NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-10-13

 Syrian government forces backed by Hezbollah have reportedly made significant advances in an area along a main highway that links Syria's major cities. The BBC's CA reports the advances follow heavy Russian air strikes on rebels including IS fighters. The Russian Defense¹ Ministry² says that its planes have carried out more than 60 missions over Syria in the past 24 hours. It says they've hit almost exclusively IS targets. The Russian air par³ has been having another more immediate⁴ effect. Activists⁵ and government sources say president Assad's troops are making gains amid the intense fighting in the province of Hama and Idlib. Before Russia's intervention⁶, Idlib had all but fallen to a rebel coalition⁷ that has itself being fighting IS. BBC's CA.

Turkish warplanes have stuck Kurdish militants⁸ a day after the Kurdish Standard Worker's Party declared a ceasefire, the latest airstrikes followed deadly bombings yesterday at a peace rally in Ankara organized by opposition⁹ and pro-kurdish groups. South Africa is planning to withdraw its membership in the International Criminal Court according to a deputy minister. The court was set to bring up war criminals to justice but it stumbled in Africa where officials say it targets African crimes. NPR's GW reports an exit by South Africa could trigger a mass exodus¹⁰. Almost all African countries recognize the ICC but this year when it accused war criminal and president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir departed to South Africa for a conference, South Africa failed to arrest him. And it was not the first time the court was ignored in Africa. Kenya refused to turn over evidence against it own president. Africa leaders and op-ed writers have spun¹¹ the ICC as a tool by western nations to meddle¹² in its politics. The ICC says it simply focuses on the most serious crimes without regard to location. The mass exodus by African countries would rob the court of nearly half of its supporting members. GW, NPR news, Nairobi.

In New York city later this hour, a vigil gets underway to call for more police accountability. NPR's Joe Rose reports the demonstrators are gathering¹³ on Staten Island. The vigil will be held in the same park where Eric Ghana, an unarmed black man died after being placed in a chokehold by police more than a year ago. It's put together by Make the Road New York and immigrant efficacy group. The organizers are pushing for the passage of the Right to Know Act, a package of police reform legislation that is currently stalled in the New York city council. Supporters say NYPD officers should be required by law to identify themselves after stoping, questioning or searching a member of the public. But head of  New York's largest police union denounced the legislation as an onerous¹⁴ and unnecessary intrusion that will prevent officers from doing their jobs. Joe Rose, NPR news.  This is NPR.

Iran says it reached a verdict in the espionage¹⁵ case against Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian but the newspaper says Tehran hasn't reviewed what it is. The only detail offered by Iran's judiciary is that it's not final. Rezaian has been held in Iran for more than a year. The House of Representatives have voted to end a 40-year ban on exporting US crude oil, a top priority for the oil industry.  The Senate has yet to act and president Obama says he'll veto it if it reaches his desk. Meanwhile, oil drilling is the US continues to decline. As NPR's DA reports weak prices mean energy companies are cutting back on oil and gas exploration. Huston-based oilfield service company Baker¹⁶ Hughes tracks the weekly numbers of rigs actively¹⁷ exploring for oil and natural gas. It reports activities down for the sixth consecutive¹⁸ week. The domestic rig account has fallen to 795, down more than 1100 rigs since last October. Drilling has been on a steady decline both inland and offshore¹⁹ in the Gulf²⁰ of Mexico because of cutbacks stemming from low oil prices. The US government estimates domestic crude production fell by 120,000 barrels in September and predicts the downward trend will continue. DA, NPR news.

Some residents of Cushing Oklahoma are calling for tougher rules on the state's oil and gas industry after a 4.5 magnitude earthquake yesterday. Scientists attributed the increasing quakes there to fracking. I'm BC, NPR news in Washington.

This post was generated by put listening repetition system,  Check the original dictation thread!

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 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》

6 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 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。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

11 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

12 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

13 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

14 onerous   

adj.繁重的

参考例句：

• My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
• This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。

15 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

16 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

17 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

18 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

19 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

20 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。