NPR 2010-09-04

President Obama is calling for improving the economic climate for the nation's small businesses today. Danielle Karson reports Mr. Obama plans to roll out a package of measures next week he says will boost economic growth.

President Obama stood with his economic team in the Rose Garden at the White House. He wants to double what small business owners can borrow by making lending easier. The president slammed the GOP for delaying passage of the small business bill.

"Put simply, this piece of legislation is good for workers; it's good for small business people; it's good for our economy. And yet, Republicans in the Senate have blocked this bill. A needless delay that has led small business owners across this country to put off hiring, put off expending¹ and put off plans that will make our economy stronger."

But analysts² doubt whether even more modest measures could pass before the November elections. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Karson in Washington.

President Obama spoke³ after the government reported that the private sector⁴ had added 67,000 jobs in August, still not enough to affect the unemployment rate or send it down. In fact, the unemployment rate went up to 9.6 percent last month.

New Zealand's South Island is reeling from a significant earthquake. Local authorities say a 7.4-magnitude temblor struck early this morning west of Christchurch, prompting panic calls for emergency and even call-in shows. One woman named Kirstie was heard on Pat Brittenden's radio talk show Newstalk NZ Christchurch about what she experienced about 30 miles from the epicenter.

"We had to be stretched, sitting right on top of it. That was horrendous⁵. Everything in our pantry is on the floor, and it looked various behalves were in total darkness. And we couldn't get that far and still far and do everything we can to get out, just managed to get you on the foam⁶ teemed⁷ air."

There have been no immediate⁸ reports of injuries.

A bombing at a religious rally in the Pakistani city of Quetta today killed 44 people and wounded more than 100. The attack is the second major assault this week in Pakistan, which has already tried to contend with devastating⁹ floods. From Islamabad, NPR's Julie McCarthy has details.

The sectarian violence in this Ramadan season continues to extract a deadly toll¹⁰ in Pakistan as Sunni extremists target Shiah Muslims. Friday's attack took place at a rally marking Al-Quds Day, an event that falls on the last Friday of Ramadan, and it’s meant to oppose Israel's control of Jerusalem and express solidarity¹¹ with Palestinian Muslims. Television pictures showed chaotic¹² scenes in Quetta, with smoke billowing into the air, people fleeing and others lying prone¹³ to take cover from gunfire. The attack follows an assault on a Shiah procession in Lahore Wednesday. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

After a better-than-expected jobs report, US stocks have been soaring. At last check, the Dow was up nearly 130 points at 10,448; NASDAQ up 34 at 2,234.

This is NPR.

Winds picking up along the Atlantic City beach in New Jersey¹⁴ courtesy of Hurricane Earl, but that once fearsome Category 4 storm is down to a Category 1 with top winds of 80 mph as it makes its way toward New England. It brought heavy wind and surf to North Carolina's coast early this morning. Residents of the Outer Banks are now cleaning up after Earl and they say they’re relieved the storm wasn't worse. Jessica Jones reports from North Carolina Public Radio.

Evacuation orders for North Carolina's northern barrier islands have been lifted and tourists are beginning to stream back into the towns of Manteo and Kill Devil Hills, but Hatteras Island is still closed. Road crews are working to clear the main thoroughfare, Highway 12. Jerry Jennings is an engineer with the State Department of Transportation.

"We consider ourselves very fortunate that it could've been a lot worse, particularly considering the direction and intensity¹⁵ that storm early yesterday, so while we did have some damage, we did have some work to do, we’re pleased that it wasn't any worse than it is."

Jennings says there's no structural¹⁶ damage to the roads, but they do need to be cleared of sand and debris¹⁷. The decision to reopen the highway will be made after high tide later today. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Jones in Manteo.

Critical evidence has been pulled up from the BP spill site in the Gulf¹⁸ of Mexico. It'll be used in multiple investigations¹⁹ into the oil rig blowout that led to a deadly explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon in April. Meanwhile, the federal government's investigating yesterday's rig fire in the Gulf. The Coast Guard says it has spotted²⁰ a light sheen near the Mariner²¹ Energy platform, but it does not think oil is leaking.
 

1 expending   

v.花费( expend的现在分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽

参考例句：

• The heart pumps by expending and contracting of muscle. 心脏通过收缩肌肉抽取和放出（血液）。 来自互联网
• Criminal action is an action of expending cost and then producing profit. 刑事诉讼是一种需要支付成本、能够产生收益的活动。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

6 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

7 teemed   

v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ideas of new plays and short stories teemed in his head. 他的脑海里装满了有关新的剧本和短篇小说的构思。 来自辞典例句

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

12 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

13 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

14 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

15 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

16 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

17 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

18 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

19 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

20 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

21 mariner   

n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者

参考例句：

• A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
• A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星，还要注意暗礁和险滩。