有不少朋友已经坐不住了，来要06月的合辑了，其实我比你们更急阿
VOA官网有2期Words and Their Stories还没登出来，分别是23日和30日的
我想既然是做VOA合辑，那就再等等吧
各位英文好的，就往下面的地址投信催催老美吧
special@voanews.com
7.02.2007
Venezuelan Students at Forefront of Campaign for Freedom of Expression
| Caracas 02 July 2007 |
DownloadDuring the past month, tens of thousands of Venezuelan students have led massive demonstrations protesting President Hugo Chavez' decision to shut down the country's most popular private television station. VOA's Michael Bowman recently visited Caracas' largest university, which serves as a bastion of debate and student activism.
 |
| A student with her mouth taped shut protests against the removal of leading opposition TV station Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) from the air |
Political science major Ana Cristina Garanton says she took part in countless marches and protests that caught the attention of the nation and the international community. Garanton says the battle extends beyond the fate of Radio Caracas Television, whose broadcast license the Chavez government refused to renew in late May, accusing it of inciting rebellion.
She says,"We are fighting for the rights we should have as students so that when I graduate I can pursue any career without being discriminated against for political reasons. Our parents will one day leave the country to us. And it is up to us, the young people, to take the reins of the county."
Garanton adds that students are well aware that their activism could cause them to be blacklisted by the government, making it harder for them to secure employment after graduation. She says, "We are considered a threat because we criticize the government and make demands when things are unsatisfactory."
But opinions are far from uniform on campus. Pro-Chavez law student Lenin Sosa believes those who protest the closing of RCTV are misguided, defending a station that openly allied itself with the country's political opposition. He says, "A channel that obeys individual and capitalistic interests can never represent the will of the majority that desires humanitarian and social development with solidarity and honesty."
Polls show the closing of RCTV to be vastly unpopular, even among some who share President Chavez' socialist ideals.
Communications major Carlos Julio Rojas is a self-described Marxist who has also taken part in street protests. He says, "At the beginning of the year, the government said that, to impose [its program of] '21st Century Socialism,' it would be necessary to control communications in the country. That is undemocratic. We believe in debate, freedom of thought. You cannot impose an ideology in a university, because it is there that all forms of thought should be allowed."
Political science professor Fernando Falcon says students have historically been at the forefront of Venezuela's most important political movements, and often serve as an early indicator of future political thought in the country. Falcon says it is no surprise that students have reacted with great passion to a perceived threat to freedom of expression. He says, "They are not pressing to remove the president from office. They are not asking for any change in the government's domestic or international policies. The only thing they want is respect for civil liberties, and no one is more sensitive to [threats to] liberty than the young."
That President Chavez has alienated large segments of Venezuela's future professional class would appear to be beyond question. But what impact it will have on the president's stated goal of remaining in power until the year 2030 remains to be seen.
For now, political science major Ginett Luces is focused on her final exams. But she says she has no regrets about missing several weeks of classes. She says, "I think when you forego classes for a good cause, you become more energized to get ahead, to read, to fight for what you believe in."
Bush, Putin Meet in Maine to Shore-Up US-Russia Ties
| Washington 01 July 2007 |
DownloadRussian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the United States for talks with President George W. Bush aimed at easing tensions between their two countries. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports the meetings are taking place at an unusual venue - the Bush family summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
 |
| President George W. Bush greets Russian President Vladimir Putin at Walker's Point, the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine |
The house has been in the Bush family for about a century. And while former President Bush hosted a few world leaders there during his term in office, President Putin is the first to be invited by the current president.
The visit will last less than twenty-four hours. During a session with reporters, White House Spokesman Tony Snow was asked about the significance of holding the talks in Maine. "I just think it is an acknowledgment of the importance of the relationship, and also I think the importance of having an atmosphere that is going to be conducive to be relaxed but candid discussions of important issues," he said.
Snow emphasized there is no formal agenda for the talks, and he downplayed the notion that any breakthroughs might be imminent. "I would caution against expecting grand, new announcements. This is, in fact, an opportunity for two leaders to talk honestly and candidly with one another, and they get to - they're the ones who are going to control the agenda," he said.
