voa听力原文
voa慢速英语听力原文
美国劳动之歌Most of the world observes Labor Day on May 1. Butthe United States has its workers holiday on the firstMonday in September. Steve Ember and BarbaraKlein have a few songs from the history of theAmerican labor movement.Labor songs are traditionally stories of struggle and pride, of timeless demands for respect and the hopefor a better life.Sometimes they represent old songs with new words. One example is "We Shall Not Be Moved."It uses the music and many of the same words of an old religious song.Here is folksinger Pete Seeger with "We Shall Not Be Moved."Many classic American labor songs came from workers in the coal mines of the South. Mineowners bitterly opposed unions. In some cases, there was open war between labor activistsand coal mine operators.Once, in Harlan County, Kentucky, company police searched for union leaders. They went to oneman's home but could not find him there. So they wai ted outsi de for several days.The coal miner's wife, Florence Reece, remained inside with her children. She wrote this song, "Which Side Are Y ou On?"Again, here is Pete Seeger.Probably the most famous labor songwriter in America was Joe Hill. He was born in Sweden andcame to the United States in the early 1900s. H e worked as an unskilled lab orer.Joe Hill joined the Industrial Workers of the World, known as the Wobblies. More than any otherunion, they used music in their campaigns, urgi ng members to "si ng and fi ght."One of Joe Hill's best-known songs is "Casey Jones." It uses the music from a song about atrain engineer. In the old song, Casey Jones is a hero. He bravely keeps his train running in verydifficult conditions.In Joe Hill's version, Casey Jones is no hero. His train is unsafe. Y et he stays on the job afterother workers have called a strike against the railroad company.Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers sing "Casey Jones (The Union Scab)."Another American labor song is called "Bread and Roses." That term was connected with thewomen's labor movement.The song was based on a poem called "Bread and Roses" by James Oppenheim. The poem waspublished in The American Magazine in December of 1911.The following month there was a famous strike by textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts.They won higher pay and better working conditions. Oppenheim's poem gainedmore attention.At that time, conditions in factories were already a national issue. In 1911, a fire at a clothingfactory in New Y ork had taken the lives of 146 people. The victims were mostly immigrantwomen.Here is Pat Humphries with "Bread and Roses."Union activists know that labor songs can unite and help people feel strong. This can be trueeven when the music has nothing to do with unions."De Colores" is a popular Spanish folksong. It talks about fields in the spring, little birds,rainbows and the great loves of many colors.This song is popular with supporters of the United Farm Workers union. We listen as BaldemarV elasquez leads the band Aguila Negra in "De Colores."For many years, folksinger Joe Glazer was a union activist with a guitar. He was also a laborhistorian. Labor's Troubadour was the name of a book he about his life. He believed in organized labor and preserving the musical history of the American labor movement. JoeGlazer died in 2006 at the age of 88.Here is Joe Glazer with "Solidarity Forever," written by Ralph Chaplin.From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
VOA听力9篇文章
1. Foods and HealthThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.Experts say the food people eat greatly affects their health. They say that some foods are especially good for preventing disease.Many foods contain substances that protect against tissue damage. One of these is tomatoes. The substance lycopene is released when tomatoes are cooked. Lycopene helps reduce the risk of developing cancer in the digestive system, which processes food.The dark green vegetable spinach contains folic acid that prevents problems in developing fetuses. It also lowers blood levels of homocysteine. High homocysteine levels have been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Another vegetable, broccoli, can help protect against cancers of the breast, colon and stomach.Oats help lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease. They also may improve the levels of sugar in the blood. This reduces the chance of developing the disease, diabetes.Fish that contain omega three fatty acids help prevent blockages in the arteries. Omega three also lowers bad cholesterol and may protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimer's. Fish that provide a lot of omega three acids are salmon, herring, mackerel and bluefish.Garlic may help protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and making the blood less sticky. Health experts also suggest cooking with olive oil because it also has been shown to help prevent cancer and heart disease.Studies show that drinking green tea may help prevent cancer of the liver and stomach. Green tea also slows the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Blueberries have been shown to help protect against heart disease and cancer. They can also help prevent some infections by preventing the bacteria from attacking the bladder.Experts say the skins of red grapes contain substances that increase the good kind of cholesterol in the blood. To get this protection, you can drink red wine... but not more than a few glasses a week. Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous!Eating too much chocolate can increase weight. But recent studies have shown that substances in chocolate can help prevent heart attacks and cancer. They have also shown that chocolate is not as bad for the teeth as had been thought. The experts say the best chocolate to eat is the dark kind because it contains the most healthful substances.This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.2. Study of Cousins Who MarryThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.Sometimes people who are first cousins get married. Two people are first cousins if their mothers are sisters, or their fathers are brothers, or one's mother and the other's father are brother and sister. American researchers now say it isnot as dangerous as had been thought for first cousins to have children.Graphic ImageA new study says that first cousins are only a little more likely than others to have a child with a serious physical or mental problem, or a genetic disease. It says the chance that a child of unrelated parents will be born with a serious problem is between three and four percent.The risk for first cousins is increased by between two and three percent, to as much as seven percent. One researcher says this means about ninety-three percent of the children of first cousins are normal.The small increase in risk exists because people in the same family may carry the same genes that cause disease. Scientists say at least five-thousand diseases are caused by these genes. If both parents have a harmful gene, it is more likely that the gene will be passed on to their child. People who are not related share fewer genes, so their chance of passing such a sickness on to their children is lower.A committee from the National Society of Genetic Counselors reported the results of their investigation in "The Journal of Genetic Counseling." The group examined six major studies done between Nineteen-Sixty-Five and Two-Thousand involving thousands of births. The group began the investigation after learning that some genetic counselors gave wrong information to people who wanted to know if first cousins could safely have children.The group said in its report that no genetic tests are needed before first cousins have a child. Their report also noted that Americans fear such marriages more than people in other parts of the world.Marriages between first cousins are illegal in at least twenty-four American states. However, no countries in Europe have such laws. And marriages between cousins are desirable in many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The researchers say their study shows that such laws in the United States should be changed.This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.3. WalkingThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.Researchers agree that intense physical exercise is not the only way to gain better health. Studies show that walking several times a week can lower the risk of many diseases. They include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, bone loss, arthritis and depression. Walking also can help you lose weight.Graphic ImageFast walking is good for the heart. It lowers the blood pressure. It raises the amount of good cholesterol in the blood. Researchers say walking can reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack by as much as fifty percent.Studies have shown that walking for thirty minutes a day can delay and possibly prevent the development of Type Two Diabetes. It can prevent diabetes among people who are overweight and at risk for the disease.Walking strengthens the muscles and builds up the bones to which they are attached. Studies show that women who walked and took calcium decreased their risk of developing osteoporosis or thinning of the bones. Walking also helps ease the pain of arthritis in areas where bones are joined by strengthening the muscles around the bones.Walking several times a week is a good way to control your weight and even lose body fat. Studies show it also helps ease depression, feelings of extreme sadness. Experts say walking is one of the safest ways to exercise. There is a low risk of injuries. So it is good for people who are starting an exercise program for the first time and for older people.A walking program is easy to start. You should wear loose clothes and good shoes. Shoes designed for walking are best.You should stretch the muscles in your arms, legs, and back before and after you walk. Stretching is an important part of any exercise program. It helps prevent injury and muscle pain.How fast should you walk? You should be breathing hard while you are walking. Yet, you should be able to talk. Let your arms move back and forward at your sides while you walk.There are no rules to starting a walking program. You may walk short distances. Or you may walk up hills to strengthen your leg muscles. Health experts say you can gain the most from a walking program if you walk about five kilometers an hour for thirty minutes a day. You should do this about five times a week.This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Lawan Davis.4. Tobacco and CancerThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.Graphic ImageA recent report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer says the dangers of tobacco smoke are greater than had been thought.The International Agency for Research on Cancer is part of the World Health Organization. It is based in Lyon, France. The agency researches the causes of cancer. It identifies the number of people who develop cancer around the world. And it develops programs aimed at finding ways to prevent the disease. The new report is part of a series written by independent international experts on the dangers of different chemicals.A committee of twenty-nine experts from twelve countries developed the report. These scientists examined more than fifty medical studies concerning tobacco smoking. The group says that tobacco use is the largest cause of preventable cancers around the world. Experts say that more than one-thousand-million people around the world smoke tobacco.The report says that one-half of all people who smoke cigarettes will die from diseases caused by smoking tobacco. These include cancers of the lung, stomach, liver, kidney and blood. The report also says tobacco use causes an even greater number of deaths from lung diseases, heart disease and stroke.The report says other kinds of tobacco use also increase the chances of developing cancers of the lung, head and neck. These include smoking cigars, pipes and bidis -- tobacco rolled in a leaf that is popular in South Asia.The report also says that people who smoke endanger the health of non-smokers who breathe in tobacco smoke. These non-smokers are breathing in a smaller amount of cancer-causing chemicals than active smokers get. But it is still enough to cause deadly lung cancer.However, the scientists found no increased risk of cancer among children who breathe in this second-hand smoke. But they say they do not know the long-term effect of tobacco smoke on children as they grow older. The scientists also say their research found that smoking tobacco does not cause some kinds of cancer. There is clear evidence that smoking has little or no effect on developing breast cancer or prostate cancer.This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.5. Addiction and GirlsThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.A study in the United States finds that girls and young women use tobacco, drugs and alcohol for different reasons than boys. It says young males generally use alcohol or drugs for excitement. Or they think it will make them more popular.Young females, however, may hope to feel happier or reduce tension or lose weight. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York released the findings. The center chairman, Joseph Califano, says prevention programs are often developed more for males. He called for programs designed for girls and young women.There are physical, psychological and social effects from smoking, drinking and using drugs. The report says some of these may happen more quickly and severely in females. For example, it says they are more likely to become dependent on tobacco than males who smoke just as many cigarettes. And it says females have a greater risk of brain damage from too much alcohol.The report notes general reductions in substance use by young Americans. But it says girls in many cases have caught up with boys in rates of use.Here are some other findings:Girls and young women who drink coffee are much likelier to smoke and drink alcohol -- and to start sooner -- than those who do not drink coffee. The report calls caffeine a "little known" warning sign.Girls who do unhealthy things to lose weight drink more alcohol than those who do not diet -- even though alcohol can cause weight gain. Also, even girls who do healthy things to lose weight smoke more than those not on diets.Puberty is a time of higher risk of substance use by girls, especially those whose bodies change early. Other times are when girls rise from elementary to middle school, from middle to high school, and from high school to college. And, girls who move often from one home or community to another are at greater risk than boys.The report lists a number of warning signs to watch for. These include depression and too much concern about appearance. The study also reminds parents and other adults that they set examples -- good or bad -- by their own actions.More than one-thousand-two-hundred girls and young women answered questions as part of the study. Most who talk with their parents about substance use said these talks made them less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs.This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.6. Explaining the Placebo EffectI'm Katherine Cole with the VOA Special English Health Report.Studies of new drugs traditionally involve at least two groups of people. The people in one of those groups are given only what they think is the drug. Really they get a placebo -- an inactive substance. The drug is proven effective if it performs better than the placebo.Some researchers do not think drug studies should use placebos. They say it makes more sense to compare new medicines to drugs already on the market. Then people would know if a new drug is any better."Placebo" is Latin for "I shall please." It may contain nothing more than sugar. Yet some people who are given a placebo experience improvements in their health. This is called the placebo effect.Some doctors use the placebo effect in their treatments. An influential study published in nineteen fifty-five said placebo treatments made patients feel better thirty-five percent of the time.But in two thousand one, Danish researchers reported that they had examined more than one hundred studies. They found little evidence of healing as a result of placebos.Still, there is continued belief in the placebo effect.A Swedish study published last year suggested that a placebo can reduce the emotional effects of unpleasant experiences. The study involved people who looked at images of dead bodies and other unpleasant pictures. The findings appeared in the journal Neuron.The researchers said the effects in the brain were similar to those seen when placebos have been used as a pain treatment. In both cases, they said, expectations of improvement are a major influence.But more than expectations might explain why placebos appear effective sometimes. Researchers led by Scot Simpson at the University of Alberta, in Canada, just had a report published in the British Medical Journal. They examined twenty-one studies. These compared death rates between patients who always took their medicine and those who did not.Even patients who took placebos had better results than those who did not follow doctor's orders. The researchers see this finding as support for the idea of a so-called healthy adherer effect. That is, a person who takes a drug treatment as directed may also do other things to live a healthy life.And that is the VOA Special English Health Report. You can download free transcripts and MP3 files of our weekly reports at .voaspecialenglish.. I'm Katherine Cole.7. Staying Healthy by Washing Your HandsThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.Hand washing is a powerful way to prevent the spread of disease.The World Bank, the United Nations and the London School of Hygiene and TropicalWashing hands with soapMedicine did a study to urge hand washing around the world. They found that one million lives could be saved each year if people washed their hands with soap often. They said that programs to increase hand washing with soap could be among the most effective ways to reduce infectious disease.Doctors say many diseases can be prevented from spreading by hand washing. These include pinworms, influenza, the common cold, hepatitis A, meningitis and infectious diarrhea.Hand washing destroys germs from other people, animals or objects a person has touched. When people get bacteria on their hands, they can infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Then these people can infect other people. The experts say the easiest way to catch a cold is to touch your nose or eyes after someone nearby has sneezed or coughed. Another way to become sick is to eat food prepared by someone whose hands were not clean.The experts say that hand washing is especially important before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet. People should wash their hands after handling animals or animal waste, and after cleaning a baby. The experts say it is also a good idea to wash your hands after handling money and after sneezing or coughing. And it is important to wash your hands often when someone in your home is sick.The experts say the most effective way to wash your hands is to rub them together while using soap and warm water. They say you do not have to use special antibacterial soap. Be sure to rub all areas of the hands for about ten to fifteen seconds. The rubbing action helps remove germs. Then rinse the hands with water and dry them.Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are rubbed into the hands and do not require soap and water. Experts say these products must contain at least sixty percent alcohol to be effective in killing most bacteria and viruses.Experts also say that people who use public bathrooms and dry their hands with a paper towel should use the towel to turn off the water. Then, before throwing it away, use the same paper to open the bathroom door.And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. For more news and information about health, go to .voaspecialenglish.. I'm SteveEmber.8. The ABCs of AllergiesThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.An allergy is an unusually strong reaction to a substance. Many things can cause allergies. The most common cause is pollen. Trees usually produce pollen in the spring, grasses in the summer and weeds in the fall as part of their reproductive process.Seasonal allergies are themost common kindOther causes include organisms such as dust mites and molds. Chemicals, plants and dead skin particles from dogs and cats can also cause allergic reactions. So can insect stings and some foods.The most common kind of allergic reaction is itchy, watery eyes and a blocked or watery nose. Allergies can also cause red, itchy skin. Some reactions can be life-threatening -- for example, when breathing passages become blocked. Avoiding whatever causes an allergy may not always be easy. Antihistamine drugs may offer an effective treatment. Another treatment used in some cases is called immunotherapy. A patient is injected with small amounts of the allergy-causing substance. The idea is that larger and larger amounts are given over time until the patient develops a resistance to the allergen.In the United States, experts estimate that up to four percent of adults and up to eight percent of young children have food allergies. Every year these allergies cause about thirty thousand cases of anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that requires immediate treatment.It can result in trouble breathing and in some cases death. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says one hundred to two hundred people die. It says most of the reactions are caused by peanuts and tree nuts such as walnuts. People can also be allergic to medicines. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says about five to ten percent of bad reactions to commonly used medicines are allergic. In other words, a person's immune system overreacts and produces an allergic reaction. The most common reactions include skin rashes, itching, breathing problems and swelling in areas such as the face.But the academy estimates that allergic reactions to drugs cause one hundred six thousand deaths each year in the United States alone. It says antibiotics such as penicillin are among the drugs more likely than others to produce allergic reactions. So are anticonvulsants and hormones such as insulin. Other kinds include some anesthesia medicines, vaccines and biotechnology-produced proteins. And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Mario Ritter and Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.9. Drug Shown to Cut HIV Risk in Breastfed BabiesThis is the VOA Special English Health Report.We talked last week about the value of breastfeeding for a baby's development. But getting the milk into the baby can seem difficult, at least at first. So here is some advice.A baby breastfeedsBreastfeeding should begin right after a baby is born. There may be experts at a hospital or other health center who can show a new mother several different positions for breastfeeding.A mother can get a painful back or neck if she leans over to feed her baby. Better to bring the baby to the breast instead. The baby's mouth should be open as wide as possible so that all of the nipple and area around it fit inside.A baby should be fed often at the beginning, usually about every two hours. The Mayo Clinic in the United States also notes it is best to feed before a baby gets too hungry. Experts say that when a mother breastfeeds often, it helps increase her milk production.Women can learn more about breastfeeding from books or support groups or the Internet. But some mothers face difficult decisions.In developing countries, breastfeeding remains a leading way for babies to become infected with the AIDS virus. Yet formula mixed with dirty water can make a baby sick.Earlier this week, at a conference in Boston, AIDS experts reported good news. They said a study of about two thousand babies showed that the drug nevirapine can cut the risk of HIV infection through breastfeeding.Nevirapine is widely used in developing countries to prevent infected mothers from passing the virus to their babies during childbirth. The babies are currently given nevirapine just once, at birth.But this is what the study found: Babies given nevirapine daily for six weeks had about half the rate of HIV infections as those given only a single dose. Bysix months of age, they still had almost one-third less risk of infection or death.Scientists reported that six weeks of nevirapine appeared to be as safe as the single dose given under current guidelines. Teams from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland led the study with investigators from Ethiopia, India and Uganda.In two thousand six the United Nations changed its policies on breastfeeding by HIV-infected mothers. The new advice supports breastfeeding for six months if mothers do not have money for basic foods or baby formula. The idea is that the benefits of breastfeeding are greater than the risks.Experts say newborns who are not breastfed have five to seven times the risk of dying from pneumonia or diarrhea compared to breastfed babies.And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Faith Lapidus.。
VOA英语听力材料原文(passage31~40)
Canada was the only (6) non-Asian country in the top five. It rose two percent to fourth place. Almost thirty thousand Canadian students enrolled for the school year that began last (7) autumn.
