杂乱的书桌

MSN彩虹行动

Hugh — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:14:57 +0000

昨天才知道MSN彩虹行动，是由MSN中国和广州丰田发起的捐款活动，为地震灾区重建彩虹希望小学。这个活动的形式其实非常简单，只是需要国内的MSN用户挂上彩虹签名就行了。

彩虹活动倡议如下：（你挂签名我们捐钱）

1.一个MSN中国用户挂彩虹签名，为灾区送出一份温暖，MSN中国将捐出10分爱心款,广州丰田也将捐出10分爱心款。

2.捐款将捐赠给希望小学工程，专门用于四川地震灾区学校的重建。

3.重建的学校将命名为“彩虹小学”，帮助灾区的孩子们重返校园，继续学习。

所以我们大家需要做的就是在自己的MSN名字前面加上(R)即可，需要注意的便是括号应该为英文半角的()，活动的参与方式在《心系震区 MSN发起彩虹签名行动》中有比较详细的介绍。

Windows下使用MSN的朋友可以按照文中的方式一步一步添加彩虹签名，相信在Mac以及Linux下使用MSN的朋友应该很容易搞定这件事情。现在Hugh自己已经添加上了，不过好像自己的MSN好友当中添加的不多，所以决定通过博客宣传一下。

自己用amsn下面添加之后截了个图，

按照MSN中国现在的统计数据，仅仅有80万人参与到了这次彩虹行动当中，所以目前募集到的款项一共16万人民币左右，这个数据是不定时更新的。

如果你还没有行动起来，赶紧打开自己的MSN，添加彩虹签名吧，为灾区的朋友送出一份爱心。

今天还看到“惠州三中捐款事件”，其实就算确实捐款了，为了保存资料或者宣传需要，也不能这样吧，当然还有那个央视那个火炬手捐款的新闻，这种时候怎么能这样呢！

地震过后，我们能做些什么？

Hugh — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:46:11 +0000

汶川发生地震，已经是两天之前的事情，这仿佛是我这个年龄的人经历过最大的自然灾害了。第一天第一时刻，在校内发文询问了朋友，那个时候还没有什么灾区的信息；第二天已经被各种媒体的图片和视频所包围了，已经难过的不知道该说什么了。

看到很多朋友都写了和地震相关的文章，让更多的朋友了解知道正确真实的捐款方式，是我们每一个blogger应该做的事情，虽然自己不愿意相信有人在这种时候发国难财，骗财骗物，但是为了更好的帮助到灾区的朋友，应该再次选择官方的捐款渠道：

因为在瑞典的缘故，自己手边还没有可用的国内卡，所以一直在等待瑞典这边的华人组织有组织捐款活动，目前Kista中国学者联谊会在组织斯德哥尔摩的捐款活动。这里是Kista学者联谊会目前的公告：

瑞典华人紧急赈灾帐号 PLUSGIRO 402239-8，请注明”姓名+s512″！大家赶紧行动起来!

国内发生了大地震，伤亡惨重，死者过万，还有数万生死未卜。灾民急需帮助，灾后重建更是任重道远。大家有钱出钱、有力出力.

现在从瑞典捐款不太方便（现在可以通过国内银行转账，也可以捐钱给瑞典红十字会），所以我们联系中国驻瑞使馆帮我们留学生开一个公共捐款帐号。

请互相转告。

Kista 中国学生学者联谊

献血捐物也是很好的方式。对于献血活动，各大高校应该都有在组织相应的献血活动，记得在北京的时候每个月有三天红十字会都会来采血的，如果你身体没有问题的话，就赶紧行动，400cc的血没有什么影响的。捐物的话应该也有相应的方式，大家可以通过联系红十字会获取相应的信息。

在灾难面前能够行动起来，献出自己的爱心便是值得称赞的，但是总会有很多不和谐的内容出现。有人在争论地震预报的问题，有人在争论追讨责任的问题，有人在讨论名人捐款的数额，还有人在散播谣言，真的不明白为什么会这样，为什么还有人在这种时候还在做这样的事情。

写到这里，听见新闻里说遇难的人数已经14866人了

在瑞典申请美国F1签证经历

Hugh — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:22:47 +0000

Hugh已经消失了好多天了,其实4号就已经从荷兰回来了, 只不过最近几天一直在准备美国的签证,所以都没有更新博客。今天终于顺利签证回来了，专门总结一下在自己在瑞典签F1的经过，因为之前没有看到其他朋友写在瑞典的签经，所以希望自己总结的这些内容能对以后在瑞典签证的朋友有所帮助。

