VOA标准英语2012--Afghan Economy Slows

Afghan Economy Slows Row upon row of heavy construction equipment lies idle along Kabul's Jalalabad Road as international contracts begin to dry up with international forces pulling out. Machines like these had been used to build the heavily fortifie

VOA标准英语2012--HIV Activist Runs for Parliament in Burma

HIV Activist Runs for Parliament in Burma Last year authorities in Burma threatened to shut down Phyu Phyu Thin's AIDS clinic in a suburb of Rangoon. More than 40 patients live here in basic conditions. Most are too poor to afford treatment, or have

VOA标准英语2012--Arab World Faces Serious Poverty, Food Security Challenges

Arab World Faces Serious Poverty, Food Security Challenges A new report says Arab countries face a serious food security challenge and that poverty rates are much higher than official numbers suggest. It blames the situation on vulnerability to volat

VOA标准英语2012--Encyclopedias Survive by Going Online

Encyclopedias Survive by Going Online The other day, a few of us here at VOA got to talking about occupations that have grown obsolete, or nearly so, in these fast-changing times. Typewriter repair technician for one. And typist, come to think of it.

VOA标准英语2012--Inherited Vulnerability to Drug Addiction Discovered

Inherited Vulnerability to Drug Addiction Discovered Scientists have discovered structural abnormalities in the brains of drug addicts and their non-addicted siblings, a finding that suggests there may be an inherited vulnerability to addiction, and

VOA标准英语2012--US Economy Remains Focus of Presidential Race

US Economy Remains Focus of Presidential Race It is the central political issue of 2012: the U.S. economy, which suffered the worst recession of the post-World War II era in 2007 and 2008, and has endured an anemic recovery since. But the economic la

VOA标准英语2012--Coalition Commander Says Afghan Plan Still Intact

Coalition Commander Says Afghan Plan Still Intact General Allen took command of international forces in Afghanistan last July. Since then, his mission has been to put himself out of a job - to train Afghan troops to take over, against a weakened Tali

VOA标准英语2012--Russians Ignore Arctic Cold and Keep Protest Flame Burning

Russians Ignore Arctic Cold and Keep Protest Flame Burning Arctic cold held Moscow in its icy grip, but tens of thousands of people left their warm apartments to demonstrate against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Braving the same sub-zero tem

VOA标准英语2012--Medical Exam Provides Stage for Actors

Medical Exam Provides Stage for Actors Ted Bell portrays a 55-year-old patient who'd had stomach pain for three months. I am a teacher, he tells nursing student Emily Tyrrell. Several times it has happened at school. Bell is actually a retired civil

VOA标准英语2012--Study: Heavy Facebook Users Less Happy

Study: Heavy Facebook Users Less Happy Students at George Mason University in Virginia were asked how many friends they have on Facebook. Um, Ive never actually stopped and looked at it. Probably somewhere between 350 and 400, responded one student.

VOA标准英语2012--Emotion Could Propel Lead Actress to Top in Oscar Race

Emotion Could Propel Lead Actress to Top in Oscar Race In My Week with Marilyn, Michelle Williams captivates as Marilyn Monroe. The film chronicles one week in the Hollywood icon's life while she filmed the musical The Prince and the Showgirl with La

VOA标准英语2012--Senegal’s Female Presidential Candidate Has Equality Agenda

Senegals Female Presidential Candidate Has Equality Agenda As presidential hopefuls began campaigning for Senegals February 26 election, the sole female candidate, Amsatou Sow Sidibe, was touring the countrys coast shaking hands and speaking to the m

VOA标准英语2012--Pampered Pet Business Booms in US

Pampered Pet Business Booms in US At A Dogs Day Out in Alexandria, Virginia, people bring in their dogs to stay either for the day or overnight. Interior decorator Gay Lynn Fourney is a regular customer. Shes my little girl, and I just want to make s

VOA标准英语2012--Dickens' Fans Mark 200th Anniversary of his Birth

Dickens' Fans Mark 200th Anniversary of his Birth This is Portsmouth, about 100 kilometers south of London. It's a city with a proud past, one of the main homes of the British Navy. Tourists come here to see the historic port. But though the cultural

VOA标准英语2012--Harnessing the Mineral Wealth of Poor Countries

Harnessing the Mineral Wealth of Poor Countries 新方针指导贫穷国家正确利用其丰富矿藏 Developing countries with potential mineral riches have often fallen prey to corruption and mismanagement. As a result, theyve failed to benefit fr

VOA标准英语2012--Five Leading Men Vie for Best Actor Oscar

Five Leading Men Vie for Best Actor Oscar In The Descendants, a bittersweet family drama directed by Alexander Payne, George Clooney plays Matt Smith, a successful lawyer who finds himself at life's crossroads. After a boating accident, his wife is i

VOA标准英语2012--Wounded Syrians Treated at Secret Clinic in Lebanon

Wounded Syrians Treated at Secret Clinic in Lebanon Amran, 6, is one of the youngest patients in this hospital. He has difficulty walking. When he shows his leg, its easy to see why. A chunk is missing from his shin. The hole is surrounded by red sca

VOA标准英语2012--Many African Men Fail to Get HIV Treatment

Many African Men Fail to Get HIV Treatment A new study says men in sub-Saharan Africa are not accessing HIV/AIDS treatment nearly as often as women. That means many are dying prematurely. Researchers are calling for a more balanced approach to gender

VOA标准英语2012--Africa Leaders Optimistic about Future of Continent

Africa Leaders Optimistic about Future of Continent Delegates to the summit came from various African countries and from World Bank, African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program. Addressing the participants, Zimbabwean Presiden

VOA标准英语2012--Oscar-Nominated 'Hugo' Centers on Movie Magic

Oscar-Nominated 'Hugo' Centers on Movie Magic Once upon a time I met a boy named Hugo Cabret. He searched to find a secret message and that message lit his way all the way home. Hugo is an orphan who lives in the shadows of a busy Paris train station