VOA新闻100篇-VOA News Item 8【声音字幕同步PPT】
VOA新闻100篇-VOA News Item 91【声音字幕同步PPT】
could emancipate women. The team they worked with to make that
happen
attached other far-reaching utopian dreams
'Cause now I've got the pill.
When the Pill hit the market in 1960, 30 states had laws restricting
the advertising and sale of contraceptives. Two states banned them outright.
would creБайду номын сангаасte happy families because married couples could enjoy sex
without fears of unwanted pregnancy; that single women wouldn't have babies
anymore because they could prevent it until they
the Pill, making it the leading contraceptive in the
United States.
In her 1975 hit single, country star Loretta Lynn sings a victory
anthem for the Pill: You wined me and dine me
VOA新闻听力100篇
VOA新闻听力100篇News Item 1This week, the chairman of America 's nuclear agency said there islittle chance that harmful radiation from Japan could reach the United States. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko also said America has a strong program in place to deal with earthquake threats. No new nuclear power centers have been built in the United States since nineteen seventy- nine. That was when America 's worst nuclear accident happened at the Three Mile Island center in Pennsylvania. The accident began to turn public opinion against nuclear energy.News Item 2Most restaurants in the United States offer their customers a glass of tap water at no charge with their meal, but this week many restaurants are asking diners to pay a dollar, or more, for a glass of water. Placards on their tables explain that this small amount helps bring clean water to children around the world. It ' s called the UNICEFTap Project.News Item 3Japan has confirmed radiation contamination of some agricultural produ cts near a nuclear power plant crippled by last week 's earthquake and tsunami that is still spewing radiation. Yukio Edano, the chief Cabinet secretary, says high levels of radiation have been detected in milk in Fukushima prefecture and spinach from Ibaraki prefecture have been found to be contaminated. He tells reporters there is no immediate health risk and the government is consideringregulating shipments of farm products from the affected area. At the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant efforts continue to try to cool overheating reactor cores and water in tanks containing spent fuel rods.News Item 4Some of America 's brightest students came to Washington for the2011 Intel Science Talent Search,the nation 's oldest and most prestigious science competi tion. The awards ceremony was theculmination of an intense week during which the 40 finalists were queried by judges and the public. They met with scientists, politicians and even President Barack Obama, who welcomed them to the White House. These high a chievers were whittled down from nearly 2,000 contestantsnationwide, representing excellence across many disciplines.News Item 5The billionaires ' club is growing. Forbes magazine 's annual list shows there are now 1,210 billionaires around the world —that is 199 more than last year. Although the world 's top threeearners are unchanged from last year, the newcomers in the list of the world 's richest did not come from the U.S. or Western Europe, but from Russia and the Asia Pacific region. Magazine chairman Steve Forbessays of the 200 new billionaires this year, the majority are from theBRIC1countries —Brazil, Russia, India and China.News Item 6Defense attorneys for former Liberian president Charles Taylor say testimony from prosecution witnesses is tainted by cash payments from a special fund provided by the United States. Mr. Taylor 's war crimestrial is drawing to a close after more than three years. Defense attorney Terry Munyard says money “lavished ” on prosecution witnesses has polluted “the pure waters of justice. ” He told the court that those payments went far beyond the simple reimbursement ofexpenses and were used in such a way “as to taint the testimony ofsome of the prosecutionwitnesses. ”News Item 7Many world leaders are expressing shock and sympathy following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and are offering to assist the country as it struggles to recover from the disaster. U.S. President Barack Obama pledged assistance for what he called a potentially catastr ophic disaster in Japan. Mr. Obama called Japan one of America 's strongest allies and said the U.S. is offering whatever assistance is needed. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a preliminaryassessment indicates that American troops, ships and military facilities were not seriously damaged by the quake or tsunami.News Item 8Women are joining together all over the world to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women 's Day on March 8. Women pouredthrough London 's streets on Tuesday singing loudly for women 's rights.The banners they carried trained a spotlight on the range of issues still at hand: health, education, and politics to name a few.News Item 9Food prices continue to rise, threatening to push more and more people into poverty and hunger. A new report from the UN food agency says one of the best ways to boost agricultural productivity worldwide would be to remove the barriers women farmers face that their male counterparts do not. Studies show when women have financial resources, they are more likely than men to spend them on food, health and educating their children. Women farmers tend to be less productive than men, but there are good reasons for that, says Agnes Quisumbing, an economist with the International Food Policy Research Institute.News Item 10Ronald Reagan's Hometown Celebrates His 100th Birthday. Though he gained prominence as an actor in Hollywood and later as President of the United States, the people of Dixon, Illinois, remember Ronald Reagan as a hometown hero who saved the lives of 77 people while working as2a lifeguard. The town is honoring Reagan ' s 100th birthday this year,with a year-long celebration.The 40th President 's hometown was never very far from his heart.News Item 11The National Football League wrapped up the 2010 season with the biggest football game of the year: Super Bowl XLV —played in a huge stadium in Arlington, Texas. But without the small, Midwestern town of Ada, Ohio —population 5,400 —the game would not have been the same. Adais where the Wilson Sporting Goods company makes footballs. Wilson has been the official football maker of the National Football League since 1941, and many of the 130 employees at its factory in Ada have spent most of their lives there —many working for 25 to 45 years.News Item 12Scientists say a common headache medicine dramatically reduces the risk of developing Parkinson 's disease, a physically -disabling brain disorder that mostly strikes elderly adults. In a six-year study of just over 136,000 nurses and health professionals, researchers at Harvard University School of Public Health in Massachusetts found that people who take ibuprofen（布洛芬镇痛药）regularly for headache or other pain reduced their risk of developing Parkinson 'sdisease by nearly 40 percent. Taking one or two pills of ibuprofen two or more timesper week was considered regular use. Other non-2prescription pain relievers, including aspirin and acetaminophen, did