其实我是测试一下

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Today's Highlight in History:

On November 18th, 1928, the first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon, Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.

On this date:

In 1820, US Navy Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer discovered the frozen continent of Antarctica.

In 1883, the United States and Canada adopted a system of Standard Time zones.

In 1886, the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, died in New York at age 56.

In 1899, musical conductor Eugene Ormandy was born in Budapest, Hungary.

In 1936, Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

In 1949, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers was named the National League's Most Valuable Player.

In 1959, "Ben-Hur," the Biblical-era spectacle starring Charlton Heston, had its world premiere in New York.

In 1969, financier-diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy died in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, at age 81.

In 1978, California Congressman Leo J. Ryan and four other people were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by 912 cult members.

In 1987, the congressional Iran-Contra committees issued their final report, saying President Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.

Ten years ago: President Bush began a series of meetings in Paris with allied leaders aimed at solidifying support for his Persian Gulf policies. Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met at the Vatican with Pope John Paul the Second, who said all possible efforts should be made to avoid war in the Persian Gulf.

Five years ago: With no relief in sight from a budget impasse that forced a partial federal shutdown, the House rebelled against Republican leaders during a raucous Saturday session and voted to oppose formally adjourning the chamber until Monday. (GOP leaders put the chamber into recess anyway.)

One year ago: Twelve people were killed when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M University collapsed. A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted Shawn Allen Berry of murder for his role in the dragging death of James Byrd Junior, but spared him the death penalty. American author and composer Paul Bowles, best known for "The Sheltering Sky" and other novels set in North Africa, died in Morocco at age 88.

每日格言：

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument."

-- William G. McAdoo, American government official (1863-1941).

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-18  18:55 编辑 ]

Words and their stories Report



Download:  http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200711/18/20071118REPORT.mp3

Reference:

Now the VOA Special English program Words and the Stories.

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings. The expression ”to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. Hot water was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the customer of throwing ball of water down on animals, attacking a Cassel that is no longer the customer.

But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble serious and not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A boy can be in hot water with his mother if he comes into the house with dirty wet shoes.

Being in deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in difficulty, imagining a swimmer in water over his head who can not reach the shower. You are in deep water when you are fixing a problem that you do not have ability to solve. The problem is too deep for you. You can be in deep water for example if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.

To keep your head above water is a colorful expression that means staying out of get. A company that can keep it head above water can survive economic hot times.

Water over the damn is an expression about a pass event. It is something that is over and done with. It can not be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has full in over a damn can not brought back again. When a friend is troubled by a mistake he has made, you might tell him to forget about it. You say it is water over the damn.

Another common expression to hold water is about the struck or weakness of an idea opinion for argument. It probably comes from the way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong. The expression is used the same way to describe an idea or argument. If the argument can hold water, it is solid and strong without any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and can not be proof.

Throwing cold water also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means not too like an idea. For example you are to buy a new computer, so you can do some of your work at home. But your wife throws cold water on the idea because a computer costs too much.


[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-18  18:59 编辑 ]

Download:  http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200711/18/20071118apnews.mp3

Reference:

The President of Venezuela warns that if the United States attacks his country or Iran, the price of a barrel of oil could double. Hugo Chávez says if there was an attack, oil could reach 200 dollars a barrel. The remarks came during the opening address of OPEC. That's the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.The 12 member nations are meeting in Saudi Arabia for just a third summit in OPEC's nearly 50-year existence. Afterwards, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said OPEC has always acted moderately and wisely. Before the meeting got underway, the king greeted leaders including the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. With oil prices at historic high, there is speculation that OPEC will decide to increase production. Cartel officials have said they would likely wait to make a decision until they meet again next month.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-18  18:45 编辑 ]

Download mp3

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. In a few days, our Nation will celebrate Thanksgiving. Like millions of Americans, members of Congress will travel home for the holiday. Unfortunately, as they get to work carving their turkeys, they're leaving a lot of unfinished work back in Washington, D.C. And unless they complete this work soon, middle-class Americans will pay higher taxes and American troops will not receive the critical funding they need to fight and defeat our enemies. Many middle-class taxpayers will face higher tax bills unless Congress acts on the Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT. The AMT was designed to ensure that the wealthy paid their fair share of taxes. But when Congress passed the AMT decades ago, it was not indexed for inflation. As a result, the AMT's higher tax burden is creeping up on more and more middle-class families.

To deal with this problem, Congress has in recent years passed temporary legislation that prevented most middle-class taxpayers from having to pay the AMT. But this year, Congress has yet to pass this legislation. A failure to do so would mean that 25 million Americans would be subject to the AMT -- more than six times the number that faced the tax last year. If you are one of those 25 million, you would have to send an average of $2,000 more to the IRS next year. This is a huge tax increase that Americans do not expect and do not deserve.

The longer Congress waits to fix this problem, the worse it will get. Last month, Treasury Secretary Paulson wrote a letter to members of Congress warning that delaying action on legislation to fix the AMT could create confusion for millions of taxpayers and delay the delivery of about $75 billion worth of tax refund checks. Congress has ignored Secretary Paulson's warnings -- and we are now beginning to see the consequences. On Friday, the tax forms for 2007 had to be sent to the government printer. And because of Congress's refusal to act, the IRS will be forced to send out tens of millions of tax forms that will almost certainly end up being wrong -- wasting your money, delaying refunds, and making it even more complicated to figure out your taxes.

It is clear that Congress's failure to adjust the AMT for inflation was a mistake. Unfortunately, Congress seems determined to compound this original mistake by making another one. Last week, the House passed a bill that provides relief from the AMT -- but raises other taxes. Congress should not use legislation that millions of Americans are counting on to protect them from higher taxes in one area as an excuse to raise taxes in other areas. I will veto any bill that raises taxes as a condition of fixing the AMT. Members of Congress must put political theater behind them, fix the AMT, and protect America's middle class from an unfair tax hike. Congress is also failing to meet its responsibilities to our troops. For months, Congress has delayed action on supplemental war funding because some in Congress want to make a political statement about the war. On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that once again has Congress directing our military commanders on how to conduct the war in Iraq as a condition for funding our troops. We do not need members of Congress telling our commanders what to do. We need Congress listening to our military commanders and giving them what they need to win the war against extremists and radicals. Congress knows I'll veto this bill. During this time of war, our troops deserve the full support of Congress -- and that means giving our troops the funding they need to successfully carry out their mission. I urge Congress to work quickly and send me a clean bill so we can fulfill our obligation to our brave men and women in uniform. With both of these delays, congressional leaders are choosing political posturing over the priorities of the people. These choices have real-world consequences for our taxpayers and our troops. When members of Congress return from their two-week-long Thanksgiving vacation, they will have only a few weeks left on the legislative calendar before they go home again for their Christmas break. I call on Congress to use the time that is left to do what is right -- and pass AMT relief and fund our troops in combat. Thank you for listening. END



[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-11-19  09:26 编辑 ]

这几天复习矩阵论，好久没来了！

AP NEWS



Download: http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200711/19/20071119apnews.mp3

Reference:

US officials in Iraq say violence is down since this summer's troop failed up. Now they want to know what role if any Iran played in the down turn. Nearly 30,000 more US troops have fired ago in Iraq since June. Officials say that search has let to a 55% drop and overall violence. One officer says some areas are at their lowest levels in more than two years.

The US has accused Iran of arming training and funding Shiite extremists inside Iraq. But receive its authority say tai Iran Shiites to abslow the floor weapons across the border. The spokesman says it's too early to dertermine at this trend will last or as thing else may be in the worlds.

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