The last time they met was in early June at the Group of Eight Summit in Germany. President Bush's plans for a missile shield in Europe dominated those discussions.
Missile defense is likely to be a key topic again in Kennebunkport, along with Russian opposition to independence for Serbia's Kosovo region.
President Bush is also expected to bring up Iran. The United States is urging the United Nations Security Council to impose tougher sanctions on Tehran - a move Moscow has resisted in the past.
Prior to Mr. Putin's arrival, hundreds of protesters gathered in Kennebunkport, and marched along a seaside road that leads to the Bush compound.
Most of the demonstrators were protesting U.S. policy in Iraq. But some shouted slogans condemning Russian actions in Chechnya.
US Steps Up Security Following Attack in Britain
| Washington 01 July 2007 |
DownloadThe United States is increasing transportation security after a car bombing and other attempted terror attacks in Britain in recent days. The top U.S. security official says although he sees no links to any specific attacks in the United States, he is worried about what he calls terrorist copy cats. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.
 |
| Traffic backs up at a vehicle checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport after security measures were tightened following bombing attempts in Britain |
He told ABC's This Week program there is no indication of a linkage between the events in Britain and any specific attacks on the United States. "We do not have, at this point, specific, credible intelligence that there is an attack, a particular attack, focused on this country," he said.
But at the same time, speaking on CNN's Late Edition program, Chertoff said U.S. authorities are concerned about the threat of terrorism, especially in the coming months. "We have had a number of al-Qaida leaders quite publicly talking about how they want to carry out their threats against the West. So, given that and given the history that we have had over past summers, with attacks in Britain, I think we were clearly focused on this as a possibility," he said.
Chertoff said the United States will enact additional security measures at airports, train stations and other mass transit stations this week, as the country prepares to celebrate the July Fourth Independence Day holiday.
He added that there will be what he described as "enhanced air marshal work" on trans-Atlantic flights, with special attention to Britain. U.S. air marshals have been accompanying U.S.-bound flights since a plot to blow up airliners between the United States and Britain was uncovered last August in London.
Chertoff said Washington is increasingly concerned about people with European citizenship going to South Asia to get terrorism training, and then returning to carry out attacks in Europe or the United States. He told CNN there are, what he described as, a "significant number of people" within the United States who have suspected links to terrorism. "I am not saying those are linked to al Qaida, but they certainly indicate the possibility of people becoming radicalized and deciding they want to carry out attacks on their own. So, this is not, by no means, a European problem, but a problem here as well," he said.
Chertoff said he has no immediate plans to raise the overall threat level in the United States, which is at yellow, signifying an elevated level. Since last August, the U.S. threat level for all domestic and international flights has been more serious, at level orange.
Congo Ruling Party Takes Lead in Elections
| Kinshasa 01 July 2007 |
DownloadRepublic of Congo's President party has won nearly all the seats decided in the heavily criticized first round of last Sunday's parliamentary elections. As Franz Wild reports for VOA from Kinshasa opposition groups want the poll annulled.
 |
| Supporter of legislative election candidate Hugues Ngouelondele, son-in-law of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso shows campaign t-shirt, 23 Jun 2007 |
The poll came under fire from opposition parties, many of which boycotted the vote. They said the vote was not free and fair as many citizens were not on the electoral roll or had no voting cards and were unable to vote. Many voting offices opened late or not at all.
Voting did not take place in 16 constituencies. They will catch up Friday.
The government last week fired the election's director, when it accepted flaws, but denied fraud. There will be no rerun as had been called for.
About two million voters were to elect members of a 137-member national assembly, dominated by President Sassou-Nguesso's Congolese Labor Party and its allies.
Former President Pascal Lissouba's Pan-African Union for a Social Democracy is the only opposition party assured to be in parliament.
In a 1997 coup, Mr. Sassou-Nguesso ousted Mr. Lissouba, who had beat him in elections five years earlier, triggering two years of civil war that left 10,000 dead and 800,000 displaced.
