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In Iraqabout thirty-seven meters tall Zeus in a temple at Olympia, Greece about two thousand five hundred years ago the three Pyramids of Egypt to keep out invaders fifty thousand people In India about two hundred eighty kilometers south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile River The Nile RiverTEXT VOICE ONE: This is Faith Lapidus. VOICE TWO: And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we present the first of three programs about some of the most interesting, beautiful and unusual places on Earth. We begin with a list of what have been called the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. VOICE ONE: People have always felt the need to create lists. Lists are records of important ideas, places, events or people. About two thousand five hundred years ago a Greek historian named Herodotus is said to have made a list of what he thought were the greatest structures in the world. His list of places became known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Herodotus only wrote about places he knew. He did not know much about Asia. North and South America were completely unknown. Six of these ancient places no longer exist. We can only guess what they really looked like. But here is the list of those seven ancient Wonders of the World. VOICE TWO: We begin with one that existed in what is now Iraq. It was called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar the Second probably built the gardens about two thousand six hundred years ago. Ancient historians say they were a huge system of gardens with trees and flowers. Also on this list is the Colossus of Rhodes. It was a huge bronze metal statue of the Greek sun god Helios. The Colossus was about thirty-seven meters tall. It was built near the harbor on the Greek island of Rhodes about two thousand three hundred years ago. This ancient statue was destroyed in an earthquake. VOICE ONE: Next on our list is the statue of the Greek God Zeus in a temple at Olympia, Greece. It was the most famous statue in the ancient world. Records say it was about twelve meters tall and made of ivory and gold. An earthquake probably destroyed the temple. The statue was removed and later destroyed in a fire. The Pharos of Alexandria was an ancient lighthouse. A fire burning on the top of the lighthouse made it easier for ships to find the great harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. Records say the lighthouse was about one hundred thirty meters tall. It stood for one thousand five hundred years before it was destroyed by an earthquake. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is another ancient wonder of the world. It was built to honor a Greek goddess. It was one of the largest and most complex temples built in ancient times. The temple was built in what is now Turkey about two thousand five hundred years ago. Number six on our list was also built in what is now Turkey. It was the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The huge marble burial place was built for King Mausolus of Caria. It was so famous that all large burial places, or tombs, became known as mausoleums. An earthquake destroyed the structure. VOICE TWO: The last of the seven ancient wonders are the oldest. Yet they are the only ones that still exist today. They are the three Pyramids of Egypt, near the Nile River at Giza. The pyramids were built about four thousand five hundred years ago as burial places for ancient kings. The largest is called the Great Pyramid. It is almost one hundred forty meters high. It covers an area of more than four hectares. The Greek historian Herodotus said more than one hundred thousand men worked for more than thirty years to build the Great Pyramid. The great pyramids of Egypt will probably continue to exist for many years to come. The Great Wall was begun more than two thousand years ago. It was built to keep out invaders. It extends about six thousand seven hundred kilometers across northern China. Today, the Chinese government is working to repair parts of the wall and protect as much of it as possible. The Great Wall of China is one of the largest building projects ever attempted. It is also the only object built by people that can be seen from space. VOICE TWO: One of the oldest structures ever built by people also belongs on a list of ancient wonders. It is a circle of huge stones on the Salisbury Plain in southwestern England. It is called Stonehenge. Experts believe work began on Stonehenge about five thousand years ago. It was added to and changed several times until it became the structure we see today. We know very little about Stonehenge. We do not even know how these huge stones were moved to the area. Some experts believe the stones were cut from solid rock about three hundred eighty kilometers away in Wales. One of the huge stones weighs as much as forty-five tons. Experts say Stonehenge may have been built as some kind of ceremonial or religious structure. Much has been written about Stonehenge, but experts say they still are not sure what it was used for. VOICE ONE: Another famous ancient structure is the Coliseum in Rome, Italy. It was built almost two thousand years ago. The ancient Roman sports center could hold fifty thousand people who gathered there to watch public events. Experts say it is one of the finest examples of Roman design and engineering. The city of Machu Picchu in Peru should be on most lists, too. Experts say it includes some of the best stone work ever built. The ancient Inca people built Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains, northwest of the city of Cuzco. Machu Picchu is about thirteen square kilometers. Historians say it might have been one of the last places of safety for the Incas who were fleeing invaders from Spain. VOICE TWO: India is famous for its temples and buildings. The most famous is the Taj Mahal, considered one of the most beautiful buildings every constructed. The fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, ordered it built in Agra in sixteen thirty-one. He built it as a burial place in memory of his wife. The Taj Mahal has tiny colorful stones inlaid in white marble. The structure seems to change color during different times of the day and night. Experts say it is one of the most perfect buildings ever constructed. They say nothing could be added or taken away to improve the beautiful Taj Mahal. VOICE ONE: We will end our program today in Egypt. Any list of ancient places must include the two temples at Abu Simbel. They were built to honor an ancient king of Egypt, Ramses the Second, and his wife, and Nefertari. Abu Simbel was built more than three thousand years ago. It is about two hundred eighty kilometers south of Aswan on the western bank of the Nile River. It took an army of workmen and artists more than thirty years to cut the huge temple into the face of a rock mountain. In front of the main temple are four huge statues of Ramses the Second. Each statue is about twenty meters high. Nearby is another temple that honors his wife, Nefertari. It too is beautifully carved out of solid rock. VOICE TWO: The Nile River has always made life possible in the desert areas of Egypt. However the Nile also made life difficult when it flooded. The modern Egyptian government decided a dam could control the Nile to prevent both floods and lack of water. Work began on the Aswan Dam in nineteen sixty. However, when plans were made for the dam experts quickly discovered that the great temples at Abu Simbel would be forever lost. They would be under water in the new lake formed by the dam. Egypt appealed to the United Nations agency UNESCO for help. UNESCO appealed to the world. The governments of the world provided technical help and financial aid to save the great temples. In nineteen sixty-four work began to cut the temples away from the rock mountain. Each large piece was moved sixty meters up the mountain to a safe area. Then the huge temples were carefully rebuilt. The work was finished in nineteen sixty-eight. Today Abu Simbel is safe. It looks much the same as it has for the past three thousand years. It will continue to honor the ancient king and his queen for many years to come. And it will honor the modern world’s efforts to save a truly great work of art. VOICE ONE: Next week we tell about some of the natural wonders of our world. This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. This is Faith Lapidus. VOICE TWO: And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. By Paul Thompson Broadcast: August 25, 2004 Chapter 21 Musıc Industry a.
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TEXT Tens of millions of Americans have committed music piracy, according to the music industry. It says this is costing billions of dollars in lost sales. High-speed Internet connections are spreading across the globe and individual computer users can copy music easily and fast. At the same time, the international music industry is nervously watching music sales decline in most countries. Allen Dixon is Executive Director of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the IFPI, in London. It represents the world's record producers. Mr. Dixon sees a clear connection between the Internet and poor record sales: “The Internet was born in the United States, and the World Wide Web got going in the 1990's. And the U.S. had a head start on everything with respect to the Internet as far as the number of connections, number of services and then hi-speed bandwidth. But in many parts of the world, countries are catching up and in some countries surpassing the United States as far as the 'penetration' -- as they call it -- of high-speed Internet, broadband connections.” Since the music industry cannot take millions of people to court, it is making an example of a small number of suspected pirates by threatening them with expensive lawsuits. Mr. Dixon says the threat has been effective: “The actions that we have taken as an industry, not only in the United States but also in many other countries worldwide, serve as a deterrent and a warning to other people who would think about those kinds of activities.” Mr. Dixon, executive director of the organization that represents the international music industry, sees the World Trade Organization as the next battleground for Internet music piracy: “Most of the developed and developing countries worldwide are members of international treaties, in which they promise to protect copyright. At the World Trade Organization, there are more than 200 member countries. Under the WTO agreement, they have all agreed to have certain protections are copyright that are at least at the minimum level worldwide.” Not everybody agrees with the tough anti-piracy approach taken by record producers. Some analysts say there may be other reasons for the recent decline in record sales. They point to the industry's internal problems, artificially high record prices, and poor quality of music offered by major labels. Reporter Cynthia Webb of washingtonpost.com, who writes on technology issues, thinks that defenders of free music on the Internet make a pretty convincing case: “They say the industry has cost-prohibitive pricing. And music fans argue, for example, that ‘I don't want to pay $20 for that compact disc when I only like one or two of the songs.’ Furthermore, some of those critics say that they have bought more CD's because of so-called illegal downloading because ‘I am able to sample music before I go out and buy it.’ "Will the music industry win the war against Internet music pirates? Mr. Dixon predicts that it will at least win most battles: “Will we stop every person everywhere on the whole face of the planet from doing something illegal on the Internet? Well, no. Can we deter the vast majority of the legitimate public from doing something illegal and moving them to legitimate Internet services? We certainly expect that we can do that.” American singer Janis Ian published an article for Performing Songwriter Magazine, in which she argues that free music downloads help artists who are less vigorously promoted by record companies. She says the Internet gives them exposure and attracts music lovers to live concerts. Janis Ian also reminds that the entertainment industry has reacted in a very similar way to almost every technical innovation that seemed to threaten its monopoly. It responded angrily to the advent of tape recorders, video-cassettes, mini-discs, recordable CD's and DVD's. Later the industry discovered that the new technologies created new markets and increased the industry's revenues. Janis Ian believes the same will happen with the Internet. She writes that if record companies agreed to charge just 10 cents per downloaded song, many of today's "pirates" would agree to pay and the companies would make half a million dollars per day. Some analysts say that Internet radio - a relatively new but rapidly growing broadcast technology - can bring together the interests of the music industry and the mostly young audience, which prefers to get its music from the Internet. Internet radio stations broadcast from computers through the World Wide Web. They are cheap to operate and can reach diverse, dedicated markets. Kurt Hanson is publisher of RAIN, or Radio and Internet Newsletter, and chief of an Internet radio station called Accuradio. He says that in America most Internet broadcasters pay royalties for the music they play. He adds that Internet radio often reaches audiences ignored by traditional mass-market broadcasters:“Internet radio stations tend to be niche formats, like straight-ahead jazz or Broadway or cabaret or British rock and roll. Niches that are too small to warrant an FM signal in a city but when you have a whole country or the world to draw listeners from, there are enough listeners to make something sustainable from that.” In the meantime, however, the war on music piracy is spreading into the motion picture industry. Cynthia Webb from washingtonpost.com, says Hollywood is already fearful of a new generation of Internet pirates gaining unauthorized access to blockbuster productions: “Instead of it being music downloaded, it's files containing entire movies. Recently in Hollywood, they've really cracked down at the premieres. I think The Hulk was on the Internet before it showed up in the theaters.” The music and entertainment industry says tough legal measures are necessary to protect intellectual property and secure revenues from costly production ventures. Defenders of free Internet access to music and other cultural products say Internet creates new markets, increases variety and forces the industry to be more responsive and creative. Since computers and the Internet will soon be even more powerful and fast and continue to spread around the globe, we may be witnessing just the first battles of a long war for the future shape of contemporary popular culture. Chapter 22 Honoring people who “stick their necks out”
TEXT I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report. An organization based in the United States honors people who, in its words, "stick their necks out for the common good." That means they take a risk. The organization is named for the animal with the very long neck. The group is called the Giraffe Project. Phil Borges is among recent "Giraffe Heroes." He is a doctor who fixes people’s teeth, but he is also a photographer. Mister Borges started an organization called Bridges to Understanding. It sends photographers to small villages to give cameras to children and teach them how to take pictures. Bridges to Understanding has sent photographers to Peru, the Arctic, Kenya, Nepal and India as well as a Native American village in Arizona. Mister Borges has also taken his camera to Afghanistan. He took pictures of women helping to improve the lives of other women and children. The Giraffe Project says Mister Borges stuck his neck out to connect children all over the world with photography. Two other Giraffe heroes are Azim Khamisa and Plez Felix. They live in California. Members of a street gang robbed and killed Mister Khamisa’s son Tariq. He was twenty years old. The young man who killed him was Mister Felix’s fourteen-year-old grandson, Tony. He is now in prison. Plez Felix apologized to the Khamisa family for the actions of his grandson. He and Mister Khamisa now work together to tell young people that killing and violence do not solve problems. Since nineteen eighty-two, the Giraffe Project has named more than nine hundred heroes. These "Giraffes," as they are also known, do not receive money. Instead, they are presented as examples for others to follow. Their stories are told through the news media, schools and the Internet. Anyone can nominate a Giraffe hero. There are Giraffe heroes all over the world. Ann Medlock is the woman who started the Giraffe Project. She says it is easy to think that a problem is too big to be solved. Miz Medlock says the non-profit group helps people understand that they can start with small actions to solve small parts of a problem. The group is based in the northwestern state of Washington. The Web site is giraffe-dot-o-r-g. This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Karen Leggett. Read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember. 19 Mar 2006 Chapter 23 STUDY GIVES HIGH MARKS to TEACH for AMERICA
