voa listening materials.docx

voa listening materials.docx

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voalisteningmaterials

ThisistheVOASpecialEnglishDevelopmentReport.

AnewreportsaystheillegalkillingofrhinosfortheirhornsisincreasinginAfricaandAsia.Rhinocerospoachersarekillinganestimatedtwotothreeoftherareanimalseachweek.

ExpertssaydemandinAsia--especiallyVietnamandChina--currentlydrivesmosttradeinrhinohornsfromsouthernAfrica.Thehornsareoftenusedtomaketraditionalmedicines,orhandlesfordaggerknives.

ThereportisfromtheInternationalUnionfortheConservationofNatureandanorganizationknownasTraffic.

MostAfricanrhinopoachingisinZimbabweandSouthAfrica.ExpertsfoundthattwohundredtenrhinoswereillegallykilledinSouthAfricainthelastthreeyears.

TheestimateforZimbabweistwohundredthirty-five.Thesituationthreatensgainsmadeinitsrhinopopulationsinthenineteennineties.Inthelasttwoyears,onlysixpeoplewerefoundguiltyofpoachingchargesoutofforty-onearrested.

Intwothousandone,sixty-eightpercentofAfricanrhinohornsenteringillegaltradewererecovered.Bythisyear,nineoutoftenwereheadingtoAsianmarketswithoutinterference.

ThereportsayspoachingandillegalhorntradehasincreasedinSouthAfricaevenwithnewmeasuresagainstit.

Addingtotheproblem,poacherstodayaremoreskilledatkillingrhinos,andnotonlywithguns.Theyalsousequietermethods,likeveterinarydrugs,poisonandcrossbows.

AninternationalagreementonprotectingendangeredanimalsandplantsprovidesforsporthuntingofwhiterhinosinAfrica.Butthehornsoftenenterillegalmarkets.

Notallthenewsisbad,however.Thereportnotesthatrhinopopulationsareincreasinginsomeareas.TheseincludebothwhiterhinosandblackrhinosinthewildinAfrica.

Africahadanestimatedseventeenthousandwhiterhinosandfourthousandblackrhinosasoftwoyearsago.CurrentestimatesforAsiaarearoundthreethousandrhinos.Butevenwithpoaching,growthisreportedinsomeareasofIndiaandNepal.

Wildlifeactivistsareurginggovernmentstodomoretofightrhinopoaching.

ThereportwaspresentedtotheorganizationknownasCITES.CITESistheConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora.ThenextconferenceofcountriesthatarepartiestotheagreementisinMarchinDoha,Qatar.

Andthat'stheVOASpecialEnglishDevelopmentReport,writtenbyJuneSimms.I'mSteveEmber.

WrittenbyNancySteinbachandMarioRitter

VOICEONE:

WelcometoTHISISAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.I'mSteveEmber.

VOICETWO:

Numbersarrive,onpedicabs,tobeplacedatopTimesSquareinNewYorkfortheNewYear'sEveballdropwelcoming2010

AndI'mShirleyGriffith.Thisweekonourprogram,wefindouthowsomepeoplewillbewelcomingtwothousandten.

（MUSIC）

VOICEONE:

SowhatdoAmericansdoNewYear'sEve?

HillaryHuesmanisfromSouthCarolina.

HILLARYHUESMAN:

"Igetdressedup.Ilooktogoout.I'musuallysingle,andthatisusuallynotaproblem.ThisyearI'mstillmakingmyplans.Ihaven'tquiteconfirmedthemyet,butprobablyahotelballroom-typescenario,black-tieevent."

Atablack-tieevent,themendressintuxedosordarksuitsandthewomenwearfancydresses.

HotelsinmanycitieshavespecialdealsforNewYear'sEve:

dinner,Champagneandaparty.Thenpeoplegetaroomforthenight.Thatway,noonehastoworryaboutdrinkinganddrivinghome.

VOICETWO:

OnNewYear'sEve,somecommunitiesintheUnitedStatesholdwhatarecalledFirstNightcelebrations.Theseareeventswherenoalcoholisserved.Thecelebrationsincludethingslikemusicperformances,artdisplaysandfireworks.

Boston,Massachusetts,heldthefirstFirstNightcelebrationinnineteenseventy-six.Sincethentheideahasspreadinternationally.

VOICEONE:

SomepeoplemightnothavefirmplansyetforNewYear'sEve,butothersknowexactlywhattheywillbedoing.Joeisatwenty-oneyearoldstudentattheUniversityofVirginia.

JOE:

"Idon'treallydoawholelot.Inormallyjustspendtimewithfamily,goouttoeat,hangout,waitfortheballtodroponTV."

JoeistalkingaboutAmerica'sbestknowncelebrationonNewYear'sEve.HundredsofthousandsofpeoplecrowdintoTimesSquareinNewYork.Theycountdownthefinalsecondstomidnightastheywatchabrightlylitballslidedownapoleontopofatallbuilding.

（SOUND）

Acouplewelcoming2009inTimesSquare

ThefirstNewYear'sEveballdropinTimesSquaretookplacemorethanacenturyago.Theballwasmadeofironandwoodanditwaslitwithonehundredlights.Todaytheballislargerandcoveredinmorethantwothousandcrystals.

VOICETWO:

TwoothertraditionsforwelcomingtheNewYearareamidnightkissandanattempttosingasongthatalmostnooneknows.

"AuldLangSyne,"bytheeighteenthcenturyScottishpoetRobertBurns,isasongaboutfriendsandrememberingtimeslongago.

