VOA标准英语2012--'Word on Street' Impacted Language in 2011

'Word on Street' Impacted Language in 2011 While 2011 is over, some of the words that came to define the past year are still very much with us, and may be for years to come. Since 2011 was an especially busy year for grassroots political action, many

VOA标准英语2012--Cutting Ethanol Subsidy Might Not Impact Food Prices

Cutting Ethanol Subsidy Might Not Impact Food Prices With the U.S. ethanol industry consuming about a quarter of the nations maize crop, many have blamed biofuels for rising food prices in recent years. The new year brought the end to a $6-billion su

VOA标准英语2012--Analysts: Iran's Threats in Gulf Unlikely to Lead to War

Analysts: Iran's Threats in Gulf Unlikely to Lead to War Irans recent threat to close the Strait of Hormuz led to a defiant U.S. response. It raised concerns of a military clash in the Persian Gulf and also raised oil prices. Some analysts do not exp

VOA标准英语2012--Israeli Society Facing Religious Extremism, Backlash

Israeli Society Facing Religious Extremism, Backlash For some time now, Israeli women have been protesting against what they see as efforts by some ultra-Orthodox Jews to exclude them from public spaces. Ultra-Orthodox Jews counter it is they who are

VOA标准英语2012--Scientists Identify Deafness Gene in Mice

Scientists Identify Deafness Gene in Mice Scientists have identified a gene that causes deafness in mice, and they say it could lead to a better understanding of hereditary deafness in humans and maybe new treatments in the future. Scientists had pre

VOA标准英语2012--US Cancer Deaths Decline

US Cancer Deaths Decline U.S. cancer deaths continue to drop, according to the American Cancer Society. The new report shows a slow reduction in death rates from the most deadly kinds of cancers. Over the past five years, the death rate for men decli

VOA标准英语2012--African Rainforests Continue to Face Challenges

African Rainforests Continue to Face Challenges The African continent contains about 30 percent of the worlds global rainforests, second only to the Amazon. Scientists and conservationists met at Oxford University to discuss changes the forests are e

VOA标准英语2012--Using Ingenuity to Combat Global Water Crisis

Using Ingenuity to Combat Global Water Crisis Much of the work goes on in Well Dones headquarters building south of San Francisco. Designers work to create compelling logos and user-friendly web layouts to spread the word on global water shortages. T

VOA标准英语2012--Attack on Pro-Gbagbo Protestors Draws Criticism from Ivorian Rights Group

Attack on Pro-Gbagbo Protestors Draws Criticism from Ivorian Rights Group Dozens of supporters of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo were attacked and injured during a rally Sunday in Abidjan, after opponents began throwing stones. Eric-Aim

VOA标准英语2012--Gingrich Victory in South Carolina Leaves Republican Race Open

Gi ngrich Victory in South Carolina Leaves Republican Race Open Newt Gingrich's supporters celebrated Saturday night. The candidate targeted President Barack Obama and complimented his Republican rivals. If you look at the four of us, we are proof th

VOA标准英语2012--Obama's State of the Union Address to Focus on Economic Fair Play

Obama's State of the Union Address to Focus on Economic Fair Play The economy will be front and center as the president makes the trip to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of Congress. Unemployment is falling, but not as quickly as Obama hoped.

VOA标准英语2012--New Documentary Illustrates Plague of Leftover Landmines

New Documentary Illustrates Plague of Leftover Landmines In many regions of the globe, surviving a war is followed by surviving the peace. From Laos, where this new documentary was filmed, to Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Cambodia, and many other coun

VOA标准英语2012--Man's Africa Trek Saves Pristine Forests

Man's Africa Trek Saves Pristine Forests Michael Fay calls himself a nature boy. Hes made a career of exploring the globe in the name of environmental protection, sponsored by organizations like National Geographic and the Wildlife Conservation Socie

VOA标准英语2012--One Year On, Egypt's Revolutionaries See Work in Progress

One Year On, Egypt's Revolutionaries See Work in Progress The millions who poured into Tahrir Square last year came from all walks of life: the poor, the middle class, Muslims and Christians. But the seeds of the uprising were largely planted by the

VOA标准英语2012--Scientists Developing Salt-Tolerant Rice

Scientists Developing Salt-Tolerant Rice Scientists are developing a salt-resistant variety of rice. The move was prompted, in part, by last year's Japan tsunami, which flooded some 20,000 hectares of rice paddies. The rice varieties Japanese farmers

VOA标准英语2012--'Extremely Loud' Hits Incredibly Close to Heart

'Extremely Loud' Hits Incredibly Close to Heart Oskar Schell cannot comprehend why the person he loved most died on the morning of September 11. An intellectually-gifted child, Oskar also has symptoms of Asperger's syndrome and is fearful of the worl

VOA标准英语2012--Sudanese Refugees Victims of Air Raid

Sudanese Refugees Victims of Air Raid At least one Sudanese refugee was injured and 14 others are missing following an air raid Monday in South Sudan. The U.N. refugee agency says the attack occurred in Upper Nile State where Sudanese refugees have s

VOA标准英语2012--Senegal Turns Away from French in Boost to Democracy

Senegal Turns Away from French in Boost to Democracy Senegal, once considered a francophone cradle in West Africa, is now increasingly turning from French to the local Wolof language. Scholars say this is a boost for democracy, but also a problem in

VOA标准英语2012--Untreatable New Forms of TB Raising Alarm

Untreatable New Forms of TB Raising Alarm The World Health Organization (WHO) lists 69 countries that have reported what is officially called extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). It's a form of the mycobacterium that, like the one report

VOA标准英语2012--In Facebook Game, Indian Woman Reject Dowry

In Facebook Game, Indian Woman Reject Dowry The Facebook game is called Angry Brides - reminiscent of the mobile-phone sensation Angry Birds. The player assumes the role of a Hindu goddess whose many arms can throw projectiles like stiletto-heeled sh