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 NilsonGaylord Nelson from Wisconsin had calledcalls 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 aidsaides 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 thea 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.

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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 saidset 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 thereit 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.

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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 AlonsoLaura Alonso heads a group in Argentina called P CPoder 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 amongstamounts to too little, too late. Senator Barbara BucksterBoxer, 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.

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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 backmortgage-backed securities were sold to investors worldwide as a way to spread the risk. But as more and more loans went bad, the marketsmarket 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 PerinalPerino.

“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 thehis 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.

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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 pedfilesthat 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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昨天第一次修改了听写文本的发布格式，今天又稍作修改，把错误del掉，正确的用红色展示出来，这样应该更清晰，更明白。不过自己的错误都被大家看到了，哈哈！敢于亮出自己的错误，这样才更加真实！反正自己平时写Blog，听写VOA都是用gvim，再加上html的插件，插入几个小小的tag还是很方便的，所以也耽误不了太多的时间。不知道你们觉得这样子如何呢？

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题目: Goldman Sachs Invests in Women Through Education (1/2)

专有名词: Goldman Sachs Group, Columbia, Harvard, Standford（都是dream school啊，可惜去不了）, Rwanda（卢旺达）, Kenya（肯尼亚）, Tanzania（坦桑尼亚）, Pan-African University, Lagos（拉各斯）, Nigeria（尼日利亚）, Peter Bamkoleh

原文

Goldman Sachs Group, the international investment banking company, has launched a new program to provide ten (thousands)thousand poor women with business education. The program, called 10, 000 Women, will support partnerships between American and European universities and business schools in mostly developing countries. Partners will work together to establish or expand education programs lasting from five weeks to six months. Several partnerships may also offer full college degrees in business.

The 10, 000 Women program hopes to expand into the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and throughout Africa. Sixteen schools have agreed to take part in the program so far. They include Columbia, Harvard and Stanford universities in the United States. Other schools are in India, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. The (Pan Africa)Pan-African University in (Lagas)Lagos, Nigeria is also a partner. Peter (B#)Bamkoleh heads that university’s Enterprise Development Services. He says about fifty women will receive training at the school every year. The women will take classes several times a week, then use what they have learned.

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题目: Angelina Jolie Discusses Plight of Iraqi Children (2/2)

专有名词: Amman（安曼，约旦首都）, Damascus（大马士革）, Jordan, Syria

重点总结: traumatize（使受创伤，精神创伤）

原文

“We met with these refugees, many of whom had been (middle class)middle-class and educated citizens back in Iraq. We met with them in cold, crowded rooms in the (poor section)poorest sections of (#)Amman and (Damasks)Damascus, where they are (not)now concentrated.”

He (says)said Jordan and Syria have stretched their own already overcrowded schools to the limits and (their)that relief efforts to build more schools and provide more books should include local children in host countries. Jolie (says)said the vast majority of Iraqi children have been traumatized by the horrors of war and now have special needs.

“(Those)These children are also traumatized. One in every five Iraqi registered in Syria is registered as a victim of torture or extreme violence. There was also a study done, that find that not surprisingly, 92 percent of the children in Iraq had learning impediments, due to a climate of fear.”

Jolie said there are no easy solutions to improve access to education in Iraq, but efforts should focus on improving education infrastructure for refugees in host countries, providing books and supplies, recruiting teachers and integrating school dropouts, especially girls.

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今天稍微改变了一下文章发表的方式。以前总是把修改好了的原文贴出来，这样倒不如把错误贴出来更好，免得给大家造成Hugh总是听对的假象，哈哈！所以从今天开始，尽管贴出来的仍然是原文，不过把错误用红色标注出来了，大家也可以了解到Hugh是什么水平。同样的，这样子更有利于Hugh自己观察进步，什么时候红色都没有了，就是perfect了！

不知道大家对于这样的改变有什么想法呢？个人觉得更真实可信了！

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题目: New Study Adds to Evidence That Too Many Americans Do Not Finish High School (2/2)

专有名词: American’s Promise Alliance, Colin Powell, Margaret Spellings

原文

Other studies have put the national graduation rate at about seventy percent. But experts agree that too many students are not completing high school. They estimate the number at more than one million each year.

