VOA标准英语2011--At 75, Seminal US Composer Still Inspires

At 75, Seminal US Composer Still Inspires American composer Steve Reich turned 75 this year. The so-called minimalist credits jazz, African drumming and Balinese gamelan as inspirations. His music - from experimental tape loops to the Pulitzer prize-

VOA标准英语2011--VP Biden Visits Iraq Before US Troops Withdraw

VP Biden Visits Iraq Before US Troops Withdraw U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has made Tuesday a previously unannounced visit to Iraq. The vice president has been meeting with Iraqi leaders, about a month before a deadline for U.S. forces to withdraw

VOA标准英语2011--Pythons Unlock Human Heart Health Secrets

Pythons Unlock Human Heart Health Secrets Studying snakes might seem like an unlikely way to help people with heart disease, but a pythons remarkable ability to quickly enlarge its heart during digestion has Colorado medical researchers looking towar

VOA标准英语2011--Philadelphia Cracks Down on Domestic Violence

Philadelphia Cracks Down on Domestic Violence The Women Against Abuse shelter is the only refuge in Philadelphia for women escaping abusive relationships. The buildings location is a secret - for safety reasons. Its clients, like Sheila Armstrong, ar

VOA标准英语2011--Somalia Famine Refugees Joined by Others Fleeing Insecurity

Somalia Famine Refugees Joined by Others Fleeing Insecurity Kenya's military offensive against Islamic extremists in southern Somalia is sparking concern about a fresh exodus of Somali refugees to camps in Ethiopia. The rainy season has arrived in mo

VOA标准英语2011--Pennsylvania Man Gets Into Halloween in a Big Way

Pennsylvania Man Gets Into Halloween in a Big Way Once a year, on the holiday known as Halloween, American parents tell their kids its okay to take candy from strangers; as they go from door to door in costume in the traditional practice called Trick

VOA标准英语2011--US Presses for Greater Pakistani Role in Afghan Peace Process

US Presses for Greater Pakistani Role in Afghan Peace Process Foreign ministers are meeting in Turkey this week to endorse Afghan efforts for a political solution to the decade-long conflict and to determine a plan for a sustainable Afghan economy. A

VOA标准英语2011--India’s Opposition Demands Rollback of Move to Allow Foreign Retailers

Indias Opposition Demands Rollback of Move to Allow Foreign Retailers In India, opposition parties and political allies of the government are demanding a rollback of a recent decision to further open up the country's retail business to foreign super

VOA标准英语2011--Aid Agencies Reassess Somali Operations

Aid Agencies Reassess Somali Operations Sixteen aid agencies say they face new challenges in Somalia, after the al Shabab militant group banned their activities in the southern and central parts of the country. Al Shabab accuses the agencies of bias

VOA标准英语2011--Muslim-American Children Make Mock Pilgrimage to Mecca

Muslim-American Children Make Mock Pilgrimage to Mecca More than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world have gathered in Mecca for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage, which begins later this week. At a Washington area mosque, American Muslim children

VOA标准英语2011--New Law in Vietnam to Tackle Changing Face of Human Trafficking

New Law in Vietnam to Tackle Changing Face of Human Trafficking Vietnam's economic growth has improved mobility, giving people more opportunities to travel to find better jobs. But as industries change and cities grow, so do the dangers to the countr

VOA标准英语2011--Cleverest are Often Quickest to Cheat

Cleverest are Often Quickest to Cheat It seems for the past few years, the news has been filled with stories of people who cheat: bankers bilking investors out of millions of dollars, politicians who cheat on their wives and constituents. The cheater

VOA标准英语2011--Rural Women in Africa Speak Out at Climate Conference

Rural Women in Africa Speak Out at Climate Conference It looked and sounded like a celebration. But participants at this gathering of rural women from across Africa have a serious message for the delegates at the COP-17 climate conference. We've come

VOA标准英语2011--Unlikely Pair Find Solace in Traditional Chinese Music

Unlikely Pair Find Solace in Traditional Chinese Music A Chinese musical program near Oakland, California's Chinatown has been offering a safe haven for children of working class Chinese American families. It's a place where students can spend free t

VOA标准英语2011--Reducing HIV Risk with Painless Male Circumcision

Reducing HIV Risk with Painless Male Circumcision Studies have shown that male circumcision greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. The World Health Organization is weighing approval of a new device that could make the procedure simple and pain

VOA标准英语2011--Idled Atom-Smasher Yielding Data Months After Shutdown

Idled Atom-Smasher Yielding Data Months After Shutdown The Tevatron Accelerator at the U.S. government's Fermi National Laboratory in suburban Chicago once led the world in studying what happens when subatomic particles are thrown together at nearly

VOA标准英语2011--Doctor 'Brain Drain' Costs Africa $2.2 Billion

Doctor 'Brain Drain' Costs Africa $2.2 Billion There are more than a hundred million health care workers around the world, but in many poor countries, there are only a handful of doctors and nurses to care for tens or, even hundreds of thousands of p

VOA标准英语2011--Pakistani Boycott Jeopardizes Conference on Afghanistan

Pakistani Boycott Jeopardizes Conference on Afghanistan Pakistan's decision to boycott an international conference on Afghanistans future is jeopardizing the meeting's success. The conference is scheduled to begin Monday in Bonn, Germany. Anger in Pa

VOA标准英语2011--South African Singer Starts Black Education Fund

South African Singer Starts Black Education Fund In March 2011 Simphiwe Dana embarked on a tour of rural and township schools to increase awareness of the dire state of public education, and to identify key problems such as the lack of libraries, sci

VOA标准英语2011--Want to Buy the Empire State Building?

Want to Buy the Empire State Building? Selling the Brooklyn Bridge in New York refers to an American expression about gullible individuals who would buy it from scam artists offering bogus shares in the publicly-owned landmark. But shares in another