VOA BBC 慢速英语听写

合集下载

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(34)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(34)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(34)WASHINGTON— Washington is refocused on aviation security after last week’s EgyptAir disaster over the Mediterranean that killed all 66 on board the flight from Paris to Cairo. Although the cause of the deadly crash has yet to be determined, U.S. lawmakers are renewing demands that airport screening be both thorough and speedy.The EgyptAir disaster raises questions and concerns at a time when U.S. air travelers already experience record lines and delays passing through security. Some lawmakers arepoint ing a finger at Islamic State for last week’s crash.“We know they successfully took down an airliner flying from Egypt to Russia,” said Republican Congressman Ed Royce on ABC-TV’s This Week program. “We know that they are working on a bomb that’s undetectable.”FILE An airline passenger is patted down by a TSA agent after passing through a full-body scanner at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 20, 2014. The TSA is under fire as waiting periods for passenger screenings grow.If lawmakers are assuming a heightened terrorist threat until evidence proves otherwise, pressure will mount on federal airport screeners, widely reported to be understaffed and overburdened even on the best of days.“One of the difficulties we’ve had is with a great deal of turnover at TSA, and there are certainly management problems at TSA,” Royce added.Last year, reports surfaced that federal screeners had failed to detect fake weapons and explosives in an alarming percentage of tests. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) insists that gaps and vulnerabilities have been fixed.Complex task“We have retrained our entire workforce, corrected procedures, improved our technology and analyzed systemic issues,” said TSA Adminis trator Peter Neffenger testifying on Capitol Hill earlier this year. “I am also confident that TSA is able to deter, detect and disrupt threats to our aviation system.”Security may be improved, but tempers have been flaring at U.S. airports with some travelers waiting hours to board their flights, or missing flights because of long security check lines.“On the one hand, we are looking for 100 percent security,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson at a hearing where TSA whistleblowers came forward. “On the other hand, we are looking for complete efficiency so that lines don’t back up. It’s an enormously complex and difficult task.”As America enters the busy summer travel season, the White House has a simple message – safety comes first.“Obviou sly, our first priority is making sure that people are safe,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Friday. “TSA must continue its rigorous security screenings and we're not going to lower our standards for the sake of convenience.”Once pinpointed, the cause of the EgyptAir disaster may or may not heighten concerns about the ability of terrorists to down airliners. But lawmakers aren’t waiting and will be pressing for answers at hearings this week.。

voa慢速英语学习方法

voa慢速英语学习方法

voa慢速英语学习方法1、从网站下载一个 5 分钟的 report 到〔电脑〕里(包括下载report的MP3录音和文本),准备好一本英汉词典或电子词典。

2、认真阅读report文本一至两遍,碰到不懂的单词请马上查词典。

3、将文本放在一边,开始听report的MP3录音,并将听到的写下来,就是做听写学习。

一直循环播放,尽可能的将自己能听写出来的,全部写出来。

4、将自己的听写稿和原稿对照,找出没有听写出来的词句,并标上记号,这些没有听出来的词句可能很简单,但事实是你没有听写出来,这些就是你听力的盲点,所以要特别留意。

5、再反复地听report的MP3录音,这次不用纸笔听写,而是在脑袋里做听写,就是指当你听到一句的时候,脑袋里把这一句给拼出来,保证听清每一个词句,并留意你在听写时没有写出来的词句的发音。

6、第二天再听上面的report的MP3录音,并采纳上面第5点所用的听法。

第四天再听上面的report的MP3录音,等到第七天再听几篇,仍采纳上面第5点所用的听法。

2用VOA 练出纯正英语发音的方法第一步:下载一个 VOA Special English 节目的 mp3 录音和配套文本到电脑里或MP3播放器里;第二步:先不要播放mp3录音,而是自己当一次播音主持,对着节目文本,大声的朗诵,并录制到电脑或其它可以录制声音的设备里;第三步:循环播放自己的录音,并对照节目的正式mp3录音,认真找出自己的在单词发音和句子升降调、轻重发音方面的问题;第四步:认真阅读节目文本,学习表达事物、情感等用到的各类句式。

关于常用的句式,自已也可以模仿造几个句子,加深理解。

VOA Special English 节目里的所有 short report(5分钟的)和 feature report(15分钟)的一般都可以做为训练素材,特别是 Words and Their Stories 和 American Stories 最正确,这是因为 Words and Their Stories 和 American Stories 是讲故事性质的,主持人在播读这两个专题时更富有感情色彩。

