VOA标准英语2011--New Yorker's Say 'Good Riddance' to 2011

New Yorker's Say 'Good Riddance' to 2011 Good riddance is an expression in English to bid farewell to disagreeable things or people. As 2011 comes to an end, New York City held its fifth annual Good Riddance Day to give residents and visitors an oppo

VOA标准英语2011--And the Oscar Goes To…

STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. Im Steve Ember. BARBARA KLEIN: And Im Barbara Klein. Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California. The awards are cal

VOA标准英语2011--Do You Keep a Horse in a Bathtub?

If you're planning a trip to the United States, be very careful. You could easily break one of our laws and not know it. We're not talking about obvious illegal behavior, like punching your taxi driver or throwing a chair through your hotel window. N

VOA标准英语2011--Haiti to Hold Second Round of Elections

After a grueling campaign, Haiti's two second round presidential candidates are making their final push toward Sunday's vote with concerts in Port-Au-Prince. Scholar and former first lady Mirlande Manigat has worked to project an image of competence.

VOA标准英语2011--It's US Marines Vs Aliens in 'Battle: Lo

Southern California is the battleground for a new sci-fi action film that pits US Marines against unfriendly visitors from outer space. Here's a look at Battle: Los Angeles. These things are everywhere. There's one off the coast of 20 countries. At f

VOA标准英语2011--Healing the Pain of Obstetric Fistula

A medical aid group says many pregnant African women suffer needlessly from complicated or prolonged labor. As a result, they're forced to live with obstetric fistula a condition that scars them physically, emotionally and socially. Doctors Without B

VOA标准英语2011--On Libyan Front Lines, Rebels Vow to Pre

The popular uprising in Libya, unlike others in the region, has turned into armed conflict. On the front lines, rebels dodge Libyan air strikes and fire back at Libyan military jets overhead. The rebels are a mixed group, but all share the desire to

VOA标准英语2011--Wolverines Stage a Comeback

One of the rarest mammals in North America is staging a comeback in the mainland United States. Wildlife biologists have tracked wolverines on mountainsides where they haven't been seen in many decades. But several new studies suggest the recovery co

VOA标准英语2011--California Congressman Returns to Ethiop

A California congressman and his wife are in Ethiopia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps at the place where they served as volunteers in the 1960s. John Garamendi leans back in his chair as he recalls the life he and his new wife Pa

VOA标准英语2011--Libya Conference Opens With Call for Cea

African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping has opened an international conference on Libya with a call for an immediate end to hostilities and dialogue between the Gadhafi government and rebels. But a hoped-for appearance by a Libyan rebel represent

VOA标准英语2011--Syrian Activists Call for 'Dignity Frida

The Syrian government is offering citizens greater freedoms and reforms, including possibly ending the emergency law that has been in place for more than four decades. Meanwhile, democracy activists have used social-networking sites to call for massi

VOA标准英语2011--US Jet Goes Down in Libya Operation

Heavy ground fighting was reported in several cities across Libya Tuesday, the fourth day of a U.N.-backed effort to establish a no-fly zone across the north of the country. U.S. confirmed one of its jets crash-landed while taking part in that effort

VOA标准英语2011--No-Fly Zones: Hidden Complexities

As forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ramped up their offensive against opposition strongholds Tuesday, diplomats from Lebanon, France and Britain presented the U.N. Security Council with a resolution that includes authorization of a no-fl

VOA标准英语2011--US: A Victorious Gadhafi Could Return to

A senior U.S. State Department official is warning that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, if he prevails over opposition forces, could return to fomenting terrorism and regional instability. Under-Secretary of State for political Affairs William Burns a

VOA标准英语2011--New York's Ethnic Media Honored

New York City boasts a vibrant, diverse media landscape, with an estimated 350 weekly newspapers and 26 foreign language dailies. Each year, the best work by reporters, photographers and editors of New York's ethnic and independent media is honored w

VOA标准英语2011--2011 Brings New Voices in Country Music

Fans can expect to hear some new names on the Country chart in 2011. The new Country duo Thompson Square is climbing high on the chart with its first big hit, Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not. Oklahoman Keifer Thompson met his Alabama-born wife Shawna at

VOA标准英语2011--EU Renews Sanctions Against Zimbabwe

European Union sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and most of his colleagues in the ZANU-PF party have been renewed despite requests from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that they be abandoned. The EU has lifted restrictions

VOA标准英语2011--Radio Network in Southern Senegal Tries

A community radio project in Senegal's troubled Casamance region is trying to help the peace process there by encouraging dialogue in an atmosphere of ongoing tension and violence. Pasted to the wall inside Fogny FM, a radio station located just sout

VOA标准英语2011--Film About Sinking Island Nominated for

The serious consequences of Earth's changing climate are the subject of a powerful documentary film nominated for an Academy Award, the U.S. film industry's top prize. Sun Come Up is the story of the Carteret Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea

VOA标准英语2011--Malaria Drugs Add to Bed Net Protection

New studies confirm that giving anti-malaria drugs to children who are already sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets provides additional protection in helping control the disease. Smallpox was conquered with a single vaccine. The fight against