NPR 2011-01-11

Through displays of flowers and candlelit vigils, people across the US are paying tribute to the victims of Saturday's shooting rampage in Arizona. President Obama, who led the nation in a moment of silence this morning, said all anyone could do now is pray.

"The main thing we're doing is to offer our thoughts and prayers to those who've been impacted, making sure that we're joining together and pulling together as a country. And as President of the United States, but also as a father, obviously I'm spending a lot of time just thinking about the families and reaching out to them."

The alleged¹ gunman, Jared Loughner, is accused of gunning down 19 people, six of whom were killed. Several are still hospitalized in Tucson, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Doctors say she can move her toes and fingers, and there's no more swelling² in the brain, but they say Giffords remains³ in critical condition.

Loughner was expected to appear in court within hours. The shooting raised new concerns about the political atmosphere that might fuel the attack, but lawmakers such as New York Senator Charles Schumer say the median narrative⁴ should not be political. More from Charles Lane of member station WSHU.

Schumer said the shooting was an opportunity to cool overheated political rhetorics seen on blogs and TV.

"This ought to be a time to take a time out, where everyone sort of looks into themselves, whether in their respective corners, coming together and realizing what we have in common."

He added that he is not assigning blame and instead wants to focus on political unity⁵. Schumer had no visible security detail, though local police were more vigilant⁶ than usual, checking press credentials⁷ and standing⁸ guard over the event. For NPR News, I'm Charles Lane.

Parts of the Southern US are trying to thaw⁹ out of following snow and freezing rain that snarled¹⁰ traffic and grounded airline flights. Alabama Public Radio's Pat Duggins reports it could take days for things to get back to normal.

Airline flights are trickling¹¹ out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Delta¹² and AirTran canceled Sunday night departures ahead of the snow. Icy roads prompted the state of Alabama to close interstate highways around Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Huntsville. State DOT spokesman Tony Harris says conditions are getting better, but not quickly.

"It may take with temperatures that continue to hover¹³ around freezing or just below or maybe just above. It may take on into the week before we get to fall far going."

Governors of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee declared emergencies as cold air from the North mixed with weather from the Gulf¹⁴ of Mexico to create sheets of snow and ice. For NPR News, I'm Pat Duggins in Tuscaloosa.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 40 points at 11,637; the NASDAQ is up slightly three points at 2,706 with S&P 500 down two at 1,269. This is NPR.

Vice¹⁵ President Joe Biden is visiting Afghanistan to assess a shift in security operations to local forces before American troops start withdrawing this summer. Biden's trip was not announced in advance.

Jury selection has begun in a Pennsylvania trial of three former police officers who are accused of obstructing¹⁶ an investigation¹⁷ into the beating death of an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Authorities say the defendants¹⁸ orchestrated a coverup to protect high school football players involved in the 2008 death of Louis Ramirez. Two suspects were convicted in October on federal hate crime charges. They could get up to life in prison during sentencing this month.

General Motors is the winner of the coveted¹⁹ North American Car of the Year award for its extended-range electric car, the Chevy Volt²⁰. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton is at the international auto²¹ show in Detroit and reports the win's another indication that GM is regaining²² its competitive standing in the marketplace just a year and a half after emerging from bankruptcy²³. 

Vehicles that win the North American Car of the Year award are usually groundbreaking in some way. The Volt surely is. It's a car that can go 25 to 50 miles on battery power alone with the gasoline engine for longer trips. Micheal Robinet is an analyst²⁴ with IHS Automotive.

"GM was busy, despite the bankruptcy, really working hard to get this vehicle on the road. And,um, with the rate application, it definitely is a technology tour de force."

GM won't sell many Volts²⁵ in the first year, but Robinet says that's typical for a new kind of vehicle just as it was for the first year or two of the Toyota Prius. For NPR News, I’m Tracy Samilton in Detroit.

And I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

1 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

2 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

7 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

8 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。

9 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

10 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

13 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

14 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。

15 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。

16 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

17 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。

18 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

19 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

21 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

22 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

23 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

24 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

25 volts   

n.（电压单位）伏特( volt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The floating potential, Vf is usually only a few volts below ground. 浮置电势Vf通常只低于接地电位几伏。 来自辞典例句
• If gamma particles are present, potential differences of several thousand volts can be generated. 如果存在γ粒子，可能产生几千伏的电位差。 来自辞典例句