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(28)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(28)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(28)Small Crowds at Texas Oil Technology Conference德州石油技术会议参会人数减少Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world.低油低迷影了世界油气勘探活动和石油产业的发展活力。

Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months.石油公司和支持油气勘探生产的服务产业在近几个月裁掉了数万人。

So it was no surprise that attendance was down at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas.所以德克萨斯休斯顿海洋石油技术展会参会人数锐减也在意料之中。

The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. In other years, large crowds attended the event.在过去的47年中,石油和天然气行业代表聚集于此召开会议。

那些年参会人数规模庞大。

A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month. That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed.这个月很多服务公司参展。

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(9)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(9)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(9)Global stocks declined sharply Wednesday after another drop in oil prices prompted selloffs from Asia to New York. The Dow Jones Industrial index plunged more than 500 points at one point before cutting its losses in half as U.S. markets closed. The volatility and steep declines in stock futures reflect a growing sense of unease about the global economy.What’s driving the recent market volatility? Analysts say it’s a combination of factors: the slowdown in China and the steep plunge in oil prices. We spoke with Dan Veru - chief investment officer at Palisade Capital – on Skype.“Crude oil going lower has really sparked global fears of not just a recession in China but really a global slowdown," he said.But the simpler explanation may be pessimism.“CEOs today are feeling a lot less optimistic than they did just a year ago," said PriceWaterhouseCooper CEO Dennis Nally.Nally says the accounting firm’s latest survey of business executives from over 80 countries shows about one in four believe the global economy is on the right track, compared with almost half just two years ago. Had they conducted the survey this year, the sentiment might have been worse.“If we would have done the survey in the first twoweeks of January, given the environment that exists today, it would even be worse, so it's not a pretty picture to say the least," he said.And it’s a picture tarnished by the economic slowdownin China - according to New York Stock Exchange governorPeter Costa.“You have to be very c oncerned whenever Chinese growthis lagging because that definitely has an effect on U.S. corporations and multi-nationals," he said. "There’s a lotof companies that do business with China and if their businesses cut back somewhat because of the slowdown in China, it definitely affects U.S. earnings."Still, many believe the U.S. economy is resilient enough to weather the storm."We do see the risk of a recession as rather low, we put it at about 10 to 15 percent, which is pretty slim," said Standard and Poors' Beth Ann Bovino.Dan Veru advises investors to look at the start of 2016- as part of a larger picture.“I believe ultimately we’ll look back on this periodof time, whether it’s today or two weeks from now, that you could have made a lot of money - if you put your money towork into financial assets," he said.。

标准英语新闻中VOACNPR及CNN的区别和学习方法

标准英语新闻中VOACNPR及CNN的区别和学习方法

标准英语新闻中V O A C N P R及C N N的区别和学习方法文档编制序号:[KKIDT-LLE0828-LLETD298-POI08]标准英语新闻中VOA,BBC,NPR及CNN的区别和学习方法2009-12-13 23:18Standard English News(简称ST)是指正常语速播报(140词每分钟以上)的英语广播新闻。

听懂ST是我国很多英语爱好者希望登上的台阶,但很少能做到。

事实上,如果没有经过科学的、系统的、持续的长期训练,这个目的是很难达到。

在我们中国英语教学中广泛使用的VOA ST, BBC World Service ST是经过简化的,听众是主要外国人(特别是VOA),而不是一般英国人和美国人日常生活中听到的新闻播报。

很多英语爱好者有一种错觉,认为听懂VOA ST 或BBC ST就能听懂国外广播了,实际不是这样,离听懂还是有一段不小的距离。

但是,一般认为能一次性轻松听懂ST 80%以上内容的听友,英语水平已经在中等偏上水平了,有能力进行比较正式的涉外工作进行ST的听写时间控制在2分钟30秒到3分30秒之间时比较合理的,有利于减轻听写疲劳。

英语新闻学习方法1、听写:认认真真,一词一句地写出来,是加速是听力发育的手段,同时也是检验英语水平和查找自身不足的一个好方法。

2、要重视查找工作:听不出来就多听,不要急,急也急不来。

有些上午听不出来,可能下午就听出来,或者晚上再听就已明白一部分。

听不出来,多用听音查词,多用googel和维基百科,查找的过程也是一个很好的训练基本功和增长知识的过程。

有的听友不重视查找过程,认为浪费时间。

实际经验表明这个功夫不会白费的,对英语水平提高极为有利!头稿或homework尽量写的完美的听友,进步是惊人的。

3、复述,翻译和复习:把新闻稿听写出来了,实际只完成了工作的一半。

要留出时间,进行复述,翻译和复习。

听说不分家,听写和复述有助于提高听友的口语能力,而口语能力的提高进一步推动了听力的提升,相辅相成。

最新VOA慢速英语听力材料

最新VOA慢速英语听力材料

最新VOA慢速英语听力材料最新VOA慢速英语听力材料现在,很多的英语初学者都喜欢使用VOA慢速英语听力来练习英语听力,他们认为VOA慢速英语听力材料对于听力英语听力有较大的好处。

