VOA标准英语2012--Venezuelan Voters to Decide Whether to Continue Chavez Rule

Venezuelan Voters to Decide Whether to Continue Chavez Rule As Sunday's election nears, President Chavez has stepped up new government building projects in Caracas that provide jobs and free housing to the poor. By using Venezuela's vast oil resource

VOA标准英语2012--Pro-Assad Media Gives Government View of Syrian Conflict

Pro-Assad Media Gives Government View of Syrian Conflict For much of the world, the war in Syria is seen through videos and voices of activists and citizens who tell of government attacks on residential areas and the crushing of a defiant opposition

VOA标准英语2012--Bahrain Court Decision on Medics Sparks Outcry

Bahrain Court Decision on Medics Sparks Outcry Bahraini authorities arrested the nine medics in Manama at the height of last year's protests as uprisings swept across the Arab world. Their convictions include theft of medical equipment, occupying a h

VOA标准英语2012--Burma Working to Change Image

Burma Working to Change Image At the airport in Rangoon this week, supporters waited for Thein Sein, already proclaiming his U.N. visit a success. I came here to welcome Mr. President because I love the speech he gave at U.N. I think I should welcome

VOA标准英语2012--Covered Bridges Make River Crossings a Treat

Covered Bridges Make River Crossings a Treat Its fall in the United States, the season when millions of Americans take to country roads to check out pumpkin patches, apple-cider stands - and covered bridges. These structures stand year-round, of cour

VOA标准英语2012--Traditional Shaman Ceremony Attracts New Yorkers

Traditional Shaman Ceremony Attracts New Yorkers Spiritual seekers and the merely curious participate in the ancient Incan ceremony, conducted by Jesus Aguilar, a Peruvian healer-priest called a shaman. Aguilar moved from Cusco, Peru, to New York wit

VOA标准英语2012--Early Detection And Treatment A Must For Glaucoma Patients

Early Detection And Treatment A Must For Glaucoma Patients Glaucoma robs people of their vision. It happens when fluid builds up in the eye, causing so much pressure that it kills cells in the optic nerve. Mary Hyman was diagnosed with glaucoma more

VOA标准英语2012--Remote US Museum Survives in Hells Canyon

Remote US Museum Survives in Hells Canyon The rushing Snake River cut Americas deepest gorge through Idaho in the Rocky Mountains of the American Northwest. Today, its known as Hells Canyon. Every few kilometers along the way, the river widened and s

VOA标准英语2012--Singer Songwriter Christina Perri Celebrates Birthday on Stage and Holiday

Singer Songwriter Christina Perri Celebrates Birthday on Stage and Holiday Christina Perri has just ended her first tour, which lasted over two years as opening act for Jason Mraz. One of the highlights of the tour happened in August when she celebra

VOA标准英语2012--Epilepsy Burdens Developing Countries

Epilepsy Burdens Developing Countries Developing countries are seeing rising rates of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. But researchers say those countries already have a disproportionate number of epilepsy

VOA标准英语2012--Once Muffled, Scottish Fiddling Thrives in US

Once Muffled, Scottish Fiddling Thrives in US The Valley of the Moon Scottish fiddle camp is nestled amidst towering redwood trees in the Santa Cruz mountains. In that bucolic setting, more than 200 students spend a week camping, swimming, hiking and

VOA标准英语2012--US Presidential Candidates Offer Similar Foreign Policy Visions

US Presidential Candidates Offer Similar Foreign Policy Visions The presidential candidates offered similar visions of the U.S. role in global affairs during their final debate. America remains the one indispensable nation. And the world needs a stro

VOA标准英语2012--South Korea Tries New Approach to Reduce Suicides

South Korea Tries New Approach to Reduce Suicides It only took a single generation for the country to go from an impoverished nation to one of the worlds top economies. It is a fast-paced society, where people have a hard time slowing down. Some obse

VOA标准英语2012--Annual UN Meeting Wraps Up in New York

Annual UN Meeting Wraps Up in New York U.S. President Barack Obama was one of the debates first speakers. He urged other leaders to speak out against violence and extremism in the wake of an amateur video mocking Islam that sparked deadly protests in

VOA标准英语2012--Spain’s Economic Crisis Sparks Catalonia Independence Drive

Spains Economic Crisis Sparks Catalonia Independence Drive On the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is a beautiful and prosperous city. Polls indicate its people are increasingly unhappy, however, about having their tax money go to support poore

VOA标准英语2012--Hurricane Sandy Reignites Climate Change Debate

Hurricane Sandy Reignites Climate Change Debate Hurricane Sandy cut power to about 8 million homes, shut down 70 percent of East Coast oil refineries, and will exceed, economists say, the $15 billion worth of damage caused last year when Hurricane Ir

VOA标准英语2012--Presidential Candidates' Differing Positions on Immigration

Presidential Candidates' Differing Positions on Immigration They sparred about it in their second debate, but while President Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, believe the U.S. immigration system must be reformed, they dont agree

VOA标准英语2012--Gas Shortages Test Patience of Motorists Following Sandy

Gas Shortages Test Patience of Motorists Following Sandy A New York City policeman directs a motorist to the end the line at a gas station in Brooklyn. And quite a line it is. Drivers here are waiting five hours to get to the head of it. Police are o

VOA标准英语2012--After Sandy, Wall Street Closed for 2nd Day

After Sandy, Wall Street Closed for 2nd Day Major U.S. stock and bond markets were closed again on Tuesday, a day after Hurricane Sandy swept through New York City. The area around Wall Street was part of a mandatory evacuation zone, and with the sto

VOA标准英语2012--Mother Teresa Added to National Cathedral Human Rights Porch

Mother Teresa Added to National Cathedral Human Rights Porch At the choral evensong service held to dedicate the carving of Mother Teresa, the Reverend Samuel Lloyd paid tribute to the Albanian nun who spent her life caring for the poor and the oppre