12/01每日英语系列

Today's Highlight in History:

On December first, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus. Mrs. Parks was arrested, sparking a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.

On this date:

In 1913, the first drive-in automobile service station opened, in Pittsburgh.

In 1919, Lady Astor was sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament.

In 1934, Sergei M. Kirov, a collaborator of Josef Stalin, was assassinated in Leningrad, resulting in a massive purge.

In 1942, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.

In 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin concluded their Tehran conference.

In 1956, the Leonard Bernstein musical "Candide," based on Voltaire, opened on Broadway.

In 1959, representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.

In 1965, an airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.

In 1969, the US government held its first draft lottery since World War Two.

In 1973, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, died in Tel Aviv at age 87.

Ten years ago: In an extraordinary encounter, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Pope John Paul the Second at the Vatican. East Germany's Parliament abolished the Communist Party's constitutional guarantee of supremacy.

Five years ago: The Senate gave final congressional approval to a world trade agreement, passing the 124-nation General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 76-to-24.

One year ago: Exxon agreed to buy Mobil for $73.7 billion. Cuba's Communist Party recommended that December 25th be re-established as a permanent holiday.

每日格言：

"I got a simple rule about everybody. If you don't treat me right, shame on you."

                                                                                                     -- Louis Armstrong, American jazz musician (1900-1971).

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-3  16:00 编辑 ]

Download:  http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200712/01/20071201apnews.mp3

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1. Florida police have detained at least three people for questioning in the death of Washington Redskin star Sean Taylor. He was killed early Monday morning at his Miami home in what the police now say may have been a botched burglary attempt.

2. More than a dozen people were seriously injured when this Amtrack train plowed to the back of a freight train. It's not clear what caused the accident. And officials say most of the 187 passengers were able to walk away. But five people were reported to be in critical condition.

3. Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel has died. He became an international star in the 70s when he staged a number of spectacular jumps. The 69-year-old had been in failing health, suffering from diabetes and an incurable lung condition.

4. No, this isn't some liberal stream you are seeing but rather a new art exhibit opening in New York. Photographers there have only doctored images of Bush administration officials that make them look like police mug shots.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-1  13:26 编辑 ]

Search for Adam-14



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They speak one of the most intricate languages on earth. Along with regular consonants, they use a chorus of clicks. Their speech is far more complicated than most of modern languages. And that suggests it’s been around for much longer. English has around 30 different sounds. Click languages can have over a hundred. Scientists believe that when humans first begin to speak, they may have used clicks like these. We could be listening to Adam himself. Like the bow and arrow, the sounds are simple. But they may point to what gave Adam his revolutionary intelligence.

The Hazabe have allowed us to explore Adam’s world. Now Frank Bender can show us what he might have looked like. His goal is not just to sculpt Adam but to reveal his personality.

“I tried to get into his head just like I would fugitive. Intuition is the binder between art and science. It’s the part to pose it all together and gives it that life, that spark. I picture him very much alive with a lot of basic feelings that still we have today, confidence one point and security is another.”

Finally Wells comes face to face with the man he’s been searching for, a new portrait of the common ancestor of every man today – Adam. Without the skull, we can’t know for sure what Adam looked like. But a combination of genetic evidence, Bender’s forensic skills and cutting edge computer software suggest he looked something like this. Thousands of years after the Bible and hundreds of years after Michelangelo, we have a whole new face for Adam.

“I like the expression. He’s got a very forceful look.”

“He is intent on something, maybe taking over the world. You begin to get perhaps an insight into why these guys went out and why this guy is our ancestor.”

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-1  13:31 编辑 ]

ｖａｎ帅

Today's Highlight in History:

On December second, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harper's Ferry the previous October.

On this date:

In 1804, Napoleon was crowned emperor of France.

In 1816, the first savings bank in the United States, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business.

In 1823, President Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1939, New York's La Guardia Airport began operations as an airliner from Chicago landed at one minute past midnight.

In 1942, a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.

In 1954, the Senate voted to condemn Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (Republican, Wisconsin) for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

In 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism.

In 1969, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet got its first public preview as 191 people, most of them reporters and photographers, flew from Seattle to New York City.