1.签证准备

虽然仔细研究了美国驻瑞典使馆的要求，不过自己还是按照国内的标准，准备了一些其他的材料，尽管最后都没有用到，不过准备的越仔细应该说自己也越有信心了。

到美国驻瑞典使馆的网页，链接在这里，找到Non-Imigrant Visa Unit，可以找到一个checklist，简单的列觉一下需要的材料：

护照
一张照片，要求贴到DS-156表格上
签证费的原始收据，就是去银行交钱时Bank Giro的那张单子
DS-156表格
DS-157表格
自己准备好信封，并且贴好面值61克朗的邮票
Pernsonbevis，自己去税务局开就好了
DS-158表格
财产证明
I-20表格
SEVIS交费证明

严格按照这个要求准备材料就好了，需要特别说明的几点是：

关于签证费的原始收据，直接去银行交钱。交完钱之后记得要收据，不同的银行可能稍有不同，Norder大概是75SEK，Handelsbanken是50SEK。我在门口看到有的哥们因为这个问题不让进，只好重新去开。如果不知道用瑞典语怎么填表格的话，看使馆上的样本。
关于照片，不像国内使馆旁边就有的照，瑞典找照相的地方仿佛挺难。准备照片的时候看好对于照片的要求，另外使馆有推荐的照相地点，列表在这里，瑞典很多城市都有。去了之后直接告诉老板，要照美国签证照片就好了，带好钱，真TM贵死了。。
Pensenbevis记得和税务局要”120-personbevis med alla relationer”，checklist上也有交待，我是不知道有什么区别了，直接要就好了。
另外还有个无罪证明，如果没有犯罪经历就不用准备了。

自己还准备了一些国内的朋友签证是都会准备的材料，不过这些根本都没有看，比如GT成绩单，学校的成绩单等等，不过建议大家都带上，万一用到呢！准备好这些材料之后需要预约一个签证时间，一般的周一到周四上午都是可以的，除了瑞典和美国的节假日之外。

2.签证过程

整个签证过程倒是水的很，主要介绍下在这边签证的流程。坐车过去很容易，从中心火车站出来的Sergels torg做69路到Ambassaderna就可以了，下车之后走上左侧的一个上坡的路，美国大使馆就在你的右手边。

进门之前要先排队，建议大家还是要去的越早越好，象我自己约的是9点钟签证，8点20多到了门口，前面大概有10多个人，结果进去之后发现已经9点半了，不过这个时间上不用担心，不会说因为你比预约的时间进去的要晚就怎么样，事实上进去之后还要等半天才轮到你。

进门之前需要你出示护照，DS-156表格，交费收据以及信封。尽管按照规定说不允许携带手机一类的电子产品以及大的背包，还警告说没有地方放，事实上安检的时候把东西都拿出来，和机场一样，没有问题之后这些东西都可以拿进去，不过自己只带了一个文件袋。

进门之后还要继续排队交材料，这个过程也要半天，会把checklist要求的所有材料都收上去，然后用个皮筋绑一下，这个搞定之后你就去坐着等你的名字被叫到就可以了。

等候室有40个左右的座位，还有个很大的电视一直在放CNN的新闻，以及很多的杂志在旁边，免得你等的太烦。一共是7个窗口，A到G，其中DEF是负责Nonimigrant Visa的。叫的顺序挺奇怪的，肯定不是按照交材料的顺序，似乎是签证类型还是什么。

下面就是自己和VO交流的过程，比较水：
( ……省略采指纹过程……）
VO: Let’s start your visa application. So, what do you study here in XXX?
ME: Scientific Computing
VO: Any difference with Computer Science?
ME: Yes, it’s different （被打断）
VO: What will you study in the US?
ME: Applied math and scientific computation.
VO: So it’s just going for further study in the same area?
ME: Yes.
VO: It’s a master or PhD?
ME: PhD.
VO: Your visa is approved..
ME: Thank you, sir!
基本就是这个样子了，不会给条之类的，直接转身走人就好了。我等待的过程中，有的人快有的人慢，不管什么类型的签证，只有我那个窗口前面的哥们谈了10多分钟，倒是让我小紧张。

3.签证结束

签证完了，当然是坐车回家了。对了，忘记说了，VO会把I-20还给你，剩下当然都留下了，护照会在一周之内用你准备好的信封给你寄回来，所以接下来的事情就是等待收到自己的护照了。

好啦，基本上就是这样的流程，在顺利签证之后，Hugh也会回来继续更新自己的博客，以及每天的VOA听写了。

[VOA听写] 2008-04-29

Hugh — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是环境问题的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是美国大选的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天到了晚上才开始听写, 本来是想把明天的一起听写了的, 因为后面几天的听写都没法按时完成了. 明天去荷兰找同学玩, 到三号才回来, 正好明天是荷兰的女王节, 去看看到底是什么样子.

