美国国家公共电台 NPR 2016-1-7

 From NPR news in Washington, I'm Jack¹ Speer.The Obama administration wants to make it harder for people to buy a gun without a background check. As NPR's Scott Horsley explains president Obama has decided² to act on his own after a push for gun control legislation stalled in the senate. An emotional president Obama told a room full of gun control advocates America can't be held hostage by the gun lobby. He announced a series of executive actions including a move to narrow loophole. It allows some dealers³ to sell large numbers of weapons online or at gun shows without a federal license⁴. 'Anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks or be subject to criminal prosecutions⁵.' Republican leaders in congress criticized the president's move, calling it a distraction⁶ that undermined the Second Amendment⁷. The White House says it's confident the measures will stand likely legal challenges. Scott Horsley, NPR news, Washington.

 

 

Some former students of a prestigious⁸ Rhode Island boarding school are now calling for an independent investigation⁹ into sexual abuse charges that reportedly span three decades and involve 7 former staff members.  St. George's School in Middletown last month announced it found 26 students were sexually abused by school employees. Now WBUR station member reporter Fred Thys says that number may have gone up. Attorneys representing some of the student say that they now have 40 people whom they believe for the incredible alleged¹⁰ victims of sexual abuse that began at the school in the 1970s and went on until 2014. Around 400 students currently attend the private where tuition is roughly 56,000 dollars a year.

 

 

The leader of a small armed group that hunkered down inside a wildlife refuge in east Oregon says its members will leave when a plan is in place to turnover¹¹ management of federal lands to locals. Ammon Bundy telling reporters that now he or national wildlife refuge ranchers, loggers and farmers should have control of the land. They can claim their own rights so that they could begin using them and then they can stand strong enough to defend them themselves and then we will go home. Ammon Bundy is the son of Clevin Bundy. The older Bunday was involved in a high profile standoff with the government in 2014 over grazing rights.

 

 

Yahoo is apparently¹² throwing in the towel in terms of a plan to compete with video services like Netflix and You Tube. The company now says it will close its online video hub Yahoo Screen which was redesigned by the company sixteen months ago. Announcing the cancellation¹³, CEO Marissa Mayer is apparently retreating from an earlier plan to build a destination site to compete with Netflix and You Tube. Instead, the company will scatter¹⁴ its video contact across its digital magazines and other services.

 

 

A mixed close on Wall Street. The Dow was up 9 points at 17158. The NASDAQ closed down 11 points. You're listening to NPR news in Washington.

 

 

US military officials say one serviceman is dead and two others were wounded today in fighting in southern Afghanistan. Latest skirmish apparently came amid intensified¹⁵ efforts by the US and its Afghan parterres  to push back against recent Taliban gains in the region. Taliban in recent weeks has been seeking to retake parts of Helmand province which shares a border with Pakistan. 

 

 

A new study finds State passed 57 additional restrictions¹⁶ on abortion¹⁷ last year. NPR's Jennifer Layton reports the uptick is part of a trend to help push the US Supreme¹⁸ court to begin to take up the issue. Most restrictions were passed in midwestern and southern states, that's according to the Guttmacher Institution, an abortion rights think tank. Since 2010, 4 states have passed at least 20 restrictions each. Among the most common last year, mandated¹⁹ waiting periods and limits on medication abortion. More states also pass laws requiring abortion providers to operate like ambulatory surgical²⁰ centers and requiring their doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Those are the measures the Supreme Court has said to review in what could be its most significant abortion case in two decades. Arguments in March will focus on whether a Texas law imposes an undue²¹ burden on women seeking to end pregnancy²². Jennifer Layton, NPR news, Washington.

 

 

Baltimore city officials say they're looking to demolish²³ thousands of vacant buildings in the city over the next four years, part of an effort to deal with urban blight²⁴ there. Maryland governor Larry Hogan and Baltimore mayor's Stephanie Rawlings-Blake are unveiling the plan saying some of the work will take place in the neighborhood where Freddie Gray was hurt while he was in police custody²⁵. Gray's death pumped major * on rest of the city. I'm Jack Speer, NPR news.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

9 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。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

14 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

15 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

17 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

18 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

19 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

20 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

21 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

22 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

23 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

24 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

25 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。