In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency began operating under director William Ruckelshaus.

In 1993, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin.

Ten years ago: President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev held the first talks of their wind-tossed Malta summit aboard the Soviet cruise ship "Maxim Gorky." V.P. Singh was sworn in as prime minister of India.

Five years ago: The government agreed not to seek a recall of allegedly fire-prone General Motors pickup trucks, striking a deal with GM under which the automaker would spend more than $51 million on safety and research. Reputed "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss was convicted in Los Angeles of three counts of pandering.

One year ago: Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy was acquitted of all counts in a corruption case involving sports tickets and travel that he'd accepted from companies that did business with his department.

每日格言：

"Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes."
                                                                                   [size=+0]-- Henry J. Kaiser, American industrialist (1882-1967).

Words and their stories Report



Download:  http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200712/02/20071202REPORT.mp3

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Now, the VOA Special English Program Words and Their Stories.

I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. I know I do. I would give anything to make money hand over fist. I would like to earn large amounts of money. You could win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you win a huge amount of money, often in the millions. Winning the lottery is a windfall.

A few years ago, my friend A won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead, my friend was always hard up for cash. He did not have much money. And the money he did earn was chicken feed, very little. Sometimes, A. even had to accept handouts, gifts from his family and friends.

But do not get me wrong, my friend was not a deadbeat. He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He simply pinched pennies. He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate. He did not like to spend money. The worst times were when he was flat broke and had no money at all.

One day, A. scrimped together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never strike it rich or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery. He hit the jackpot. He won a great deal of money.

A. was so excited. The first thing he did was buy a costly new car. He splurged on the one thing that he normally would not buy. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had money to burn. He had more money than he needed. And it was burning a hole in his pocket. So he spent it quickly. When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, A. paid every time. He would always foot the bill and pick up the tab. He told me, the money made him feel like a million dollars. He was very happy.

But A. spent too much money. Soon my friend was down and out again. He had no money left. He was back to been strapped for cash. He has spent his bottom dollar - his very last amount. He did not even build up a nest. He had not saved any of the money.

I admit I do feel sorry for my friend. He had enough money to live like a king. Instead, he is back to living on a shoes' string, a very low budget. Some might say he is penny wise and pound foolish. He was wise about small things but not about important things.

Words and Their Stories in VOA Special English was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.


[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-2  18:38 编辑 ]

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THE PRESIDENT:

Good morning.

Next week, Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess. Members are coming back to a lot of unfinished business. And the clock will be ticking, because they have only a few weeks to get their work done before leaving again for Christmas. Congress must address four critical priorities. First, Congress needs to pass a bill to fund our troops in combat.

Second, Congress needs to make sure our intelligence professionals can continue to monitor terrorist communications so we can prevent attacks against our people. Third, Congress needs to pass a bill to protect middle-class families from higher taxes. And fourth, Congress needs to pass all the remaining appropriations bills to keep the Federal Government running. Congress's first priority should be to provide the funds and flexibility to keep our troops safe and help them protect our Nation. Beginning in February, I submitted detailed funding requests to Congress to fund operations in the war on terror. Our military has waited on these funds for months. The funds include money to carry out combat operations against the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq. They include money to train the Afghan and Iraqi security forces to take on more responsibility for the defense of their countries. And they include money for intelligence operations to protect our troops on the battlefield.

Pentagon officials recently warned Congress that continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of our military. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has already notified Congress that he will transfer money from accounts used to fund other activities of the military services to pay for current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and no more money can be moved. So he has directed the Army and Marine Corps to develop a plan to lay-off civilian employees, terminate contracts, and prepare our military bases across the country for reduced operations. Military leaders have told us what they need to do their job. It is time for the Congress to do its job and give our troops what they need to protect America.

Another priority Congress must address is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. FISA provides a critical legal framework that allows our intelligence community to monitor terrorist communications while protecting the freedoms of the American people. Unfortunately, the law is dangerously out of date. In August, Congress passed legislation to help modernize FISA. That bill closed critical intelligence gaps, allowing us to collect important foreign intelligence. The problem is, this new law expires on February 1st -- while the threat from our terrorist enemies does not. Congress must take action now to keep the intelligence gaps closed -- and make certain our national security professionals do not lose a critical tool for keeping America safe. As part of these efforts, Congress also needs to provide meaningful liability protection to those companies now facing multi-billion dollar lawsuits only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our Nation following the 9/11 attacks.