其实最近还是很忙的, 正好抽劳动节休息一下, 回来就要搞定美国的签证, 打算把在瑞典签证的经过写写, 好像还没看到有朋友介绍过, 我先去探路了. 这个月的博客总结估计也写不了了, 如果明天可能的话借同学的电脑试试. 提前祝大家节日快乐!

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题目: Seven Win Goldman Environmental Prize (1/2)

原文

This Tuesday is Earth Day. On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans took part in activities to bring attentions to the environment. Senator ~~Gayler Nilson~~Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin had called~~calls~~ for a huge protest against pollution and other threats. And environmental movement was born, and Earth Day is now observed around the world. Last week, the seven winners of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize were announced in San Francisco, California. Winners are chosen from each part of the world. The winners of the Goldman Prize for South and Central America are Pablo Fajardo and Luis Yanza in Ecuador. The two men are leading a major legal case against the Chevron Oil Company. It involved petroleum pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon between 1964 and 1990. The case was brought against Texaco, Chevron bought that company in 2001. The winner of this year’s Goldman Prize for Africa is Feliciano dos Santosin Mozambique. He, and his band Massukos, use traditional music to educate villagers about the importance of clean water. He also works to bring better sanitation to poor villages.

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题目: Clinton Challenges Obama to Debate (1/2)

原文

Clinton is trailing Obama in delegates and in the popular vote, and she has been putting pressure on him to hold more debates before the May 6 primary elections in Indiana and in the southern state of North Carolina. On Saturday, Clinton called for a 90-minute debate without a moderator.
“I hope we will be able to have a good old-fashioned Lincoln-Douglas debate right here in Indiana, so that you can see for yourself to make the decision about who our next president should be.”
The style of debating where each side presents an argument gets its name from the 1858 debates in Illinois between US Senate Candidates Abraham Lincoln and Steven Douglas. Obama’s campaign ~~aids~~aides say they are studying the debate request. Obama has complained thatin the last debate on April 16th, the moderators focused too much on political trivia, and too little on real issues. Clinton told ~~the~~a crowd in South Bend, Indiana Saturday she is focusing on the substance of the issues while Obama is relying on style.
“I have been veryspecific, across Indiana and America to talk about solutions. Because my campaign is about solutions, not speeches. It is about working to make the changes that we know we must have.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-27

Hugh — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是美国经济计划的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是石油价格的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

大概有五天的时间没有听写了，前三天是因为一门课的作业原因，忙得昏天黑地，干脆就把听写的事情给放弃了。昨天和前天却是一点都不想去做这件事情，不过今天又回来了。断断续续的听写，其实更加意识到自己在管理时间上的不足，也意识到自己实在意志力不坚定啊！前两天一个朋友在早起的那篇文章下面留言，说为什么早起也能写这么多，哎，实在是因为自己不像那个朋友那么强悍，想早起就可以早起……

今天的听写都比较容易，也没有太多好说的。前两天有朋友问我说自己都是怎么听写的，其实这个也挺简单的，不妨改天介绍一下。

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题目: The Candidates on the Economy (1/2)

专有名词: N/A

原文

High food and fuel prices, housing and credit problems, job losses, worries about a recession. No wonder the economy is a top issue for American voters. Senator John McCain says tax cuts are needed for growth. The Republican presidential candidate ~~said~~set out his economy plan in a speech this week in Pennsylvania. He would push congress to make President Bush’s tax cuts permanent, and he would aim to lower the top rate of income tax for businesses from 35 percent to 25 percent. In all, Senator McCain proposes about 200 billion dollars, ain new tax cut for businesses and individuals. To help pay for them, he would cut earmarks, those special interest projects added to spending bills. He would also hold federal spending at most agencies to current levels and cut wasteful programs. But many experts say it is unlikely these cuts would equal the cost of the tax cuts. The campaigns of Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dismissed the McCain plan as a continuation of George Bush’s policies. Both Democrats say they are against tax cuts for the wealthy. They propose moderate cuts for the middle class.