China has the world's largest number of Internet users. But it also has what is often called the Great Firewall of China. (8) The government restricts political content and blocks some social networking and news Web sites. President Obama said he is a strong supporter of open Internet access.
Japan fell to fifth place. The number of Japanese students in the United States decreased for the fourth year, to just over twenty-nine thousand.
(8) Taiwan also sent fewer students, and the number from Mexico was nearly unchanged.
VOA听力原稿
2010022411 questions on the computer test require speaking. For example, the test taker is asked to read out loud or describe a picture. 8 other questions require written answers, including an opinion essay.We visited the ETS Web site for more information about the TOEIC. But one of the first things we saw was a warning about a "phishing scam". A phishing scam is a kind of crime that uses e-mail to trick people into providing financial or other personal information. In this test the e-mails claim to be from the Educational Testing Service.Spokeswoman Christine Betaneli advises people taking the TOEIC to be suspicious of any e-mails claiming to be from ETS. They should be especially suspicious of messages that ask for information they have already provided for the test.The spokeswoman says if you get an e-mail you are not sure about, forward it or send a separate message to ContactETS@.And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can learn more about English language tests from our Foreign Student Series at . You can also find transcripts, podcasts and captioned videos of our reports, and post comments and questions. I'm Bob Doughty.20100225Today, we tell about the famous artist Jackson Pollock who helped redefine modern art in the United States. Pollock invented a new kind of painting that changed the way the world looked at art.Until the 20th century, most paintings were representational. This means that artists "represented" their subjects in a way that was realistic and recognizable. However, during the first half of the 20th century, artists like Jackson Pollock started to explore other methods of representation.When he first began painting, Jackson Pollock painted representational objects such as people and animals. However, he is famous for helping to create a whole new art movement called Abstract Expressionism. An "abstract" image is one where the subject is not represented realistically. Instead, the artist uses color and shapes to suggest the most general qualities of the subject. "Expressionism" is a kind of art that expresses feelings and thoughts. Abstract Expressionism is art that shows emotions and ideas throughnon-representational forms.In Pollock's most famous works, there is no recognizable subject. His art works are large surfaces of canvas completely covered in different colors of paint. However, Pollock did not start out as a revolutionary painter. He developed the artistic process he became famous for over many years.20100304Some people say it came from the Native American Indian tribe known as the Choctaw. The Choctaw word "okeh" means the same as the American word "okay". Experts say early explorers in the American West spoke the Choctaw language in the 19th century. The language spread across the country.But many people dispute this. Language expert Allen Walker Read wrote about the word "OK" in reports published in the 1960s. He said the word began being used in the 1830s. It was ashort way of writing a different spelling of the words "all correct". Some foreign-born people wrote "all correct" as "o-l-l k-o-r-r-e-c-t" and used the letters O.K..Other people say a railroad worker named Obadiah Kelly invented the word long ago. They said he put the first letters of his names -- O and K -- on each object people gave him to send on the train.20100314Some people say broccoli looks like small trees, and cauliflower like gathered clouds. They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white. But these nutritious vegetables also come in more colorful versions. One kind of cauliflower, for example, is orange, and broccoli can be purple.Broccoli and cauliflower are among the most nutritious vegetables. They are high in Vitamin C, fiber and other nutrients. And they contain substances that are believed to fight cancer. They belong to the cabbage or cole family. Other members include cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi.Agriculture experts at the Ohio State University Extension say broccoli and cauliflower grow best in cooler climates. They suggest planting them where the average daily temperature is between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius.200100315Both crops grow best in sunshine and fertile, moist soil. But water should not be standing on the soil. Using mulch helps keep the ground moist and cool. Mulch also helps feed the soil and controls weeds. Broccoli and cauliflower can grow outdoors from seed or as small plants. Vincent Fritz of the University of Minnesota Extension suggests that results are far better withsmall plants. He says the vegetables should be planted so that they can be harvested before the hottest weather.Experts differ about how to space the plantings in the ground. One suggestion is to plant them in rows about 3/4 of a meter to nearly one meter apart.Then place broccoli plants about 20 to 30 centimeters apart in the rows. Set cauliflower plants 38 to about 46 centimeters from each other in the rows.20100316As it grows, a cauliflower plant will start to form a head. The head contains flower buds that are tightly closed and at least 2 leaves wrapping it. Gather and tie the leaves over the head, and do not wait for the buds to separate before harvesting.Harvest the center flower-bud cluster of broccoli when it reaches the size you want and while the buds are still tightly together. Cut the main stem about 12 to 15 centimeters below the head.You can eat broccoli and cauliflower raw. Or you can steam them in a small amount of water or stir fry them in a small amount of oil. The less time they cook, the better.20100317International Women's Day is celebrated each year on March 8th. Groups around the world use this day to honor the progress of women. They also use the day to call attention to thesocial, political and economic problems facing women and girls. Among the issues are forced marriage, sexual abuse, poverty and a lack of education.National Women's Day was first celebrated in the United States on February 28th, 1909. The next year, a women's rights leader from Germany suggested the idea of an international celebration.More than 1,000,000 people attended events in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland during the first International Women's Day. It took place in 1911.In 1914, the date for the observance was changed to March 8th in honor of a historic protest for women's rights. 15,000 women marched in New York City on March 8th 1908. They marched to demand better pay, shorter work hours, and the right to vote.International Women's Day is a public holiday in several countries, they include China, Russia, Bulgaria and Vietnam.20100320Many cities have interesting nicknames. Nicknames can help establish the identity of a city. They can also spread pride among its citizens.New Orleans, Louisiana probably has more nicknames than any other American city. One web site lists more than 20 nicknames. The most famous is The Big Easy. It describes the gentle, slow and easy-going way of life in New Orleans.So how did the city get this nickname? In the early 1900s, there was a dance hall in New Orleans called The Big Easy. But the nickname did not become famous until the early 1970s. That was when a Louisiana newspaper writer began calling New Orleans by this name. She compared the easy-going way of life there to the hurried pace of life in New York City.In 1970, James Conaway wrote a crime novel called "The Big Easy". The story was set in New Orleans. In 1987, that book was made into a film which made the nickname even more popular.New Orleans has other nicknames. One of them is The Crescent City. During the 19th century, new neighborhoods expanded out from what is now known as the French Quarter. These areas followed the great curve of the Mississippi River, giving New Orleans the shape of a crescent.20100321Another nickname is the Birthplace of Jazz because that kind of music started in New Orleans. It is also called Mardi Gras City for the wild celebrations and parades that take place there every year. And, there is a nickname that uses the short way to write New Orleans and Louisiana. If you do not want to use the complete name, you can call the city NOLA.One of America's most exciting cities is Las Vegas, Nevada. There you can play games of chance all night long. The city's night clubs are also open all night for eating, drinking and dancing. So it is not surprising that Las Vegas is called the Gambling Capital of the World and the Entertainment Capital of the World.Another nickname for Las Vegas is Sin City because you can find many kinds of adult entertainment there. Many people who come to Las Vegas in hopes of winning lots of money do not know when to stop gambling. They may lose a great deal of their hard-earned money. So the city is also called something that sounds like Las Vegas - Lost Wages.In 1964, Elvis Presley starred in a movie called "Viva Las Vegas".20100322On earlier shows, we have brought you some of our favorite songs about summer, autumn and winter. Now it is spring in the northern part of the world so it is time to celebrate that season. Many people think of this classical music piece when they think "spring". It is Allegro from Concerto Number One "Spring" from the "Four Seasons". Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi wrote it in the 1700s.Spring is a wonderful season to celebrate rebirth and new life. The long, cold winter is over. The weather is warmer and sunnier. The trees again have leaves and the flowers are blooming. The season represents hope, joy and beauty.However, not all songs about spring are happy. This song by K.D. Lang is about dreaming of spring in cold dark places. She recorded "I Dream of Spring" in 2008.20100323Unlike the other seasons, there are not many rock songs about spring. Most of the songs about this season were written in the 1930s and 40s by famous modern composers. The songs became "standards", popular songs recorded by many singers.Here is one example, "It Might as Well Be Spring". Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote the song for the movie "State Fair" in 1945. Frank Sinatra sings about having "spring fever". This is not a real sickness. It is a feeling of restlessness or excitement brought on by the coming of spring.Richard Rodgers also wrote "Spring is Here", this time with Lorenz Hart. Ella Fitzgerald sings this song about feeling lonely during this season.Frank Loesser wrote this sad song "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year". Why has the season been delayed? Because the singer's lover has left her. Sarah Vaughn released her version of the song in 1953.20100324By now you might be thinking: "Enough with the sad songs, already!" OK, then how about a cowboy song? Gene Autry was one of the America's most famous singing cowboys. He recorded "When It's Springtime in the Rockies" in 1937.In most of the United States, spring is a warm and pleasant season. But this is not the case in the northwestern state of Alaska. According to Johnny Cash, it can be extremely cold. He sings "When It's Springtime in Alaska - It's Forty Below."We leave you with a sunny song called "Up Jumped Spring." Freddie Hubbard wrote this jazz song and Billy Taylor Trio performs it.This program was written by Shelley Gollust and produced by Caty Weaver.20100325A newly released proposal calls for almost everyone in the United States to have high-speed Internet service at home within 10 years. On Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission sent its National Broadband Plan to Congress.The F.C.C. wants 100,000,000 homes to have inexpensive Internet service at 10 times current speeds. Another goal for 2020 is to have the fastest and most extensive wireless network of any nation.The United States invented the Internet. Yet a recent study placed it 16th in broadband access. F.C.C. Chairman Julius Genachowski says the service available is slow and costly compared with other developed countries.Currently, about 2/3 of Americans have broadband at home. But almost 100,000,000 do not. The government says 14,000,000 of them cannot get broadband even if they wanted it.20100326The United States built a national highway system to expand transportation. Now President Obama says a similar effort is needed to expand broadband networks.His administration says expanding access is an economic development issue. Fast connections, it says, are important to business and job creation, and to other areas like education and health care. The government proposes to spend up to $16,000,000,000 on a wireless network for public safety agencies.To help pay for the plan, the F.C.C. wants to sell 500 megahertz of spectrum. But it says the plan will require 10 times more unused spectrum than it can now offer. TV stations are worried that they will be forced to give up some of their frequencies.Some members of Congress have questioned the costs of the F.C.C. plan and how it may affect competition. At the same time, a court case has raised questions about the agency's legal powers to regulate broadband service.20100327This Saturday night at 8:30, all the lights will be shut off at the Tokyo Tower in Japan. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Eiffel Tower in Paris are also expected to go dark. So is the Empire State Building in New York and buildings in other cities around the world.The lights will stay off for one hour for an event called Earth Hour. The observance is organized by a conservation group, the World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as the World Wildlife Fund.For the 4th year, people are being urged to turn off their lights for one hour to call attention to the issue of climate change. The group says climate change is one of the greatest threats facing wildlife and nature.The first Earth Hour was held in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Organizers said more than 2000 businesses and 2,000,000 people took part.Since then, Earth Hour has grown into an international event. People in more than 4000 cities in 88 countries took part last year.20100328Organizers say more than 100 countries and territories have promised their official support this year. This will be the first Earth Hour for countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Kosovo, Madagascar, Nepal, Cambodia and Panama.At least 19 of the 50 American states are planning to take part in the 2010 Earth Hour observance. The event organizers recently announced that one of the latest states to join was Missouri.Governor Jay Nixon has agreed to shut off the lights in the dome of the state capitol building. He says when it comes to saving energy and money, big changes start with small steps like turning out the lights.Will you be turning off your lights this Saturday night to observe Earth Hour? Do you think about what the organizers call your "environmental footprint" and try to reduce harmful effects? Is climate change a concern for you?20100329Suppose you eat rice every day. But one day you go to the store and discover that the price is more than you can pay.That happened to millions of people 2 years ago at the height of the world food crisis. Between April of 2007 and March of 2008 the price of rice doubled in many places. Economists blamed the crisis on different causes, including high energy costs, bad weather and the use of food-crop lands for biofuel production.High food prices pushed more people in developing countries into poverty and hunger. Some researchers say people living in cities in West Africa may have suffered most of all. Geographers from 3 American colleges did a study that will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. William Moseley of Macalester College in Minnesota led the study.The team looked at 30 years' worth of information on food security and agricultural policy in Gambia, Ivory Coast and Mali. Most of the research centered on rice, an important crop in those 3 West African countries.20100330The researchers say Gambia and Ivory Coast suffered more during the food crisis than Mali did. They say this was because people in Gambia and Ivory Coast had come to depend on imported rice.Local rice production fell after the countries reduced farm supports and import taxes under free market reforms. That meant rice farmers were not only earning less but facing greater competition from imports. Then, when the food crisis hit, the cost of foreign rice shot up. The researchers say Mali suffered less because it depended less on imported rice, in part because of geography. Mali is not a coastal country with ports like Ivory Coast and Gambia. Laurence Becker from Oregon State University says after gaining independence, African nations tried to help farmers. Governments provided low-cost seeds and fertilizers. They built processing mills and roads to market. And they protected their markets with high tariffs on imported food.20100331People all over the world have seen all sorts of films about the cowboy. And he is often shown in television shows. But the real life of the cowboy is not often shown. His work has been hard, and his life lonely and full of danger.The cowboy has told his own story in many songs and ballads. Hundreds of these have come from cowboys whose names are not known. They just sang these songs as they rode on the saddles of their horses across the cattle lands. Or, as they sat at their campfires at night.They sang about the things that were close to them. Horses and cows and danger and death. Often, they sang about the long ride to the cattle markets where the cows were sold for beef, as in this song called "Git Along Little Dogie".Dogie is another name for a young cow, especially one which wanders away from the herd. The song tells how the young cowboy keeps driving the dogies forward. He feels sorry for them, because they will soon be sold for meat. But that's their hard luck, not his. And he keeps pushing them on while he sings.20100401Americans are considering national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort.The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. The reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to the individual states.Local control of education probably was a good idea 200 years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even 20 years ago.Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left Behind Act.20100402Kara Schlosser is communications director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.The standards deal with language and mathematics in every grade from kindergarten through high school. For example, in first grade, students should be asking and answering questions about something they read.In mathematics, students should be working with shapes in kindergarten and angles in 4th grade.48 states have already shown approval for the standards. 2 states reject the idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the proposal will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal interference or control.Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify for some federal grant money.20100405Some unusual words describe how a person spends his or her time. For example, someone who likes to spend a lot of time sitting or lying down while watchingtelevision is sometimes called a couch potato. A couch is a piece of furniture that people sit on while watching television.Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term couch potato in 1976. Several years later, he listed the term as a trademark with the United States government. Mr. Armstrong also helped write a funny book about life as a full-time television watcher. It is called the "Official Couch Potato Handbook".Couch potatoes enjoy watching television just as mouse potatoes enjoy working on computers. A computer mouse is the device that moves the pointer, or cursor, on a computer screen. The description of mouse potato became popular in 1993. American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time using computers.20100406Too much time inside the house using a computer or watching television can cause someone to get cabin fever. A cabin is a simple house usually built far away from the city. People go to a cabin to relax and enjoy quiet time.Cabin fever is not really a disease. However, people can experience boredom and restlessness if they spend too much time inside their homes. This is especially true during the winter when it is too cold or snowy to do things outside. Often children get cabin fever if they cannot go outside to play. So do their parents. This happens when there is so much snow that schools and even offices and stores are closed.Some people enjoy spending a lot of time in their homes to make them nice places to live. This is called nesting or cocooning. Birds build nests out of sticks to hold their eggs and baby birds. Some insects build cocoons around themselves for protectionwhile they grow and change. Nests and cocoons provide security for wildlife. So people like the idea of nests and cocoons, too.20100407Skyscrapers were invented in the United States. As early as the 1880s, 2 new technical developments made these taller buildings possible. One development was the mechanical elevator. It meant that people would not have to climb many steps to reach the upper floors of tall buildings. The development of steel building technology also helped make taller buildings possible.Many experts consider the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois to be the first skyscraper. Built in 1885 and later expanded, this tower was about 55 meters tall.Today this would not be considered much of a skyscraper. But at the time, this height was striking. The structure was built using a steel frame. This frame was load-bearing, meaning that the steel skeleton would support the building's weight, not its walls. Before this technology, a taller building required creating thicker stone walls to support its weight. Thick walls are extremely heavy, and allow less room for windows and light.20100408The most recent addition to this list is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This building measures 828 meters in height. It cost an estimated $1,500,000,000 to create. It contains space for apartments, offices, a restaurant, hotel and Muslim religious center. The building's footprint is shaped like a "Y", with3 wings extending from its center. This design was influenced by the shape of a desert flower that grows in the area. The building's Web site says that as many as 12,000 people were working on the building at the same time.The Burj Khalifa was built as a major attraction for travelers and business people. But the timing of its opening in January has been difficult. In December, Dubai entered a major debt crisis. And in February, the Burj Khalifa closed its observation deck, reportedly because of electrical problems.20100409Some people's ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose.Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It traps dirt and other matter and keeps insects out. Doctors think it might also help protect against infections. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. And there are 2 kinds. Most people of European or African ancestry have the "wet" kind: thick and sticky. East Asians commonly have "dry" earwax.But you can have too much of a good thing.The glands in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax is normally expelled; it falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can harden and form a blockage that interferes with sound waves and reduces hearing.People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears, but only push the wax deeper inside. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.20100410Experts at N.I.H., the National Institutes of Health, suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. They say the wax can be softened with mineral oil, glycerin or ear drops. They say hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide may also help.Another way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. Use a syringe device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.The experts at N.I.H. say you may have to repeat this process a few times. Use water that is body temperature. If the water is cooler or warmer, it could make you feel dizzy. Never try irrigation if the eardrum is broken. It could lead to infection and other problems.After the earwax is gone, gently dry the ear. But if irrigation fails, the best thing to do is to go to a health care provider for professional assistance.You should never put a cotton swab or other object into the ear canal. But you can use a swab or cloth to clean the outer part of the ear. The experts agree with the old saying that you should never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.20100411This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says deforestation has decreased over the past 10 years. But it still continues at a high rate in many countries. Deforestation is mainly caused by the cutting-down of tropical forests to provide land for agriculture. The world's total forest area is just over 4,000,000,000 hectares. About 13,000,000 hectares offorest were cut down or lost through natural causes each year in the last 10 years. This compares with about 16,000,000 hectares per year during the 1990s.The FAO study covers 233 countries and areas. The study found that Brazil and Indonesia have reduced their deforestation rates. The 2 countries had the highest loss of forests in the 1990s. In addition, the study noted tree-planting programs in countries such as China, India, Vietnam and the United States. These programs, along with natural expansion of forests in some areas, have added more than 7,000,000 hectares of new forests each year.20100412South America and Africa had the highest yearly loss of forests during the last 10 years. South America lost 4,000,000 hectares. Africa lost almost 3,500,000 hectares. However, Asia gained more than 2,000,000 hectares a year in the last decade. In North America and Central America, the forest area remained about the same. In Europe, it continued to expand, but at a slower rate than earlier.Eduardo Rojas is assistant director-general of F.A.O.'s Forestry Department. He said for the first time, the rate of deforestation has decreased around the world. This is the result of efforts taken at local and international levels. Mr. Rojas said countries have improved their forest policies and legislation. They have also provided forests for use by local communities and native peoples and for the protection of biological diversity. He said this is a welcome message in 2010 - the International Year of Biodiversity.However, Mr. Rojas said the rate of deforestation is still very high in many areas. He said countries must strengthen their efforts to better protect and manage their forests.20100413。
VOA慢速英语听力长文
最新VOA慢速英语听力长文现在，使用VOA慢速来练习英语听力的人较多，尤其是英语初学者，认为VOA慢速英语听力材料对于听力英语听力有较大的好处。
接下来，为大家送上一篇最新VOA慢速英语听力长文，希望对大家有用。
In developing countries, attending school can be adaily struggle for some children.They may walk several kilometers to school becausetheir families do not have money to send them on buses or other forms of transportation.With schools far away, and little money to pay for transport costs, parents worry about the safety of their children walking to school.So, a number of parents keep their children at home. Or the child drops out of school: they leave without pleting their studies.These and other barriers to school attendance are the reality for many girls in poor countries.But now, programs in two developing countries are helping to change that. The programs are giving girls “pedal power” -- transportation in the form of bicycles.Power of the pedalRural areas of poor countries often have few secondary schools. So, it is mon for students there to travel great distances to attend classes.Bihar is the poorest state in India. Niy percent of the state’s population lives in rural areas.Until xx, too many teenage girls in Bihar were dropping out of school. For Nahid Farzana, her home was 6 kilometers from school. And, her father did not have money for bus fare, she told the Associated Press.But, that same year, the state government beganoffering bicycles to girls to help them get to school. The program has been so effective that three nearby states are now doing the same.And the results are measurable. A xx study found that giving bicycles to teenage girls in India increased their secondary school enrollment by 30 percent. It also helped many of them stay in school long enough to take their final exams.Western Kenya is experiencing suess with a similar program. Until recently, there was a high risk of localgirls dropping out of school and then being pregnant.Loise Luseno is a 16-year-old girl from Kakamega, Kenya. In the past, she had to walk about 10 kilometers to reach school. Last year, she dropped out temporarily because ofthe distance.Members of her family work as subsistence farmers. They earn just about $30 a month -- not nearly enough for food, school costs and transport.But, a few months ago, Luseno went back to school –this time on a bicycle. Her new form of transportation was provided by World Bicycle Relief, an American-based group.Hurdles for girlsChristina Kwauk is an expert on girls’ education atthe Brookings Institution, a research organization in Washington, D.C.Kwauk recently told VOA that, in many countries, girls face a long list of barriers to school attendance.Sometimes, the issue is that a society has firm ideas about what girls “can and shouldn’t do as they bee young women,” including whether they should receive an education.Luseno experienced this. When girls in her munitywalked to school, motorbike riders would stop them on the road. They would offer the girls rides to school. Then,they would try to persuade the girls to drop out.Kwuak says another reason girls may not attend schoolis their family. Parents might believe that losingchildren’s help at home can cause the family to lose money.For example, a poor farming family grows less food without the help of children. Girls are often expected todo this work. In many cases, those household duties include taking care of younger brothers and sisters.There are also direct financial barriers, says Kwauk, such as school fees, books, and meals. So, in places wherefamilies value boys more than girls, and parents havelittle money, the boys are sent to school.The ups and downsEven with the suess of the bicycles programs, there are still problems.Ainea Ambulwa teaches at the Bukhaywa secondary school in Kakamega, Kenya. He belongs to a bicycle supervisory mittee at the school. He makes sure that the riders are keeping their vehicles in good condition.Ambulwa says defeating poverty remains a difficult issue.He says that some families will put heavy things on the bicycles and then they break down. Because the family lacks the money to have the bike repaired, the girl can no longer get to school.World Bicycle Relief is based in Chicago, Illinois. It provides bicycles through another group: World Vision.In xx, the two groups launched a bicycle production factory in Kisumu, Kenya. The cost of the bicycle is around $180. That is too much money for most families in rural Kenya.But with the help of donors, the program has given away about 7,000 bicycles throughout the country. Most of the people receiving the bikes are girls.Bicycles decrease the safety risks for girls because the girls get to school quicker, Kwauk explains. It also helps parents not to lose work time taking their girls to school.Peter Wechuli, the head of the program in Kenya, says the bikes have improved children's lives. But, he says, the factory was built around 100 kilometers from Kakamega. So, getting the bicycles to needy families can be a problem.Yet Kwauk calls the bicycle programs “very promising” and a low-cost solution. She says many organizations in wealthier countries would be happy to provide this kind of resource.。
VOA英语听力原文
Objects in the night sky are resources thatprovide everyone with wonder.But light pollution threatens to prevent those wonderful sights from being seen.
The idea of light pollution has developed with the increase of lights in cities.In many areas,this light makes it difficult or impossible toobserve stars and planets in the night sky.In Nineteen-Eighty-Eight,the
Recently,two Italian astronomers and an American environmental scientist created a world map of the night sky.The map shows that North America,Wese greatest amount of light pollution.
