VOA标准英语2012--After 100 Years, Girl Scouts Still Thrive in US

After 100 Years, Girl Scouts Still Thrive in US Singing campfire songs has always been a big part of Girl Scouts. It is a key component of the outdoor activities, like camping and hiking that are central to scouting. Those are activities that Girl Sc

VOA标准英语2012--Experts: Chavez's Diagnosis Weakens Re-Election Chances

Experts: Chavez's Diagnosis Weakens Re-Election Chances Mr. Chavez disclosed his condition last week while visiting the site of a proposed tractor factory. He said he had been examined by doctors in Cuba who found a lesion in his pelvis where a cance

VOA标准英语2012--Abortion Top Concern for Michigan Social Conservative Voters

Abortion Top Concern for Michigan Social Conservative Voters It might look like a campaign bus for Rick Santorum. And listening to conversations on board as it moves through Michigan, it might seem like Rick Santorums campaign bus. But this bus is no

VOA标准英语2012--Flying Dog Brewery Part of Micro Beer Spurt in US

Flying Dog Brewery Part of Micro Beer Spurt in US Its hard to imagine life without beer. Especially here at the Flying Dog Brewery. This place fills 250 bottles every single minute of production, says the company's Erin Biles. Not bad for a brewery i

VOA标准英语2012--'The Artist' Grabs Key Honors at Academy Awards

'The Artist' Grabs Key Honors at Academy Awards French filmmaker Michel Hazavanicius earned the Oscar for directing The Artist, while Jean Dujardin, who plays a fading silent film star, earned the award for best actor. The film is almost entirely sil

VOA标准英语2012--US Motorists Fume, Politicians Bicker Over High Fuel Prices

US Motorists Fume, Politicians Bicker Over High Fuel Prices During the past month, gasoline prices have risen 20 percent or more in some parts of the country, draining drivers wallets as they fill up their gas tanks. It is very disturbing. It is very

VOA标准英语2012--Leap Day Babies Celebrate Quadrennial Birthdays

Leap Day Babies Celebrate Quadrennial Birthdays Most people usually hear Happy Birthday every year. But whats it like when your actual birthday is on the calendar only once every four years? Chad Ritchey is turning 32 - hes had eight real birthdays.

VOA标准英语2012--China Wages Diplomatic Offensive With Arab Countries

China Wages Diplomatic Offensive With Arab Countries At a regular briefing Wednesday, spokesman Hong Lei gave details of phone conversations Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has had in recent days with the head of the Arab League, as well as coun

VOA标准英语2012--Access to Birth Control Sparks US Political Controversy

Access to Birth Control Sparks US Political Controversy What I want to know is where are the women? When I look at this panel, I don't see one single woman representing the tens of millions of women across the country, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Demo

VOA标准英语2012--Arab-Americans Unhappy with Republican Party

Arab-Americans Unhappy with Republican Party Some 300,000 Arab Americans live in Michigan, many of them in the Detroit area. They are part of a close-knit community, built on conservative social values. In the 1990s, more than one-third of Arab-Ameri

VOA标准英语2012--Heston's 'Warm Human, Cold World' Showcases Caribbean Influences

Heston's 'Warm Human, Cold World' Showcases Caribbean Influences Hestons introduction to the music world came through a radio in his native Dominica. He says he gained an appreciation for singing and songwriting after years of listening to the island

VOA标准英语2012--US Aims to Empower World's Women Farmers

US Aims to Empower World's Women Farmers Women face a number of obstacles that men do not. They tend to own less land and have fewer rights to that land. They have less access to credit and training. And they have less input in decision-making. With

VOA标准英语2012--3D Gaming Technology Predicts Ocean Future

3D Gaming Technology Predicts Ocean Future The Nereus model incorporates climate change models, data related to human activities, and changes in the oceans food webs to calculate a timeline for harvestable marine life from 1960 to the year 2060. Nere

VOA标准英语2012--Despite Ups and Downs, US Economy on Track to Recovery

Despite Ups and Downs, US Economy on Track to Recovery American consumer confidence is at a 12-month high. Unemployment has fallen to pre-crisis levels and Greek debt is fading into the background - at least for now. But even as rising stock prices f

VOA标准英语2012--Can Diplomacy Solve Iranian Nuclear Crisis?

Can Diplomacy Solve Iranian Nuclear Crisis? Top officials say there is a diplomatic path to avoid a military conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says there are two alternatives - engagement or confrontation. The Islamic Republic of Ir

VOA标准英语2012--N. Korea to End Nuclear Tests for Food Aid

N. Korea to End Nuclear Tests for Food Aid The announcement came just a little more than two months after the death of the secretive communist state's supreme leader Kim Jong Il. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that while there still are

VOA标准英语2012--Panel Urges Study of Nanomaterial Risks

Panel Urges Study of Nanomaterial Risks The nano market is booming. In 2009 developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials. The global market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015. Yet wi

VOA标准英语2012--India Holds Large-Scale Drill for a Potential Disaster

India Holds Large-Scale Drill for a Potential Disaster By the time the sirens sounded all around New Delhi, two months planning had been completed. In nine different parts of the city, rescue workers simulated a 7.2 magnitude earthquake 275 kilometer

VOA标准英语2012--Small Businesses Offer Taste of Economic Growth

Small Businesses Offer Taste of Economic Growth A flurry of upbeat reports show a U.S. economy recovering from the worst recession in decades and headed for expansion. But this week's improved figures for housing, jobs, rising stock prices and modest

VOA标准英语2012--Putin's Challengers Seek Attention With TV Ads

Putin's Challengers Seek Attention With TV Ads Vladimir Zhirinovsky is running for president of Russia for the fifth time since 1991. In his TV ads, he whips a stubborn donkey. He shouts: This lousy little donkey is a symbol of our country. The Carne