Passage 31
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
A new report says the number of foreign students in the United States reached a record high in two (1) thousand eight.
More than six hundred seventy thousand (2) international students attended an American college or university last year. That was eight percent higher than the year before, the largest (3) percentage increase since nineteen eighty.
The "Open Doors" report is published by the Institute of International Education, with support from the State Department.
It says the number of international students last year was almost fifteen percent higher than the last record setting year, two thousand two. In all, seven of the ten top countries sent more students last year, just as the economic (4) downturn was worsening.
For the eighth year, India remained the leader in sending students to the United States. More than one hundred thousand students from India attended American schools last year. That was nine percent more than the year before.
China again sent the second largest number, more than ninety-eight thousand, an increase of twenty-one percent. The biggest increases were in Chinese (5) undergraduate students.
South Korea was third. The number of South Korean students increased nine percent to seventy-five thousand.
Canada was the only (6) non-Asian country in the top five. It rose two percent to fourth place. Almost thirty thousand Canadian students enrolled for the school year that began last (7) autumn.
Japan fell to fifth place. The number of Japanese students in the United States decreased for the fourth year, to just over twenty-nine thousand.
(8) Taiwan also sent fewer students, and the number from Mexico was nearly unchanged.
The University of Southern California in Los Angeles once again had the highest number of foreign students. (9) The "Open Doors" report says nearly seven thousand five hundred attended U.S.C. last year.
New York University and Columbia University, both in New York City, were second and third. The other schools in the top five were the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
(10) Business and management was again the most popular area of study for international students. The next most popular subjects are engineering, math and computer science.
Passage 32
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
President Obama is back from his first trip to Asia since becoming what he called "America's first (1) Pacific president." The president, born in Hawaii, began his eight-day trip in Japan, then visited Singapore, China and South Korea. He met with leaders on issues (2) including trade, the world economy and climate change.
In Singapore, he attended this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. And he chose Hawaii for the APEC meeting in two years.
The president spent a day in Japan. He met with the new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama. They talked about (3) strength
ening their nations' alliance. But the prime minister (4) campaigned on a promise of a "more equal" relationship. For example, he wants to study a two thousand six agreement for an American Marine air station to move to another area of Okinawa.
In South Korea, President Obama and President Lee Myung-bak discussed a free trade agreement signed by their governments two years ago. President Obama said he hopes to get Congress to approve it next year.
China is the United States' second largest (5) trading partner, after Canada. And China now holds more United States government debt than any other nation.
In Beijing, President Obama met with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. He also spoke to university students in Shanghai. Among other subjects, he talked about freedoms that Americans value.
BARACK OBAMA: "These (6) freedoms of expression and worship, of access to information and political participation, we believe are universal rights. They should be (7) available to all people."
China has the world's largest number of Internet users. But it also has what is often called the Great Firewall of China. (8) The government restricts political content and blocks some social networking and news Web sites. President Obama said he is a strong supporter of open Internet access.
His meeting with students in Shanghai was broadcast locally. But China rejected an American request to show it live nationally.
(9) There were no major developments, but there were promises of closer cooperation in talks between the two presidents. They made a joint statement to reporters, but took no questions.
Announcements included a series of measures to strengthen cooperation on clean energy. For example, the United States and China will jointly establish a clean energy research center. Scientists and engineers will work on technologies such as carbon capture and storage. (10) That involves preventing industrial gases from escaping into the atmosphere where they can trap heat.
Also this week, environment ministers from about forty countries met in Copenhagen. They discussed issues related to a climate change conference that opens December seventh in the Danish capital.
APEC leaders said Sunday that it is unrealistic to expect a full and legally enforceable agreement to be negotiated by then. Instead, they called for a temporary political agreement while continuing to negotiate a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol. That treaty ends in two thousand twelve.
Passage 33
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
H1N1 flu continues to spread. Currently the virus is most active in the northern half of the world. But experts say it has become the leading (1) influenza virus in all countries.
No one really knows how many people have gotten sick. H1N1, often called swine flu, was first reported in (2) Mexico in April. Countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases. But close to half a million (3) confirmed cases were reported to the Wo
rld Health Organization as of November first.
The W.H.O. offices for the Americas and the Western Pacific reported two out of three of those cases. The agency says more than six thousand people (4) worldwide have died from H1N1.
W.H.O. special adviser Keiji Fukuda said last week that the (5) virus has continued to act in some ways like seasonal flu. Most people recover without any need for interventions like (6) antiviral drugs.
But in other ways H1N1 is different. It remained at unusually high levels in several countries during their summer months. And, unlike seasonal flu, younger people have (7) suffered many of the serious cases and deaths from H1N1.
In the United States, cases of suspected influenza are at higher numbers than usual this early in the flu season. (8) Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say hospital treatment for likely H1N1 is most common among children up to four years old.