这里,店铺为大家送上一篇最新VOA慢速英语听力材料,希望对大家有用。

College is a time when many young people experiment and learn more about themselves. Some may have romantic relationships and even engage in sexual activity for the first time.But experimenting with sex has risks. Sex without a condom can lead to pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report in October on the spread of STDs in the United States. The CDC is the main government agency dealing with public health in the U.S.The CDC report showed cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. increased by 13 percent between 2014 and 2015. Cases of syphilis rose by 19 percent. And the number of cases of chlamydia grew to 1.5 million -- the highest level the CDC has ever recorded.The report showed the majority of cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea were among people age 15 to 24. Most college students in the U.S. are between 18 and 25 years old.Eloisa Llata is a medical researcher working on STD prevention for the CDC. Llata says throughout history, STDs have affected people between the ages of 15 and 24 more than any other group in the U.S.But she says the college environment does create unique risks. Llata notes that a student can come from a smallcommunity with a limited number of sexual partners to an area with a larger population.She also says the college experience can lead young people to engage in risky behavior."These folks tend to be unmarried, have maybe more than one partner at a time, and college might be an area where things like binge drinking and drug use might play a larger role."The CDC reported in April that the pregnancy rate among women age 15 to 19 in the U.S. reached an all-time low. Llata says this change is because more young people are using contraceptive methods such as the birth control pill. The pill is a type of medicine women must take every day to prevent pregnancies.But the pill does not prevent the spread of STDs.Llata says getting an STD has serious consequences. STDs can affect a woman’s ability to have children and may put people at greater risk for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).Why have STD rates gone up?Laura Lindberg, a research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, says the rise in STD rates is not yet a major cause for concern. The Guttmacher Institute is a noNPRofit organization that studies sexual health and policy in the U.S.Lindberg argues that a major reason the number of reported cases of STDs has gone up is because more people now have access to healthcare.People do not know they have an STD unless they get tested for STDs, she says. And most people do not go to the doctor because they believe they have an STD. Lindberg notes people most often get an STD test while they at the doctor for anotherreason.She argues sexual activity among young people has not gone up in ways doctors can measure. And condom use has decreased only a little. So, Lindberg says, the increase in STDs shows only that more young people are getting tested.Also, the increase is not enough information to prove the STD rate among young people will continue to increase, she adds.Why aren’t young people more careful?But Lindberg admits there is a problem: many young people do not think about the consequences of risky sexual activity. She says they are embarrassed about discussing sexual health. And, she says, they worry that if they get tested their parents will learn they are sexually active.Lindberg notes that the only people not at risk for STDs are those in long-term relationships with a single partner. She says most relationships in college are newer and those involved may not limit themselves to one partner. This means sexually active college students should get tested regularly.But Lindberg says young people face a bigger problem than just embarrassment: education."Today’s college students are part of a generation whose sex education that they received prior to college has been very weak. Many of them did not receive comprehensive sex education. They did not receive instruction and information about birth control. Instead, what they got was some version of an 'abstinence until marriage program' which left out key information about using condoms and contraception to protect themselves. So today’s college students need information. They need medically accurate information. They need honest information. And they need complete information."A 2015 CDC report found fewer than half of the high schools in the U.S. taught all the suggested topics in their sex education classes. For example, Lindberg says, many young people may not know that most STDs can be treated. And they may not know that the birth control pill prevents only pregnancies. Couples may be risking STDs by not using condoms.Lindberg adds that STDs are a much bigger problem for young people who are not attending college. Often these young people live in communities with less money. This means they have less access to healthcare and STD testing.Also, the American Medical Association, the American College Health Association and over 100 other organizations say sex education programs that only teach about waiting for sex until marriage do not work.Still, colleges can do a great deal to help their students, says Debby Herbenick. Herbenick is a professor at Indiana University in Bloomington. She is also the director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in the university’s School of Public Health.Herbenick and others in the center teach classes about human sexuality and gender. She says young men and women need to learn about how to respect each other and their own bodies."They don’t always know that sexual pleasure is a good thing and that it’s something that, in fact, adults do expect them to explore and be experienced in. Some of them have been really shamed and just been taught that sex is bad. I think that many young people are just trying to figure out how to create sexual lives that are respectful, that are healthy. And they are looking to adults to support them in that."Herbenick says schools can support students by providingSTD testing and sexual health counseling in their health centers. If they do not have the resources to do so, schools should direct the students to other places that can help.She also suggests that schools can invite speakers to talk about healthy relationships and sexual activity. And most of all, Herbenick believes schools should require students to take at least one class about sexuality.As Laura Lindberg at the Guttmacher Institutes notes, there should never be just one conversation about sexual health.。