Light pollution threatens to reduce the scientific value of research
英语听力原文
英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.When we think of threats to public health, we often think of communicable diseases. But experts say non-communicable diseases -- those that do not spread from person to person -- are the leading killer today. These are often the result of poor diet, environmental influences including tobacco and alcohol use, or genetics.Now, the World Health Organization has released its first Global Status Report on Non-Communicable Diseases. In two thousand eight, they caused sixty-three percent of all deaths. And eighty percent of those deaths were reported in developing countries.These countries are spending billions to treat conditions like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The WHO says the costs of treating non-infectious diseases are pushing millions of people into poverty. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan says: "For some countries it is no exaggeration to describe the situation as an impending disaster ... a disaster for health, society and national economies."Conditions that last for years are also known as chronic diseases. Population changes are driving the increase in cases. Populations in many developing countries are growing quickly and living more in cities. Aging populations also play a part. Chronic diseases become more common as people get older.Dr. James Hospedales is a chronic disease expert at the WHO. He says chronic diseases are a major problem in big countries like the United States, India and China and across Latin America and the Mediterranean. And they are expected to become the leading cause of death in many African nations by twenty-twenty.JAMES HOSPEDALES: "We cannot wait until we have dealt with HIV, dealt with malaria. No, it's upon us. As a matter of fact, one of the major contributors to tuberculosis going up in several countries is because diabetes is going up -- and obesity. So there is a link between diabetes and TB."Dr. Hospedales says some middle- and low-income countries are beginning to recognize that their health policies must deal more with prevention.JAMES HOSPEDALES: "We estimate in WHO that over thirty million lives can be saved in the next ten years by simple measures -- reducing the level of salt by fifteen to twenty percent, reducing the amount of tobacco, and increasing the number of people who are at risk of a heart attack and stroke to be on simple preventive treatment."The WHO is the United Nations' health agency. The General Assembly plans to hold its first high-level meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The meeting will take place in New York this September.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. To read and listen to more health news and for English teaching activities, go to . I'm Steve Ember.___Contributing: Vidushi Sinha英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.For people infected with HIV, the earlier they start treatment, the better -- and better not just for them. A new study shows that early treatment greatly reduces the risk that the partner of an infected person will also get infected. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.Dr. Anthony Fauci is with the United States National Institutes of Health which paid for the study.ANTHONY FAUCI: "Many studies have been showing that the earlier you start, the better it is for the person who is infected. This study shows that not only is it better for the person who is infected, but it helps that person from transmitting to the person that's their sexual partner, heterosexual partner."Researchers cannot say if the results would be the same in men who have sex with men. Most of the couples in the study were heterosexual.The study took place in Botswana, Brazil, India, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and Zimbabwe. It involved almost two thousand couples divided into two groups.In one group, the infected man or woman began to take a combination of three antiretroviral drugs immediately after being found to have HIV. In the other group, the infected partners began drug treatment only when they started to show signs of getting AIDS.The researchers say both groups received equal amounts of HIV-related care and counseling. That included information about safe sex practices, free condoms and regular HIV testing.The study began in two thousand five. It was supposed to last until twenty-fifteen. But researchers stopped it early because the results were so clear. Only one case of infection was reported in couples where the infected partner began immediate treatment.Dr. Fauci says earlier treatment led to a ninety-six percent reduction in the spread of HIV to uninfected partners.ANTHONY FAUCI: "This is a powerful bit of evidence that will go into the thinking and formulation of guidelines and of global policy, policy by WHO, by UNAIDS, by the international organizations that help to provide drugs in the developing world."The study shows the value in testing and treating HIV before a person even feels sick enough to see a doctor. But in many countries, public health budgets are already stretched thin. In sub-Saharan Africa, the area hardest hit by AIDS, for every person who gets treated, two others go untreated.Antiretroviral drugs suppress the virus. Once people start treatment, they have to continue it daily for the rest of their life.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. To read and listen to our reports, go to . I'm Jim Tedder.___Contributing: Carol Pearson英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Today we answer a question. Vu Quang Hien from Vietnam wants to know more about hepatitis B. Hepatitis is the name for a group of viral infections that attack the liver. These are called A, B, C and so on.An estimated two billion people are infected with hepatitis B. The rates are highest in China and other parts of Asia. The World Health Organization says most of these infections happen during childhood.Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids. Mothers can infect babies at birth. Unsafe injections and sexual contact can also spread the virus. Experts say it can survive outside the body for at least a week.There are two forms of hepatitis B -- acute and chronic. Acute cases last for several weeks, although recovery can take months. Chronic cases can lead to death from cirrhosis or scarring of the liver and liver cancer.Yet people with long-term liver infections can live for years and not even know they are infected. The ones most likely to develop chronic hepatitis B are young children.In the United States, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge medical providers to test Asian-American patients.DR. JOHN WARD: "The bottom line -- since most people of Asian heritage came to the US from endemic countries or were born to parents from these countries, they should be screened for chronic hepatitis B."For acute hepatitis B, patients may receive care to replace lost fluids, but there are no treatments. Doctors can treat chronic cases with interferon and antiviral drugs. But these medicines cost too much for most of the world's poor.A vaccine to prevent hepatitis B has been available for thirty years. The researcher who discovered this vaccine -- and hepatitis B itself -- was an American named Baruch Blumberg. Dr. Blumberg also showed that the virus could cause liver cancer.NASADr. Baruch BlumbergHe and another researcher at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Irving Millman, invented the vaccine in nineteen sixty-nine. But Dr. Blumberg said it took some time to find a drug company willing to produce it.He first became interested in studying infectious disease when he volunteered in Surinam during his medical training.His discoveries with hepatitis B saved many lives and earned him a Nobel Prize in medicine. But he also had other interests -- including the search for life in outer space.In the late nineties, he helped launch the Astrobiology Institute at NASA. He was at a space agency conference in California in April when he died, apparently of a heart attack. Baruch Blumberg was eighty-five years old.And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Rob Summers of Portland, Oregon, is twenty-five years old and a former college athlete. In July of two thousand six he was hit by a car. Doctors told him he would never walk again.ROB SUMMERS: "I turned to the doctor and said 'Obviously, you don't know me very well. I am going to walk again.'"Mr. Summers learned about experimental research at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Doctors placed small electrodes in his lower back. These send electrical signals to his damaged spinal cord to move his hips, legs and feet. The signals act like the signals that the brain normally sends to produce movement.ROB SUMMERS: "I was unable to move a toe or anything for four years, and on the third day of turning the simulator on, I was able to stand independently."Video from the university shows him even taking steps on a treadmill while supported by a harness. The work is described in a study in the Lancet medical journal. The lead author, Susan Harkema, is a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the university.SUSAN HARKEMA: "Within that week with support, of the body weight support, we were able to get him to stand without any help at the legs so he was generating enough force to bear his body weight."Mr. Summers can stand for up to four minutes at a time, or up to an hour with assistance. He received extensive physical training. His spinal cord had to be retrained to produce the muscle movements needed to stand and take assisted steps on the treadmill.The treatment has also helped him regain some control over his bladder.Researchers are calling his progress a medical breakthrough. Professor Harkema says there could be a day when Rob Summers and other paraplegics like him will be able to walk again.But there is still a lot more work to do to reach that day.Mr. Summers was completely paralyzed below the chest, but he did still have some feeling. The scientists say they do not know how the treatment would work with patients who have no sensation at all below the injury.Also, the researchers point out that they have studied only one person so far. And Mr. Summers was in extraordinary physical condition before his injury.Money for the research came from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Professor Harkema is director of the Reeve Foundation's NeuroRecovery Network.The eleven-member team also included scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the California Institute of Technology.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. You can watch a video report about Rob Summers and his treatment at . I'm Steve Ember.___Contributing: Carol Pearson英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Thirty years ago this week, public health officials in the United States reported on the first cases of what came to be known as AIDS. There is growing progress against the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.But today an estimated sixteen and a half million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Most of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Millions more live with adults who are sick from AIDS.Lucie Cluver from Oxford University in England has studied AIDS orphans and children living with sick adults in South Africa. She says children can be deeply affected by their experiences.LUCIE CLUVER: "And one of the biggest impacts we see is mental health, their psychological health. So, for example, we see that AIDS orphaned children have very much higher levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder than children who have a live parent or children whose parents have died of other causes, including homicide or suicide."Lucie Cluver has just written about this problem in the journal Nature. She says children have to live with the stigma, the sense of shame connected to AIDS. Many are bullied at school or excluded from the community.At home, children living with a sick adult are more likely to live in poverty and face physical and emotional abuse. Also, Lucie Cluver says the children often become the caregivers.LUCIE CLUVER: "They're missing school to go and get medication. They're washing the sick person. They're often taking them to the toilet, cleaning their wounds or washing their bedclothes. So these kids find it very stressful and upsetting. They're very worried about the health and feel responsible for the health of the sick person."Close contact with sick adults can sometimes spread tuberculosis or other diseases. And, as Lucie Cluver told reporter Art Chimes, even when the children are in school, paying attention can be difficult.LUCIE CLUVER: "It's constantly on their minds and really making it difficult for them to do well at school."REPORTER: "And the children are telling you this?"LUCIE CLUVER: "Absolutely, it's one of the things that they tell us first. It's one of their greatest concerns."Her research suggests that psychological problems increase as AIDS orphans get older.Writing in Nature, she calls for testing more children for tuberculosis. She also calls for giving more parents the drugs needed to keep them healthy longer with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.There are programs to help children, but Lucie Cluver says there is "far more to be done." She says interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and support groups are "urgently needed" for those orphaned by AIDS or living with sick adults. But the evidence for which interventions are effective "is still thin," she says.And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Barbara Klein.英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.International donors have promised more than four billion dollars to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. That group, known as the GAVI Alliance, held a pledging conference Monday in London.GA VI raised six hundred million dollars more than its target goal. Britain led the donations with 1.3 billion dollars in new pledges through twenty-fifteen. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also promised one billion more over the next five years.Norway promised more than six hundred seventy million dollars. The United States made four hundred fifty million dollars in new pledges.GAVI says a record fifty countries requested money for vaccines during its latest application st week, the group announced an agreement by vaccine makers to cut prices for developing countries. These lower prices, combined with the money raised this week, could protect an extra two hundred fifty million children.Jeffrey Rowland is a GAVI spokesman.JEFFREY ROWLAND: "GA VI's goal over the next five years, by twenty-fifteen, is to immunize millions more children and save an additional four million children's lives, purely by providing basic vaccines against diseases that are basically almost non-existent in rich countries, as well as providing new vaccines against pneumonia, diarrheal diseases and then hopefully HPV and some other vaccine-preventable diseases."HPV is the human papillomavirus, which can lead to cervical cancer. The disease kills two hundred thousand women a year, mostly in developing countries. The Merck company has agreed to offer GA VI the HPV vaccine at five dollars a dose. This is two-thirds less than the current price.Other companies including GlaxoSmithKline and Merck will lower prices for rotavirus vaccines. That virus causes diarrhea that kills about half a million children a year.JEFFREY ROWLAND: "Almost all children in the world get rotavirus. The thing is that in the United States or in Europe children usually have good access to medical care -- so rehydration, antibiotics, hospitalization. Children in poor countries, on the other hand, usually do not. So, by the time a mother brings her child to a clinic after having diarrhea, that child is near death. And oftentimes the antibiotics and the services are not available to save the child's life."A rotavirus vaccine in the United States can cost as much as fifty dollars. Under the new plan, this same vaccine could cost about two and a half dollars in a developing country.The GA VI Alliance says almost two million children a year die from diseases that vaccines can prevent.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. You can read, listen and learn with our programs, and share them with others, at . I'm Jim Tedder.___Contributing: Vidushi Sinha and Lisa Schlein英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Americans spend more on health care than most other people. Yet a new study shows that life expectancy in the United States is falling behind other developed countries.In two thousand seven an American man could expect to live about seventy-five and a half years. That was less than in thirty-six other countries. Life expectancy for American women was almost eighty-one years. They were also in thirty-seventh place among almost two hundred countries and territories.The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington studied the numbers. Professor Ali Mokdad says increases in life expectancy have slowed in the United States compared to other countries.ALI MOKDAD: "We've seen an improvement almost everywhere in the world. And in countries that are developed, we're seeing a higher improvement, a faster improvement rate, than we are seeing in the United States."Professor Mokdad says the reason is Americans have made less progress in reducing problems like obesity and high blood pressure.The report also identifies wide differences in life expectancy rates within the United States. The researchers created maps of life expectancy in each of the more than three thousand counties.Areas with the shortest expected life spans are largely in the South. Ali Mokdad says researchers know some of the reasons.ALI MOKDAD: "Less education, less income in some of these rural counties, more likely to be smokers, more likely to be obese. They don't have health insurance, or they don't have adequate access to health care, and the quality of medical care is not as good as well."In the United States, many public health matters are local responsibilities. Restrictions on public smoking, for example, differ from community to community. Some communities have more bicycle paths and other chances for physical activity, or more places to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.ALI MOKDAD: "A long-term investment in their community to increase physical activity and improve diet are needed in this country."The study appears in the journal Population Health Metrics. Journal editor Chris Murray says at least one finding was unexpected.CHRIS MURRAY: "It's a real surprise to us in the study that women are faring so much worse than men."Around the country, American women still live longer than men by five to eight years. But their international ranking has been falling since the nineteen nineties. Dr. Murray says women are increasingly taking risks with their health.CHRIS MURRAY: "Women are now smoking more. The obesity epidemic in women is greater than in men. Progress in tackling blood pressure is much worse in women."In other news, the first report on the number of American births in twenty-ten shows another decrease. Births have been decreasing since an all-time high of more than 4.3 million in two thousand seven. Federal officials say state health departments reported just over four million births last year.