not show a similar protective benefit.News Item 13Insurgents opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi continue to hold two strategic towns along the road to eastern Libya, after unsuccessful attempts by pro-Gadhafi forces to retake them. Libyan warplanes launched new air strikes Thursday against the key eastern oil port of Brega, but the son of embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi says the bombs were only intended to “frighten ”rebels there.Libyan warplanes struck at the rebel-held oil port ofBrega on Thursday, a day after anti-government fighters turned back an assault by forces loyal t o the country 's longtime leaderMoammar Gadhafi.News Item 14A new study of more than 1.1 million people in six Asian countries finds that, like Westerners, Asians are more likely to die if they are overweight or obese. However, some of the highest death rates were seen in people who were severely underweight. Many previous studies have found that the risk of death increases as body-mass index increases. Body-mass index, or BMI, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The trouble is, those studies mostly analyzed Europeans and other Westerners. So scientists couldn 't be sure if the results appliedto other groups.News Item 15Agriculture is one of the most important economic activities in Africa. In addition to providing employment, agriculture has the potential to transform African societiesthrough the increased export of produce to Western markets. Many agree that transformation will not take place without increased investment in agriculture, including public or private loans to small farmers. Statistics show that Africa has about 12% of the world 's arable land but 80% of it is not in use.News Item 16In July 2012, the world 's largest AIDS conference comes toWashington, D.C. It 's the first time the gathering will be held in the United States since 1990 and preparations are already underway. Despite the massive U.S. financial, medical and scientific contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS, a major issue blocked the conference from being held here. That was a law that prohibited HIV infected people from traveling to the United States. It was passed in 1987 in the early days of theHIV/AIDS epidemic. Effortsto lift the ban began during President George W. Bush 's second administration. It was finally repealed in January 2010 under President Obama.News Item 17As Discovery begins its 39th and final mission into Earth 's orbit Thursday, America ' s 30 -yearspace shuttle program comes one step closer to its scheduled end this April. Discovery has been a regular visitor to Earth 's orb it sinceits maiden flight in 1984. It is the oldest and longest-servingvehicle in the U.S. space agency ' s shuttle fleet. Discovery ' sfinal flight follows several delays dueto technical problems and repairs to its external fuel tank, but NASA' s missionlaunch directorMike Leinbach says the shuttle is still space-ready.News Item 18Not long ago, most professional musicians lived in a world far removed from the nitty-gritty of business management, distribution and promotion. But today, social media, laptop production techniques and fragmented musical tastes have largely replaced the old relationship between musicians, their audiences and the marketplace, making entrepreneurial savvy more important than ever. A leading U.S. conservatory now teaches students how to create successful careers in this brave new world.News Item 19Egypt 's most famous tourism sites, including the great pyramids and the antiquities museum inCairo, have reopened after being closed during the popular uprising and political tumult. Egypt 's key industry —tourism —returns afterweeks of protests and celebrations, while other countries in the region deal with unrest. The sound of hooves as horses pull jostling carts ofpeople within the Giza pyramids ' complex is the sound of mone y to the men who make their livings fromtourism —a dominant industry in Egypt.4News Item 20Demonstrations against long-serving governments continue to roil theMiddle East and North Africa Friday from Libya eastward to Bahrain. InLibya, more protests as well as funerals for those killed in recent unrest were held aftermidday prayers, and witnesses said demonstrators gathered in the port city Benghazi, a bastion of resentment against the government. Human Rights Watch said Friday that 24 people have been killed in recent violence in Libya, many of them in Benghazi. Graphic videos posted on the Internet have shown shootings described as being inflicted by armed forces against protesters.News Item 21The National Park Service says the largest slave village in the Washington region is buried on the grounds. Archeologist Joy Beasley walks across the land now known as Best Farm. But approximately 200 years ago, it was a 300- hectare plantation called L'Hermitage, owned bytheVincendieres, French farmers from Haiti. Their stone home and outbuildings still stand. The National Park Service archeologist says her team discovered evidence of six other homes on the property where slaves were kept. The Vincendieres owned 90 slaves.News Item 22Cameroon's new mineral research center will begin operations this year. South Korean miningresearchers are making trips to Cameroon to determine the overall cost of the facility, to be located in the capital, Yaounde. They say the center will cost several millions of dollars and will ultimately be offered to the Cameroon government as a gift. The Korean investors say the facility will also have geological engineers to help in the design and construction of mines —andeconomic geologists to determine the commercial feasibility of projects. They will decide whether there are enough minerals to justify the cost of a mining venture.News Item 23A major study by the World Health Organization shows that most people with high cholesterol levels around the world are not getting the treatment they need, to avoid such serious diseases as heart attacks and strokes. And the authors of the study —the—say largest ever undertakentheproblem is especially serious in the developing world. The study was done on 147 million people, and found an increasing incidence of high levels of cholesterol the world over. Even more worrying, the researchers say, is that many of those patients are going untreated.News Item 24A huge crowd has gathered in central Cairo calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down. The opposition has called for one million people to protest. Crowds headed on foot for Cairo ' s Tahrir Square throughout the day Tuesday. They included women with babies in strollers. Their confidence is boosted after the army, in an official statement, described the demonstrations as5legitimate and promised it would not fire on demonstrators. Army helicopters dropped leaflets calling on demonstrators to keep the protests peaceful.News Item 25The popular revolts roiling Egypt and other Arab countries are being driven by young people clamoring to oust autocratic governments they have known all their lives. The hardscrabble Tunis neighborhood of Ettadhamen provides a representative look at the hardships, and aspirations, of some of the young people behind Tunisia 's so -calledJasmine Revolution.News Item 26A new study has tracked how low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years. The study began with 1,000 children in New Zealand. Researchers followed them for decades. They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed. Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “persistence in reaching goal s. ” Thechildren of the study are now adults in their thirties. Terrie Moffitt of Duke University found that kids with selfcontrol issues tended to grow up to become adults with a far more troubling set of issues to deal with.News Item 27President Barack Obama delivers his second State of the Union Address to the nation on Tuesday, before a joint session of the U.S. Congress. President Barack Obama will face a dramatically altered balance of power in the House of Representatives when he addresses Congress and the nation Tuesday in his State of the Union address. Republicans are now in the majority in the House, and they have already approved a repeal of Mr. Obama 's landmark reform of the U.S.health care system. The move was symbolic, since the bill will die in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats and Independents still hold a majority.News Item 28New research suggests a relatively simple blood test might make it possible to predict who is at a higher risk for developing dementia. The most common form o f dementia is Alzheimer 's Disease, and currently, it can only be definitively diagnosed in an autopsy, by examining the brain. Beta- amyloid is a protein that shows up the brains of Alzheimer 's victims. It 's also present inspinal fluid and, in very small quantities, in the blood.News Item 29Health Services in eastern and central Kenya are getting a big boost through a new $100 million dollar program. The U.S. development agency, USAID, has awardedthe funds to an international non-profit organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. For the past four years, Jhpiego has led a nearly $34 million program in eastern Kenya called APHIA II. APHIA stands for AIDS,6Population and Health Integrated Assistance. The goal is to “empower front -line heal th workers ”with effective, low cost solutionsto delivering quality health care.News Item 30Over the past 20 years, the United Nations says the Asia-Pacific population has been growing, but at a slower rate compared to the rest of the world. Asian fertility fell by 39 percent in a 20-year period from the late 1960s while remaining above the population-replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. By 1990, nearly two-thirds of Asian countries had experienced declines of at least 25 percent.News Item 31President Barack Obama will go to Tucson, Arizona, Wednesday to speak at a memorial service for those killed in Saturday 's shootings.The president will try to help the nation deal with therampage, which left six people dead and a U.S. congresswoman critically wounded. President Obama and his wife Michelle will cross thecountry to attend Wednesday night 's memorial service at the Universityof Arizona.The president will speak there, in an effort to help Americans cope with the tragedy.News Item 32New medical research into a possible cure for Parkinson 's diseaseis focusing on finding biomarkers in patients so that doctors can start treatment early before tremors and other symptoms start. Actor Michael J. Fox's recent commitment of $40 million towar d finding a cure for Parkinson ' s is helping to fund the new research. The current clinical diagnosis of Parkinson 's isbased on visible tremors and stiffness of limbs. But researchers say a more comprehensive diagnosis is needed.News Item 33U.S. President Barack Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to outline the benefits of a tax cut package he signed into law in December. He says the tax cut compromise reached with Republicans will help grow the U.S. economy. Mr. Obama encouraged business owners to take advantage of a new incentive included in the legislation that allows any business to write off the full cost of most of their capital investments for one year.News Item 34A U.S. congress woman is in critical condition and six people are dead after a gunman opened fire in an Arizona parking lot where Representative Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with constituents. The dead include a federal judge. More than a dozen people were wounded, including Giffords. A federal probe has been launched amid a national outpouring of sorrow and outrage.7News Item 35Three-dimensional cell phones and batteries that last much longer are just two ofthe technologies that could become commonplace in the next few years. For the fifth year, IBM has looked at the horizons of research, picked five technologies and announced them as tomorrow 's innovations. “Individual technologies take different times to matriculate, ” says John Cohn, IBM 's ChiefScientist. “But the thing that 's common about them is that wethink in 2015, all these predictionswill actually be something that we take forgranted. ”News Item 36The killing of the governor of Pakistan 's most populous provincehas highlighted the ongoingclash in Pakistani society between secularism and religious radicalism. Some of that radicalism is fueled by resentment against privileged and often secular-minded elite who govern the country.News Item 37In India 's main tea -growing region, scientists say tea production is being impacted by climate change. India produces nearly one third ofthe world ' s tea. The rolling Himalayan hills in India 's northeastern state, Assam, are carpeted with lush tea bushes whose leaves produce some of the world ' s finest teas. But there are concerns that rising temperatures may be affecting the tea plantations, resulting in declining productivity of the brew to which millions of people across the world wake up.News Item 38African leaders are in Abidjan for more talks with Ivory Coast 'srival presidents. The countr y'spolitical crisis has sent thousands of refugees into Liberia.Leaders met with defiant Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo Monday, offering him an amnesty deal on condition he cedes power to rival Alassane Ouattara.News Item 39More signs that the U.S. economy is moving in the right direction:The U.S. Labor Department says new claims for unemployment benefits declined last week, dropping below 400,000 for the first time since July 2008. Other data also shows that businesses expanded in the month of December while home sales grew modestly in November. Despite the encouraging numbers, investors remain cautious as 2010 comes to a close. New estimates show the snowstorm that lashed parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic last week cost retailers about a billion dollars in lost sales.News Item 40The Holy Land enjoyed a flood of visitors last year, which benefited Israelis and Palestinians alike. It was a record year for tourism in Israel thanks to a lull in violence. There were 3.45 million visitors in 2010, 14 percent more than the previous record two years ago. Mark Feldman, who heads the Israeli travel agency Zion Tours, says tourism is booming. Most of the visitors were Jews and Evangelical Christians. Some 625,000 Americans came, more than any other country.News Item 41Voters in Ivory Coast have official