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题目: Perfect Storm of Factors Driving Up Oil Prices, say Experts (2/3)

专有名词: Steve Hanke, Johns Hopkins University

原文

Who is right in this debate, the energy traders or OPEC? They both are, according to Steve Hanke, professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute. Hanke says without a doubt current demand for oil exceeds supply.

“We really had a surge in demand and a lot of this occurred as a result of rapid world growth, world growth has been increasing at a fairly high rate in the last 3 or 4 years, and to some extent ~~there~~it has been energy intensive in use, because we have had a fairly large increase in the middle class in a lot of these developing countries.”

But other factors contribute as well. Hanke says amid uncertainty and volatility in global stock markets, many investors have poured money into commodities, such as oil. This trend, combined with investor assumptions that oil prices will remain high, have helped boost prices further which has in turn fed more investor speculation in the market. Hanke says the weak US dollar does not help matters.

Evernote开放注册日

Hugh — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Evernote开放注册日！想要的朋友抓紧啦！

Evernote是一款非常优秀的电子笔记以及资料管理软件，相信很多朋友都有所了解。Hugh在《15款工具帮你更好的做笔记》当中也曾经介绍过这款工具，现在的最新版本是Evernote 3.0 Beta。Evernote 3.0有Windows，Mac，Mobile的客户端，并且可以直接通过网络访问你的Evernote，你几乎可以使用各种方式实现资料的同步管理。

如果你还不了解最新版本的Evernote 3.0，不妨去看看很多高手写过的测试报告：

《Evernote 3.0试用心得》@电脑玩物
《三大变化，造就全新的Evernote 3》@善用佳软
如果第一篇文章不能访问，不妨看看这里的转载

根据Evernote官方blog上的消息，为了庆祝一百万的笔记以及测试服务器，4月24日将开放注册，不过仅仅是在4月24日，截止到加州时间晚上9点钟为止，如果没有算错的话，应该是北京时间的4月25日中午12点。所有感兴趣的朋友可以通过这个秘密链接(http://preview.evernote.com/Registration.action?code=1MN0tes)马上获得Beta版本的测试账号！

当然，如果很不幸你错过了这个注册时间的话，你只能通过正常的步骤获取邀请，网址在这里。Hugh当时也等了一段时间才得到了Evernote发送过来的邀请，不过现在Hugh手里有10个邀请，如果大家有兴趣的话，可以留言并且仅仅通过留言，前10个朋友我会把邀请发送到你留言是填写的邮箱里去，所以一定记得用你常用的邮箱。

最后再次重申，开放注册截止到北京时间4月25日的中午12点，所有感兴趣的朋友可以通过(http://preview.evernote.com/Registration.action?code=1MN0tes)马上获得Beta版本的测试账号！

Update: 所有的邀请已经发送完毕!! 对于没有拿到的朋友可以自己去注册, 几天之后也可以从Evernote收到邀请的.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-21

Hugh — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是女性领袖的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是环境问题的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天的慢速VOA前些天听过一次类似的内容，不过应该是在标准VOA当中，我不确定自己的记忆力是不是足够好。除了一些国家和人名之外，没有任何困难，相信大家在听多了写多了的情况下，这些名字也不成为问题了。

标准VOA听写的倒是不差，就是很多小的问题，比如单词的大小写，听写的时候确实顾不上这个，而且有的内容确实也不知道到底是应该大写还是小写。对于amounts to确实没有听出来，也没想到是这个词，继续坚持！

昨天休息了一天，没有听写，周末是应该稍微休息一下，否则真的很难一直连轴转，试着坚持保持一种很忙的状态，但是大概半个月之后会很疲劳，与其这样还不如定期让自己休息一下。比如多休息一会。

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题目: Five Women Honored in Washington for Global Leadership (1/2)

专有名词: Argentina, Burma, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Poder Ciudadano, Laura Alonso, Charm Tong, Mariane Pearl, Daniel Pearl

原文

Five women were honored last week in Washington for their efforts to increase the economic and political progress of women. Vital Voices, an international nonprofit organization, presented its Global Leadership Awards to the winners from Argentina, Burma, France, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. ~~L Alonso~~Laura Alonso heads a group in Argentina called ~~P C~~Poder Ciudadano, or Citizen Power. Its members work to make the government more open. They investigate corruption, observe elections and watch for government influence over the media. They also educate citizens about their rights. Burmese activist Charm Tong received Vital Voices’ human rights award, presented by first lady Laura Bush. Charm Tong co-founded the Shan Women’s Action Network. In a report six years ago, the group detailed how the Burmese military uses rape as a weapon against women and girls. Charm Tong also helped establish a school for ethnic Shan young people whose families live in exile in Thailand. Author and journalist Mariane Pearl of France was recognized for writing about women who work for change in their countries. She also wrote a book about the death of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. He was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002.