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url], written by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.___Contributing: Art Chimes and Carol Pearson英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Everyone knows life for refugees and migrant workers can be difficult, dangerous and even deadly. But what happens when they return home? One of the biggest problems for migrants is getting health care as they travel and live in a new place. As a result, they often bring their medical problems home with them.A new report looks at this situation. The report is from specialists at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland.One of those authors was Haley West. She says migrant workers who get injured on the job may not be able to get treatment in the country where they are working. That lack of access to medical care means they have to deal with medical problems when they rejoin their family.HALEY WEST: "So when they return back home, they've got an occupational health issue that wasn't addressed in the country where they were working. And now, the diagnosis has probably been delayed. So that delay in diagnosis oftentimes leads to worse health issues that could have potentially been preventable if they had been given the access in the country in which they were working."Not all migrants travel for economic reasons. Many are forced from home by natural disaster, war or civil unrest. And not all health care needs are physical. Another author of the report, Rosilyne Borland, says people who have lived through that kind of situation may have psychological injuries.ROSILYNE BORLAND: "There's been some very interesting studies done on people who have been granted refugee status and the sorts of mental health challenges they face years down the road. So someone returning from mass displacement, even though I'm sure [they] are thrilled to be going home, they bring with them all sorts of challenges upon their return."Another problem for returning migrants is that they may not have much to return to.ROSILYNE BORLAND: "If the community was destroyed by the natural disaster or the war, then the health system has also been damaged, and the ability of that community to continue to keep people healthy is also challenged when they get back."Rosilyne Borland, Haley West and the other authors of the article have some suggestions. They call for policies to consider the needs of returning migrants and to make sure they can receive health testing.The report appeared in a six-part series on migration and health in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine. The journal editors say, "If internal and international migrants comprised a nation, it would be the third most populous country in the world, just after China and India."The editors say population mobility is among the leading policy issues of the twenty-first century. They say officials have not given enough attention to policies to protect migrants and global health. And the efforts have been made more difficult by a lack of coordination between countries.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. For more health news, visit our website, . I'm Christopher Cruise.___Contributing: Art Chimes英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.A study says more people are killing themselves in Greece and other countries affected by economic troubles in Europe. David Stuckler, a sociologist at Britain's University of Cambridge, co-wrote the report.DA VID STUCKLER: "For the most part, the countries that have been more severely affected have experienced greater rises in suicides -- Ireland, Spain, the Baltics -- reaching up to sixteen percent in some of the worst affected countries, like Greece."Suicide rates in Europe had been decreasing. But then the international banking crisis hit in two thousand eight.The study looked at reports from ten European countries from two thousand seven and two thousand nine. Nine of the ten countries had a five percent increase in suicide rates between two thousand seven and two thousand nine. In Ireland the increase was thirteen percent.The study found that suicide rates have not increased in countries where governments have helped get people back to work. Examples include Sweden and Finland.DAVUD STUCKLER: "We found that just giving money to people who have lost jobs to replace their income did not appear to help. Instead, giving people a reason to get out of bed in the morning, a hope in terms of searching for a good, meaningful job seemed to be the most beneficial to helping people cope."The findings appeared last week in the Lancet medical journal.Greece is suffering the costs of a huge public deficit. For over a year, the government has cut spending and increased taxes in an effort to improve its finances.Pavlos Tsimas is a journalist based in Greece. He recently made a documentary about the increase in suicides.PAVLOS TSIMAS: "We investigated the case of a small businessman from Herakleion in Crete, who took his car, loaded it with tins of petrol, and first shot himself and then put fire to the whole car."Pavlos Tsimas says some people commit suicide in a public way, like the businessman in Crete.PA VLOS TSIMAS: "We found out that people killed themselves in a very dramatic and sometimes a very violent way, which maybe means that they are trying to make their suicide a statement, want the whole world to understand how badly they feel, how hopeless they have felt."He says Greeks who kill themselves are mostly men. And he says the number has gone up most on the island of Crete.PAVLOS TSIMAS: " ... where social and family life is more traditional, more patriarchic. The father of the family has to be respected as a figure of great strength. And when the economic problems arise, when jobs are lost and businesses are closed down, it is this despair because of the loss of respect, the loss of self-esteem, and the fact that the person feels that his life no longer has meaning, that drives them to this kind of act."And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. For more health news, go to . I'm Jim Tedder.___Contributing: Selah Hennessy英语听力原文：This is the VOA Special English Health Report.Scientists say a study in Africa shows that AIDS drugs can increase life expectancy in patients to nearly normal levels.One of the authors was Dr. Jean Nachega of South Africa's Stellenbosch University and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.JEAN NACHEGA: The overall key finding of our study is that the patient in Africa receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV can expect to live a near-normal lifespan."The study was released in Rome this week at a conference of the International AIDS Society. The findings appear in the Annals of Internal Medicine.Over the last thirty years, the HIV/AIDS epidemic cut fifteen to twenty years or more from life expectancy rates in Africa. Dr. Nachega says in many countries these rates had risen sharply.JEAN NACHEGA: "All what we've been able to gain in the past with the access to clean water, expanded immunization programs were totally reversed with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. So now we are seeing some good news that investing in antiretroviral programs, those investments are now paying off."The study took place in Uganda. There, life expectancy at birth is an average of about fifty-five years.The study involved twenty-two thousand patients being treated for HIV. The results were promising but were different for men and women.At age twenty, life expectancy for men was another nineteen years. Women could expect to live thirty more years. At age thirty-five, men could expect to live to fifty-seven. Women could expect to live to sixty-seven.Dr. Nachega says men generally start treatment later than women. By then the disease is less treatable.JEAN NACHEGA: "Men spend more time looking for a job and spending more time away from their family to try to find a way to survive, I think may be one of the [reasons]. The second reason is obviously the issue about stigma, which is still quite affecting a majority of people in the community."Also, programs for pregnant women mean that women have more chances to get tested for HIV and to receive treatment.Dr. Nachega says health officials need to deal with this "gender imbalance." He supports the idea of considering treatment for HIV/AIDS as a form of prevention.JEAN NACHEGA: "We should no longer see treatment and prevention totally separately. Treatment, by itself, it is also part of prevention. Because by treating people, and hopefully treating them earlier, they are less likely to transmit the virus to their sexual partner."Studies also show that giving antiretroviral drugs to uninfected people can help protect them from HIV. Two studies released last week found that taking medication daily reduced the risk of infection in heterosexuals. An earlier study showed that it reduced the risk among gay men.And that's the VOA Special English [url=/Health_Report_1.html]Health Report[/url]. I'm Steve Ember.___Contributing: Joe de Capua。
VOA慢速英语听力材料
VOA慢速英语听力材料的提高需要靠学习者离自己自觉地长期坚持听英语听力，给耳朵创造一个良好的英语环境。
In a landmark address in Riyadh to Arab and many other Muslim leaders, President Donald Trump called for a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out the plague of extremism and providing the next generation in the Middle East with a hopeful future.Starving terrorists of their territory, their funding, and the false allure of their craven ideology, President Trump said, will be the basis for the terrorists' defeat: “But no discussion of stamping out this threat would be plete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists all three -- safe harbor, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment. It is a regime that is responsible for so much instability in that region.I am speaking, of course, of Iran.”President Trump noted that from “Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region. For de cades,” he said, “Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror:”“Among Iran's most tragic and destabilizing interventions have been in Syria. Bolstered by Iran, Assad has mitted unspeakable crimes. And the United States hastaken firm action in response to the use of banned chemical weapons by the Assad regime – launching 59 missiles at the Syrian air base from where that murderous attack originated.”Mr. Trump urged responsible nations to work together to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, eradicate ISIS, and restore stability to the region.He also pointed out that in addition to the havoc the Iranian regime has helped wreak throughout the region, “the Iranian regime's longest suffering victims are its own people:”“Iran has a rich history and culture, but the people of Iran have endured hardship and despair under their leaders' reckless pursuit of conflict and terror.”President Trump urged “all nations of conscience” to work together “to isolate Iran, deny it funding for terrorism, and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they deserve.”VOA内容相关链接：模板,内容仅供参考。
最新VOA慢速英语听力文摘
最新VOA慢速英语听力文摘最新VOA慢速英语听力文摘众所周知，VOA慢速英语听力是练习英语听力的好材料，一直以来都为众多的英语学习者所推崇。
这里，店铺为大家整理了一篇最新VOA慢速英语听力文摘，希望对大家有用。
Millions of children in India drop out of school every year although enrollment at schools in the country is rising.To help dropout students, voluntary centers are training some of these children to return to school.At these centers, children learn to read and write so they can study what they have missed when they were out of school.One student, 8-year old Muskan Khatoon, is enrolled at a center in a poor neighborhood in New Delhi. Before going to the center, she had moved to a village after her father had an accident which put him out of work in the city. She dropped out of the village school after struggling with a common problem in rural areas: poor teaching."I did not get books, the teacher used to teach for two hours, then go home," she said.Because Muskan fell behind, she could not get into a regular school when she returned to New Delhi. There are millions of children in India like her. In 2014, nearly 20 percent of children did not complete primary education.Obstacles to educationSakshi is a teaching center that gives dropouts the skills they need to return to mainstream schools.Zuber Khan is Director at Sakshi. He says thousands of rural migrants are flowing into cities in search of jobs. He says they struggle to register their children in schools.Khan says that migrant families often come in the middle of the school year when school registration is closed. And they often do not have any proof of identification.There are other issues that keep children out of school although free primary education in India is now a right.Amina Jha teaches at the Sakshi center. She says many children stay at home to do housework and take care of brothers and sisters as both parents work."Especially girls. There are 19 children in my class who do not know the basic alphabet."To deal with this problem the centers sometimes permit children to come late after doing housework. They also provide them with food and books.Motivating parentsStudies show that many illiterate families do not understand the importance of education. Motivating parents, then, is important to keeping children in school.In the neighborhood in New Delhi, many children are registering in regular schools after a year of informal education. Jha says now parents are more willing to send children to the center."Children who used to play in the lanes now go to government schools. They wear uniforms. They know how to write, how to talk. That has made parents happy."Getting children into school is important for India’s future for many reasons. The country has the highest population of under 15-year-olds in the world.。
VOA的慢速英语听力文摘 Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn
VOA的慢速英语听力文摘 Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn VOA的慢速英语听力文摘：Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn VOA慢速是公认的比较适合大部分英语学习者的英语听力材料。
下面是一篇VOA的慢速英语听力文摘，供大家练习。
Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.On this program we explain how to use mon words and expressions in American English. Today, we are going to celebrate the ing of winter with expressions related tocold and ice. And we will do that with a story … a mystery story.This is part one of a three-part series.Our story begins on a distant mountain-top. It is the dead of winter. Outside the wind is howling.Snow mixed with freezing rain has made the roads unsafe for travel. Even walking outside is dangerous. So, the four characters of our story are stuck indoors at The Ice Castle Inn. Like the name suggests, the inn is an old castle thatis now a vacation spot for bird-watchers.These four people are strangers. The only thing they have in mon is a shared interest in snow birds. But for now, they all have put their bird watching plans on ice. That is to say, they must postpone their plans until the winter storm passes.What they don’t know is the violent storm outside is just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, more danger exists, but they cannot see it.Let’s meet the c haractersBut now, let’s get in out of the cold. As we enter the Ice Castle Inn we meet our group of travelers. They are all having a hot drink as they gather by the fireplace.The TeacherFirst there is the teacher, Madeline. She is in herlate 20s and teaches skiing and cold weather survivalskills at a private school for girls.Her neat, dark hair frames her round, healthy face. Her appearance is plain but she is in great physical shape. She is a quiet woman. When she speaks, her voice is low and uncertain.You may think she is shy. But think again.Underneath her shy exterior, she is calm, cool and collected. If she stares at you with her clear green eyes, you can sense her powerful, extreme calm. Her ability to control her reactions makes people feel afraid: it sends shivers down their spines.The AthleteThen there is the athlete, Vincent. He is in his early 30s. Handsome and active, he talks to anyone and everyone. He has an easy manner and people like him instantly. He’sthe type of man who could sell ice to an Eskimo, meaning he could talk you into anything.At first, he seems to be a very cool, easy-going sportsman. But talk to him more and you realize that something is missing: namely, feelings. Those who know him best say he has ice water running through his veins. Nothing seems to upset or emotionally move him.The ActressNext is the actress, Sylvia. She is in her mid-40s and is extremely attractive. With her ice-blue eyes, pale white skin and fine clothing, she do esn’t seem like the outdoorsy, bird-watching type.Her personality runs hot and cold -- friendly one minute, unfriendly the next. You never know what to expect. The one thing that is constant about her is the gold locket she wears around her long, thin neck. She never takes itoff and often holds it tightly to her chest.The MajorFinally, there is Major Jack, an ex-military man. His age is hard to guess -- perhaps 50-something? He has a strong jaw and thick black hair. The lines on his face make him look older but even more handsome.Some men are just lucky that way. He seems like most military men; strong and silent. William Shakespeare might even call him a cold fish -- unfeeling and unfriendly. Butat the same time every day, as the sun goes down, he stares out the window into the storm with great sadness in his eyes. It is at these times, he seems like a man left out in the cold, ignored and alone.That is our small group of traveling bird-watchers. As the days pass, the snow only falls harder on The Ice Castle Inn. The land line phones no longer work. Neither do cell phones. No rescue vehicles have e to clear the roads.They are truly snowed in.With each passing day, they each bee more and more suspicious of each other. They all wonder the same thing –why are the others really here?Answers will have to wait.I’m Anna Matteo.Join us next week for part 2 of The Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn.Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.。
VOA英语听力原文(passage41~50)
Light-emitting diodes are small glass lamps that use much less electricity than traditional bulbs and last much longer.
Professor Irvine-Halliday used a one-watt bright white L.E.D. made in Japan. He found it on the Internet and connected it to a bicycle-powered (7) generator. He remembers thinking it was so bright, a child could read by the light of a single diode.
In New York, the United Nations secretary-general reacted to a dispute over e-mails stolen from the University of East Anglia in England. Critics say the messages show (9) climate change scientists discussing ways to discredit other theories about global warming. But Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday that the evidence is "quite clear" that humans are the main cause of temperatures rising faster than expected.