results from only a small number of polling stations outside the country. About 10,000 ballots in an election of more than fourmillion registered voters shows former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara leading President Laurent Gbagbo by about 60 percent to 40 percent. As the wait for domestic results continues, President Gbagbo 's party is already calling on the electoral commission to annul returns from three northern districts. Both the Gbagbo and Ouattara campaigns say some of their supporters were prevented from entering polling stations Sunday.News Item 42Diplomatic cables released by the website Wikileaks indicate the U.S. is concerned about the security of Pakistani nuclear material. They also indicate questions about Pakistan 's commitment to fighting insurgentsalong the country ' s border with Afghanistan. The New York Times and the Guardian newspapers reported details of the cables today. A French newsagency quoted a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman as saying the fears are misplaced. Meanwhile, Interpol has placed Wikileaks ' founder Julian Assange on its most wanted list after Sweden issued an arrestwarrant for him as part of a rape investigation.News Item 43U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe needs to boost its role in Afghanistan and foster greater economic development throughout the region. Clinton spoke today at the OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan. “Our goal here in Astanashould be to move forward on democracy, human rights, economic growth and strengthening our security community. In other words, let ' sembrace the vision of Helsinki and apply it faithfully in this new century. ” The OSCE is celebrating the 35th an niversary of the Helsinki Accords, which gave birth to the OSCE structure. Clinton said insecurity anywhere in Central Asia is a challenge for all members and that protracted conflicts remain dangerously unresolved.News Item 44Russia 's prime minister s ays his country will have to build up itsown nuclear weapons capability if the United States fails to ratify the new strategic arms reduction treaty signed earlier this year. Vladimir Putin told CNN 's Larry King program in an interview to be aired later today that the newtreaty is in the United States best interest and it would be, inhis words, dumb for U.S. legislators to ignore that. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the new9START in April. The agreement would cut nuclear stockpiles in theU.S. and Russia by about 30 percent.News Item 45Thai police say they arrested two Pakistani men and one Thai woman this week on forgery charges, as they attempted to flee to neighboring Laos. The three were arrested in cooperation with Spanish authorities, who on Thursday arrested six Pakistanis and one Nigerian in raids in Barcelona. Spanish authorities believe the group supplied fake passports used by Muslim militants who bombed Madrid commuter trains in 2004. They also suspect the group supplied fake passports to al-Qaeda-linked Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based group accused of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.News Item 46The U.S. unemployment rate rose in November while the economy added far fewer jobs than expected. Today ' s closely -watched report from the Labor Department says the unemployment rate rose 0.2% to 9.8%. The economy had a net gain of 39,000 jobs far fewer than the 150,000 most experts had predicted.News Item 47Iranian media reports say officials are calling for the removal of aStar of David painted on the roof of the headquarters of the country 's national airline after the Jewish symbol was revealed in a satellite image. Reports say Internet media company Google took the image of the building which was reportedly built by Israeli engineers who worked in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.News Item 48President Obama is calling a new free-trade deal between the U.S.and South Korea a landmark agreement. Mr. Obama accepted the deal Friday after a three- year stalemate and said it will deepen the two nations ' alliance, and he urged the U.S. Congress to ratify it. President said the agreement will increase U.S. exports by up to $11 billion a year and support at least 70,000 jobs. As part of the deal, South Korea has agreed to let the U.S. keep a 2.5% tariff on Korean-built cars for five more years rather than end it immediately.News Item 49The World Food Program is teaming up with the World Meteorological Organization and other agencies to help subsistence farmers increase their crop yields. The WFP says 2010 has been a year with many climate related emergencies which have created a havoc with the agricultural produce of many developing countries.News Item 5010Some of the most dramatic, climate-related emergencies include flooding in Pakistan, Haiti, Burma and Burkina Faso. World Food Program spokeswoman Emilia Casella says the number of people affected is expected to reach about 375 million a year by 2015. “We are estimating that by2020, some countries having their agricultural yields halved by weather&climate emergencies- drought or flood. ” Casella says a detailed food insecurity analysis could pinpointareas that are most at risk. She says WFP is working with the Food and Agriculture Organization to help small subsistence farmers increase their food yields.News Item 51International firefighting teams are battling day three of what officials are calling the worst fire in Israel 's history. Police said Saturday the huge wildfires continued to burn out of control near the northern port of Haifa. The firefighting aircraft are coming in from Russia and have been dropping water on the blaze with additional help from the U.S., France and Britain. Middle East neighbors Jordan and Egypt sent equipment. So far, 41 people, at least, have been killed and thousands have been forced to evacuate from the area.News Item 52A Russian rocket carrying three navigation satellites has crashed into the Pacific Ocean after failing to reach orbit. Russian news11。
VOA新闻100篇
VOA 新闻100 篇VOA News Item 1 经济：印度及东南亚国家签署了自由贸易协定Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his counterparts from the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations sealed the agreement in Bangkok Thursday. They met on the sidelines ofthe annual ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting.The agreement creates one of Asia’s biggest trading areas and integrates India’s fast growingeconomy with 10 of its neighbors.Trade between India and ASEAN amounts to $40 billion each year. Under the pact, India andASEAN will eliminate tariffs on various goods by 2016.VOA News Item 2 政治：英国政党领袖进行电视辩论第二轮角逐Britain’s political life has been dominated for the past three decades by two parties —theConservatives, now led by David Cameron, and Labor headed by current Prime Minister GordonBrown.But a third party, the Liberal Democrats, are turning this election into a three-horse race.Their campaign was given a major boost by Britain’s first ever televised debate last week;Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg emerged as the clear winner.Viewer polls taken after this second debate, which focused on foreign policy, showed therewas no runaway victor.The last time Britain had