NPR 2008-03-14

From NPR News in Washington. I’m Paul Brown.

 European stock markets opened lower today, and that performance mirrors what’s been happening elsewhere. Worries about the US economy have sent the dollar tumbling to a 12-year low against the Japanese yen¹ as oil prices hovered² near a record high. NPR’s Louisa Lim reports from Shanghai.

 There was turmoil³ on Asian markets today. The dollar fell to its lowest point against the Japanese yen since 1995, dipping below the 100-yen mark at one point. This as worry surfaced about an economic recession in the US, despite the Federal Reserve’s latest efforts to support credit markets. The drop in the dollar has left oil prices hovering⁴ near an overnight record of above 110 dollars per barrel. Meanwhile, Asian stocks fell the most in a week. Japan’s Nikkei slipped three percent to a new two-year closing low. And Hong Kong closed down nearly five percent. Analysts⁵ described the markets as fearful following news that a Carlyle Group fund had moved closer to collapse⁶. Louisa Lim, NPR News, Shanghai. And Wall Street futures⁷ are sharply lower this morning.

 Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from her honorary role in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Ferraro triggered a firestorm for comments suggesting that Barack Obama would not be as successful as he has been in this year’s campaign if he were white. Some people considered the comment racist⁸. But as NPR’s David Schaper reports, Obama himself disagreed.

 At a news conference in Chicago, reporters asked Obama if he thought Ferraro’s comments were racist. “No, you know, I’m always hesitant to throw around words like racist because I don’t think she intended them in that way.” Obama did say the comments were ridiculous and wrong-headed. “The notion that it is a great advantage to me to be an African American named Barack Obama and pursue the presidency⁹, I think, is not a view that has been commonly shared by the general public.” Obama expressed frustration¹⁰ that the issue of race keeps getting raised in this campaign. He added victories in states like Iowa, Wisconsin and Wyoming proved he can win large numbers of non-black voters. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

 New York State will have a new governor on Monday. Democratic Lieutenant¹² Governor David Paterson is to take over. Democrat¹¹ Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation after a federal sting linked him to a prostitution ring.

 Space Shuttle Endeavour has docked at the International Space Station and lead flight director Mike Moses was all smiles after the event. “I try to keep from smiling too much. Today was a textbook rendezvous¹³ and docking. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Picture-perfect.” The shuttle astronauts have already begun work at the space station. They’ve been unloading parts for a Canadian robot that will eventually take up some outside maintenance work.

 This is NPR News.

 American soldiers and Iraqi insurgents¹⁴ exchanged fire after rockets rained down on a US base southeast of Baghdad yesterday. No US forces or troops allied¹⁵ with the US were killed. The Iraqi police say the rockets were fired from Mahdi Army strongholds. But the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to Shiite cleric  Muqtada al-Sadr, is supposed to be in a cease-fire mode.

 The Environmental Protection Agency has announced tighter standards for how much ozone¹⁶ in the air is safe to breathe. But the standards are not as tough as earlier planned. NPR’s Elizabeth Shogren has more.

 The new EPA standard means 345 counties across the country have unhealthy air and will have to find ways to cut pollution. That’s four times more counties than violate the existing standard. Pollution from cars, power plants and factories combined with sunlight to create ozone, the primary component¹⁷ of smog. Babies and people with reduced immune systems and lung problems are most vulnerable. Ozone also reduces crop yields and forest growth. Many scientists and public health advocates believe the standard should be even tighter to protect public health and prevent premature¹⁸ death. EPA officials had planned to adopt a separate stricter standard to protect the environment. But they dropped that plan after pressure from the White House. Elizabeth Shogren, NPR News, Washington.

 Police say they have arrested a second suspect charged with the murder of the University of North Carolina student body president. They say suspect Lawrence Alvin Lovett surrendered peacefully after police surrounded his home in Durham. The body of the UNC student body president Eve Carson was found last Wednesday on a street about a mile from campus.

 I’m Paul Brown. NPR News, Washington.

1 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

2 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

5 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。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

8 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

9 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

10 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

11 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

12 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

13 rendezvous   

n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇

参考例句：

• She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。
• I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。

14 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

15 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

16 ozone   

n.臭氧，新鲜空气

参考例句：

• The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
• The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。

17 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

18 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。