NPR 2010-11-12

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
Taps and stillness following a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Veterans Day. Vice¹ President Joe Biden appealed to all Americans to really remember what US troops and their families have sacrificed on behalf of a nation.
"One hundred percent of the nation can, and must, do something to acknowledge what they've done for us and continue to do this very moment..."This day is also being marked with parades and memorial services around the world.
President Obama's not coming home from South Korea with a new free trade agreement. NPR's Scott Horsley reports trade negotiators couldn't finalize² a deal in time for this week's summit.
US and South Korean trade teams had been racing³ to iron out a deal before President Obama met today with his South Korean counterpart. But when that meeting was over, both sides said they needed more time. Mr. Obama says he hopes a deal can be worked out in weeks, not months. But he acknowledged winning congressional support for a trade deal will not be easy in the face of public skepticism.
"If we rush something that then can't garner⁴ popular support, that's going to be a problem. We think we can make the case, but we want to make sure that case is air tight."A free trade deal with South Korea is seen as an important step towards Mr. Obama'a goal of doubling US exports within five years. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Seoul.
The first of nearly 4,500 passengers and crew aboard a rescue cruise ship are finally disembarking in San Diego after their ship got stranded⁵ in the Pacific on Monday. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates has more on this story.
Towed by six tugboats, the crippled Carnival⁶ cruise ship Splendor⁷ eased its way into the port of San Diego on Thursday morning, a bit ahead of its projected schedule. A fire in the ocean liner's engine room on Monday left the ship without electrical power. Passengers and crew had no hot meals, no water, and after a while, no working toilets. Initial plans called for the ship carrying 4,000 passengers and 1,200 crew to be towed to Ensenada, Mexico. Later, Carnival decided⁸ it made more sense for the ship to be towed a bit farther to San Diego, where there are more hotel rooms available. Happy passengers are standing⁹ on the ship's balconies, waving to the throng¹⁰ of family, friends and media who have come down to meet them. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 80 points at 11,277; NASDAQ is off 25. It's at 2,554.
This is NPR.
The USA Swimming Center in Colorado Springs is forming a commission to investigate the death of Fran Crippen, the open water swimmer who died in a race in the United Arab Emirates last month. Kirk Siegler of member station KUNC reports the former vice president of the International Olympic Committee will be in charge of this probe.
Dick Pound, the former Olympic swimmer, himself will chair the commission, which will look into the circumstances surrounding Fran Crippen's death. The panel's expected to offer recommendations on ways to improve safety protocols¹¹ during long open water races. On October 23rd, Crippen failed to finish a ten-kilometer race near Dubai. He was found in the water two hours after the race had finished. Doctors said he suffered from severe fatigue¹². Several other swimmers were reportedly treated for heat exhaustion¹³ after the race, as the saltwater temperatures hovered¹⁴ around 85 degrees. Originally from Philadelphia, Crippen's career had been on the up, placing in the top five in both the 5K and 10K swims at this year's world championships. For NPR News, I'm Kirk Siegler in Denver.
The British government is rolling out sweeping¹⁵ changes to its welfare system. Today, Prime Minister David Cameron said unemployed¹⁶ Britons, who refuse to go back to work, will lose their benefits for up to three years. The government wants to shave off the equivalent of $29 billion from the British welfare program.
Wal-Mart's hoping to get a big jump on the holiday competition with an offer of free shipping¹⁷ for online purchases. With two weeks to go before Black Friday, when retailers¹⁹ typically post huge sales a day after Thanksgiving, the world's largest discount retailer¹⁸ is hoping its strategy helps get recession-weary customers spending again. Black Friday officially kicks off the holiday shopping season.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

3 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

4 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

5 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

6 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

7 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

8 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。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

11 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

12 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

13 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

14 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。

15 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

16 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

17 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

18 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

19 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。