【自己整理的四六级听力】VOA 英语听力原文(1)【标注版】(内含听力下载地址)
world-bank-president-says-ending-extreme-poverty-within-reach听力下载地址：/s/1pJqQB5h【绿色单词为六级词汇，橙色单词为四级词汇】简介：The head of the World Bank says slowing economic growth around the world is hurting the institution’s goal of ending extreme poverty by the year 2030. While the challenges may be great, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said the goal remains within reach - but only if world leaders and emerging financial and development institutions do their part.听力原文：What is extreme poverty? According to the United Nations it’s a condition characterized by a lack of basic human needs, like clean drinking water, food, sanitation（公共卫生）and education.The good news, says World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, is that the world has made some progress.“Over 25 years, we’ve gone from nearly two billion people living in extreme poverty to fewer than one billion," said Kim.Despite inroads, nearly a billion people still live on less than a $1.25 per day.Further complicating the goal of eradicating（eradicate 根除）poverty is the economic slowdown in developed and emerging（新兴的）economies.One solution is to partner with new financial institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank - led by China - and the New Development Bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.“We at the World Bank Group see these development banks as potentially very strong allies in tackling（tackle 处理，解决）the enormous challenge of bringing much needed infrastructure （基础设施）to the developing world," said Kim.Such banking coalition s（联盟，联合政府）could help address the infrastructure spending gap that the World Bank alone can't fill. Amy Studdart is deputy director in Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.“There’s a huge infrastructure gap in Asia. The World Bank itself estimates that it was $2.5 trillion（万亿）worth of investment that needs to happen in South Asia and South East Asia alone," said Studdart.Despite the perceived need for such lending groups, some - including the United States - fear such institutions could further diminish（使减少，使变小）Western influence in Asia.But Jim Yong Kim says influence is not the issue.“The fundamental issue for us is, your enemy cannot be other institutions. Your enemy has to be poverty," he said.The World Bank is expected to address those issues when world leaders come together at the United Nations later this year to establish global priorities. Among them - ending poverty.四六级词汇注释：sanitation/ˌsænɪˌteɪʃən/ CET6+∙ 1.N-UNCOUNT Sanitation is the process of keeping places clean and healthy, especially by providing a sewage system and a clean water supply. (尤指通过提供排污系统和洁净水源的) 公共卫生例：...the hazards of contaminated water and poor sanitation.…污水和不良公共卫生的危害。
VOA 英语听力原稿六篇
AMERICAN STORIES - A Story for Halloween: 'The Boy on Graves-End Road'PAT BODNAR: Now, the VOA Special English program AMERICAN STORIES.I'm Pat Bodnar. October thirty-first is Halloween. In the spirit of this ancient holiday, we present a story written by Special English reporter and producer Caty Weaver. It's called "The Boy on Graves-End Road.NARRATOR: Kelly Ryan was making dinner. Her ten-year-old son Benjamin was watching television in the living room. Or at least she thought he was.KELLY: "Benny-boy, do you want black beans or red beans?"BEN: "Red beans, Mama."Kelly: "Don't do that, Ben. You scared me half to death! You're going to get it now ... "NARRATOR: Ben had come up quietly right behind her.(SOUND)KELLY: "I'll get back to you, stinker!"NARRATOR: Kelly goes to the phone, but as soon as she lays her hand on it, the ringing stops.KELLY: "How strange. Oh, the beans!"NARRATOR: Kelly turns her attention back to cooking. As soon as she does, the phone rings again.KELLY: "Honey, can you get that?"BEN: "Hello? Oh, hi. Yes, I remember. Sure, it sounds fun. Let me ask my mom. Can you hold? She might wanna talk to your mom. Oh, um, OK. See you tomorrow."KELLY: "Ben, your rice and beans are on the table. Let's eat."(SOUND)KELLY: "So, what was that call about?"BEN: "That was Wallace Gray. You know him, from class. He wants to play tomorrow. Can I go home with him after school? Please, Mom? I get bored around here waiting for you after work."KELLY: "But, Ben, I don't even know his parents. Maybe I should talk to them."BEN: "You can't, Mom. He was with his babysitter. He said his parents wouldn't be home until late tonight and they would leave before he went to school in the morning. Please Mom, Wallace lives right over on Graves-End Road. It's afive-minute walk from here. PLEASE,?"KELLY: "Well, OK. What's so great about this guy, anyway? You've got a ton of friends to play with."BEN: "I know. But Wallace is just different. He's got a lot of imagination."NARRATOR: The school week passes, and Ben starts to go home almost every day with Wallace. Kelly notices a change in her son. He seems tired and withdrawn. His eyes do not seem to really look at her. They seem ... lifeless. On Friday night she decides they need to have a talk.KELLY: "Sweetie, what's going on with you? You seem so tired and far away. Is something wrong? Did you and your new friend have a fight?"BEN:"No, Mom. We've been having a great time. There's nothing wrong with us. Why don't you like Wallace? You don't even know him, but you don't trust him."KELLY: "Benjamin, what are you talking about? I don't dislike Wallace. You're right, I don't know him. You just don't seem like yourself. You've been very quiet the past few nights."BEN: "I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I'm just tired. I have a great time with Wallace. We play games like cops and robbers, but they seem so real that half of the time I feel like I'm in another world. It's hard to explain. It's like, it's like ... "KELLY: "I think the word you're looking for is intense."BEN: "Yeah, that's it -- it's intense."KELLY: "Well, tell me about today. What kind of game did you play?"(SOUND)BEN: "We were train robbers. Or Wallace was. I was a station manager. Wallace was running through a long train, from car to car. He had stolen a lot of money and gold from the passengers. I was chasing right behind him, moving as fast as I could. Finally he jumps out of the train into the station to make his escape. But I block his path. He grabs a woman on the station platform. She screams 'No, no!' But he yells 'Let me through, or she dies.' So I let him go."KELLY: "What happened then?"BEN: "Well, that's what was weird and, like you said, intense. Wallace threw the lady onto the tracks. And laughed. He said that's what evil characters do in games. They always do the worst."NARRATOR: Later, after Ben went to bed, Kelly turned on the eleven o'clock news. She was only half-listening as she prepared a list of things to do the next day, on Halloween.KELLY: "Let's see, grocery shopping, Halloween decorating, dog to the groomer, hardware store, clean up the garden ...(SOUND)NEWS ANNOUNCER: "... the victim, who has not been identified, was killed instantly. Reports say it appears she was pushed off the station platform into the path of the oncoming train. It happened during rush hour today. Some witnesses reported seeing two boys running and playing near the woman. But police say they did not see any images like that on security cameras at the station. In other news, there was more trouble today as workers protested outside the Hammond ... "KELLY: "No! It can't be. The station is an hour away. They couldn't have gotten there. How could they? It's just a coincidence."NARRATOR: The wind blew low and lonely that night. Kelly slept little. She dreamed she was waiting for Ben at a train station. Then, she saw him on the other side, running with another little boy.It must be Wallace she thought. The little boy went in and out of view. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped and looked across the tracks -- directly at her.He had no face.NARRATOR: Saturday morning was bright and sunny, a cool October day. Kelly made Ben eggs and toast and watched him eat happily.KELLY: "You know, Benny-boy, a woman DID get hurt at the train station yesterday. She actually got hit by a train. Isn't that strange?"NARRATOR: She looked at Ben.BEN: "What do you mean, Mom?"KELLY: "Well, you and Wallace were playing that game yesterday. About being at a train station. You said he threw a woman off the platform, and she was killed by a train."NARRATOR: Kelly felt like a fool even saying the words. She was speaking to a ten-year-old who had been playing an imaginary game with anotherten-year-old. What was she thinking?BEN: "I said we played that yesterday? I did? Hmmm. No, we played that a few days ago, I think. It was just a really good game, really intense. Yesterday we played pirates. I got to be Captain Frank on the pirate ship, the Argh."Wallace was Davey, the first mate. But he tried to rebel and take over the ship so I made him walk the plank. Davey walked off into the sea and drowned. Wallace told me I had to order him to walk the plank. He said that's what evil pirates do."KELLY: "I guess he's right. I don't know any pirates, but I do hear they're pretty evil!"BEN: "So can I play with Wallace today when you are doing your errands? Please, Mom? I don't want to go shopping and putting up Halloween decorations."KELLY: "Oh, whatever. I guess so. I'll pick you up at Wallace's house at about five-thirty, so you can get ready for trick or treating. Where does he live again?BEN: "Graves-End Road. I don't know the street number but there are only two houses on each side. His is the second one on the left."KELLY: "OK. I can find that easy enough. Do you still want me to pick up a ghost costume for you?"BEN: "Yep. Oh, and guess what, Mom: Wallace says he's a ghost, too! I suppose we'll haunt the neighborhood together."NARRATOR: Everywhere Kelly went that day was crowded. She spent an hour and a half just at the market. When she got home, decorating the house for Halloween was difficult.But finally she had it all up the way she wanted.KELLY: "Oh, gosh, five already. I don't even have Ben's costume."NARRATOR: She jumped into her car and drove to Wilson Boulevard. The party store was just a few blocks away.Kelly finally found a space for her car. The store was crowded with excited kids and hurried parents. But Kelly soon found the ghost costume that Ben wanted. She bought it and walked out of the store.EILEEN: "Hey, Kelly! Long time no see. How's Benjamin doing?"KELLY: "Eileen! Wow, it's great to see you. How's Matt? We've been so busy since the school year started, we haven't seen anyone!"EILEEN: "Matt's good. Well, he broke his arm last month so no sports for him. It is driving him crazy, but at least he's got a lot of time for school now!"EILEEN: "Anyway, Matt was wondering why Benny-boy never comes by anymore. We saw him running around the neighborhood after school last week. It looks like he's having fun, but he's always alone. We don't need to set up a play date. Ben should know that. You just tell him to come by anytime -- "KELLY: "Wait, wait a minute. Alone? What do mean alone? He started playing with a new friend, Wallace somebody, after school, like everyday this past week. Ben hasn't been alone. Wallace Gray, that's it. Do you know him? Does Matt?"EILEEN: "Oh, Kell. Kelly, I'm sure he's a fine kid. I don't know him but don't worry, Ben's got great taste in friends, we know that! I'm sure he wasn't really alone, he was probably just playing hide and seek or something. I didn't mean to worry you. I guess everybody's on edge because of what happened to the Godwin boy this morning."NARRATOR: Kelly suddenly felt cold and scared. What Godwin boy? And what happened to him? She was not sure she wanted to know, but she had to ask.EILEEN: "Frank Godwin's youngest boy, Davey, the five-year-old. You know Frank, we call him Captain. He used to be a ship captain. Well, this morning the rescue squad found Davey in Blackhart Lake. They also found a little toy boatthat his dad made for him. Davey and his dad named it the Argh. Davey must have been trying to sail it. It's so sad."KELLY: "Wait, he's dead?EILEEN: "Yes. Davey drowned."KELLY: "Where's Blackhart Lake?"EILEEN: "It's right off Graves-End Road, right behind that little cemetery. That's why they call it Graves-End. Kelly, where are you going?"Kelly: "I've got to get Benjamin."(MUSIC)NARRATOR: Kelly raced down Main Street. She had no idea who Wallace Gray was or how he was involved in any of this. But she did not trust him and she knew her child was in danger.Finally she was at Graves-End Road.BEN: "Only two houses on each side."NARRATOR: She remembered what Ben had told her.EILEEN: "Right behind that little cemetery."NARRATOR: And what Eileen had told her. Kelly got out of the car and walked down the street. She looked around.BEN: "It's the second one on the left."NARRATOR: She could see the lake. Some fog was coming up as the sky darkened on this Halloween night. But there was no second house. Instead, what lay before her was grass and large white stones. The cemetery. Kelly walked through the gate into the yard of graves.Kelly: "Ben?"NARRATOR: No answer. She kept walking.KELLY: "Ben? Answer me. I know you're here."NARRATOR: Again no answer. But the wind blew and some leaves began to dance around a headstone. Kelly walked slowly toward the grave. Suddenly the sky blackened -- so dark, she could not see anything. She felt a force pushing at her. It tried to push her away from the grave. But she knew she had to stay.KELLY: "Benjamin Owen Orr, this is your mother. Come out this second!"NARRATOR: No one answered, except for the sound of the blowing wind. The darkness lifted. Silvery moonlight shone down directly onto the old gravestone in front of her. But Kelly already knew whose name she would see.KELLY: "'Wallace Gray. October thirty-first, nineteen hundred, to October thirty-first, nineteen hundred and ten. Some are best when laid to rest.'"NARRATOR: Kelly took a deep breath. Then ...KELLY: "Wallace Gray this play date is OVER! Give me back my son. Wallace, you are in TIME-OUT."NARRATOR: Suddenly, the ground shoots upward like a small volcano. Soil, sticks and worms fly over Kelly's head and rain down again -- followed by her son, who lands beside her.BEN: (COUGHING, CHOKING)KELLY: "Ben! Ben!"BEN: (COUGHING, CHOKING) "Mom, Mom! Are you there? I can't see. All this dirt in my eyes."KELLY: "Ben, I'm here, I'm here baby, right here. Oh, sweet Benny-boy. Can you breathe? Are you really ok? What happened? How long were you in there?"BEN: "I don't know, Mom. But I didn't like it. I didn't like where Wallace lives. I want to go home."KELLY: "Oh, me too, Sweetie. C'mon, Ben, put your arm around me. C'mon.(SOUNDS)BEN: "And Mom, one more thing ... "KELLY: "What is it, Ben?"BEN "I don't want to be a ghost for Halloween."(MUSIC)PAT BODNAR: Our story "The Boy on Graves-End Road" was written and produced by Caty Weaver. The voices were Andrew Bracken, Faith Lapidus, Katherine Cole, Shirley Griffith and Jim Tedder. I'm Pat Bodnar.Join us again next week for another American story in VOA Coming to Terms With Academic Titles at US CollegesThis is the VOA Special English Education Report.Not everyone who teaches in a college or university is a professor. Many are instructors or lecturers. In fact, not even all professors are full professors. Many of them are assistant or associate professors or adjunct professors.So what do all of these different academic titles mean at American colleges and universities? Get ready for a short lecture, especially if you are thinking of a career in higher education.Professors usually need a doctoral degree. But sometimes a school will offer positions to people who have not yet received their doctorate.This person would be called an instructor until the degree has been completed. After that, the instructor could become an assistant professor. Assistant professors do not have tenure.Tenure means a permanent appointment. This goal of greater job security is harder to reach these days. Fewer teaching positions offer the chance for tenure.Teachers and researchers who are hired into positions that do offer it are said to be "on the tenure track." Assistant professor is the first job on this path.Assistant professors generally have five to seven years to gain tenure. During this time, other faculty members study the person's work. If tenure is denied, then the assistant professor usually has a year to find another job.Candidates for tenure may feel great pressure to get research published. "Publish or perish" is the traditional saying.An assistant professor who receives tenure becomes an associate professor. An associate professor may later be appointed a full professor.Assistant, associate and full professors perform many duties. They teach classes. They advise students. And they carry out research. They also serve on committees and take part in other activities.Other faculty members are not expected to do all these jobs. They are not on a tenure track. Instead, they might be in adjunct or visiting positions.A visiting professor has a job at one school but works at another for a period of time. An adjunct professor is also a limited or part-time position, to do research or teach classes. Adjunct professors have a doctorate.Another position is that of lecturer. Lecturers teach classes, but they may or may not have a doctorate.And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You and read and listen to our reports, and get information on how to study in the United States, at . I'm Barbara Klein.EDUCATION REPORT - Early Classes = Sleepy Teens(Duh!)This is the VOA Special English Education Report.Surveys of American teenagers find that about half of them do not get enough sleep on school nights. They get an average of sixty to ninety minutes less than experts say they need.One reason for this deficit is biology. Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups. Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.As a result, many students go to class feeling like sixteen-year-old Danny. He plays two sports, lacrosse(曲棍球) and football. He is an active teen -- except in the morning.DANNY: "Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible. I'm just very out of it and tired. And then going to school I'm out of it, and through first and second period I can barely stay awake."Michael Breus is a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders.MICHAEL BREUS: "These aren't a bunch of lazy kids -- although, you know, teenagers can of course be lazy. These are children whose biological rhythms, more times than not, are off."Teens, he says, need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night. He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression that couldhave big effects on their general well-being. It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road.Michael Breus says any tired driver is dangerous, but especially a teenager with a lack of experience.So what can schools do about sleepy students? The psychologist says one thing they can do is start classes later in the morning. He points to studies showing that students can improve by a full letter grade in their first- and second-period classes.Eric Peterson is the head of St. George's School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island. He wanted to see if a thirty-minute delay would make a difference. It did.He says visits to the health center by tired students decreased by half. Late arrivals to first period fell by a third. And students reported that they were less sleepy during the day.Eric Peterson knows that changing start times is easier at a small, private boarding school like his. But he is hopeful that other schools will find a way.ERIC PETERSON: "In the end, schools ought to do what's the right thing for their students, first and foremost."Patricia Moss, an assistant dean at St. George's School, says students were not the only ones reporting better results.PATRICIA MOSS: "I can say that, anecdotally, virtually all the teachers noticed immediately much more alertness in class, definitely more positive mood. Kids were happier to be there at eight-thirty than they were at eight."And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. You can read, listen and comment on our programs at . We're also on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Bob Doughty.___Reporting by Julie Taboh, adapted by Lawan DavisSpecial English.WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Words and Their Stories: Nicknames forChicagoBroadcast date: 1-10-2010 / Written by Carl SandburgFrom /voanews/specialenglish/Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.A nickname is a shortened version of a person's name. A nickname also can describe a person, place or thing. Many American cities have interesting nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity. (MUSIC: "Chicago")Chicago, Illinois was once the second largest city in the United States. So, one of its nicknames is The Second City. Over the years, the population of Chicago has decreased. Today it is the third largest American city.However, another nickname for Chicago is still true today. It is The Windy City. Chicago sits next to Lake Michigan, one of North America's Great Lakes. Language expert Barry Popick says on his website that Chicago was called a "windy city" because of the wind that blows off of Lake Michigan. In the eighteen sixties and seventies, Chicago was advertised as an ideal place to visit in the summer because of this cool wind.But anyone who has ever lived in Chicago knows how cold that wind can be in winter. The wind travels down the streets between tall buildings in the center of the city.Barry Popick says other cities in the central United States called Chicago a "windy city." This meant that people in Chicago liked to brag or talk about how great their city was. They were full of wind or full of hot air. He says newspapers in Cincinnati, Ohio used this expression in the eighteen seventies.Chicago was an important agricultural, industrial and transportation center for the country.In nineteen sixteen, the city gained two more nicknames from a poem called "Chicago," written by Carl Sandburg. Here is the first part of the poem:Hog Butcher for the World,Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;Stormy, husky, brawling,City of the Big Shoulders.Chicago was called Hog Butcher for the World because of its huge meat-processing industry. And, it was called The City of the Big Shoulders or City of Broad Shoulders because of its importance to the nation.There are several songs about Chicago. "My Kind of Town" was made popular by Frank Sinatra in nineteen sixty-four.(MUSIC)This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.Qs: How many nicknames does Chicago have?The Second city, windy city, hog butcher and the city of the big shoulder. Contrary to popular belief, Sam Walton (the founder of Wal-Mart) was not from Arkansas. He was actually born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma on March 29, 1918. He was raised in Missouri where he worked in his father's store while attending school. This was his first retailing experience and he really enjoyed it. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1940, he began his own career as a retail merchant when he opened the first of several franchises of the Ben Franklin five-and-dime franchises in Arkansas.This would lead to bigger and better things and he soon opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart specialized in name-brands at low prices and Sam Walton was surprised at the success. Soon a chain of Wal-Mart stores sprang up across rural America.Walton's management style was popular with employees and he founded some of the basic concepts of management that are still in use today. After taking the company public in 1970, Walton introduced his "profit sharing plan". The profit sharing plan was a plan for Wal-Mart employees to improve their income dependent on the profitability of the store. Sam Walton believed that "individuals don't win, teams do". Employees at Wal-Mart stores were offered stock options and store discounts. These benefits are commonplace today, but Walton was among the first to implement them. Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales. Walton believed that by giving employees a part of the company and making their success dependent on the company's success, they would care about the company.By the 1980s, Wal-Mart had sales of over one billion dollars and over three hundred stores across North America. Wal-Mart's unique decentralized distribution system, also Walton's idea, created the edge needed to further spur growth in the 1980s amidst growing complaints that the "superstore" was squelching smaller, traditional Mom and Pop stores. By 1991, Wal-Mart was the largest U.S. retailer with 1,700 stores. Walton remained active in managing the company, as president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom shortly before his death.Walton died in 1992, being the world's second richest man, behind Bill Gates. He passed his company down to his three sons, daughter and wife. Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated (locatedin Bentonville, Arkansas) is also in charge of "Sams Club". Wal-Mart stores now operate in Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, China and Puerto Rico. Sam Walton's visions were indeed successful.Will Computers Replace Human Beings?We are in the computer age today. The computers are working all kinds of wonders now. They are very useful in automatic control and data processing. At the same time, computers are finding their way into the home. They seem to be so clever and can solve such complicated problems that some people think sooner or later they will replace us.But I do not think that there is such a possibility. My reason is very simple: computers are machines, not humans. And our tasks are far too various and complicated for any one single kind of machine to perform.Probably the greatest difference between man and computer is that the former can do things of his own while the latter can do nothing without being programmed. In my opinion, computers will remain nothing but an extension of our human brains, no matter how clever and complicated they may become.Դ: /exam/22608.shtml。
voa英语听力中英对照原文
★⽆忧考英语听⼒频道为⼤家整理的voa英语听⼒中英对照原⽂，供⼤家参考。
更多阅读请查看本站频道。
Hello, I'm Jerry Smit with the BBC News.杰⾥·斯密特为您播报BBC新闻The Greek government has submitted new proposals to secure a third bailout from its international creditors. The Head of the Eurozone's Group of Finance Ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said the plans would now be assessed in detail. The proposals include tax rises, pension reforms, spending cuts and promises of privatisation. Tim Willcox in Athens says this may cause problems for the Greek government希腊政府提交了⼀份新的改⾰⽅案以确保能从其债权国得到第三次财政援助，欧元区⾦融主席杰洛恩称该项⽅案将会详细讨论。
这项⽅案包括提⾼税收，退休⾦改⾰，减少⽀出和私有化。
下⾯是威克斯在雅典发回的报道：.“They think, the source I've been speaking to, that the E.U. will take this, but it's going to be very difficult for Alexis Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister, internally here in Greece, following that referendum last weekend with that massive vote, a NO vote against any more austerity measures.”威克斯称这项⽅案有可能对希腊政府造成问题。
VOA英语听力原文(passage1~10)
International students can also attend the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. The Coast Guard Academy can have thirty-five international students at any one time; the Merchant Marine Academy,thirty.