a hung parliament was in 1974. A final televised debate is to takeplace next Thursday, followed by the election on May 6. VOA News Item 3 政治：参议院就索托马约尔就任最高法院大法官进行了讨论On the second day of debate all signs continued to point toward an easy confirmation win forSotomayor, the 55-year-old federal court judge nominated by President Barack Obama earlier thisyear.Although most of the 40 Senate Republicans are likely to vote against her, the decisionWednesday of Missouri Senator Kit Bond added to the number of Republicans who havecommitted to voting for her.Senator Bond, who is one of several Republicans retiring from the Senate next year, saidwhile he respects and agrees with the legal reasoning others in his party used to oppose Sotomayor,lawmakers have an obligation to show deference to a president’s choice of a nominee.VOA News Item 4 政治：南部非洲的部长们准备报告区域危机Foreign ministers of the Southern African Development Community met in Maputo toprepare a report on the region’s political crises. It is to be presented to African leaders at theirupcoming summit in Ethiopia.SADC’s Political and Diplomat ic Committee has been mediating three major crises in theregion.SADC officials said the ministers are pleased the various parties to the unity government in1 Zimbabwe resumed negotiations on implementing their power-sharing agreement. They said theybelieved Zimbabwe was on the right path.The officials said the ministers also believe that progress is being made toward easing theconflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and that reconciliation efforts between thegovernment and various rebel groups were on the right track.But the officials said they were less optimistic about the political crisis in Madagascar. Iterupted in March after Andry Rajoelina, backed by the military, seized power following the ousterof then-President Marc Ravalomanana.SADC and the African Union do not recognize the Rajoelina government and havesuspended Madagascar from their organizations.VOA News Item 5 政治：以色列国防部长遭到恐吓Security has been tightened around Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak after he receiveddozens of death threats. Security sources say the threats were made by Jewish militants whooppose the government’s partial freeze on settlement constructi on in the West Bank. The freezewas imposed in November under pressure from the United States, which sees the settlements as anobstacle to peace.The death threats are being taken seriously. In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabinwas assassinated by an Orthodox Jew opposed to his policy of trading land for peace with thePalestinians.VOA News Item 6 政治：泰国军警围捕红衫军领袖行动失败Government officials say they will investigate just how three leaders of the anti-governmentprotests managed to escape when police tried to surround their hotel Friday.One of the leaders climbed down three floors using a rope, and was rushed away bysupporters thronging the building.Officials earlier Friday said the government is preparing to arrest people linked to clasheswith security forces last Saturday that left 24 soldiers and protesters dead.The government says armed men infiltrated protester ranks and fired on troops trying todisperse a rally.The anti-government movement, led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship orUDD, demands that the Government call fresh elections. UDD supporters have held protests inBangkok for more than a month.Thailand is facing its most severe political crisis in almost 20 years. Some parties in thegoverning coalition want to set a clear time frame for elections to ease tensions. But thegovernment says it will only call elections once the political situation has cooled.VOA News Item 7 政治：吉尔吉斯斯坦政变威胁美军基地未来Kyrgyzstan’s five-day-old provisional government is vowing to use the country’s military tolaunch a special operation to neutralize PresidentKurmanbek Bakiyev if he does not resign.Interim Kyrgyz leader Roza Otunbayeva says her government is willing to negotiate hisdeparture from the country and wants to resolve the standoff without any more harm to innocent2 civilians. The president was effectively ousted after last Wednesday’s clashes between governmentforces and protesters. Authorities say about 80 people have died and more than 1,600 werewounded.VOA News Item 8 政治：内塔尼亚胡称以色列只能依靠自己On the eve of Israel’s 62nd Independence Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said thenation must not rely on the help of mentators say it is a clear reference to Israeli ties with the United States, which haveplummeted over Jewish construction in disputed in East Jerusalem. The U.S. backs Palestiniandemands that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian state.But Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal capital, and Mr. Netanyahu, who heads aright-wing government, has rejected U.S. demands to stop building there. As a result, thePalestinians have refused to return to U.S.-sponsored peace talks, and the diplomatic process hasbeen deadlocked for 15 months.Defense Minister Ehud Barak took a softer approach. Barak said Israel would not make anycompromises when it comes to the security of the state. But he said it would show courage in thestruggle for peace with the Palestinians based on the two-state solution.VOA News Item 9 经济：非洲农民种植有机作物供应欧洲市场Nearly 5,000 farmers in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone areexporting organically-grown produce to Europe, after gaining organic and fair-trade certificationwith help from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The program focuses on all stages of production from planting and harvesting to packagingand promotion, increasing the profitability of farmers who previously struggled to afford costlychemical fertilizers.30 small-scale pineapple farmers in Ghana saw sales grow from 26 tons to more than 115tons after gaining their organic certification.Pascal Liu is an economist with the FAO’s trade and markets division. Liu says the UnitedNations expects demand for organic foods will grow by between five and 15 percent during thenext five years. And African farmers are well positioned to benefit from more people eatinghealthier food.VOA News Item 10 经济：债务危机扩展到希腊以外The heads of the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank were in BerlinWednesday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior officials. The aim: to getagreement on a bailout package for Greece.Greece has been in negotiations with EU member countries and the IMF to secure a bailout—money that would allow it to pay debts coming due in time to avoid having to default.In return Greece is under pressure to restructure its economy and implement austeritymeasures.Disgruntled public-sector workers went on strike in Greece Wednesday to protest against the3 cutbacks. A daylong general strike has been called for next week.Opinion polls show the majority of Greeks are against an IMF-EU bailout, seeing it asforeign interfere nce.Worries about the Greek economy’s potential meltdown have sent jitters through worldmarkets. And help is imperative because the Greek crisis could spread.A joint EU-IMF package for Greece is put at $60 billion, but some European officials saidWednesday the full cost could be much higher, reaching about $160 billion over three years.VOA News Item 