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(5)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(5)

2019年12月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语(5)The annual Washington Auto Show opened its doors to the general public Tuesday, after a three-day delay caused by a snowstorm that hit the U.S. East Coast. More than 30 world-class auto makers exhibited their latest models, placing special emphasis on connectivity.Coming on the heels of the larger shows in Los Angeles and Detroit, the Washington Auto Show has carved out a niche as the one that emphasizes new technologies, especially those that cause less damage to the environment.But with falling oil prices, the promotion of thriftier hybrid or all-electric vehicles was somewhat muted, shifting the auto show's focus to connectivity and automatization.Automotive engineering professor, Zoran Filipi, says the technology in this Mercedes S-class model shows that we are at the dawn of cars that almost drive themselves.“It has lane-keeping ability, it has advanced radar-based system to keep the vehicle’s speed also in sync with other vehicles and this can completely alleviate your effort, driving effort, in stop-and-go situations too, and finally the collision avoidance," said Filipi.Very soon we will see these technologies trickling-down to more affordable models as car makers work to develop fully autonomous-driving cars.In the meantime, says Filipi, fuel efficiency has improved 20 percent over the last 10 years.“This has mostly been achieved with advanced engine technologies – direct injection, turbo-charging, coupled to very modern transmissions, eight, nine, ten speeds that keep the engine running in the best possible region," he said.Almost all new models have built-in display screens that connect the vehicle to the driver’s smartphone and the Internet, helping in navigation, taking voice commands, and sending and receiving messages.“Therefore you can use all the applications you are used to, everything that is tailored to your needs in your car and it’s very seamless," said Filipi.Larger manufacturers, such as Toyota, say their all-electric fuel-cell cars are ready for the market and the only obstacle is the lack of charging stations.Others promote their hybrid gas-electric models, saying that the number of charging stations is constantly rising while the price of home chargers is dropping.South Korean carmaker Hyundai even offers a lifetime warranty for the battery in its top-of-the-line model, hoping to make the hybrid car more attractive to customers.。

VOA的慢速英语听力文摘 Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn

VOA的慢速英语听力文摘 Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn

VOA的慢速英语听力文摘 Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn VOA的慢速英语听力文摘:Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn VOA慢速是公认的比较适合大部分英语学习者的英语听力材料。