Congress's third priority should be to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax. 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. If Congress fails to pass legislation to fix the AMT, as many as 25 million Americans would be subject to the AMT. On average, these taxpayers would have to send an extra $2,000 to the IRS next year. This is a huge tax increase that taxpayers do not deserve, and Congress must stop. Finally, Congress has important work to do on the budget. One of Congress's most basic duties is to fund the day-to-day operations of the Federal Government. Yet we are in the final month of the year, and Congress still has work to do on 11 of the 12 annual spending bills. Congressional leaders are now talking about piling all these bills into one monstrous piece of legislation -- which they will load up with billions of dollars in earmarks and pork-barrel spending.

This is not what Congressional leaders promised when they took control of the Congress at the start of the year. In January, one congressional leader declared, "No longer can we waste time here in the Capitol, while families in America struggle to get ahead." He was right. Congressional leaders need to keep their word and pass the remaining spending bills in a fiscally responsible way.

The end of the year is approaching fast, and Americans are working hard to finish up their business. Yet when it comes to getting its business done, Congress is only getting started. Members of Congress now have only a few weeks left before they head home for the holidays. Before they do so, I urge them to do their job: fund our troops, protect our citizens, provide taxpayers relief, and responsibly fund our government.

Thank you for listening.

END

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-2  18:42 编辑 ]

so difficult !

Today's Highlight in History:

On December third, 1967, surgeons in Cape Town, South Africa, led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky, who lived 18 days with the new heart.

On this date:

In 1818, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state.

In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States.

In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio -- the first truly coeducational school of higher learning in the United States -- opened its doors.

In 1925, "Concerto in F," by George Gershwin, had its world premiere at New York's Carnegie Hall, with Gershwin himself at the piano.

In 1947, the Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway.

In 1953, the musical "Kismet" opened on Broadway.

In 1960, the musical "Camelot" opened on Broadway.

In 1967, the "Twentieth Century Limited," the famed luxury train, completed its final run from New York to Chicago.

In 1979, eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum, where the British rock group The Who was performing.

In 1984, more than 4,000 people died after a cloud of gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India.

Ten years ago: President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev held the second day of their summit talks off Malta aboard the Soviet cruise liner "Maxim Gorky"; the two leaders then held a joint news conference. East German Communist leader Egon Krenz, the ruling Politburo and the party's Central Committee resigned.

Five years ago: Rebel Serbs in Bosnia failed to keep a pledge to release hundreds of UN peacekeepers, some of whom had been held for more than a week. AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, who along with her two children were infected with HIV because of a blood transfusion, died in Santa Monica, California, at age 47.

One year ago: Republicans jettisoned campaign fund-raising from their impeachment inquiry, clearing the way for a historic House Judiciary Committee vote over President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky and his effort to cover it up.

每日格言：

"There is many a good man to be found under a shabby hat."
         -- Chinese proverb.

Download: http://download.putclub.com/update/sest/200712/03/20071203apnews.mp3

Reference:

1. The fourth man charged for the murder of Sean Taylor faced to judge today. Jason Mitchell told the judge he understood the charges he faces. Mitchell and three others are accused of breaking into Taylor's Florida home, surprising the football star and shooting him last week. Taylor died the next day.

2. A winter storm socked in the Midwest and is on the East Coast. At least eight people have died on treacherous roads. Forecasters say 20 inches of snow fell in parts of Minnesota. And a foot of snow is possible in New England.

3. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez voted today in a referendum that would give him broad powers and a shot of being president for life. The contentious vote has raised tensions in the South American country. Chavez has said he would only stay in office as long as the people voted him in.

4. And it is beginning to feel like winter in Mexico City. The capital city's new ice skating rink opened this weekend. Thousands turned out for a try at the ice. This rink is one of three that will stay open through the holidays.

[ 本帖最后由 vanbryan 于 2007-12-3  15:41 编辑 ]