11 经济：奥巴马致华尔街：别抵制金融改革Aiming his appeal directly at the financial industry and skeptics within it, and at Republicancritics in Congress, the president warned of the danger of a repeat of economic collapse.Calling the financial crisis the outcome of a failure of responsibility from Wall Street toWashington, he said the time has come to seize the moment to make fundamental changes in therules of the financial road.With many, but not all, of the most prominent executives of Wall Street firms present, thepresident outlined key aspects of legislation the U.S. Senate will debate in coming days.These include steps to impose new oversight and controls on hedge funds and complexfinancial instruments known as derivatives, and protections for consumers of financial products.Of particular importance would be a system to ensure that troubled financial companies couldbe dismantled in an orderly way without posing the kind of systemic risk they did in 2008.Calling the Senate bill and one the House of Representatives approved last year a significantimprovement over flawed rules now in place, he said changes would be advantageous for theindustry and the country.VOA News Item 12 经济：亚洲航空遭受冰岛火山喷发影响The International Air Transport Association says global carriers are losing an estimated $200million a day in revenue as a result of airline groundings related to the Iceland volcano. AlbertTjoeng, a Singapore-based spokesman for the association, says that is just part of the problem.Travelers waiting around here are missing out on income because they cannot return to work.The flight cancellations are expected to have additional repercussions for smaller SoutheastAsia countries, where travel andtourism is a major share of the economy.VOA News Item 13 经济：WFP 对尼日尔粮食援助加倍The World Food Program is now expecting to feed more than 1.5 million people in nextmonth’s general food distribution, along with specialized therapeutic feeding for 500,000 childrenunder the age of six.That is because poor rains last year have brought forward the time when people no longerhave enough to eat.WFP is trying to raise $182 million to scale up its operations in Niger.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is also stepping in to aid cattle herders in Nigerand Chad. Livestock pastures are dry, so herders are selling their animals at lower prices to buyfood for their families.4 Eight FAO projects in Niger worth more than $12 million are aimed at helping two millionpeople.VOA News Item 14 经济：立法者、反对者和媒体齐聚2010 底特律车展Cobo Center is home to the 2010 North American Auto Show in downtown Detroit. For theevent, the Center has been transformed into an expanse of flashy displays and trendy marketingdisplays, featuring the latest in automotive engineering.Known as the Detroit Auto Show, the annual event is one of the industry’s biggest. It helpsgenerate publicity for some models, like the newly-redesigned Ford Focus, and it helps promotenew technology, like the electric battery in the Chevrolet Volt.B ut in the wake of one of the worst years for U.S. automobile sales, this year’s show has adifferent feel.General Motors and Chrysler —two of the Detroit “Big Three” automakers, which alsoinclude Ford —went bankrupt last year and received billions of dollars in federal aid. Althoughsome of that money has been paid back, the U.S. government is still a major shareholder in bothcompanies.VOA News Item 15 经济：世博会在上海开幕China celebrated the opening of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai with an evening offireworks an d fanfare. Dubbed the “Economic Olympics,” by Chinese officials, some 190 nationsand 50 international organizations are participating in the multi-billion dollar event.Similar to how 2008 Beijing Olympic Games put the Chinese capital in the internationalsp otlight, Shanghai’s hosting of the World Expo has given the city of 20 some million people andChina a chance to showcase its emergence as a global economic power.The theme for the Shanghai World Expo is “Better City, Better Life” and features majorexhibitions that look at modern and future urban life, and consider issues such as sustainabledevelopment and the interaction between cities and the environment.The Shanghai 2010 World Expo runs until the end of October.VOA News Item 16 经济：经济衰退已过，债务危机依旧First the good news: after contracting slightly in 2009, global economic output is expected togrow more than 4 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. With afledgling recovery gaining strength, it is easy to forget how close major industrialized nationscame to economic collapse less than two years ago, an outcome that almost surely would havetriggered a worldwide depression rivaling the Great Depression of the 1930s.In short, the pain, havoc, and economic devastation could have been far worse, according tothe head of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas, Richard Fisher. Addressing centralbankers from Europe and elsewhere, Fisher said central banks and national governments avertedcatastrophe through aggressive intervention.VOA News Item 17 军事：以色列成功试射导弹防御系统Rocket alarms have terrified Israeli border communities near the Gaza Strip for years. But5 now Israel has a high-tech answer to the thousands of low-tech rockets that Palestinian militantshave fired across the border since Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.Israel has successfully tested its Iron Dome defense system, which uses cameras and radar totrack incoming rockets and can shoot them down within seconds of their launch. The system wasdeveloped by Rafael, the Israel Military Industries, at a cost of $200 million.VOA News Item 18 军事：美国正在尝试培训黑客来对抗罪犯和间谍Computer security engineer Alan Paller recalls how the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch ofSputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, spurred the U.S. government to accelerate its laggingspace technology program. Now Paller, research director at an educational company called theSANS Institute, is leading the campaign to bring that kind of energy to defending cyberspace fromassault by pranksters, thieves and spies.VOA News Item 19 社会：挫败底特律机场袭击事件凸显以色列的安保成功It’s another day of stringent sec urity checks at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. About a millionpassengers pass through the airport each month, on average. But here, the lines move quicklythanks to what Israeli security experts say is an approach that —unlike other countries —reliesmore on eye contact with passengers and less on technology. VOA News Item 20 社会：意大利三名医生在阿富汗被捕The Italian aid group Emergency has had a tenserelationship with local authorities inviolence-wracked Helmand province, due in part to its policy of treating all patients.Afghan officials said they detained three Italian Emergency workers Saturday, a doctor, anurse and a logistics worker. Afghan officials said they were held as part of an investigation intoan alleged plot to kill the governor of Helmand province.Helmand Province Governor Gulab Mangal said an Emergency staff member received$500,000 as an advance payment for killing him. In total nine people, including six Afghans, wereheld after explosive suicide vests, hand grenades and other weapons were discovered in thestoreroom of the Emergency-run hospital in Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah.Emergency