TEXT This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report. Teach for America is a program that has provided more than ten thousand teachers to schools across the country. They have taught more than a million children from poor families. Teach for America trains recent college graduates to work in low-economic schools in different areas of the country. They are expected to teach for at least two years. A student at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, had the idea for Teach for America in nineteen-eighty-nine. Wendy Kopp wrote a paper in which she proposed a national teaching organization. People supported her idea. Money from major companies helped launch the program. The program has also received money from the federal government. And money comes from people and businesses in areas where the teachers work. Wendy Kopp still leads Teach for America. Some education experts have criticized the lack of experience that the young teachers have before they begin work. But now the Mathematica Policy Research organization in Princeton has examined the effects of Teach for America. The Mathematica study took place in six areas around the country between two-thousand-two and two-thousand-three. It involved nearly two-thousand children in seventeen schools. Researchers tested the students at the beginning and end of the school year. They compared the results of students who had Teach for America teachers with those who did not. The study found that both groups did equally well on average in reading. The Teach for America group scored higher in mathematics. But two times as many of the Teach for America teachers reported that physical conflicts among students were a serious problem. Even so, the study found that the two groups of teachers had similar rates of student expulsions and suspensions. The researchers had praise for the Teach for America teachers. They say the new educators had more success than teachers with an average of six years of classroom experience. Most of the Teach for America teachers said they planned to teach for just a few years. About ten percent said they expected to teach until retirement. By comparison, that was true of sixty percent of teachers outside the program. This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Steve Ember. Nancy Steinbach Broadcast: July 8, 2004 Chapter 24 Learning Disabilities a.
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TEXT This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report. We continue with part six in our series about learning disabilities. So far, we have discussed problems with skills like reading, writing, speech and mathematics. Today we examine what schools are doing to help students with learning disabilities. Public schools and colleges in the United States are required by law to provide help. Congress approved the Rehabilitation Act in nineteen-seventy-three. This law requires schools to provide disabled students with opportunities equal to those for other students. A more recent law requires public schools to establish a program for each child found to have a disability. Schools must write, and follow, a statement called an I.E.P., an individualized education program. If not, parents may take legal action. States must provide special education services for free. Teachers with these skills are in great demand. There are many ways to meet the needs of a student who has disabilities. One way is to give the student extra time to complete work. Teachers might also permit the student to take tests differently from others in class. For example, the teacher might let the student speak the answers. Or another person could write the answers that the student gives. Also, students who have trouble concentrating might wish to take tests in a room that is extra quiet. Some students might want others to take notes for them during class. Or they might want to listen to recordings of books instead of reading them. Technology is one way to help. There are computer programs, for example, designed for the needs of people with learning disabilities. There are some schools in the United States that teach only students with learning disabilities. One is Landmark College in the northeastern state of Vermont. Students attend for up to three years. It prepares them to continue their education at other colleges. Classes at Landmark College are small. Students have their own learning plan, and a special teacher to help them study. Our series about learning disabilities continues next week. You can find all of our programs on the Internet at voaspecialenglish.com. Included are some links to lists of schools for students with learning disabilities. This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Steve Ember. Yüklə 1,83 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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