NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-01-27

 The first day of Syrian peace talks ended with frank assessment¹ by UN negotiators Lakhdar Brahimi “we have achieved much”. NPR’s Deborah Amos reports from Geneva, the warring sides in Syria sat down for the first direct talks today though continue tomorrow. 

A modest beginning, the only achievement of commitment to continue.In a the regime’s deepest givings, the most senior government officials skipped to the talks. Syrian, UN and ambassador represented the regime. The other sides say it would hard to sit with killers², but pretended detail plan for humanitarian³ aid, a top priority for civilians⁴ and rival areas. The UN mediator⁵ said with an agreement of the talks, aid conveys could roll back Monday into the Syrian city of Homs, a small success. But the talks have yet touched on the war itself or the future role of president Bashar al-Assad. We’re moving not even a steps, but in half-steps, said Brahimi, Deborah Amos, NPR News, Geneva. 

 

Police has now identified 2 of the 3 fatalities⁶ from a shopping mall shooting in Columbia, Maryland. A third police believe was the gunman. They’re no details about the motive⁷. Kenas Born of number station WYPR spoke⁸ to a witness who describe the scene. 

Lourian Shetorens was walking through a store at a mall in Columbia with her husband at the time of shooting around 11:15 AM. 

“First I saw a few people running, then I saw a number of people running come to the doors in panic and they seem to be alarmed.”

Shetorens says even though there were a lot of movements at the mall, people are keeping silent. 

“People were respectful, helpful and concerned to look very worried, looks very, very shocked emotionally.”

Officials are confident the shooter acted alone. For NPR News, I’m Kenas Born at Baltimore. 

 

Former GOP presidential candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona has been censured⁹ by homestead Republicans. They say he has not been efficientlyconservative. Tim Sifer is a spokesman for the Arizona GOP. 

“The resolution is just a language designed to refresh the sentiment of the activists¹⁰ within the Arizona Republican party.”

Of particular concerns to the party, McCain supports for immigration reform and he did vote to fund the Affordable¹¹ Care Act. 

 

President Obama used his weekly address to focus on sexual assault the president promoted a White House task force to address the problem on college campuses. But he says society must play a role and end this crime. 

 

Winter’s icy grip let officials in Maryland to cancel the so-called Polar Bear Plunge¹² in the Chesapeake Bay. Thousands of bears have registered. The fun benefits special Olympic in Maryland.Meanwhile, a trial for Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska was cut off due to warm weather. 

 

This is NPR. 

 

International Monetary¹³ Fund managing director Christine Lagarde is warning the Federal Reserve takes bring its stimulus¹⁴ programs could lead to global economic weaking. At the World Economic Forum¹⁵ in Switzerland, Lagarde adviced policymakers to be alert for potential repercussions¹⁶.

 

The UN Refugee Agency says there is a new flood of Iraqis leaving central Iraq’s Anbarprovince, home to the contested cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. Lakshmi Singh reports last week surge brings the total number of homeless Iraqis to 114,000. 

The UN Refugee Agency calls it’s the largest displacement¹⁷ in Iraq has witnessed since the sectarian violence that began in 2006 and ended in 2008. Spokesman Adrian Edwards says this is on top of the 13 million people already displaced in Iraq. 

“According to the repot we’re getting from people in Anbar, including our own staff, many civilians were unable to leave conflict-affected areas where food and fuel were now in short supply.”

Edwards says most of the people who recently fled Fallujah are living with relatives or staying in schools, mosques¹⁸ and hospitals. He says research is running low and whole families are having difficulties caring for the displaced. For NPR News, I’m Lakshmi Singh in Geneva. 

 

The company at the center of a chemical spill in the water contamination in West Virginia ahs been ordered to dismantle¹⁹ all of its ground stored tanks in Charleston. West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin wants freeze industry to take down pumping and machinery²⁰. About 300,000 people were without running water for days as a result of that spill. 

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

3 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。

4 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。

5 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

6 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 censured   

v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 )

参考例句：

• They were censured as traitors. 他们被指责为叛徒。 来自辞典例句
• The judge censured the driver but didn't fine him. 法官责备了司机但没罚他款。 来自辞典例句

10 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》

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

13 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

14 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

15 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

16 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

18 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

19 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

20 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。