founder Gino Strada denounced the detentions of the aid group’s three workers,calling it a mafia-style attempt to silence a witness.VOA News Item 21 军事：利比里亚人反对临时解除武器禁运政策The U.N. Security Council has lifted its arms embargo on Liberia for one year, primarily toallow its peacekeeping mission there to receive military equipment. But it also allows thegovernment of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to acquire arms and training to fight ernment misuse of force under former President Charles Taylor brought about the armsembargo 10 years ago. Its lifting, even temporarily, has been met with both pride and worryamong Liberians still recovering from a long civil war.VOA News Item 22 社会：非洲国家加强机场安全防范Reaction to the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day has been mixed6 among the six African nations with direct air links to the United States.Ghana has announced it will install full-body scanners at Accra’s international ai rport by nextmonth. Nigeria has also announced it will install the scanners at Lagos international airport.Nigerian student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab departed from Accra and transited throughLagos and Amsterdam. He subsequently attempted to set off a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flighttraveling to Detroit.Abdulmutallab successfully passed through metal detectors and hand luggage searches atboth airports, allegedly by concealing powdered explosives under his clothes.The full-body scanners are more powerful than metal detectors that are standard at mostairports. They can detect non-metallic materials hidden on the human body.But some rights groups consider the scanners an invasion of privacy, because they showprivate physical characteristics in detail.South Africa, whose airports handle the largest number of travelers flying directly betweenAfrica and the United States, says it does not intend to install the scanners at this time.VOA News Item 23 科技：美国将于周二发射发现号飞船The Discovery crew is set to launch early Tuesday to deliver nearly 8,000 kilograms ofequipment to the International Space Station. NASA engineers cleared the shuttle to fly on Sunday,after deciding there were no technical concerns to delay launch from Kennedy Space Center inFlorida.Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said the skies should be clear for the evening launch,but storms could delay the delicate process of filling the shuttle’s external fuel tanks.VOA News Item 24 科技：珊瑚礁在物种进化中的重要性A new study out this week highlights the role that coral reefs play in evolution, addinganother reason to preserve these delicate, diverse, and often beautiful ecosystems.Many of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by ocean acidification and pollutio n, amongother things.Wolfgang Kiessling of Berlin’s Natural History Museum says that concerns ecologistsbecause of the vital role reefs play in ocean ecosystems.VOA News Item 25 科技：澳大利亚、新西兰科学家挑战日本捕鲸业The researchers will set sail for Antarctica early next month, in an expedition funded by theAustralian and New Zealand governments.The scientists hope their journey to the Southern Ocean will help to disprove Japan’s claimsthat whales have to be killed to properly study them.During their six-week voyage, researchers will employ a range of techniques to unlock someof the secrets of the giant marine mammals.They will fire darts from small air rifles to collect blubber and skin for genetic testing, and toattach satellite-tracking tags to monitor the whales. Samples of dung will also be gathered,photographs taken, and acoustic instruments will record the animals’ distinctive calls.7VOA News Item 26 医学：母亲越高，孩子越健康Taller mothers are more likely to have children who are healthier —indeed, their childrenare more likely not just to thrive, but to survive —compared to children of shorter mothers.That’s the conclusion of a massive new study of millions of children in low- and middle-incomecountries.“The key finding of this paper was to show a consistent association between maternal heightand offspring health, which was mainly defined in terms of offspring mortality by age five and therisk of experiencing a failure in growth.”The Harvard researcher says that while the association is clear, the “why” still needs morework.VOA News Item 27 医疗：联合国帮助不发达国家对抗H1N1The World Health Organization is warning countries to prepare for further spread of theH1N1 influenza pandemic in coming months.However, aid agencies say it will be more difficult to fight the disease in poorer countries,which have weak health systems, poor health status and limited resources.They say countries overburdened by diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,will have great difficulty dealing with the surge of pandemic flu cases.World Health Organization spokesman, Paul Garwood, says this Call to Action aims toreduce the impact of H1N1 by offering a range of measures applicable to all countries.VOA News Item 28 医疗：美国民众对医保体系缺乏信心Americans are just as divided on health care as they were before President Obama’s healthcare reform legislation became law.Protesters in Washington carried signs on Thursday calling for the repeal of the legislation.They say it represents runaway spending.A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that 50 percent of Americans oppose the new healthcare law and opposition is strongest among those 64 and older. Many older Americans worry thattheir care will be affected by cuts in federal payments to hospitals and other providers.In another survey, this one by Ipsos/Reuters, only 51 percent of Americans thought theycould get adequate, affordable health care. The survey included people in 22 nations. Women,adults under the age of 55 and less educated people in all the countries included in the studyreported low satisfaction with health care access.Yet another study showed that Americans without medical insurance, often delay going to ahospital after a heart attack.VOA News Item 29 教育：印度学生重新考虑去澳大利亚接受高等教育For nearly a decade, the popularity of Australian universities rose rapidly among Indianstudents, and the number of those heading to the country for higher education rose from about10,000 in 2001 to more than 70,000 last year.But that could change this year due to a string of negative publicity generated by attacks onIndian students in Australia.8 A travel advisory by the Indian government earlier this week warned that Indian students inAustralia face an increased risk of assault. It was issued after an Indian graduate was stabbed todeath in Melbourne. His stabbing came on the heels of a spate of attacks on Indian students inAustralia in recent months, which the Indian media have dubbed as racist.It is a charge that Australian officials have strongly denied. They say the attacks are purelycriminal, and the country is safe for foreign students.Nevertheless, as concerns rose in India, foreign minister S.M. Krishna called on Indians toassess their options while exploring the possibility of studying in Australia.VOA News Item 30 社会：法国调查电信员工自杀事件For some, the wave of suicides at France Telecom reveals the downsides of the scramble tostay competitive amid the pressures of globalization and the recent economic downturn. More than40 France Telecom employees have taken their