The report was prepared for America’s Promise Alliance. The private group aims to help children receive services they need to succeed. General Colin Powell was chairman of America’s Promise Alliance when it was formed in nineteen ninety-seven. He attended the press conference Tuesday where the report was released. He said studies have shown that the United States must do more to educate the leaders and work force of the future.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings also spoke. She said the government will propose that states use the same methods when reporting graduation rates. Alliance officials also announced the start of a nationwide campaign to improve graduation rates. It is to include a series of meetings to be held in every state over the next two years. The meetings will bring together elected leaders, business owners, students, parents and education officials. They will develop plans to increase the number of Americans who finish high school.

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题目: Angelina Jolie Discusses Plight of Iraqi Children (1/2)

专有名词: Jolie, David Petraeus, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, George Rupp

原文

Jolie again used her star power to speak out for children in war zones, on the day the top U S military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus testified before congressional committees. Asked about her view of how the surge of additional American troops has impacted Iraqi children, Jolie said military action must go hand in hand with aid.

“I would think even Petraeus would agree that a surge does not just mean it works if you get numbers of violence down. It works if humanitarian aid is starting to increase and changes are able to be made. ”

Half of the four million Iraqis forced out of their homes are internally displaced. Tens of thousands have fled to Syria and Jordan, and much smaller numbers of Iraqi refugees are in Egypt and Lebanon. The president of the International Rescue Committee, George Rupp, said he had met with many Iraqi families seeking shelter in Syria and Jordan. He said despite the tremendous efforts of those two countries, the situation for the refugees is deplorable.

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其实想多总结出写内容来，可是感觉尽管才听了大概40天的VOA，进步还是有一些的，听不出来的内容比刚开始的时候少了很多，所以总结也就越来越短了。前两天一个朋友建议我说既然以后准备去学金融，不妨听听Bloomberg看看，不是别人提醒，都忘了原来还听过一段时间的Bloomberg呢。

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题目: New Study Adds to Evidence That Too Many Americans Do Not Finish High School (1/2)

专有名词: Wichita, Kansas

重点总结: N/A

原文

A new report says only about half of all students in the main school systems of America’s largest cities finish high school. The report notes higher rates of graduation – more than seventy percent – in areas surrounding the cities.

The editorial projects in education research center prepared the report. Researchers studied high school graduation rates from the 2003-2004 school year. They also identify the nations fifty largest cities. The largest New York city had a population of more than eight million. The smallest city was Wichita Kansas it had about three hundred sixty thousand people. Researchers used a system of measurement called the Cumulative Promotion Index to find graduation rates.

School official in many of the cities studied say the resulting numbers were too low. That is because different areas use different methods to find graduation rates. Critics say many methods do not give a true picture of the number of students who leave high school before finishing.

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题目: Five Honored for Women’s Leadership (2/2)

专有名词: Shan Women’s Action Network, Thailand, Burma, Kakenya, Ntaiya, Pittsburgh, Maasai

重点总结: solidarity（团结）, circumcision（割礼）

原文

She co-founded the Shan Woman’s Action Network which is based in Thailand and document rapes and other abuses by Burma’s military government against women and girls.

“For us, for the women of Burma, this award means a lot to us. Because every statement, every single action, every award like this, make sure it’s also a message of solidarity that the world has not given up on our hopes for future democratic and free Burma.”

Other award recipients included Kakenya in Ntaiya, a young Kenya woman who negotiated with her father, and agreed to undergo female circumcision, if he allowed her to go to school. She later won a scholarship to attend university in the United States and is now finishing her doctorate in education at the University of Pittsburgh. She plans to start a boarding school for girls and for her Maasai village in Kenya.