For example, the next class at the Naval Academy will include eighteen foreign students, four of them female. (9) This will bring the total number of foreign students at the Naval Academy to fifty- three.
VOA英语听力文本
The United States is marking the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. U.S. officials and many other Americans attended observances Friday to remember those killed and their loved ones.Nearly 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001 when hijackers used four passenger airplanes to carry out suicide attacks in the United States. In addition to the victims, the 19 hijackers also were killed. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his group claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. forces killed him in a surprise raid on his hiding place in Pakistan four years ago.Friday morning, President Barack Obama, his wife and White House workers observed a public moment of silence in Washington. They gathered on the White House grounds at 8:46. That was the exact time when a hijacked airplane struck the World Trade Center.US Marks 14th Anniversary of 9/11 AttacksIn New York, families of the victims gathered for a ringing of bells and reading of the names of those killed in the terrorist attacks. Moments of silence were held at 8:46 and 9:03 in the morning, when a second hijacked plane also hit the World Trade Center.Near Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials attended an observance at the Pentagon, the home of the Defense Department. They joined in remembering those killed when a hijacked airplane hit the Pentagon, killing 184 people.Earlier Friday, a large American flag was hung down the side of the Pentagon, where the passenger jet hit.There also was a moment of silence at 10:03 a.m. That was the time when a fourth hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania. All 44 people on the plane were killed. Many Americans believe the hijackers had planne d to attack a target in the nation’s capital.The fourth plane came down in a field in the rural community of Shanksville. Today, a new visitors center there tells the story of the 9/11 attacks. The Flight 93 National Memorial was set up to recognize the passengers and crewmembers who attacked the hijackers.Stephen Clark is with the U.S. National Park Service. It operates the visitors center and surrounding grounds.“It just amazes me that this aircraft was but 18 minutes away from hitting Washington, D.C.”The field was quiet on Friday, very different from the situation 14 years ago.Gordon Felt’s brother Edward was one of the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.“It is surreal at times. Early on, it became very evident to us very quickly that our loved ones, the events surrounding their deaths, had historical significance to our country.”The last 35 minutes of Edward Felt’s life, and others on the plane, are explained at the new visitors center. Relatives hope visitors to the memorial will understand the full effect of the actions of their loved ones.“They’ll get a sense of who those 40 heroes were, as well as what their collective actions did to help save the Capitol building that morning.”I’m George Grow.This repor t was based on information from VOA’s News Division. George Grow adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.From:/englishlistening/voaenglish/voaspecialenglish/2015-09-12/401739.html surreal – adj. very strange or unusualsignificance – adj. importance; being worthy of attentioncollective – adj. shared or done by a group of people1. remember vt.记着; 纪念例句：For example, it can easily remember such things as:例如，它可以轻易地记住下面这些信息。
voa慢速英语听力原文
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.Americans are considering national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort.The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. The reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to the individual states.Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left Behind Act.Kara Schlosser is communications director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.The standards deal with language and mathematics in every grade from kindergarten through high school. For example, in first grade, students should be asking and answering questions about something they read.In mathematics, students should be working with shapes in kindergarten and angles in fourth grade.Forty-eight states have already shown approval for the standards. Two states reject the idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the proposal will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal interference or control.Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify for some federal grant money.And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember。
9月18日VOA听力原文
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make peopledog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.A junkyard is not a fun place for a dog. Many dogs in the United States sleep in safe little houses near their owners' home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in the winter.Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is in the doghouse. She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.(MUSIC)This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
2001 1222 [原文]This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS.On January first, many people in Europe will stop using the money they have known for a lifetime. More than three-hundred million Europeans will start using the new single European money, the euro. It will become the legal form of money in twelve European Union countries.Fifteen nations belong to the E-U. Twelve countries will use new euro paper money and coins starting next month. They are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Three E-U members decided not to join the single money system at this time. They are Britain, Denmark and Sweden.E-U leaders agreed on the use of the single money in the Maastricht Treaty of Nineteen-Ninety-One. They created the euro so that business deals among their nations would be easier and less costly. The euro is not expected to change greatly in value. This will keep interest rates low.European leaders also believe the euro will unite Europe politically by forcing the nations to cooperate. For example, countries will have a reason to help another country if it becomes weak economically. If no help is offered, the value of their shared money could become weak.ECB logoThe European Central Bank was established in Nineteen-Ninety-Eight. Two major goals of the Central Bank are to keep the euro strong and to control inflation. The Bank is responsible for supervising the development and public acceptance of the euro.Three years ago, eleven E-U nations started using the euro for stock market trading, banking and business deals. However, most Europeans continued to use their national money. Since then, money production centers have been busy producing euro paper money and coins. There will be seven different euro banknotes and eight coins.Some post offices, banks, and stores are now offering euro coin collections to the public. These coin collections are designed to show Europeans what the new money will look like.Both the euro and old national money will be accepted in most countries for up to two months. European officials expect that most business activity will be completed in euros by the middle of January. The old money will stop being accepted at the end of February.Europeans have talked about political and economic unity for fifty years. Until now, most of the important developments have been technical.Some observers say the launch of the euro will make a real difference in the lives of Europeans. They say Europeans now will start to identify more with the E-U in ways they did not in the past. They say the euro will be a real, physical sign of European union.This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by George Grow. This is Steve Ember.2001 1224 [原文]Now, a Special English program for Christmas. Maurice Joyce tells about "White Christmas."Christmas is almost here. Holiday music fills the air. Colorful lights shine brightly in windows. Stores are crowded with people buying last-minute gifts. All these are Christmas traditions.Another tradition is snow. Christmas in the northern part of the world comes a few days after the start of winter. So, in many places, a blanket of clean white snow covers the ground on Christmas Day. This is what is meant by a "White Christmas. "Of course, many places do not get snow in December. In fact, they may be very warm at that timeof year. People who like snow -- but live where it is warm -- dream of having a white Christmas.American songwriter Irving Berlin captured these feelings in his song "White Christmas.""White Christmas" is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. Hundreds of singers andmusicians have recorded it. Perhaps the most famous version was sung by Bing Crosby.((TAPE: "White Christmas"))Irving Berlin, 1944Songwriter Irving Berlin was Jewish. He did not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. But in his Christmas song, he shares a message of peace and happiness which all people can enjoy.So, from all of us who work in Special English -- to all of you -- we wish the happiest and most joyful holiday. This is Maurice Joyce.2001 1225 [原文]Now, a VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH program for the Christmas holiday. Some Christmas traditions involve trees or plants. One of the most popular is the evergreen tree. Shirley Griffith tells us how the evergreen developed into the modern Christmas Tree.Many Americans buy an evergreen tree for Christmas. They put the tree in their home and hang small lights and colorful objects on it. The evergreen is usually a pine or a fir tree. It remains green during the cold, dark months of winter in the northern part of the world. So, it is a sign of everlasting life.The use of evergreens during winter holiday celebrations started in ancient times. Early Romans, for example, probably included evergreens with other plants during a celebration in honor of their god of agriculture.The Christmas tree may have developed in part from a popular play performed hundreds of years ago in what is now Germany. Traditionally, the play was held on December twenty-fourth, the day before Christmas. The play was about the first people that God created -- Adam and Eve. People put apples on an evergreen to represent the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden.By the year Sixteen-Hundred, some Germans began bringing evergreen trees into their homes. They put fruit, nuts and sweets on the trees. They shared the food among family members and friends after the holiday season.Some people say the German religious reformer Martin Luther was the first person to add lighted candles to a tree. They say he did this to show how wonderful the stars had appeared to him as he traveled one night.In the early Eighteen-Hundreds, German settlers in the state of Pennsylvania were the first to celebrate the holiday with Christmas trees in the United States.The Christmas tree tradition spread to many parts of the world. Today, some form of Christmas tree is part of most Christmas celebrations. Some people put a star on top of their Christmas tree. It represents the star that led the three wise men to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.This is Shirley Griffith wishing you a joyous holiday season.2001 1226 [原文]This is the VOA Special English Science Report.Christmas has many traditions. Singing songs. Cooking foods. Giving gifts. Some special trees and plants also are part of the Christmas tradition.One of the most popular is the evergreen tree. It is usually a pine (松) or a fir (杉). It remains green during the cold, dark months of winter in the northern part of the world. Many people buy an evergreen tree for Christmas. They put it in their house and hang small lights and colorful objects on its branches. Some people buy living trees and plant them after the Christmas holiday. Others cut down a tree or buy a cut tree.Another popular evergreen plant is mistletoe. It has small white berries and leaves that feel like leather. The traditional Christmas mistletoe is native to Europe. Mistletoe is a parasite plant. It grows by connecting itself to a tree and stealing the tree’s food and water. It can be found on apple trees, lindens, maples and poplars.Priests of the Druid religion of ancient Britain and France believed mistletoe had magical powers. Today, some people hang mistletoe in a doorway at Christmas time. If you meet someone under the mistletoe, tradition gives you permission to kiss that person.One of the most popular plants at Christmas is the poinsettia. These plants are valued for their colorful bracts, which look like leaves. Most poinsettias are bright red. But they also can be white or pink. Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They are named after America’s first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett. He liked the plant and sent some back to the United States. Many people believe that poinsettias are poisonous. But researchers say this is not true. They say the milky liquid in the plant’s stem can cause a person’s skin to become red. If children or animals eat the leaves they may become sick, but they will not die.Two thick, sticky substances from trees have been part of Christmas from the beginning. They are frankincense and myrrh. Both have powerful, pleasant smells. Tradition says three wise men carried them as gifts to the Christ child in Bethlehem.Finally, there are several herbs used in Christmas foods, drinks and decorations. One is sage. Its leaves are cooked with turkey or goose. And sweet-smelling rosemary plants are hung on doors or cut to look like little Christmas trees.This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Christine Johnson.2001 1227 [原文]This is the VOA Special English Science Report.People all over the world know the importance of giving blood to help people who have lost blood because of an accident or operation. There is also a(one) need for the part of the blood called platelets.Platelets are cells in the blood that help stop bleeding by permitting the blood to become thick, or clot. Taking platelets from a person’s blood is done in a process called apheresis (a-fur-ee-sis).Blood is taken from a blood vessel in a person’s arm through a tube. The blood is passed through a machine called a centrifuge. The machine separates the platelets from the other parts of the blood and collects them. The machine returns the other parts of the blood to the person’s arm.This process takes a bout two hours. A person’s body replaces the donated platelets in aboutforty-eight hours. One person can give platelets up to twenty-four times a year.Almost all healthy people can donate their platelets. A person must be older than seventeen years of age and weigh at least fifty kilograms.However, some people with medical conditions should not donate platelets. People should not donate platelets if they have ever suffered hepatitis or cancer or have heart problems. People should not donate platelets if they have had malaria or lived in an area where the disease is present in the past three years.Women who have been pregnant in the past six months should not give platelets. Blood donation programs also will not accept blood products from people who may have been infected with the AIDS virus.And the programs will not accept blood products from people who have visited countries where mad cow disease is present.Blood centers always need platelets because donated platelets must be used within five days. People who are having treatments for cancer need blood platelets. Radiation and chemotherapy treatments lower the number of platelets in their blood. So they must get platelets to prevent bleeding.Experts say the demand for platelets continues to increase as more people are getting cancer treatments. The strong government controls to guarantee the safety of blood products have also limited the supply of platelets in recent years.This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.2001 1228 [原文]This is the VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT.Scientists expect this year to be the second warmest year ever recorded. They say average surface temperatures this year will be warmer than any other year except Nineteen-Ninety-Eight.The World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland noted the findings in its yearly