VOA标准英语2013--Detroit Government Retirees Struggle to Keep Benefits

Detroit Government Retirees Struggle to Keep Benefits Don Taylor spent 26 years of his life as a police officer in Detroit, the city where he was born and raised. It was a dangerous job, but one he is fond of. It also provided a dependable paycheck,

VOA标准英语2013--Pioneering Soil Researcher Wins Top Environment Prize

Pioneering Soil Researcher Wins Top Environment Prize Biologist Diana Wall went to the ends of the earth - the seemingly lifeless Antarctic desert - to study the life in soil. What soil life does for us, it provides us with many benefits that we don'

VOA标准英语2013--'Trance' Hypnotizes and Entertains

'Trance' Hypnotizes and Entertains Simon, an art auctioneer, played by James McAvoy, risks his life to hide a Goya painting from a gang. Franck, the gang leader, hits Simon on the head and Simon loses his memory from the blow. But Franck does not bel

VOA标准英语2013--Baby Bins Give Abandoned Children A Second Chance

Baby Bins Give Abandoned Children A Second Chance In a small street in Berea, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Johannesburg, a trap door in a wall could be mistaken for a mailbox. But it's actually a place where mothers can safely leave their babi

VOA标准英语2013--Community Organizer Fights Blight in Detroit

Community Organizer Fights Blight in Detroit If one mans trash is another mans treasure, then the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit is John Georges gold mine. I look at Detroit through rose colored glasses. Ive been here all my life. We were the cit

VOA标准英语2013--New Budget Cuts Cost of Living Adjustments for US Retirement Fund

New Budget Cuts Cost of Living Adjustments for US Retirement Fund About 58 million Americans receive social security benefits. Many live day-to-day on fixed incomes. Everything is going up. It's rising and there is not much you can do about it, Denni

VOA标准英语2013--Residents Living on China-N. Korea Border Await Calmer Times

Residents Living on China-N. Korea Border Await Calmer Times Delectable crabs, with a tough outer shell and meaty legs, have been coming to China every day from North Korea, despite threats of war. After a short trek across the border, they end up in

VOA标准英语2013--Mali Residents Wary As French Troops Withdraw

Mali Residents Wary As French Troops Withdraw French military patrols roll through Gao's neighborhoods like clockwork. It is textbook counterinsurgency. Residents say it is reassuring. But they are leaving. The French have done most of the heavy lift

VOA标准英语2013--Winner of Venezuela's Presidential Vote Will Face Challenges Ahead

Winner of Venezuela's Presidential Vote Will Face Challenges Ahead Nicolas Maduro, the former union leader who became President Chavez's vice president in 2012, ended his campaign with a massive rally in Caracas. He has vowed to continue the socialis

VOA标准英语2013--Cleaning Up Nairobi's 'Takataka' Cheaply and Effectively

Cleaning Up Nairobi's 'Takataka' Cheaply and Effectively In the Kangemi suburb of Nairobi, residents carefully avoid the piles of trash that have become permanent features of the citys landscape. One social enterprise, Takataka Solutions, aims to cha

VOA标准英语2013--Lebanon's 'Garden of Forgiveness' Aims to Nurture Peace

Lebanon's 'Garden of Forgiveness' Aims to Nurture Peace Alexandra Asseily first came to Lebanon in 1966. She married a Lebanese man and raised her children in Lebanon. Then, in 1975, Lebanon's civil war broke out. During the war I became very distres

VOA标准英语2013--US Legislators Embracing Different Religions

US Legislators Embracing Different Religions It is prayer hour inside the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple. With 17 deities, it is one of the largest temples in the Western Hemisphere. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. But it took until last

VOA标准英语2013--Global Trade Carries Risk of Pests

Global Trade Carries Risk of Pests More than one trillion dollars worth of agricultural products is traded every year. But as countries buy and sell fruits, vegetables, timber and other products, they also may be putting domestic plants at risk. That

VOA标准英语2013--US Analysts Dismiss Reports of Palestinian PM Resignation

US Analysts Dismiss Reports of Palestinian PM Resignation Longstanding differences between the Palestinian president and his prime minister came to a head after Fayyad accepted the resignation of Finance Minister Nabil Quassis last month and Presiden

VOA标准英语2013--Kacey Musgraves Debuts with 'Same Trailer, Different Park'

Kacey Musgraves Debuts with 'Same Trailer, Different Park' Last year, Musgraves earned a Top 10 Country hit with her debut single, Merry Go Round. The track sold more than half a million digital downloads over the past seven months, and brought Musgr

VOA标准英语2013--Rival GDP Measure Puts Emphasis on Social Progress

Rival GDP Measure Puts Emphasis on Social Progress Since the early 20th century, the United States has topped the global table of Gross Domestic Product. According to the new Social Progress Index, though, the best country in the world is Sweden. The

VOA标准英语2013--North Korea, 'Asia Pivot', Tops Kerry's Agenda

North Korea, 'Asia Pivot', Tops Kerry's Agenda On Asia, President Obama's second term starts where his first left off --boosting military, diplomatic, and commercial assets in the region as part of a so-called Asia Pivot. Ahead of his first trip to A

VOA标准英语2013--Chavez Spirit Lives On in Venezuelan Election Campaign

Chavez Spirit Lives On in Venezuelan Election Campaign An eternal flame marks the entrance of the National Pantheon, where the late President Hugo Chavez's body has been laid to rest. Every day, hundreds of his most loyal supporters, like Milagros Ro

VOA标准英语2013--Egypt's Christians Look Ahead after Religious Violence

Egypt's Christians Look Ahead after Religious Violence A few months ago, Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral was a place of joy - as Christians welcomed a new Coptic pope. Now the streets outside the main Coptic Church in Egypt are scattered with rubble,

VOA标准英语2013--India’s Gay Community Fights for Acceptance, Equality

Indias Gay Community Fights for Acceptance, Equality As a gay man in India, life has not been easy for Kiran. He left his home in the Andaman Islands and came to New Delhi two years ago, after years of ridicule from teachers, students and members of