Vital Voices is a non-governmental organization that trains emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs. Since 1997, the group has mentored more that 5,000 women leaders from 150 countries who later returned home to train more that 100,000 additional women in their communities.

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今天的听写也都不难，标准VOA中的几个国家的名字应该记住，尤其是后面两个，Burma和UAE，可能更陌生一些。其实每天听写可能花不了太多时间，但是能坚持住还真没有那么容易，不知道你尝试过没有？有兴趣的时候听几次很容易，不过每天做同样的事情还是会有些郁闷，不过加油！

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题目: WHO Targets Climate Change for World Health Day (2/2)

专有名词: N/A

重点总结: N/A

原文

The scientists also predict that climate change will lead in Canada to an increase and outbreak of diseases that can be carried in water and food. They know that flooding, heavy rains and warmer temperatures are linked to the spread of the bacteria, viruses and other organizms. This is true even in the presence of water treatment systems they say. The report by scientists at the hospital for sick children in Toronto was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

World Health Day marks the establishment of the World Health Organization on April 7,1948. One goal this year is to call for local and international partnerships that will seek to improve health through efforts to stablelize climate change. The W.H.O. says it aims to put public health at the Center of UN efforts on climate change. A major message of this World Health Day is that the health of poor people will be hurt the most. The W.H.O. says different areas of the world will experience different problems from climate change. But it says countries with high levels of poverty and underdevelopment will be the least prepared to deal with them.

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题目: Five Honored for Women’s Leadership (1/2)

专有名词: Argentina（阿根廷）, Kenya（肯尼亚）, Burma（缅甸）, United Arab Emirate（阿联酋）（四个国家的名字）, Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi, Charm Tong, Burmese

重点总结: honoree（荣誉）, refugee（难民）, dialogue between western nations and the Middle East（dialogue用在这）

原文

The honorees included the pro-democracy activist in Argentina, a young proponent for women’s education in Kenya, a critic of Burma’s military government and the first female government minister in the United Arab Emirates. Senator Clinton said all these honorees are working to ensure the rights of citizenship are available to all people.

“They’re leading us toward that brighter future, a future in which the voices of women are heard and their talents and contributions recognized and respected.”

Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi, treated in her career as a business executive in information technology companies to become the head of the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Trade. As the first female finance minister in the Middle East, she says she hopes her award will work to improve the dialogue between western nations and the Middle East. Charm Tong, a woman who has worked as an advocate for Burmese refugees since she was 16 years old, accepted the 2008 Human Rights Award on behalf of the women of Burma.

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整天感觉今天的两篇难度都不是很大，相对来说标准VOA当中几个人名，以及采访过程中的话可能有一点困难。听得还是非常不错的！

昨天发现PR被清零了，开始以为是付费评论的问题，今天chada留言说可能是VOA的问题，我宁愿相信是前者。不过就算是因为VOA听写的原因，那我还是要继续听写下去。毕竟写博客不是为了Google写的，听写也不是为了Google听的。听写VOA，让Google惩罚去吧:-)

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题目: Who Targets Climate Change for World Health Day 2008 (1/2)

专有名词: N/A

原文

Next Monday is World Health Day, observed by the World Health Organization. The objective chosen for this year is to get people involved in the campaign to protect against the health effects of climate change.

The World Health Organization is a United Nations agency. The W.H.O. says there is already evidence of health problems related to climate change. It says more people are dying from extreme heat, and that diseases spread by insects are also on the rise. And it says climate change has increased the risk of natural disasters, especially severe dry weather, wildfires, major storms and floods. Disasters like these can kill directly or indirectly. People can die or get sick from food shortages or conditions like the spread of disease.

Several years ago, the W.H.O. blamed climate change for 2% of diarea cases worldwide in the year 2000. Last month, researchers in Canada predicted that temperature increases there will spread insects like ticks and mosquitoes farther north. These insects can carry disease.