lives since 2008. Unions say that includes a dozensuicides this year alone.The probe by the Paris prosecutor’s office follows a court complaint filed by the unionSolidaires Unitaires Democratic (SUD). Union lawyer Jean-Paul Tessionniere blamed workingconditions at th e company for the suicides.A February report by the French labor inspector’s office linked 14 France Telecom suicidesdirectly to the company’s management practices.France Telecom denies its management practices have led to the suicides. France Telecomlawyer Claudia Chemarin told French television that each suicide will be examined individually.She said that under no condition can it be claimed that there was an organized policy that led tothem.In March, France Telecom’s new boss Stephane Richard outlined wa ys the company plannedto improve employee working conditions.France Telecom is not the only French company grappling with employee suicides. But because ofthe numbers of employee deaths and the media attention they have attracted, critics say FranceTelecom’s problems have emerged as a warning story about the downsides of valuing productivityand growth over employee well being.VOA News Item 31 社会：移民者抗议冻结约旦河西岸建设Jewish settlement councils have declared a general strike to protest the Israeli government’sfreez e on construction in West Bank communities. Settlement leaders demonstrated outside thePrime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem as the Cabinet held its weekly meeting. They carried signssaying, you can freeze in the North Pole, but not in Israel.The settlers helped elect right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but now theyaccuse him of abandoning his nationalist ideals.VOA News Item 32 社会：密西西比的小城吸引大量游客The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, was born 75 years ago last week in a two-roomhouse in the town of Tupelo in the piney woods of the deep southern state of Mississippi. So thistime of year, and again in August on the anniversary of the King’s death, pilgrimages of Elvis fans9 descend upon that furniture manufacturing center of 34,000 people.Surprisingly, you don’t see a lot of Elvismarkers there. There is one sign that says The Kingis Up Ahead, but that’s for an automobile dealershi p. Visitors can take a self-guided Elvis Presleydriving tour. One stop is the Tupelo Hardware where Elvis got his first guitar. The folks there sayElvis had wanted a rifle. But his mother, Gladys would have none of it. She stood him on a kegand let him play around with a guitar. He loved it, and Mrs. Presley bought it for him for $7.95.VOA News Item 33 文化：很多人认为依地语正在消失A funny thing is happening in the world of language instruction. Only it’s not funny at all forone language in particular.Because of the grow ing importance of global commerce and contact, foreign languageinstruction is booming at U.S. colleges. But because of the tight economy, many colleges areeliminating fulltime language-teaching positions or filling them with cheaper lecturers who are notfa culty members at all.This is the case at the University of Maryland’s flagship College Park campus, a prestigiousstate-run school in the eastern U.S.. To save costs, the university plans to cut its oneYiddish-teaching position. It’s the latest blow in what has been a steady decline in the study anduse of Yiddish, which began among European Jews in the Middle Ages as a conversationalGermanic language that uses Hebrew characters.Today, Yiddish is struggling to survive. It’s thought that fewer than 500,000 peo ple, mostlythe elderly, speak it worldwide. Most young, acculturated Jews speak only their countries’principal language, plus Hebrew during worship.VOA News Item 34 自然：湄公河水坝威胁水生生命The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, with the largest inland fisheries in theworld. About 40 million people depend to some degree on the fisheries, worth about $2.5 billion ayear.But fisheries experts say plans by Cambodia, Laos and Thailand to build hydropower damson the Mekong would block fish migration, threatening already endangered species.Environmental activists say plans by Laos to build a dam in the Don Sahong area near theCambodian border could doom the nearly extinct Irrawaddy dolphin.VOA News Item 35 灾难：联合国加紧救援海地灾区Haiti is prone to disasters, but this huge quake is the worst to hit the Caribbean island state intwo centuries. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday destroyed much of thecountry’s capital, Port-au-Prince.The International Red Cross fears up to three million people may have been affected by theearthquake, which not only devastated the capital city, but many smaller nearby communities.The United Nations reports electricity has been cut off and communications are difficult. Itsays bridges have been knocked out, hospitals and care facilities have been damaged or destroyed.Haiti’s envoy to the United States estimates losses could run into the billions.10VOA News Item 36 人物：迈克•济托在《珠江》融入了摇滚、蓝调和灵魂For Mike Zito, singing “Dirty Blonde” from Pearl River, the phrase “up-and-comer” is athing of the past. As one reviewer writes, “With his husky vocals and hard rocking guitar, Mike iswell on his way to the big time.”Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Zito gravitated to the guitar after hearing an albumby ’80s rockers Van Halen. Guitar greats Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and B.B. King also made animpression, as well as Prince and Buddy Guy.Mike crafted his skills while working in a local guitar shop frequented by legendary rockerChuck Berry. Looking back, Mike says, “I soaked up the sounds of that store, and began buildingmy own style.”After a succession of independent releases in the 1990s, Mike picked up a steady stream offollowe rs on extensive tours across the country. When he wasn’t touring, he spent his time offplaying nightly gigs in his hometown.Weary from touring, and close to giving up altogether on a career in music, Mike remainedconfident that he was close to gaining a major label contract. He says, “Music can changeeverything; how you feel; how you see and what you believe.” Sure enough, he was offered anational distribution deal with Delta Groove Music.VOA News Item 37 政治：以色列预期下周与巴勒斯坦和谈Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel hopes to begin peace negotiations with thePalestinians next week, during a visit by U.S. envoy George Mitchell. Mr. Netanyahu spoke to hisCabinet a day after the Arab League endorsed indirect peace talks for a period of four months. Theprime minister said direct talks are necessary to reach a peace agreement, but indirect talks are anacceptable way to restart the diplomatic process. Peace talks broke down more than a year ago,and the Palestinians have refused to return to the negotiating table until Israel freezes allsettlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians rejected Israel’soffer of a partial freeze. But now, the American proposal of indirect talks mediated by the UnitedStates has provided a way out of the impasse. Palestinian officials say the first order of businessduring the four-month talks is charting the borders of a future Palestinian state. An agreement onborders could lead to direct talks on the thorniest issues of the conflict, including the status ofJerusalem and Palestinian refugees.。