篇一：(听力文本)VOA慢速英语 SENEWS20090116
SENEWS-20090116-1530
It is 15: 30 Universal Time. I'm Steve Ember in Washington.
[1] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he is angry about Israel's shelling of the main UN offices in Gaza City. Mr. Ban spoke during a visit to Tel Aviv. He said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told him the shelling was a grave mistake. The attack injured three people. The UN official is seeking a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas supporters in Gaza. Also Thursday, Israeli forces moved closer to the center of Gaza City. Many civilians remained trapped in their homes. Both Israel and Hamas have disobeyed calls for a ceasefire. An Israeli official is in Cairo for talks on a plan for a truce proposed by Egypt.
[2] Pakistani officials say the government has arrested more than 120 people suspected of having ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Officials said those detained have been leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and an Islamic aid organization accused of acting for the militant group. Pakistan's Interior Ministry Chief Rehman Malik says officials have closed several of the aid organization's camps. He also said schools, offices, websites and publications linked to the group have been closed. Indian officials blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba for the deadly attacks two months ago in the city of Mumbai. Mr. Malik refused to say if any evidence shows that militants in Pakistan planned the attacks as India has suggested.
[3] Three workers with the International Committee of the Red Cross have been kidnapped in the southern Philippines. Officials suspected Islamic militants were involved in the kidnappings. Philippine Senator Richard Gordon is head of the nation's Red Cross. He says the three workers were seized Thursday while traveling to a jail on the Island of Holo. The island is home to supporters of Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to al-Qaeda. No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.
[4] Nissan Motor Corporation is planning to cut production at its factories in Japan. The company says it will suspend production for several days at three factories next month. Nissan said it will cut production by 64, 000 vehicles in February and March. Earlier, it had announced a production cut of 225, 000 vehicles. Nissan had expected to produce at least 1, 300, 000 vehicles during a 12-month period.
[5] The United States Senate votes Thursday on a resolution to block the release of money from a program aimed at helping the country's financial industry. The measure would bar the government from releasing the second half of nearly $700 billion. America's next President Barack Obama met with Democratic Party leaders Tuesday to urge them to approve the release of the money. But Democrats and Republican Party members have threatened to block its release. They say the first half of the money was given to banks without setting requirements about its use. Many lawmakers want guarantees that President-elect Obama will establish stronger rules for banks. Republicans also want guarantees that the money will not be used to aid struggling industries. They have criticized the Bush administration for using $13 billion to help American carmakers.
You are listening to the news in VOA Special English.
[6] In Cambodia, a genocide court met Thursday to set a date for the trial of the first of five former Khmer Rouge leaders. Judges and court officials are to meet Thursday and Friday to discuss plans for the trial. Former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav also known as Duch is expected to be the first suspect to be tried for crimes linked to the Khmer Rouge. The United Nations aided court detained him and the four other suspects on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Khmer Rouge government killed nearly two million people in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.
[7] Afghan officials say a top army general has been killed in a helicopter crash in the western province of Herat. The Afghan Defense Ministry says General Fazaludin Sayar and 12 other people were killed while traveling to Farah province. Officials are blaming poor weather conditions for the crash. A man claiming to represent the Taliban says the helicopter was flying close to the ground and militants shot it down.
[8] Iraqi police say a bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying the country's higher education minister. Officials say the minister escaped unhurt, but at least two civilians were wounded. Officials said the bomb exploded in the center of Baghdad.
[9] Ethiopian troops have completed their withdrawal from Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The deputy governor of the Banadir area says Ethiopian forces left the last of their bases during the night. Witnesses say they saw the last group of Ethiopian troops and vehicles leaving the city early Thursday. The move is part of a general Ethiopian withdrawal from Somalia that began Monday. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday that his country's troops will remain along the Somali border. For two years, Ethiopia has provided military support to Somalia's central government. Some Somalis hope the troop withdrawal will lead to a more unified and effective government. Others fear it will lead to increased fighting among resistance groups.
[10] Finally, Russian and Ukrainian officials say they will meet Saturday in an attempt to settle the natural gas dispute between the two countries. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed to meet in Moscow. Ukraine had earlier rejected the proposed meeting place. It said Wednesday that the meeting should be held in a European Union country. The EU says it will send its energy commissioner and the Czech energy minister to the talks.
And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour. United Nations Secretary General Ban Kim-moon says he is angry about Israel's shelling of the main UN offices in Gaza City. Pakistani officials say the government has arrested more than 120 people suspected of having ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba. And three Red Cross workers have been kidnapped in the southern Philippines. That's the news in VOA Special English Steve Ember reporting.
篇二：美国之音慢速英语学习文档
Anti-Corruption Group Says Abuse of Power Still ‘Very High’ in Many Countries
A group that _____ _____ _____ the issue of corruption says levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still "very high" in many countries.
Transparency International this week _____ its yearly Corruption Perceptions Index. The Berlin-based group rates 176 countries and territories with a number from zero to 100. Bigger numbers are better.