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题目: Bush Sets New Targets for Curbing Growth in Gas Emissions (2/2)

专有名词: Barbara Boxer, Kyoto Protocol

原文

They note Congress is about to start work on new legislation dealing with the environment, and they stressed the 17 leading industrialized countries taking part in the Paris Negotiations this week hope to have an agreement by the end of next year, meaning the groundwork must be laid now. The president’s proposals fall far below European goals to reduce emissions and environmental activists say the position taken by the President ~~amongst~~amounts to too little, too late. Senator Barbara ~~Buckster~~Boxer, the Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, calls his approach the ~~hedge~~ of irresponsibility. But Mr. Bush defends it as realistic. The president warns climate change is a global problem and US action alone is not enough. He says other countries must come up with their own goals for cutting greenhouse gases. The Paris Talks on Thursday and Friday will address possible steps to protect the planet after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The United States is the only major industrialized country that did not ratify the protocol, although emits more greenhouse gases than any other country.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-19

Hugh — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是信贷危机的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是教皇访美的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天的慢速依然难度不大，有益的地方，在于一些金融领域内的词汇，大家可以试着记忆一下，免得和我第一次看到derivitive的时候还以为是导数呢！标准VOA当中应该说没有任何的口音问题，采访甚至更容易听写，因为语速要稍慢一些，播音员总是说的很快，什么时候我才能和他一样流利啊！

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题目: Loan Crisis Throws New Light

词汇: securities（证券）, mortgage（抵押）, stockbroker（股票经纪人）

原文

Investment banks have long played a part in the financial system. But the recent crisis over securities based on risky home loans has brought them new attention. Investment banks handle stocks, bonds and other securities. They underwrite new offerings. That means they take the risk of buying the securities and reselling them to the public. They also provide business advice and market research, and dealing existing securities. Investment bankers have structured some newer securities in highly complex ways. Their value could be tied to lists of stocks, or prices of goods, or as the world now knows groups of risky home loans. These ~~mortgage back~~mortgage-backed securities were sold to investors worldwide as a way to spread the risk. But as more and more loans went bad, the ~~markets~~market collapsed. Before the nineteen thirties, the United States had no separation between traditional banking and investment banking activities. Bank holding companies could own other financial companies that would underwrite new stocks. They would also provide stockbroker services for the public. People often bought shares with money borrowed from the banks.

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题目: Pope Benedict Begins US Visit (2/2)

词汇: Pope Benedict, Dana Perino, Catholic University, James Brennan, pontiff（教皇，主教）

原文

While the Pope and Mr. Bush differ on such issues as the Iraq war and the death penalty, they do find a common ground in opposing abortion and gay marriage. White House Press Secretary Dana ~~Perinal~~Perino.

“President Bush is very excited to have the Holy Father here. One of the reasons he is so excited is because he has established a bond with him. And they have a lot, they share a lot of common values.”

The formal greeting for the German-born Pope will come on Wednesday, when thousands of people are expected to welcome him at the White House. During ~~the~~his six-day visit, the Pope is scheduled to celebrate mass at large baseball stadiums, address the United Nations, meet leaders from other religions and pray ofat the site in New York of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. James Brennan is the provost of ~~the~~ Catholic University.

“I think he will also bring to all Americans a very positive message of hope and love which is the essential message of Jesus Christ.”

During his trip to the United States. Pope Benedict will mark 2 personal milestones. His 81st birthday is Wednesday and Saturday will mark the third anniversary of his election as pontiff.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-18

Hugh — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是美国数学教育的新闻第二部分，标准VOA则是教皇访美的新闻的第一部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天又晚了！不过今天看到了两个朋友的留言，都说不要放弃应该坚持下去，谢谢你们的支持！我想自己是不会放弃的，不过由于最近感觉事情确实多，有点疲劳，不过VOA是一定会继续下去的。另外就是要坚持First Things First的原则，其实早上还是有时间能完成听写的，所以以后起来先做这件事情，新闻往后拖拖再看。

今天的标准VOA还是有不小的难度的，什么时候标准能听好了估计进步就不错了。准备继续坚持每天听写标准和慢速，最起码在这个月当中，下个月看看是不是把慢速换成别的什么内容来听写。另外，继续第八天没有发表任何文章……

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题目: Searching For Better Ways to Teach Math in US (1/2)