Congo's second round run-off is set for July 22.
VOASE0701_This Is America
01 July 2007| Ooh! Ah! Sis-Boom-Bah! Some Music to Go With the Fireworks on the Fourth of July | |
Download
DownloadANNOUNCER:
 |
| Fourth of July fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge in New York |
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with family gatherings, parades, speeches and fireworks. They also celebrate with patriotic music.
The official song of the United States is "The Star-Spangled Banner." Francis Scott Key wrote the words in eighteen-fourteen. At that time, America and Britain were at war. Francis Scott Key watched as British forces attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. Through the smoke and fire, he could see a huge American flag flying over the army base.
VOICE TWO:
The next morning, after the battle, he looked to see which flag flew over Fort McHenry. It would tell which side had won. Key saw that the American flag still flew. He wrote a poem re-creating the event. Soon after, music was added to his words. The United States Congress made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national song in nineteen-thirty-one.
Americans sing it at the beginning of many public meetings and sports events. Here is America’s national song, performed by Faith Hill.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Some people say "The Star-Spangled Banner" is difficult to sing. Others do not like the words. Some people have suggested that the United States change its national song. They say many other songs that celebrate America would be better.
VOICE TWO:
One of these is called "America." It is also known as "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Samuel Smith wrote it in Eighteen-Thirty-Two. The music is the same as the British national song, "God Save the Queen." The Southwestern Christian College Chorus sings “America.”
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Some people think "America the Beautiful" is one of the best songs that celebrates America. Katherine Lee Bates wrote the words in eighteen-ninety-three. Samuel Ward wrote the music. Many singers and groups have recorded "America the Beautiful." Ray Charles sings his version.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
 |
| Independence Day parade in the state of Rhode Island |
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Other people would like America's national song to be "This Land is Your Land." Woody Guthrie wrote the words in nineteen-forty. It became one of the most popular folk songs in America. Pete Seeger and the Weavers sing "This Land is Your Land."
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Years ago, Lee Greenwood recorded a song called “God Bless the U.S.A.” This song has gained new meaning and popularity since the terrorist attacks on the United States, September eleventh, two-thousand-one. Listen as Lee Greenwood sings “God Bless the U.S.A.”
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Caty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes. I'm Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program THIS IS AMERICA.
(MUSIC)
VOASE0701_Development Report
01 July 2007| Researchers Work on Malaria-Resistant Mosquitoes | |
Download
DownloadThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.
 |
| Malaria is spread by mosquitoes |
Each year more than three million people become infected with malaria. At least one million die, mostly young children and pregnant women in Africa. Malaria is also a problem in Asia and South America.
The parasites that cause malaria enter people's blood when they are bitten by the mosquitoes that carry the organisms. The parasites travel to the liver where they divide and grow. After a week or two, they invade red blood cells and reproduce thousands of times. They can destroy major organs.
People die from malaria because they are not treated or treatment is delayed. Drugs can prevent the parasites from developing in the body. But experts still say the best way to prevent malaria is not to be bitten by a mosquito.
Their advice could change in the future with the help of mosquitoes genetically engineered to block development of the parasite. In other words, they would not be able to spread the disease. Computer studies show that if malaria control is to succeed, insects like these are needed to replace mosquitoes in the wild.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the United States reported on their work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They put equal numbers of malaria-resistant mosquitoes in a box with other mosquitoes. The insects mated, and all of them fed on mice infected with the malaria parasite.
The researchers took eggs produced by the mosquitoes and kept them until they became adult mosquitoes. These insects were then permitted to feed on infected mice. The researchers did this again and again. After nine generations, seventy percent of the mosquitoes were malaria-resistant.
Earlier studies showed that disease-resistant mosquitoes would die early and not be able to replace wild ones. But in the new research, the scientists say they developed stronger mosquitoes. In any case, malaria-resistant mosquitoes might still need to be used in combination with drugs and insect poisons to control the disease.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. To learn more about malaria, use the search box at voaspecialenglish.com and then click on Archive.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)