下面是一篇VOA的慢速英语听力文摘,供大家练习。

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.On this program we explain how to use mon words and expressions in American English. Today, we are going to celebrate the ing of winter with expressions related tocold and ice. And we will do that with a story … a mystery story.This is part one of a three-part series.Our story begins on a distant mountain-top. It is the dead of winter. Outside the wind is howling.Snow mixed with freezing rain has made the roads unsafe for travel. Even walking outside is dangerous. So, the four characters of our story are stuck indoors at The Ice Castle Inn. Like the name suggests, the inn is an old castle thatis now a vacation spot for bird-watchers.These four people are strangers. The only thing they have in mon is a shared interest in snow birds. But for now, they all have put their bird watching plans on ice. That is to say, they must postpone their plans until the winter storm passes.What they don’t know is the violent storm outside is just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, more danger exists, but they cannot see it.Let’s meet the c haractersBut now, let’s get in out of the cold. As we enter the Ice Castle Inn we meet our group of travelers. They are all having a hot drink as they gather by the fireplace.The TeacherFirst there is the teacher, Madeline. She is in herlate 20s and teaches skiing and cold weather survivalskills at a private school for girls.Her neat, dark hair frames her round, healthy face. Her appearance is plain but she is in great physical shape. She is a quiet woman. When she speaks, her voice is low and uncertain.You may think she is shy. But think again.Underneath her shy exterior, she is calm, cool and collected. If she stares at you with her clear green eyes, you can sense her powerful, extreme calm. Her ability to control her reactions makes people feel afraid: it sends shivers down their spines.The AthleteThen there is the athlete, Vincent. He is in his early 30s. Handsome and active, he talks to anyone and everyone. He has an easy manner and people like him instantly. He’sthe type of man who could sell ice to an Eskimo, meaning he could talk you into anything.At first, he seems to be a very cool, easy-going sportsman. But talk to him more and you realize that something is missing: namely, feelings. Those who know him best say he has ice water running through his veins. Nothing seems to upset or emotionally move him.The ActressNext is the actress, Sylvia. She is in her mid-40s and is extremely attractive. With her ice-blue eyes, pale white skin and fine clothing, she do esn’t seem like the outdoorsy, bird-watching type.Her personality runs hot and cold -- friendly one minute, unfriendly the next. You never know what to expect. The one thing that is constant about her is the gold locket she wears around her long, thin neck. She never takes itoff and often holds it tightly to her chest.The MajorFinally, there is Major Jack, an ex-military man. His age is hard to guess -- perhaps 50-something? He has a strong jaw and thick black hair. The lines on his face make him look older but even more handsome.Some men are just lucky that way. He seems like most military men; strong and silent. William Shakespeare might even call him a cold fish -- unfeeling and unfriendly. Butat the same time every day, as the sun goes down, he stares out the window into the storm with great sadness in his eyes. It is at these times, he seems like a man left out in the cold, ignored and alone.That is our small group of traveling bird-watchers. As the days pass, the snow only falls harder on The Ice Castle Inn. The land line phones no longer work. Neither do cell phones. No rescue vehicles have e to clear the roads.They are truly snowed in.With each passing day, they each bee more and more suspicious of each other. They all wonder the same thing –why are the others really here?Answers will have to wait.I’m Anna Matteo.Join us next week for part 2 of The Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn.Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.。

  1. 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性,平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
  2. 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
  3. 3、如文档侵犯您的权益,请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间:9:00-18:30)。

