VOA标准英语2008年-From Garage Gym to Beijing - Weightlifter Casey

American weightlifter Casey Burgener will be making his Olympic debut in Beijing. He edged out four other super heavyweights to clinch the third and final spot on the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team. Burgener has two U.S. national titles, and last y

VOA常速英语2008年-Mixed Global Reaction Follows Castro Retirement

By Michael Bowman Washington 19 February 2008 Reaction from around the world to the retirement of Cuban President Fidel Castro has been mixed and cautious. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports. Fidel Castro's retirement formally ends the rul

VOA常速英语2008年-US Lawmakers to Question Pentagon Officials Abo

By Dan Robinson Washington 06 February 2008 In appearances before Congress on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a top military official are expected to underscore decreased violence in Iraq. But as VOA's Dan Robinson reports, they are lik

VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan Security Officials Describe Hotel Atta

Pakistani security officials have disclosed new details about Saturday's hotel bombing and released a video showing the attack. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad, where the interior ministry said the death toll has reached 53 people, inclu

VOA常速英语2008年-Yellow Dog Records Roster Boasts Some of Today'

By Doug Levine Washington 28 April 2008 Memphis, Tennessee is known as The birthplace of the blues. So it's no surprise that a record label specializing in new blues, jazz and soul music set up shop near Beale Street, home to many of Memphis' world-f

VOA常速英语2008年-Miami Beach's Art Deco District Threatened

By Steve Mort Miami Beach, Florida 19 February 2008 Miami Beach in Florida is home to the largest concentration of architecture from the 1920s and '30s in the United States. The historic art deco buildings are a popular tourist attraction, but preser

VOA标准英语2008年-Kenyan President Begins Naming Ministers

By Nick Wadhams Nairobi 08 January 2008 Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has gone ahead and appointed several Cabinet ministers in his new government even though the country is mired in a political crisis that has left nearly 500 people dead. Nick Wadham

VOA标准英语2008年-Australian Sheep Shearers Deserting Industry

By Phil Mercer Sydney 21 January 2008 Australia's wool industry faces a chronic lack of sheep shearers. They are being lured to better paid jobs in the booming mining sector, just as demand from China, which buys about 60 percent of Australian wool,

VOA标准英语2008年-It's a Big Year for 'Tin Lizzies'

As the 19th century rolled into the 20th, a young entrepreneur named Henry Ford boasted, I will build a car for the great multitude. He tried and tried, naming each of his models of what was then called the horseless carriage after a succeeding lett

VOA常速英语2008年-New Orleans Spirit Upbeat as Recovery From Hurr

By Greg Flakus New Orleans 24 April 2008 U.S. President George Bush met with the leaders of Mexico and Canada in New Orleans earlier this week, giving that city much needed attention as it continues to recover nearly three years after it was devastat

VOA标准英语2008年-What Do You Get When You Combine Spirits and Su

By Ted Landphair Washington, DC 09 June 2008 In the United States, the regulation of alcoholic beverages is the job of state governments. And each of them often delegates responsibility to its smaller divisions called counties. For instance, some co

VOA标准英语2008年-Softball Bows Out of Olympics After Beijing

By Steve Schy Washington 05 May 2008 The United States Women's National Softball team has won every gold medal since the sport was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Atlanta Games. They have dominated international competitions like the Pan Ame

VOA常速英语2008年-US Plans to Shoot Down Disabled Spy Satellite

By Cindy Saine Washington 14 February 2008 The Defense Department says it is planning to shoot down a defunct U.S. spy satellite before it is expected to hit the Earth in early March, because of potential danger to human beings from its unburned rock

VOA标准英语2008年-Monkeys Use Brain Signals To Operate Robotic Ar

By Jessica Berman Washington 28 May 2008 Monkeys have successfully operated robotic arms to feed themselves with human-like precision, activating a mechanical device with signals from their brain. Researchers say the technique could eventually be use

VOA标准英语2008年-Women's Football Kicks Off Beijing Olympics

Although the opening ceremonies are on Friday, Olympic competition begins Wednesday with the start of the women's football (soccer) tournament. At the Beijing Games in China, VOA's Jim Stevenson has this preview. Goalkeeper Hope Solo reaches for bal

VOA常速英语2008年-Cameroon Set to Lift Limits on Presidency

By Nico Colombant Dakar 09 April 2008 Plans to lift presidential term limits in Cameroon are being sped through the country's national assembly, angering the opposition. President Paul Biya has been in power a quarter century, and the change would al

VOA标准英语2008年-South Korea Urges Hungry North to Accept Corn A

By Kurt Achin Seoul 04 June 2008 South Korea says it is willing to send tens of thousands of tons of immediate food aid to impoverished North Korea. The aid would fulfill a deal made during the previous South Korean administration, but may not ease

VOA标准英语2008年-Injury Forces Chinese Track Icon Out of Beijing

One of China's most recognizable and widely followed athletes -- defending Olympic 110-meter hurdles champion Liu Xiang - suffered an injury Monday and will not compete as expected for an Olympic gold medal. VOA's Jim Stevenson has more on the deepl

VOA标准英语2008年-2000 Olympic Champion Diver Laura Wilkinson Aim

By Teresa Sullivan Washington 09 May 2008 2000 Olympics champion Laura Wilkinson of the United States has won a gold medal in every major world competition in platform diving. The 30-year-old is considered a strong contender to earn a spot on the 200

VOA标准英语2008年-Olympic Champions to be Crowned in 17 Events We

Most of the winners on the fifth full day of competition at the Beijing Olympics will come from sports not widely followed. But as VOA's Jim Stevenson reports from the Chinese capital, their victories will mean as much as the gold medals claimed in