climate report.The World Meteorological Organization says the higher surface temperatures are part of a continuing move toward warmer weather. W-M-O officials say average temperatures have risen more than six-tenths of one degree Celsius during the past one-hundred years. They also expect temperatures to continue rising.W-M-O officials say the warming is a result of large amounts of carbon dioxide and other industrial pollutants being released in Earth’s atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the sun. This is commonly called the greenhouse effect.Ken Davidson is director of the W-M-O World Climate Program. He says the greenhouse effect is responsible for unusual weather around the world in recent years.For the report, W-M-O officials compared the current conditions with temperature records since Eighteen-Sixty. They found that nine of the ten warmest years ever recorded have been since Nineteen-Ninety.Average temperatures this year are more than four-tenths of a degree higher than the average temperature from Nineteen-Sixty-One to Nineteen-Ninety. This was the twenty-third year that temperatures were above the average for that period.The report noted higher than average temperatures in Australia, Japan and North America. It says October was the hottest month in England in more than three-hundred years. Denmark and Germany also set records for the warmest October in more than one-hundred years.However, some areas reported colder than normal temperatures this year. For example, temperatures in the Siberia area of Russia dropped to sixty degrees below zero Celsius. Unseasonably cold weather also was reported in Bolivia and northern India.Experts say many areas could experience extreme weather next year if the weather event known as El Nino returns. El Nino causes climate changes that affect Pacific Ocean waters near the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. In the past, El Nino has been blamed for flooding, dry weather and powerful storms.This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by George Grow.2001 1229[原文]This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS.Argentina’s new president has announced measures to ease a severe economic crisis in the country. Adolfo Rodriguez Saa made the announcement after he replaced Fernando de la Rua as president last week. The former president resigned following violent street protests over how the government has dealt with the current economic crisis. More than twenty-five people were killed in the violence.Poor economic decisions and continuing political crises have led to Argentina’s problems. The latest crisis was caused by overspending during an economic slowdown. Some money was used to pay w ages or to help the country’ s poorest people. However, many Argentines blame dishonest government officials for the country’s problems.Argentina is in its fourth year of recession and is in danger of not being able to pay its debts. It owes one-hundred-thirty-two thousand-million dollars. Unemployment has risen to eighteen-percent. Industrial production has fallen. The South American nation has thirty-six million people.One year ago, the International Monetary Fund agreed to lend Argentina almostforty-thousand-million dollars. However, tax increases and government spending cuts called for by the I-M-F plan led to a political crisis in March. Three cabinet ministers resigned. The economic crisis worsened. Earlier this month, popular protests against the government’s economic measures pressuredPresident de la Rua to resign.Argentina’s new leader, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, took office Sunday. He was chosen to serve as temporary president by the Peronist party, which controls parliament. He is to serve as president until a new election is held in early March. The Peronist Party is expected to win the election.President Rodriguez Saa announced new measures to prevent Argentina’s economy from failing. The president suspended payments on the country’s foreign debt. He announced a public works program to create one-hundred-thousand jobs before the end of this year.The government also established a new kind of money, called the argentino. It will be used along with the Argentine peso and American dollar. The argentino will be used to pay wages of government workers and payments to retired workers.The argentino will not be supported by other kinds of money. Some economic experts believe the new money will quickly lose value and produce more inflation.Former Arg entine President Carlos Menem criticized his party’s economic plan. He says most of the Argentine economy is based on linking the Argentine peso with the American dollar. He says changing that plan will not be effective. Mister Menem was in power for most of the Nineteen-Nineties. Many people blame him for the country’s current crisis.This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.2002 0101 [原文]Now a VOA Special English program for the New Year's holiday. Here is Maurice Joyce.NARRATOR:January first. The beginning of a new year. As far back in history as we can tell, people have celebrated the start of a new year.The people of ancient Egypt began their new year in summer. That is when the Nile River flooded its banks, bringing water and fertility to the land. The people of ancient Babylonia and Persia began their new year on March twenty-first, the first day of spring. And, some Native American Indians began their new year when the nuts of the oak tree became ripe. That was usually in late summer.Now, almost everyone celebrates New Year's Day on January first. Today, as before, people observe(此处作"庆祝"讲) the New Year's holiday in many different ways.The ancient Babylonians celebrated by forcing their king to give up his crown and royal clothing. They made him get down on his knees and admit all the mistakes he had made during the past year.This idea of admitting wrongs and finishing the business of the old year is found in many societies at new year's. So is the idea of making resolutions. A resolution is a promise to change your ways. To stop smoking, for example. Or to get more physical exercise.Noise-making is another ancient custom at the new year. The noise is considered necessary to chase away the evil spirits of the old year. People around the world do different things to make a lot of noise. They may hit sticks together. Or beat on drums. Or blow horns. Or explode fireworks.Americans celebrate the New Year in many ways.Most do not have to go to work or school. So they visit family and friends. Attend church services. Share a holiday meal. Or watch new year's parades on television. Two of the most famous parades are the Mummer's Parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. Both have existed for many years.Americans also watch football on television on New Year's Day. Most years, university teams play in special holiday games.For those who have been busy at work or school, New Year's may be a day of rest. They spend the time thinking about, and preparing for, the demands of the new year.[生词摘录]fertility : n. 肥沃, 丰产, 多产, 人口生产, 生产力oak : / / n. [植]橡树, 橡木;adj. 橡木制的ripe : / / adj. 熟的, 成熟的, 时机成熟的;v. 成熟crown : / / n. 王冠, 花冠, 顶;vt. 加冕, 顶上有, 表彰, 使圆满完成royal : / / adj. 王室的, 皇家的, 第一流的, 高贵的resolution : / / n. 坚定, 决心, 决定, 决议chase : / / n. 追赶, 追击;vt. 追赶, 追逐, 雕镂(chase away)drum : / / n. 鼓, 鼓声, 鼓形圆桶, [解]鼓膜, 鼓室;vi. 击鼓, 作鼓声;vt. 打鼓奏horn : / / n. (牛、羊等的)角, 喇叭, 触角;v. 装角parade : / / n. 游行, 炫耀, 阅兵, 检阅, 阅兵场;v. 游行, 炫耀, 夸耀, (使)列队行进mummer : / / n. 哑剧演员, 伶人[要点摘录]Signs of a cold include sore throat, discharge of fluids from the nose, sneezing, coughing and difficulty breathing.2002 0102[原文]This is the VOA Special English Science Report.American researchers say they have developed the first drug that can effectively treat adults suffering a viral respiratory infection called the common cold.A cold is an infection of the breathing system. About fifty percent of colds are caused by a group of viruses known as picornaviruses (pa-CORN-a-viruses). These small particles spread from person to person through the air. The virus first infects the tissues in the nose and throat. Signs of a cold include sore throat, discharge of fluids from the nose, sneezing, coughing and difficulty breathing. The sinuses, ears and lungs may also become infected. This can lead to serious conditions like bronchitis or pneumonia.Medical experts say Americans suffer as many as one-thousand-million colds every year. The experts say colds result in fifty-one-million visits to doctors each year. Yet no treatments are effective against the picornavirus.Researchers at the ViroPharma company in Exton, Pennsylvania say they have developed such a drug. It is called pleconaril (pla-CON-ah-rill). The researchers say the drug attacks the picornavirus. It interferes with the infection process and prevents the virus from reproducing.Researchers at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville studied the drug. They reported the results at an infectious disease conference in Chicago, Illinois. They said pleconaril reduces the length and severity of a cold.One study involved more than two-thousand people with colds who were divided into two groups. One group took four-hundred milligrams of pleconaril three times a day for five days. The other group took an inactive substance. Sixty-five percent of those in the study had a cold caused by a picornavirus.The people infected with the picornavirus who took pleconaril suffered from the cold for six days. The others who took the inactive substance suffered for seven days. The researchers said the drug made people feel better sooner when the cold was caused by a picornavirus. They also said the drug began to ease the signs of the cold within one day. And it stopped the discharge of nasal fluids one day sooner than usual.The United States Food and Drug Administration is examining the research on pleconaril. Officials at ViroPharma say they expect the drug to be approved later this year.[生词摘录]/ vt. [医] 传染, 感染infect : // adj. 呼吸的respiratory : // n. [微]小核糖核酸病毒picornavirus : // n. 粒子, 点, 极小量, 微粒, 质点, 小品词, 语气particle : // n. 咽喉, 喉咙, 嗓音, 窄路, 口子;vt. 用喉音说, 开沟于throat : /sore : / / adj. 疼痛的, 痛心的, 剧烈的;n. 痛的地方, 痛处/ n. 喷嚏;vi. 打喷嚏sneeze : // n. [医]支气管炎bronchitis : // n. [医] 肺炎pneumonia : // n. 会议, 讨论会, 协商会conference : // n. 严肃, 严格, 严重, 激烈severity : /2002 0103[原文]Some people feel sad or depressed during the winter months in northern areas of the world. They may have trouble eating or sleeping. They suffer from a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S-A-D.Victims of S-A-D suffer its effects during the short, dark days of winter. The problems are most severe in the months when there are fewer hours of daylight. When spring arrives, these signs disappear and S-A-D victims feel well again.The National Mental Health Association reports that S-A-D can affect anyone. The group says young people and women are at the highest risk for the disorder. It says that an estimated twenty-five percent of the American population suffers from some form of S-A-D. About five percent suffer from a severe form of the disorder. Many people in other parts of the world also have the condition.For example, some scientists who work in Antarctica suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. During the long, dark winter months there, workers have difficulty finding enough energy to do their jobs.The idea of health problems linked to a lack of light is not new. Scientists have discussed the issue since the beginning of medicine. More than two-thousand years ago, the Greek doctor Hippocrates noted that the seasons affect human emotions.Today, experts do not fully understand S-A-D. Yet they agree that it is a very real disorder. Many doctors think that a change in brain chemistry causes people to develop S-A-D. They say people with the condition have too much of the hormone melatonin in their bodies.The pineal gland in the brain produces melatonin while we sleep. This hormone is believed to cause signs of depression. Melatonin is produced at increased levels in the dark. So, its production increases when the days are shorter and darker.To treat the disorder, victims of S-A-D do not need to wait until spring. Experts know that placing affected individuals in bright light each day eases the condition. There are other things people can do to ease the problem. They can increase the sunlight in their homes and workplaces. They can spend more time outdoors in the fresh air during the day.One study found that walking for an hour in winter sunlight was as effective as spendingtwo-and-one-half hours under bright light indoors.[生词摘录]depressed : // adj. 沮丧的, 降低的/ n. 南极洲[news:/s/02:30.9-02:31.9]Antarctica : /[news:/s/02:27.6-02:35.3]/ adj. 松球状的, 松果腺的pineal : /解剖]腺, [机械]密封管[news:/s/03:37.6-03:44.0]gland : / / n. [2002 0104[<TextPos0>原文]Scientists have discovered a strange new kind of squid deep in the world’s oceans.Squid found in the Indian Ocean(Photo - NOAA/Science)Scientists reported seeing the sea creatures in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and in the Gulf of Mexico. They say they have never seen anything like the mystery squid before.Evidence of the squid comes from pictures and video images taken by eight independent scientists in four countries. The scientists took the pictures from inside deep-water submarines. The deepest sighting was made almost five kilometers below the surface of the ocean, in the western Atlantic near the coast of Brazil.The mystery squid is about seven meters long. Most squids have two long tentacles and eight shorter arms. The new squid, however, has ten arms that are extremely long, about six meters. Its arms are longer than those of any known squid species.The squid’s arms are held in an unusual position. They spread out a short distance from the body, then bend down sharply. The rest of the arms flow behind the squid as it swims.Scientists also say the squid’s arms are sticky. The scientists discovered this when a squid became stuck to the submarine while they were filming. Scientists believe the squid may use its long, sticky arms to trap food.The mystery squid also has two huge fins that stick out from its small head. The fins look like two giant elephant ears that appear to help the animal swim through the water.Scientists have not captured the animal. So they could not tell how much the squid weighs. However, they say it has a very small body, unlike that of the giant squid.Michael Vecchione [VECK-ee-own] is a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He wrote about the mystery squid in Science magazine. He said the discovery shows how little researchers know about life deep in the world’s oceans.Areas of deep water make up more than ninety percent of the living space on Earth. However, scientists do not know much about deep sea areas. That is because these areas are difficult, dangerous and costly to explore. The mystery squids were discovered accidentally by scientists or oil company workers looking for something else at the bottom of the ocean.[生词摘录]squid : / / n. 鱿鱼,乌贼,钓乌贼的钓钩, 反潜艇发射装置潜水艇, 潜艇;adj. 水下的, 海底的submarine : / / n.tentacle : / / n. (动物)触须、触角, (植物)腺毛粘的, 粘性的sticky : / / adj.trap : / / n. 圈套, 陷阱, 诡计, 活板门, 存水弯, 汽水闸, (双轮)轻便马车;vi. 设圈套, 设陷阱;vt. 诱捕, 诱骗, 计捉, 设陷, 坑害, 使受限制fin : / / n. 鳍, 鱼翅, 鳍状物, 五元纸币;vi. 猛挥鳍, 露鳍于水面的;vt. 装上翅, 切除鳍捕获, 战利品;vt. 俘获, 捕获, 夺取capture : / / n.2002 0105 [<TextPos0>原文]Michael Bloomberg was sworn in as mayor of New York City on Tuesday. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led a ceremony in Times Square a few moments(-- minutes) after the New Year began.About five-hundred-thousand New Year’s Eve celebrants watched the event. It was the largest public gathering in the city since the terrorist attacks on September eleventh.Rudolph GiulianiGiving his farewell speech Dec. 27A swearing-in ceremony had never been held in Times Square before. But, New York City has changed since the destruction of the World Trade Center. Both Mister Giuliani and Mister Bloomberg hoped that holding a ceremony in Times Square would help people feel safe in the city. An official ceremony took place at City Hall later in the day.Mister Bloomberg, a Republican, is the one-hundred-eighth mayor of New York. He defeated Democrat Mark Green in the election in November. The new mayor spent a record seventy-million dollars of his own money on his campaign for the office.This is the first political office Michael Bloomberg has held. He has been an extremely successful businessman. Mister Bloomberg began his professional life in Nineteen-Sixty-Six as a trader on Wall。