1.Three university students in Santiago,Chile have developed a phant-powerd device to charge their mobile phones.The three engineering students got the idea for the device while sitting in their school’s courtyard.Their invention is a small biological circuit they call E-Kaia.It captures the energy plants produce during photosynthesis.Aphant uses only a small part of the energy produced by that process,The rest goes into the soil.E-Kaia collects that energy.The device plugs into the ground and then into a mobile phone.The E-Kaia solved two problems for the engineering studnts,They needed an idea for a class project.They also needed an outlet to plug in their phones.One of the student inventors,CamilaRupcich,says the device charges the energy released from the plant into low-level power to charge phones.The E-Kaia is able to fully recharge a mobile phone in less than two hours.I’m Jonathan Evans.2.University of Washington researchers say they used a laser to turn hot water into cool water.Five engineers from the university are the first in the 50-year history of the laser to refrigerate liquids under normal conditions with light beams. The group used a simple approach to the experiment. Lasers are known for producing hot temperatures. The University of Washington says they “essentially ran the laser phenomenon in reverse.” The discovery has a future in the computer and medical fields. Computer interiors could be cooled by lasers. In a medical laboratory, individual cells could be cooled to see how they react. “Few people have thought about how they could use this technology to solve problems because using lasers to refrigerate liquids hasn’t been possible before,” said researcher Peter Pauzauskie.The cool laser concept can also be used in manufacturing, telecommunications or national defense.The group has an interest in hearing from businesses or scientists who may have every day applications for the cool laser. The findings were published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.I’m Marsha James.3.The United States is marking the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.U.S. officials and many other Americans attended observances Friday to remember those killed and their loved ones. Nearly 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001 when hijackers used four passenger airplanes to carry out suicide attacks in the United States. In addition to the victims, the 19 hijackers also were killed. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his group claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. forces killed him in a surprise raid on his hiding place in Pakistan four years ago. Friday morning, President Barack Obama, his wife and White House workers observed a public moment of silence in Washington. They gathered on the White House grounds at 8:46. That was the exact time when a hijacked airplane struck the World Trade Center. In New York, families of the victims gathered for a ringing of bells and reading of the names of those killed in the terrorist attacks. Moments of silence were held at 8:46 and 9:03 in the morning, when a second hijacked plane also hit the World Trade Center.Near Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials attended an observance at the Pentagon, the home of the Defense Department. They joined in remembering those killed when a hijacked airplane hit the Pentagon, killing 184 people.Earlier Friday, a large American flag was hung down the side of the Pentagon, where the passenger jet hit. There also was a moment of silence at 10:03 a.m. That was the time whena fourth hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania. All 44 people on the plane werekilled. Many Americans believe the hijackers had planned to attack a target in the nation’scapital. The fourth plane came down in a field in the rural community of Shanksville. Today, a new visitors center there tells the story of the 9/11 attacks. The Flight 93 National Memorial was set up to recognize the passengers and crewmembers who attacked the hijackers.Stephen Clark is with the U.S. National Park Service. It operates the visitors center and surrounding grounds.“It just amazes me that this aircraft was but 18 minutes away from hitting Washington, D.C.” The field was quiet on Friday, very different from the situation 14 years ago. Gordon Felt’s brother Edward was one of the passengers on United Airlines Flight93 on September 11, 2001.“It is surreal at times. Early on, it became very evident to us veryquickly that our loved ones, the events surrounding their deaths, had historical significance to our country.” The last 35 minutes of Edward Felt’s life, and others on the plane, are explained at the new visitors center. Relatives hope visitors to the memorial will understand the full effect of the actions of their loved ones.“They’ll get a sense of who those 40 heroes were, as well as what their collective actions did to help save the Capitol building that morning.” I’m George Grow.4.A suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan killed at least 26 people and left more than 40 wounded last week. The explosion occurred in the Pakistani city of Mardan. The blast took place outside the door of a government office. The office was the National Database and Registration Authority. That office was in charge of issuing national identity cards. The attacker arrived at the office’s gate on a motorbike. The cyclist was stopped by a security guard. He detonated an explosive vest, according to a witness. An investigation3 into the identity of the bomber is underway. A Pakistani official said if the bomber was not stopped at the gate, the death toll would have been higher. It is estimated that the rider was carrying up to 12 kilograms of explosives. A BBC report said about 50 people were wounded in the blast.Some were injured critically. Most of those killed or injured were civilians. The attack is one of the deadliest in Pakistan since a December 2014 massacre left 150 students and teachers dead in Peshawar, the BBC reported.A faction of the Pakistani Taliban said it carried out the attack. In a statement sent to VOA, the group said it targeted the office because it is part of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism war. But a spokesman for the mainstream Taliban in Pakistan said the Taliban had nothing to do with the bombing in Mardan.5.The government in China plans to end its one-child per family policy and instead let families have two children.The plan was announced Thursday after high-level political meetings in Beijing. The official Xinhua news agency says the country’s top legislature must approve the proposal before it becomes law. A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy. The statement said the change is meant to balance populationdevelopment. It said the move also attempts to stop a declining birth rate and stren gthen the country’s work force. China, the world's most populous country, launched the one-child policy in 1980. But the government permitted only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some rural families were given approval to have two children. A total of 19 rural provinces have a partial two-child policy. That policy states if the first-born is a girl, a second child is permitted. In 2013, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children. Families could have two if one parent was an only child. A teacher and population expert, Jiang Quanbao, explained how Chinese families will react to the policy. “Too many young people in the cities are probably no longer interested in having a second child,”he said. “People in rural farming villages may be more interested. Butagain, some of them are already allowed to have two children.” At the end of 2014, China had a population of 1.37 billion people. The government in China plans to end its one-chiltotal of 800 million of them are employed. But that job market population is expected to drop by 2050. With the two-child policy, an increase in births will ease the labor shortage, starting in 20 years.6.Luxury Skyscraper Burns in DubaiAuthorities say everyone has been evacuated from a luxury hotel in Dubai that was still burning early Friday. The city’s police chief says all residents were out of the 63-story hotel, known as "The Address." he hotel had been packed with people celebrating New Year’s Eve when fire broke out at a bout 9:30 p.m., (about 1730 UTC). At least 14 people were injured. The hotel stands across from the world's tallest skyscraper, the BurjKhalifa. The BurjKhalifa is more than 800 meters tall. It is the center of spectacular fireworks along the Dubai waterfront for New Year's. Fireworks went on as planned.Flames quickly moved through more than 20 stories of the hotel. It could be seen for kilometers in all directions.Within 30 minutes, flames raced to the top of the hotel tower, and the sky was full of thick black smoke. Burning pieces of the hotel fell to the ground from the tower.Witnesses said tens of thousands of people were crowded into the downtown area near the blazing hotel and the BurjKhalifa. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said earlier Thursday that thousands of security personnel were on duty because of the New Year's events. I'm Kathleen Struck.。

相关文档
最新文档