 people attended in his Easter message. The pope called for a peace in the Middle East.

 

　　The teams left in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will be whittled¹³ down further today. Half of the final four is set. Syracuse and Wichita State have already qualified¹⁴ this weekend. NPR's Mike Pesca previews today's games.

 

　　Now that Syracuse's Jim Boeheim has brought his Orange to the national semifinals. He becomes one of four coaches to reach the final four in four different decades. Dim Smith is on that list, so are two coaches who face each other today. Mike Krzyzewski, Coach of Duke, has won four national titles, his opponent, Rick Pitino of Louisville, has one. The two legendary¹⁵ coaches have 17 final four appearances between them. Louisville has been the most dominant¹⁶ team in this tournament. But Duke is one of the few opponents that could match the athleticism¹⁷ of the cardinals¹⁸. The winner of that game will face Wichita State, Syracuse faces the winner of today's game between Florida and Michigan. Mike Pesca, NPR News.

 

　　In that game, in the second half, Michigan is leading Florida at 67:44. That's now in the second half.

 

　　I'm Nora Raum, NPR News, in Washington.

1 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。

2 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

11 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

12 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

13 whittled   

v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood. 他把那块木头削成了一个简易的玩具。
• The government's majority has been whittled down to eight. 政府多数票减少到了八票。

14 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

15 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

16 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

17 athleticism   

n.运动竞赛，崇尚运动，竞技热

参考例句：

• He brings defense. He brings talent. He brings athleticism. That's a lot. “他带来的防御，他带来了人才，他带来了身体，这是很多”。 来自互联网
• Each of these sports isn't won through sheer athleticism alone. 每个体育项目无法凭借纯粹的运动能力而获胜。 来自互联网

18 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。