NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-05-16

　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

　　It's been called a landmark¹ moment in medical research. Scientists have cloned for the first time human embryos² that can produce some cells opening the door for treatments of various diseases. But this latest development is running into ethical³ objection because critics say that involves creating then destroying human embryos.

　　Attorney general Eric Holder⁴ says the FBI's investigation⁵ of the internal revenue service for signalling out conservative groups for extra scrutiny⁶ could include range of potential criminal and violations⁷. But NPR's Craig Windham reports Holder has told the house judical committee it'll take time to determine if there was any criminal wrong doing.

　　Attorney general Holder says the possible infractions could include civil rights violations.

　　There is also the possibility of false statements, violations that might have been made given list what I know at this point.

　　Holder told the lawmakers the investigation will be non-partisan and will go wherever the facts may lead.

　　These will not be about parties. These will not be about ideological⁹ persuasions¹⁰. Anybody who has broken the law will be held accountable.

　　Democratic congressman¹¹ Bobby Scott of Virginia, noted¹² to Holder that some top IRS officials have apologized for the agency's actions.

　　Does the apology immunize you from criminal prosecution¹³?

　　No.

　　Craig Windham NPR News, Washington.

　　House speaker John Boehner says he has one question about the investigation as it widens.

　　My question isn't about who's going to resign. My question is who's going to jail over the scandal.

　　He told reporters earlier today there are laws to protect against kinds of abuses the IRS has played and that's someone clearly violated them.

　　A Texas paramedic who responded to the deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant last month is expected to plead not guilty to a charge of processing bomb making materials. Federal prosecutors¹⁴ says Bryce Reed has agreed to defer¹⁵ his detention¹⁶ hearning. Texas officials say they do not have evidence connecting Reed to the west plant explosion in which 14 people were killed.

　　The Euro currency zone recession is now in a sixth quarter. That's longer than the economic slumps¹⁷ there five year ago. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports nine of the 17 Euro zone countries are now officially in recession.

　　Europe's economic power horse, Germany, was one of few Euro zone countries not in recession between January and March. But now that wasn't enough to improve the financial picture of the region. France was a notable addition to the list. Overall, the Euro zone's economy contracted 0.2% since the end of 2012. Although that was an improvement over the previous quarters decline. The continued recession highlights the struggles brought down by austerity measures. The recession is not as the deepest one in 2008 and 2009. But it is the longest in the history of the Euro. Other major economies have struggled this year but none is in recession. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson NPR News, Berlin.

　　THis is NPR.

　　Factories are coming off an April slowdown in the US but analysts¹⁸ say that's not likely to last in the coming month. The federal reserve says the manufacturing output dropped 0.40%, the third deline in full month, however overall production is expected to pick up, as auto¹⁹ makers⁸ reports stronger sales. Whole sale prices are down sharply, driven lower by cheaper energy and food. The labor²⁰ department released its producer price index fell 0.70% in April, the steepest dropping more than three years.

　　A record's been set in the word of art with the seller of huge painting last night at Sotheby's in New York. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports it's the painting fetch the most money ever paid for a work by a living artist at auction²¹.

　　The price tide was 37.1 million dollars. The artist is Gerhard Richter. The painting is from 1968, issues the monumental cathedral square, Milan, Italy, in the artist's pictorialist style. It looks like a blured black and white picture taking from an upstair window in the rain and by someone with the shaky hand. Richter was born in former east Germany. This is actually the second time he's broken the record for a living artist at auction. The first was just last year. For a giant abstract painting that's sold for more than 13 million. But of the top selling artists in the world right now, Richter is only No.3. First is  Andy Warhol, then Pablo Picasso. Neda Ulaby NPR News.

　　Before the closing bell, Dow Jones industrial average was up 61 points at 15,276; NASDAQ gained nine points to hit 3,472; S&P 500 up nine at 1,659. This is NPR News.

 

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

10 persuasions   

n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰

参考例句：

• To obtain more advertisting it needed readers of all political persuasions. 为获得更多的广告，它需要迎合各种政治见解的读者。 来自辞典例句
• She lingered, and resisted my persuasions to departure a tiresome while. 她踌躇不去，我好说歹说地劝她走，她就是不听。 来自辞典例句

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

15 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

16 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

17 slumps   

萧条期( slump的名词复数 )； （个人、球队等的）低潮状态； （销售量、价格、价值等的）骤降； 猛跌

参考例句：

• Deflation could emerge from simultaneous slumps in the world's three major economies. 如果世界经济三大主体同时衰退，通货紧缩就会出现。
• This is the cycle of economic booms and slumps. 这是经济繁荣和经济萧条的周期变化。

18 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

19 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

20 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

21 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。