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题目: Memphis, Kansas Advance to NCAA Baxketball National Championship (2/2)

专有名词: Jayhawks, North Carolina, Kansas, Brandon Rush, Donald Jackson, Syracuse, Alamodome

原文

The Jayhawks led by 17 at the break but North Carolina was able to come back to within 4 points. However Kansas never surrendered the lead. Kansas coach Bill Self says the semifinal was almost like 3 games.

“First game we were great, and second game we weren’t very good, and they were great . The last game you know obviously we played super down the stretch. But you know guys were in attack mood right for the outset, and I thought we just did a really good job of being aggressor early which set the tune for the game.”

Brandon Rush led the Jayhawks with 25 points, teammate Donald Jackson says that his team knows that beating Memphis will be tough.

“A lot of guys are talking about this and Coach Self has been doing a great job in helping us to stay focused, and telling us not to be satisfied. And we’ve been playing so hard as a team together and not playing selfishly, and now we’ve got an opportunity to make history at our Kansas.”

Kansas last went to the final in 2003, but the Jayhawks lost to Syracuse. Kansas and Memphis meet for the national title Monday night at the Alamodome.

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慢速VOA当中有个别地方还是没听出来，主要是自己的词汇问题，其实不仅要从发音上辨别，还要从意思上进一步推测这个词到底是哪个。这是体会到的一件事情，现在感觉慢速VOA更多实在积累词汇，呵呵，不知道对听力进一步提高是不是就要考标准VOA了。

今天的标准VOA内容不错，是篮球，如果你经常看ESPN的新闻，或者一些英文视频，相信对于里面很多词都很熟悉了，以及一些表达，Hugh也总结了几个。相反，不熟悉的朋友听起来可能有些费劲。所以说，这个东西，只要熟了怎么都好办！

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题目: The Future of a Vaccine, and New Warnings for Asia (2/2)

专有名词: Merck, Bethesda, Anthony Fauci

重点总结: halt, allergy（都没有听出来）calls/causes（区别）

原文

The report says prevention programs can be effective if governments invest at least 30 cents a year per person. For more than 20 years, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. The latest failures came last September.

Researcher halted two studies of an experimental ADIS vaccine from the drug company Merck. Early results show that the vaccine not olny fails to protect, it appears to put some people at higher risk of infection.

Last Tuesday, several hundreds researchers and activists met in the Bethesda Maryland for a summit on HIV vaccine research and development. They debated what to do now. Many of the scientists agreed that the experimental vaccine should continue to be tested on humans. But many said there should be less dependence on human trials.

Anthony Fauci is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases which called the meeting. He and others said there should be more tests on animals to add to discoveries from human studies. There also were calls for a return to more basic science, first identifying and answering major scientific questions. The doctor Fauci said the search for an ADIS vaccine will not stop.

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题目: Memphis, Kansas Advance to NCAA Basketball National Championship (1/2)

专有名词: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Bruins, Memphis, Kansas

重点总结: straight time(火箭的22 straight win)，final four（四强）, title game（决赛）

原文

UCLA scored the first points of the first game, but Memphis was not intimidated. The Tigers had lost only once this season and the team was able to take the lead and hold it for most of the game. Chris Douglas Roberts led the Tighers with 28 points. Memphis coach John Callipari says his team made some mistakes, but it was able to take all UCLA could throw at it and still win.

“I’m really proud of them, we defended, you know, made it hard on a team that shoots a high percentage. But I was pround of our guys, I mean right up and down the line. But the reality of it is that I got a good team. (They are)a good team of players that play together, take care of the ball, rebound, got a good team.”

For UCLA, this marks the third straight time the Bruins have been to the final four only to lose. Memphis last went to the title game in 1973, when it lost to UCLA in the final. In the second semifinal game, Kansas tood the lead with the first basket of the game and expanded it to 28 points before halftime.

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