词汇: N/A

原文

Schools are urged to prepare more students to take algebra by the eighth grade. Many people think math success depends largely on natural talent or ability; the experts say it depends on effort. Studies have shown that children improve in math when they believe that their efforts to learn make them “smarter. ” The report also calls for strengthening the math preparation of elementary and middle school teachers. And it urges publishers to shorten math textbooks, which are often up to a thousand pages long. The panel ~~(says)~~said math books are much smaller in many nations where students do better in math than American children. Publishers say American textbooks have to meet the goals of different states for what should be taught in each grade. The report also calls for more research on the effects of using calculators. Many algebra teachers expressed concern about their use in the lower grades. And the report says gifted students who can move through the material much faster than others should be permitted to do so. The math panel says the educational system needs major changes. If not, it warns that the United States will lose the mathematical leadership it possessed during most of the twentieth century.

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题目: Pope Benedict Begins US Visit(1/2)

词汇: Pope Benedict（罗马教皇）, pedophile（恋童）, Monsignor Kevin Irwin, mortification, pilgrim

原文

Pope Benedict arrived at Andrews Air Force base outside Washington having directly addressed one of the toughest issues facing him during his first papal visit to the United States. On the flight from Rome, Benedict said the scandal involving sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests has caused great suffering for the church in America and for him personally. The pope says he is deeply ashamed by the scandal and ~~the pedfiles~~that pedophiles will be banned from ministry. The church has paid at least two billion to victims of abuse and hundreds of priests have been removed. ~~(Athonier)~~Monsignor Kevin Irwin, the dean of the school of Theology at Catholic University, says it will take a long time for wounds to heal.

“No one ~~(consult)~~can solve that crisis. It is gonna to be a lot of time and a lot of wounds and a lot of prayer and a lot of mortification. In one sense this crisis has brought the church back to its origins. We have to be a humble, pilgrim church. ”

President and Mrs. Bush along with their daughter Jenna made the unusual gesture of greeting Pope Benedict at the Air Force base, the first time the president has welcomed a foreign leader there.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-17

Hugh — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是数学教育的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是关于韩国总统访美的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

对于慢速VOA，没什么难度，当然是你要知道加减乘除的英语怎么说，还有代数这样的词，相信多数人都知道这几个词。而标准VOA当中语速感觉有点快，听的时候稍微有些麻烦，一句话经常需要听很多遍才可以，尽管很费劲的听完了，不过错误还是可以，这也许就是进步？

今天因为早上一早去了英国使馆签证，所以早上就没有听完，到了晚上这才把标准VOA听了。好累啊，其实想每天都坚持做这么一件事情感觉没有那么容易，本来以为自己可以很容易的做到的，继续努力吧！现在仿佛进入一个奇怪的状态，就是不想听，哎……

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题目: Searching for Better Ways to Teach Math in US　(1/2)

专有名词: N/A

原文

A committee has released its final report on ways to improve math education for American students. President Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel two years ago. The panel examined thousands of reports, along with survey results from more than seven hundred algebra teachers. Yet the report, released last month, is short on detailed advice. It says existing research does not show just what knowledge or skills are needed for effective math teaching. The solution? More research. The report does say basic math skills must be taught completely in the early years of school. Children should be able to add and subtract in the third grade. By the end of fifth grade, they should be able to multiply and divide. Teachers should avoid revisiting skills year after year. And, the experts say, it is wrong to think children are too young or not ready to learn certain content at certain ages. The report says a major goal for kindergarten through eighth grade should be understanding fractions. These skills are needed for algebra. Yet, the report says, at the present time they seem to be severely underdeveloped in American students.

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题目: S.Korean President Leaves For Summit Aimed At Better Ties With US, Japan

专有名词: Pyongyang（平壤）, Yu Myung-hwan, Singapore

原文

The North tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006, ~~(and)~~an event some say was made easier by the relatively uncritical transfers of billions of dollars worth of aid and investment from the South. President Lee, a conservative former ~~(cooperate)~~corporate chairman, says the South will continue to help the North, but only if Pyongyang cooperates on getting rid of its nuclear weapons. He says South Korea will persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ~~(programs)~~program through ongoing six-nation diplomacy, and that the North must come to realize that ending its nuclear programs will be beneficial. North Korea is now nearly five months overdue in providing a declaration of its nuclear activities that it promised to produce by the end of last year. A recent U S-North Korea meeting in Singapore has fostered hope ~~(of)~~a breakthrough may be near. South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan says he hopes the negotiations can get back to a brisk pace. He says South Korea believes the multinational nuclear diplomacy needs to resume by next month, and that the six nations should ideally sign a new phase of a disarmament agreement by August.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-16

