NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-04-18

 President Obama has signed into law a bill that establishes a permanent formula for how Medicare will pay doctors. NPR’s Mara Liasson reports it was passed at a rare moment of bipartisanship. 

The bill was the result of a compromise forged by House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“This was a bipartisan effort with Republicans and Democrats¹ coming together to do something that is smart and common-sense. And my hope is that it becomes a habit.”

For 12 years Congress has kicked the can down the road, passing one-year patches to the so-called Medicare dock fix, but now there is a permanent solution, which rewards doctors for quality of care, not just quantity, expanse of child health program and makes richer seniors pay a little more for Medicare. The bill passed with huge bipartisan majorities—98 to 8 in the Senate and 392 to 37 in the House. Mara Liasson, NPR News, the White House. 

 

Star NFL running back Adrian Peterson has been reinstated into the league after seven months of suspension for injuring his son. NPR’s Nathan Rott reports Peterson will be free to resume his NFL career on Friday. 

Peterson’s initial suspension stemmed from a grand jury indictment² last September that charged him with reckless or negligent³ injury to a child. The star Minnesota Vikings running back had allegedly disciplined his four-year-old son with a switch. Peterson pleaded not guilty a month later and no contest in November, but the NFL rejected his request to be reinstated during the 2014 season. Peterson appealed and lost and eventually had the NFL Players Association sue on his behalf. In announcing its decision to reinstate him, the NFL says that Peterson will have to fulfil the commitments he in April made to the league’s commissioner⁴, including counseling and treatment. They also warned that another violation⁵ of its Personal Conduct Policy could lead to his banishment⁶ from the league for life. Nathan Rott, NPR News. 

 

The nation’s home builders have kicked off what’s expected to be a fairly strong spring building season, though the pace of construction has fallen slightly from a year ago. According to the Commerce Department, builders broke ground of 926,000 homes last month, down about 2.5% from the previous year’s figures. Gus Faucher is an economist⁷ at PNC Financial and acknowledges home building has been slower. 

“We overbuilt during the Great Recession, so we have too many houses out there. I think builders are being cautious. And then potential home-buyers are being cautious. They want to make sure that home money makes sense in their financial situation. Credit is also tight.”

Still housing strives to up from February’s numbers. Builders began to get down to work in the Northeast and Midwest where bad weather slowed the pace of new construction. 

 

Mounting fears of a Greek default are sending the country’s borrowing cost higher. That comes on the heels of published reports the country may have informally approached the International Monetary⁸ Fund, seeking to have its bailout repayments⁹ reduced. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde for her part rejecting suggestions however Greece could obtain a delay on those repayments. 

 

On Wall Street today, stocks closed slightly lower. The Dow was down 6 points. The Nasdaq lost 3 points today.

 

You are listening to NPR. 

 

Apple says it is taking steps aimed at boosting its environmental credibility including investing in a Chinese solar project and working to preserve some 36,000 acres of timberland in Maine and Carolina. The company says it’s working to meet the self-imposed goal of powering all of its U.S. operations with renewable energy and working toward also using more renewable energy overseas. 

 

Vatican is declaring a controversial investigation¹⁰ of the main umbrella group of U.S. nuns¹¹ has accomplished¹² its goals. NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli reports the unexpected announcement is seen as a sign of the Pope’s focus on a more merciful Church.

The probe into the Leadership Conference of Women Religious was launched in 2012 by the Vatican’s theological watchdog under its previous head Cardinal¹³ William Levada. The group is accused of promoting certain radical¹⁴ feminist¹⁵ things incompatible¹⁶ with Catholic faith and called for a five-year doctrinal overhaul¹⁷. The crackdown triggered protests in support of the group that represents 80% of the 50,000 Catholic nuns in the U.S. Today’s final report says the group’s new statutes¹⁸ show its focus on Christ and being faithful to Church teaching. The delegation¹⁹ later met the Pope. Its statement said our conversation allowed us to personally thank Pope Francis for providing leadership and a vision that has captivated our hearts. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 

According to Labor²⁰ Department, job prospects²¹ for newly emitted college grads fell slightly last year, notwithstanding some improvement in the job market. The unemployment rate for those aged²² 20 to 29 with a four-year or advanced degree last year rising to 12.4% from just under 11% the previous year. 

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

3 negligent   

adj.疏忽的；玩忽的；粗心大意的

参考例句：

• The committee heard that he had been negligent in his duty.委员会听说他玩忽职守。
• If the government is proved negligent,compensation will be payable.如果证明是政府的疏忽，就应支付赔偿。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 banishment   

n.放逐，驱逐

参考例句：

• Qu Yuan suffered banishment as the victim of a court intrigue. 屈原成为朝廷中钩心斗角的牺牲品，因而遭到放逐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was sent into banishment. 他被流放。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 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。

9 repayments   

偿还，报答，偿付的钱物( repayment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The repayments of the loan are spread over 10 years. 贷款可在十年内分期偿还。
• The repayments of the loan are spread over 25 years. 这笔贷款分摊二十五年偿还。

10 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。

11 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

12 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

13 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

14 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

15 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

16 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。

17 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。

18 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

19 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

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 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

22 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。