VOA标准英语2012--Obama: Burma's Journey an Example for Asia, World

Obama: Burma's Journey an Example for Asia, World In a speech at the University of Rangoon, Obama referred to a pledge he made at his presidential inauguration in 2009 to extend a hand to governments that ruled by fear if they are ready to unclench t

VOA标准英语2012--Over a Billion Women Lack Safe Sanitation

Over a Billion Women Lack Safe Sanitation November 19 is World Toilet Day. Its estimated that more than a billion women lack access to safe sanitation. The NGO WaterAid says a lack of adequate toilets puts women at risk of shame, disease, harassment

VOA标准英语2012--Experts Not Hopeful About Doha Climate Conference

Experts Not Hopeful About Doha Climate Conference For decades, talk of climate change has evoked images of melting ice and stranded polar bears. But it is not just about the polar bears any more. Experts say warming temperatures and rising oceans are

VOA标准英语2012--Anti-Terror Operations Stoke Religious Tension in Kenya

Anti-Terror Operations Stoke Religious Tension in Kenya At the butcher shop where Omar Faraj worked as a cashier, the till is unmanned. In late October, Kenyan police killed Faraj, accusing him of planning a terrorist attack. Many customers have not

VOA标准英语2012--Efforts Mount to Conserve Wild Turkey Breeds

Efforts Mount to Conserve Wild Turkey Breeds A sprinkle of corn, and Rachel Summers' turkeys come running. She raises a small flock of a breed called Standard Bronze at Crowfoot Farm, about an hour from Washington. These are birds with history, Summe

VOA标准英语2012--'Gangnam Style' Boosts S. Korean Tourism

'Gangnam Style' Boosts S. Korean Tourism Alexis Martinez, 14, is in a tour group that is learning the dance made famous by South Korean musician Psy in his video Gangnam Style. Martinez says even back home in Texas the song is a big hit. It was basic

VOA标准英语2012--Israel-Gaza Volleys Take Civilian Toll

Israel-Gaza Volleys Take Civilian Toll The rocket hit in the early morning, destroying three apartments in this town 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza. Three people were killed and seven others were wounded, including a small girl. Neighbor Abraham Her

VOA标准英语2012--Historic Marijuana Vote Pits States Against US Government

Historic Marijuana Vote Pits States Against US Government A historic moment for supporters of marijuana legalization in the U.S. The states of Colorado and Washington have legalized the possession and sale of marijuana for adult recreational use. The

VOA标准英语2012--Trees Stand Tall Against Climate Change

Trees Stand Tall Against Climate Change The next U.N. Climate Change Conference gets underway November 26 in Doha, Qatar. Once again, negotiators will try to reach a broad agreement on dealing with rising global temperatures. Deforestation is expecte

VOA标准英语2012--World Prematurity Day Aims to Lower Rates of Premature Births

World Prematurity Day Aims to Lower Rates of Premature Births This tiny newborn is one of more than 15 million babies who start their lives with a major disadvantage...being born too soon. Preterm birth is the greatest killer of newborns around the w

VOA标准英语2012--Millions Hungry as US Dumps 40% of its Food

Millions Hungry as US Dumps 40% of its Food Even though one in six Americans is chronically hungry, almost half of all food produced in the United States ends up in the trash. That's about $165 billion worth of food discarded every year at home, in r

VOA标准英语2012--Author Celebrates Los Angeles Chinatown

Author Celebrates Los Angeles Chinatown With her red hair and freckles, Lisa See looks Caucasian. But she's one-eighth Chinese and is part of an extended Chinese-American family. She's at home as she strolls through Chinatown's neighborhoods and temp

VOA标准英语2012--Obama Meets Chinese, Japanese Leaders at East Asia Summit

Obama Meets Chinese, Japanese Leaders at East Asia Summit It was the first meeting between the president and Premier Wen since their talks at the last East Asia Summit in Bali last year and since Obama's re-election to a second term. The two have met

VOA标准英语2012--Critics of Jordan's King Bemoan Missed Opportunities

Critics of Jordan's King Bemoan Missed Opportunities In recent days, some Jordanians have broken a long-held taboo - chanting attacks on King Abdullah himself. The protests were sparked by a cut in subsidies, meant to forestall a fiscal crisis and co

VOA标准英语2012--After Sandy, New Yorkers Give Holiday Thanks

After Sandy, New Yorkers Give Holiday Thanks This year's Thanksgiving holiday falls just three weeks after Hurricane Sandy battered New York City, leaving thousands homeless or displaced. Rashawn Austins neighborhood was relatively unscathed but love

VOA标准英语2012--Kyoto Protocol Winds Down As Delegates Head To Doha

Kyoto Protocol Winds Down As Delegates Head To Doha As delegates from 190 countries head for Doha to try to forge a new deal on tackling global warming, the Kyoto Protocol - signed in 1997 - is due to expire at the end of the year. That deal sets bin

VOA标准英语2012--Some Discontented Texans Talk Secession

Some Discontented Texans Talk Secession Texas barbecue is on the menu and secession from the Union is the topic at this restaurant near Houston. The Texas Nationalist Movement is pushing the idea, though the group did not originate the petition for T

VOA标准英语2012--Amnesty warns of M23 Rebel Abuses

Amnesty warns of M23 Rebel Abuses Amnesty international says the displacement of thousands of people in the eastern DRC has created both a humanitarian and a human rights crisis. Amnesty International researcher Theo Boutruche says the M23 rebels hav

VOA标准英语2012--New Study Could Change Treatment For Asthma

New Study Could Change Treatment For Asthma Most adults who have mild or moderate asthma are told to use their inhalers twice daily, even if they don't have symptoms. The medicine in those compressed-air inhalers are corticosteroids, which open a per

VOA标准英语2012--M23 Rebels Urged to Protect Civilians

M23 Rebels Urged to Protect Civilians Humanitarian agencies in the eastern DRC are scrambling to locate displaced civilians and provide assistance following the M23 rebel groups takeover of Goma. For years, the town has been the center of aid operati