Hugh — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是中年腹部肥胖的新闻第二部分，标准VOA则是韩国总统访美的新闻的第一部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天对照慢速VOA，看过去竟然没有红色的字，哈哈，实在是很开心。以往经常会出现一点小错误，或者其实不算做错误的错误，所以自己的一些听写习惯也在逐渐改变，比如说数字尽量按照英文敲出来，其实这样比我脑袋反应出数字快，也许脑袋太笨了。

至于标准VOA，有些地方挺郁闷的，韩国人的英语也有点奇怪，而且这段采访的声音偏小。对于the Republic of Korea，我怎么就听成above the Korea了呢。还有一些其他的地方，需要改进啊。已经有一周的时间没有写过别的内容了，就像上次说的，事情有些混乱，过几天写写感想。

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题目: Study Links Midlife Belly Fat to Higher Risk of Dementia (2/2)

专有名词: Neurology, dementia, Rachel Whitmer, Kaiser Permanente,

原文

Those with the highest belly measurements had almost three times the risk of dementia compared to those with the lowest. Belly size appeared to make a difference even in patients with normal body weight. Belly size is linked to a kind of fat that grows around organs and produces harmful substances.

Experts believe that belly fat is more dangerous than other kinds of fat cells that grow just under the skin. The researchers say this is the first study to demonstrate a link between midlife belly fat and the risk of dementia. Still, it is possible that this apparent connection could be the result of a complex set of health-related behaviors. The findings appeared in the journal Neurology.

Rachel Whitmer from the Kaiser Permanente research division led the study. She says the findings do not explain why belly fat may be linked to dementia. But she says the study should send a warning. Other research has shown that brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease might begin as early as young adulthood. And another study showed that belly fat in old people was tied to increased loss of brain cells.

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题目: S.Korean President Leaves For Summits Aimed At Better Ties With US, Japan

专有名词: Han Seung-soo, Lee Myung-bak

原文

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo told reporters Monday in Seoul that President Lee Myung-bak’s summit trip to Washington is about “re-energizing” and “reconsolidating” the alliance between the two countries. He also ~~(cautions to)~~cautioned North Korea not to attempt to exclude South Korea from any deal aimed at ending the North’s nuclear weapons programs.

“Our relationship with the United States is very strong. We’ve been ~~(alliance)~~allies for many, many years. So ~~(boycott)~~going to the United States over the shoulder of Korea, ~~(above)~~the Republic of Korea, will not succeed.”

Han’s words echoed those of President Lee himself, who held a nationally televised news conference Sunday before departing Monday for the United States. Mr. Lee says North Korea will be a key topic in his talks with President Bush at the Camp David retreat in Maryland. He says ~~(compare)~~compared to previous South Korean administrations, his government will be more active in closely coordinating policy on North Korea with the United States. Some experts have criticized Mr. Lee’s two most recent predecessors for seeking engagement and peaceful economic cooperation with the North at the expense of the alliance with the United States.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-15

Hugh — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是中年腹部肥胖的新闻第一部分，标准VOA则是关于布什谈伊拉克的新闻的第二部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天早上没有来得及最后修改发布，所以又晚了一点。这几天有些混乱，好像事情有些杂乱，搞的心情不太好，尽管事情还是按部就班，不过感觉有些事情进步似乎很小，或者是自己根本感觉不到进步，这真的是挺郁闷的事情，当然不是指VOA听写了。今天的听写也不难，忽略掉那些非常奇怪的词汇的话，不过听多了写多了还是能记住几个的。

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题目: Study Links Midlife Belly Fat to Higher Risk of Dementia　(1/2)

专有名词: Dementia, Alzheimer, Kaiser Permanente

原文

Being overweight can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attacks. But now there may be another reason to lose the fat, especially around the middle of the body. A recent study suggested that people in their forties with belly fat have an increased risk of dementia later in life. Dementia is the name for a group of brain disorders that affect memory, behavior, learning and language.

~~(Osihimer)~~Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause. Dementia rarely appears before the age of sixty. The new study added to growing evidence that people with large stomachs can face greater health risks than others who are overweight. The study involved more than six thousand northern California members of ~~(Kizer Permanenty)~~Kaiser Permanente, a health care organization.

