NPR 2009-09-13

Tens of thousands of protesters crowded the grounds of the US Capitol and parts of the National Mall to voice their discontent with the Federal government and the Obama administration's policies. One of the organizers of the march Jenny Beth Martin called on the crowd to make their voices heard to lawmakers. "And you hear us now. You are going to continue, we are going to continue to make our voices heard until you listen."

GOP Congressman¹ Tom Price of Georgia called the protesters a new generation of American patriots². "We will never back down in the defence of freedom, because the American spirit cannot be shackled³ by political oppression." NPR's Jasmine Garsd says many of the demonstrators carried signs.

"I see a sign of the Statue of Liberty with the banner of “CHANGE” on her and she's holding up a Soviet⁴ Union flag. I see one person with a TEA sign that says TEA: Taxed Enough Already. I see a banner right here saying "Man is not free unless government is limited." NPR's Jasmine Garsd in Washington.

 In Minneapolis there were chants and signs of a different kind today. President Obama spoke⁵ to a rally as part of his effort to build public support for his plan to overhaul⁶ the nation's health care system. "I don't know if you agree with me, but I think the time for bickering⁷ is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the time for action. Now is the time to deliver on health care for every American. “Mr. Obama urged Americans not to pay attention to what he called "scare tactics " about the health care legislation now before Congress and instead to focus on an honest debate over the issues.

China is denouncing the administration's decision to impose trade penalties on tires imported to the US from China. The dispute comes at a time when the United States wants China's help on a range of issues. NPR's Chris Arnold has this story.

 Chinese officials say the import duty on tires sends a dangerous protectionist signal. US officials though are downplaying the severity of the trade dispute. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs spoke to reporters on the president's helicopter Marine⁸ One.

"This is simply about enforcing the rules of the road and creating a trade system that is based on those rules and is fair for everyone." The United Steelworkers Union says Chinese tire imports have tripled over the past five years and cost more than 5,000 US tire worker jobs. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

 Heavy rains are creating more flash floods in northwestern Turkey today. The flooding has killed at least 31 people there this week.

This is NPR News from Washington.

 European nations are working to build a consensus⁹ for major changes in the world financial system, ahead of the G20 summit to be held in Pittsburgh later this month. Eleanor Beardsley reports.

 Ronis's black-and-white photos embodied¹⁰ and immortalized Paris après-guerre - A little boy running in the street with a baguette; lovers smooching on a balcony overlooking this city. He was the last of the great French photographers, best known for their shots of quirky everyday life in Paris. The other great Ronis's contemporaries were Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Willy Ronis was born in Paris to refugee parents from the Ukraine and Lithuania. Though he studied law, he ended up taking over his father's photography studio. In the post-war years, Ronis’s photos, a fashion in industry, were published in prestigious¹¹ magazines like Life and Vogue¹². But Ronis's special passion was the portrayal¹³ of everyday life in Paris, its streets and its people, particularly the working class. President Sarkozy called Ronis a poet who immortalized the simple and joyous¹⁴ life of an epic¹⁵ gone-by. For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

 Vice President Joe Biden has praised the two firefighters who died battling the massive wildfire that's burning north of Los Angeles, saying that they were heroes who are unafraid to risk their lives in the effort to save others. Biden spoke at an emotional memorial service attended by thousands of firefighters and others at Dodger¹⁶ Stadium today. The two died late last month when their truck plunged¹⁷ off a mountain road in the Angeles National Forest as they searched for an escape route for a group of inmate¹⁸ firefighters who had become trapped by a wall of flames. The blaze which destroyed more than 80 homes is still burning but is now more than 80% contained.

 I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

2 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

3 shackled   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
• He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 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。

6 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。

7 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

10 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

13 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

14 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

15 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

16 dodger   

n.躲避者；躲闪者；广告单

参考例句：

• They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
• Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。

17 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

18 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。