VOA标准英语2012--South Africa’s Education System Faces Huge Challenges

South Africas Education System Faces Huge Challenges In December, the South Africa government hailed the 70 percent pass rate for percent high school final exams, as a major achievement. It has risen every year since 2008 when 62.5 percent of student

VOA标准英语2012--Senegal Opposition Calls on International Community to End Pre-Election Violence

Senegal Opposition Calls on International Community to End Pre-Election Violence Protesters clashed again with security forces at recent demonstrations in Dakar. The protesters want President Abdoulaye Wade to abandon his bid for a third term. Look a

VOA标准英语2012--Digital Age Survivors, Japan’s Jazz Cafés Still Attract Fans

Digital Age Survivors, Japans Jazz Cafs Still Attract Fans It was never about the coffee. Long before customers had a choice of a double espresso or soy latte, Japanese flocked to coffee shops serving just a couple of kinds of beans, but an endless v

VOA标准英语2012--New American Voters Learn Finer Points of Democracy

New American Voters Learn Finer Points of Democracy At the United Cambodian Community, a civic organization in Long Beach, Cambodian immigrants are learning the finer points of American democracy. This is in part so they can become citizens. And vote

VOA标准英语2012--Construction Begins on National African American Museum

Construction Begins on National African American Museum After decades of planning, the Museum of African American History and Culture is being built on the National Mall in Washington. President Obama, former first lady Laura Bush and other dignitari

VOA标准英语2012--Study: No Evidence Hydraulic Fracturing Pollutes Water

Study: No Evidence Hydraulic Fracturing Pollutes Water A new study finds no evidence that the controversial practice to extract natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing is contaminating ground water. The report, Separating Fact from Fiction in Shale

VOA标准英语2012--European Rights Court Rules in Favor of African Migrants

European Rights Court Rules in Favor of African Migrants The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of Sub-Saharan African migrants who had sought asylum in Italy in 2009. Italy had intercepted the migrants boats at sea and returned them t

VOA标准英语2012--Wade's Candidacy Sparks Strong Reactions In Senegalese Abroad

Wade's Candidacy Sparks Strong Reactions In Senegalese Abroad Twelve years is enough, says veteran opposition leader and presidential candiddate Moustapha Niasse. And another candidate, former foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, says Mr. Wade shou

VOA标准英语2012--Record Drought Takes Toll on Texas Cattle

Record Drought Takes Toll on Texas Cattle Rancher Marc Scott once ran three times this many cows on his pastures, but when he saw drought coming last year, he began to sell them off. Probably between 60 and 70 percent of my herd is what I sold off, s

VOA标准英语2012--Court Overturns California Gay Marriage Ban

Court Overturns California Gay Marriage Ban Those who back the right of same-sex couples to marry cheered the ruling by the three-judge panel in San Francisco. In their 2-1 decision, the judges upheld the ruling of a lower court, saying Proposition 8

VOA标准英语2012--Senegal's President Begins Bid for Controversial Third Term

Senegal's President Begins Bid for Controversial Third Term Eight opposition candidates opened their campaigns ahead of Senegal's first-round presidential vote under a single banner and a single agenda. Respect for the constitution at the start of th

VOA标准英语2012--Study: Epilepsy Surgery Is Effective

Study: Epilepsy Surgery Is Effective A new study of epilepsy patients who had surgery to treat their illness decades ago indicates that seizures can be controlled safely and effectively with surgery. The study's author suggests surgery could be used

VOA标准英语2012--Study: Cleaning Umbilical Cord Saves Lives

Study: Cleaning Umbilical Cord Saves Lives Simple use of an inexpensive disinfectant could save hundreds of thousands of newborn lives each year. That's the conclusion of recent studies from South Asia. The umbilical cord is usually cut right after b

VOA标准英语2012--Drug Reverses Alzheimer's in Lab Mice

Drug Reverses Alzheimer's in Lab Mice Researchers working with laboratory mice have stopped the progression of a condition found in the brain of Alzheimer's victims. They've even reversed cognitive decline. But whether the discovery can translate to

VOA标准英语2012--Vatican Prosecutor Denounces 'Deadly Culture of Silence'

Vatican Prosecutor Denounces 'Deadly Culture of Silence' It is a scandal that has shaken the faith of Catholics around the world. And on Wednesday, the Vaticans top sex crimes prosecutor warned bishops they will be held accountable. We have the duty

VOA标准英语2012--World Bank: Break Down African Trade Barriers

World Bank: Break Down African Trade Barriers The World Bank says regional trade barriers are blocking African countries from billions of dollars in potential earnings. It says its easier for those countries to trade with other parts of the world tha

VOA标准英语2012--Obama Hosts Top Teenage Scientists

Obama Hosts Top Teenage Scientists Fourteen-year-old business owner Joe Hudy and one of his inventions, a compressed air cannon that shoots marshmallows, attracted President Obamas attention at the White House Science Fair. The president invited Joe

VOA标准英语2012--Giants Football Team Gets Ticker Tape Parade

Giants Football Team Gets Ticker Tape Parade An estimated one million New York Giants fans lined the streets of Lower Manhattan Tuesday for a ticker tape parade up Broadway. With confetti, office and toilet paper raining from skyscrapers, the winning

VOA标准英语2012--Oscar-nominated Music Helps Movies Soar

Oscar-nominated Music Helps Movies Soar 奥斯卡提名配乐使电影锦上添花 Most people consider film to be purely visual. Yet a movie's music, or score, plays a key role in conveying the works message. 大多数人认为电影是纯粹的视觉

VOA标准英语2012--France's First Mormon Temple Sparks Controversy

France's First Mormon Temple Sparks Controversy Until recently, Chesnay was mostly known because of its proximity to Versailles, the dazzling 18th-century palace that was home to French Sun King Louis XIV. But today, this small town west of Paris is