Researchers looked at the patients’ medical records from between nineteen sixty-four and nineteen seventy-three. The people were in their early to mid-forties at the time. They were all part of a long-term health study that included measurements of belly fat. The researchers compared the records with those from when the patients were in their seventies. By that time, almost one out of six of them ~~(have)~~had dementia. The researchers found that dementia was more common in those with wider bellies.

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题目: Bush Says Iraqi Security Improving (2/2)

专有名词: al-Qaida, Iran, Kentucky, John Yarmuth, Afghanistan

原文

Troops ~~(deployed)~~deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan after August 1st will have their tour of duty reduced from 15 months to 12 months. The war in Iraq is deeply unpopular in the United States. A majority of Americans now believe toppling Saddam Hussein was a mistake. A public opinion poll by the Associated Press this past week showed nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how President Bush is handling the war. In the Democratic party’s radio address, Kentucky Congressman John ~~(Yama)~~Yarmuth focused on the continuing cost of the war, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it is as much as 9 billion a month. ~~(Yama)~~Yarmuth says Iraq’s government is enjoying a multi-billion dollar surplus while Americans pay the salaries of Iraqi security forces. President Bush this past week said there is no doubt the cost of the war is great, but he said it is a modest fraction of the nation’s wealth and is a burden worth bearing because Iraq is a focal point for what he called the greatest threat to America, al-Qaida and Iran.

[VOA听写] 2008-04-14

Hugh — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:18:38 +0000

欢迎来到“杂乱的书桌”每天准时为你带来的VOA听写，本期的慢速VOA是女性教育投资的新闻第二部分，标准VOA则是布什谈论伊拉克的新闻的第一部分。还犹豫什么，赶紧和Hugh一起加入到学习英语，锻炼听写的队伍中来吧！

今天头一回慢速VOA没有出现错误，不知道是不是自己核对的不够仔细，因为沪江的对比器似乎有点问题，今天总是不能完全比对。而今天的标准VOA当中有些很奇怪的词，确实不知道是什么，专门上网上查了一下，象Shi’ites这个词，到wikipedia上查，也会redirect到Shia上，而且文中听得好像就是Shia啊，或者和阿拉伯语的发音有关系，不知道了。另外象al-Qaida这个词也有些奇怪，似乎按照我拼写的al-Qaeda也对，wikipedia上是这么说的。

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题目: Goldman Sachs Invests in Women Through Education (2/2)

专有名词: Goldman Sachs Group, Afghanistan, Cairo

原文

Dina Powell is the managing director of Goldman Sachs. She says that 10,000 Women is not a “one size fits all” program. Each university decides what to teach to fulfill local needs. At the American University of Afghanistan, for example, women will study the general ideas of business management. But at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, the partner school will offer beginning and higher-level business classes to the first 500 women. Such classes may include financial record keeping, market research and advertising. Women also could learn how to write a business plan, do business over the internet or gain investors.

Goldman Sachs plans to give 100 million dollars to the 10,000 Women program over the next 5 years. It also will urge its employees to donate their time and knowledge in the classroom. The program is based on a Goldman Sachs research report called “women hold up half the sky”. The research shows the powerful effects that working women have on their nations’ economies and societies.

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题目: Bush Says Iraqi Security Improving (1/2)

专有名词: Sunnis, Shi’ites, al-Qaida, Nouri al-Maliki, Basra, David Petraeus

原文

In the 15 months since he ordered more US troops to Iraq, President Bush said there has been a major strategic shift, with many mainstream ~~(Suni)~~ Sunnis and ~~(Shia)~~Shi’ites now actively confronting extremists.

“Fifteen months ago, ~~(al-Qaeda)~~al-Qaida was using bases in Iraq to kill our troops and terrorize Iraqis. Today, we have put ~~(al-Qaeda)~~al-Qaida on ~~(a defense)~~the defensive in Iraq, and now we are working to deliver a crippling blow. Fifteen months ago, Americans were worried about the prospect of failure in Iraq. Today, thanks to the surge, ~~(we provide)~~we’ve revived the prospect of success in Iraq. ”

In his weekly radio address, Mr. Bush said ~~(securing)~~sectarian violence, civilian deaths, and military deaths are down since he sent 30,000 reinforcements to Iraq last year. He said security improvements have helped clear the way for political and economic progress. However, violence has intensified in Iraq since Prime Minister ~~(N-a-M)~~Nouri al-Maliki ordered a crackdown on ~~(Shia)~~Shi’ite militias in Basra last month. This past week, President Bush accepted the recommendation of the top US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus and suspended the planned withdrawal of US troops after July, while the security situation is re-assessed.

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