The index measures the perceived, or apparent, level of corruption in a country. The group uses information from a number of _____ _____. They include the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.
Corruption _____ _____ _____. Transparency International calls it "the abuse of _____ _____ for private gain." One common form of corruption is bribery: the use of money or gifts to persuade another person to do something wrong or illegal. Corruption is not easy to measure because it is _____. But the World Bank estimates that about $1 trillion in bribes are paid every year worldwide. Stealing _____ _____ is another form of corruption.
Huguette Labelle is chair of Transparency International. She says the problem of corruption _____ millions of people and limits their ability to get necessary services.
"And in some countries it can be that 50 percent of the population had to pay a bribe to gain access to essential services like water, education, health, licenses."
A group of small, developed nations _____ _____ on the new list. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand received a rating of 90. Among large nations, the United States rated 73 while China rated 39.
The countries with the greatest perceived level of corruption on the list are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan with scores of 8.
Robin Hodess directs research at Transparency International. She says the index can show people involved in policy decisions how others see the issue of corruption in their countries.
"We need evidence about how corruption works. We need to know where to target the reforms needed to promote transparency, accountability and integrity."
The index measures perceptions held by experts, businesses and organizations. And their opinions are important. The World Bank notes that countries showing improvements in perception indexes had greater _____ _____ and _____ _____. However, foreign aid and international trade is _____ _____ for countries perceived as highly corrupt.
篇三：voa慢速英语文档
High school students Cara Smock, left, and Allison
Hubble of Michigan have to meet new standards to
graduate in 2011. File photo. 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.
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
这是美国之音特别英语教育报道。
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.
美国正在对最近由教师和其他教育专家研发并制定的国家教育标准的问题进行考虑。美国州长协会、各州公立学校官员为这个标准做出了努力。
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.
与其他国家不同,美国各地从来没有过相同的教育标准。为什么呢？因为在宪法中从不讨论教育问题。宪法限制了联邦政府的责任。像教育这样其他的问题都由各州政府单独负责。
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.
200年前，由当地政府制约教育是一个很好的想法。因为同一个地方，同一个学校的人知道学生需要学习什么。但是今天,人们迁移到不同的城市并开始做一些20年前并没有的工作。
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.
许多美国教育家认为得到良好的教育不应该依赖于你所居住的地方。他们说,一些州为了提高学生在测试中的分数，已经降低了学校标准。而这些测试是“不让一个孩子掉队”法案里所要求的。
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.
Kara Schlosser是公立学校委员会公关部主任。她称这个新标准明确了什么样的学生应该在大学和工作中获得成功。
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.
这个标准解决了学生从幼儿园到高中语言和数学方面的问题。例如,一年级时,学生就应该提问和回答他们在阅读中遇到的问题。
In mathematics, students should be working with shapes in kindergarten and angles in fourth grade.
数学方面,学生在幼儿园就应该接触形状的问题，小学四年级就要知道角度的问题。
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.
48个州已经对这个标准表明了支持态度。但另两个州持反对态度。评论家说,每个州都朝着同一标准努力并不能保证所有州的教育都会变得很优秀。麻萨诸塞州的一些教育家说如果采纳这个方案会伤害到学生,因为国家标准对学生的要求会更高。其他一些评论员说这个改变耗资太大了,需要新的教科书和各种不同的教师培训。还有一些评论员说害怕联邦政府的干扰和控制。
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.
相反，一些支持者则说你不用告诉州政府和老师如何教，这个标准就是目标。他们还说,联邦政府将不会强迫各州接受这个方案。然而,同意这个标准的州将会有资格获得美国联邦政府的资金。
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.
这是美国之音特别英语教育报道，由Nancy Steinbach撰写，我是Steve Ember。
重点讲解：
1、in order to为了
例句：We started early in order to arrive before dark.
为了在天黑前到达,我们很早就动身了
In order to earn enough money, he worked late into the night.
为了赚到足够的钱, 他工作到深夜。
in order to = so as to 为了 否定：in order not to ;so as not to
如果后面跟从句 ，要变成 in order that或者 so that
例句：She repeated the instructions slowly in order that he should understand.她把那些指示慢慢重复了一遍好让他听明白
2、deal with表示“对付”、“应付”、“处理”、“安排”、“论述”、“涉及”等。
例如：They could properly deal with all kinds of situations .
他能恰当地应付各种局面。
Deal with a man as he deals with you .
以其人之道，还治其人之身。
This is a book dealing with Asian problems .
这是一本论述亚洲问题的书。
do with 与deal with 都可做“处置”讲。前者多与what连用，而后者多与how连用
例如：I do not know how they deal with the problem.
I do not know what they do with the problem.
两句都表示“我不知道他们如何处理这个问题。”
3、reject [ ri'd?ekt ] vt. 拒绝；抵制；丢弃；排斥 n. 被弃之物或人；次品
例句：The board rejected all our ideas.
董事会拒绝了我们的所有想法。
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