（MUSIC）

Anewyearisagoodtimetostartfresh--and,forsomepeople,atimetoseekgoodfortuneintheyearahead.

IntheAmericanSouth,forexample,peoplemightprepareadishknownas"Hoppin'John."Theymakeitwithblack-eyedpeasandingredientslikebacon,riceandvegetables.EatingitattheNewYearisthoughttobringgoodluck.

（MUSIC）

VOICEONE:

OnNewYear'sDay,somefamiliesintheUnitedStatesinvitefriendsandrelativestoanopenhouse.JillCooperfromSantaFe,NewMexico,gaveusadescription.

JILLCOOPER:

"They'refamilyparties,bigopenhouse-ykindofpartieswithlotsofcookies--toomanycookies--andpunchandeggnog.Andhousesaredecorated,andyouseeyourfriendsandyoubopfrompartytoparty."

ButthatisnotallsheandherfamilyliketodotocelebratetheNewYear.

JILLCOOPER:

"Wetrytodosomethingoutside'causeweliveinSantaFeandweliverightinthemountains.Everybodywantstogoforawonderfulhikeandstartoffwithfreshairandallthethingswe'regoingtohaveinourlivesthewholenextyear.Andthenwedropinonparties."

VOICETWO:

SomefamiliesliketotakeiteasyonJanuaryfirstandenjoyaquietdayofrest.TwentyyearoldMaliaisfromVirginia.

MALIA:

"IusuallysleepinbecausewestayuplateonNewYear'sEve.Andmyfamily,weusuallyeattheleftoversofthedessertsthatwemakeforNewYear's,orNewYear'sEveandstuff,so.But,justrelax,mainly."

ButNewYear'sDayisanythingbutadayofrestforJohnWorster（WOO-ster）,wholivesinIdaho.

JOHNWORSTER:

"IofferCatholicMass,'causeI'maCatholicpriestbyprofession,andsoitisactuallythefeastdayofMary,MotherofGod.AndsowebeginourCatholicwayofunderstandingnewyearbyjustthankingGodforJesus'mother,Mary.OnNewYear'sDay,afterchurchwe'llgooutandsitinthegoosepitanddosomehuntingforCanadageeseandalsoducks."

VOICEONE:

UniversityofIllinoischeerleadersandfloatatthe2008RoseParade

OnNewYear'smorning,millionsoftelevisionviewerswatchtheTournamentofRosesParadeinPasadena,California.Theparadeincludesmarchingbandsandhorsebackriders.Buttheparadeismostfamousforitsmotorizedfloats.Theycomeinallshapesandsizes,buttheyareallcoveredwithflowers.

InSouthernCalifornia,theweatheronNewYear'sDaymightbecold.Buttheskiesareusuallysunnyanddry,evenasotherpartsofthecountrymightexperiencesnowstorms.

AlocalgroupcreatedtheTournamentofRosesfestivalinPasadenaineighteenninety.Thefestivallaterexpandedtoincludetheparadeandabiggameincollegefootball.

ThechampionteamsfromtwocollegeathleticconferencesplayintheRoseBowlStadium.ThisFriday,theBuckeyesofOhioStateUniversitywillplaytheUniversityofOregonDucks.

（MUSIC）

VOICETWO:

WillyoubemakinganyNewYear'sresolutions?

HillaryHuesmanfromSouthCarolinahasafewinmind.

HILLARYHUESMAN:

"I'dliketosolidifymyromanticrelationship,losetwenty-eightpounds.I'dliketotravelalotmoreintwenty-ten.Twothousandninewasalongyear--struggledfinancially,likemostofAmerica.SoI'mlookingforprosperityintwenty-ten."

VOICEONE:

MaliafromVirginiadoesnotmaketoomanyresolutions.Shesaysshedoesnotwanttodisappointherselfwhenshefailstokeepthem.Joe,theUniversityofVirginiastudent,isofasimilarmind.

JOE:

"I'mnotabelieverinresolutionsforNewYear's.Ithinkthatresolutionscomewhentheyneedtothroughouttheyear,whenyoudecidethatsomeoneneedsachange."

VOICETWO:

WhataboutJohnWorster,theCatholicpriest?

JOHNWORSTER:

"ImakeaNewYear'sresolutioneveryyearandusuallybythethirdorfourthofJanuaryit'salreadybeenbroken,so...（Laughs）.

REPORTER:

"Whatkindofresolutionsarethose?

"

JOHNWORSTER:

"Oh,usuallytoleadahealthierlifestylebyeatingbetterfoodandnotdrinkingsomuch,so...（Laughs）"

VOICEONE:

JamarNegron,ahighschoolstudentfromNewJersey,hasafewresolutionsfortwothousandten:

JAMARNEGRON:

"I'mafencer,somyNewYear'sresolutionisjusttobecomebetteratfencing.Andbetterinthegeneralsense:

becomebetterinschoolwork,becomeabetterperson,becomeabetterwriter--becomeasbestasIcanbeinallaspectsofmylife."

（MUSIC）

VOICETWO:

Holidayplanningcanbedifficultwhenbusinesshastocomebeforepleasure.

WedidinterviewsneartheCapitolbuildinghereinWashington.Oneofthepeoplewemethappenedtobethewifeofanewlyelectedsenator.JillCooperismarriedtoTomUdall,aDemocratfromNewMexicowhoenteredtheSenatethispastJanuary.

Whenwetalkedtoherearlierthismonth,theirplansfortheNewYearwerestillopen.

JILLCOOPER:

"TherewasachancethatwewouldgoonatriptoIndiaandAfghanistan,butapparentlywe'renotdo