Health officials around the world are concerned about vaccine production. Wealthy countries have promised to donate ten percent of their H1N1 vaccine to poor countries. But there is a worldwide shortage.
The traditional way to make flu vaccine is to grow the virus in chicken eggs. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health says the shortage is an issue of biology. (9) He says the companies that make vaccines cannot really do much when they have a virus that does not grow well.
In Saudi Arabia, officials are preparing for the Hajj, which starts this year during the last week of November. The event normally brings about three million Muslims from one hundred sixty countries to the holy city of Mecca.
(10) Disease experts worry that H1N1 could spread easily in the crowds. The Saudis have a campaign to vaccinate health workers. They are also urging countries to vaccinate pilgrims making the trip. And they are advising against travel by children, pregnant women and other groups at highest risk.
Passage 34
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Alternate bearing is a widespread problem for growers of citrus and other fruit trees. It can affect a large area or just (1) individual trees or even part of a tree. No, it is not a disease. Alternate bearing is when a tree produces a heavy crop one year, called an "on-crop," (2) followed by an "off-crop" the next year.
On-crop trees produce a large number of small fruit with little value. Off-crop trees produce no fruit or a small number of large fruit that often have thick, (3) unappealing skins.
Citrus growers know that the number of fruit in their (4) current crop has an inverse effect on the number of flowers in the return bloom. In other words, if one number is big, the other number will be small.
Two (5) researchers recently did a study to understand how this happens. Johannes Verreynne is now at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Carol Lovatt is at the University of California, Riverside. They studied "Pixie" mandarin trees in the Ojai Vall
ey of California. Mandarin oranges are also known as tangerines.
The study showed that fruit on the tree reduces the next bloom by stopping buds from appearing. This limits the number and length of summer and fall shoots. As a result, there is a (6) reduction in the number of nodes, or joints, that produce groups of flowers along stems. Fruit on the tree during spring bloom stops the (7) growth of flowering shoots.
During an on-crop year, growers often treat the fruit so it can stay on the tree longer. The purpose is to extend the harvest season. Yet Carol Lovatt says holding fruit on the tree makes alternate bearing worse. (8) The researchers advise growers to investigate the effects of thinning or pruning to reduce the number of fruit in early summer of the on-crop year.
The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Other kinds of trees that can experience alternate bearing include nut trees. (9) Scientists recently studied the effects of mechanical thinning on two kinds of pecan trees in the southeastern United States. The results from the University of Georgia appeared in HortTechnology, also published by the society.
(10) The study compared trees that had been thinned by machine with those that had not been thinned. The findings suggest that thinning during the on-crop year can increase the value of off-year pecan crops.
Passage 35
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
(1) Twenty-six thousand foreign exchange students are in American high schools this year. A few days ago, we asked four (2) teenagers who arrived in August to discuss their experience so far. All but one are attending (3) public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside Washington.
Johanna is from Germany.
JOHANNA: "The biggest difference for me is the (4) relationship to the teachers. Because here the teachers are more friends, and in Germany they are more like parents and strict and stuff like that."
Another difference? In American high schools, the students are usually the ones who change rooms. Johanna and Daniel come from schools where the teachers change classrooms.
DANIEL: "In Austria, it's more like you have all classes (5) together with the same group of people. And so you are really good friends with like all the people you're in class with, because you know them since like four years and you have all classes together with them."
Hande from Turkey is living with a (6) host family in Denver, Colorado. She says students in Turkish schools have less choice.
HANDE: "You cannot choose your own classes. And you don't have the right to drop out of one of them."
She says Turkish schools are also more (7) formal.
HANDE: "When a teacher comes into the class you have to stand up and greet the teacher. (8) He or she says good morning or good afternoon or something like that and you all, as a class, you answer. We don't do this in class here."
How does the education compare? Hande is in three Advanced
Placement classes, which are meant to prepare students for college.
HANDE: "A.P. courses are really hard and they really force you to learn and are really good. But the regular classes, their level is lower than in Turkey."
Rosa is from a country where high school is five years, not four like in America.
ROSA: "In Italy we go to school only during the morning and just like for lessons. And Italian schools [don't] have like other activities. (9) And whatever we want to do, it's outside the school or on our own or like private school or association outside."
On the other hand, she says, having to go elsewhere for activities is not necessarily a bad thing.
ROSA: "We in Italy, or in Europe, I think, we have a more free environment, (10) if I can say this, because we are in touch with a lot of different things that are outside the school. It's like an American school could be a protective box."
Passage 36
Words and Their Stories: Santa Claus
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Santa Claus is someone who will (1) remain in the hearts of children forever. He is the make-believe person who brings toys and other gifts to children at Christmas. To grown-ups, he is a special (2) symbol of good will and selfless giving.
Santa Claus also has some other names: Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel.
Two of his names -- Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas -- both come from the Dutch who (3) settled in New York long ago.
The Dutch believed Saint Nikolaas gave gifts to children. They honored this kindly saint with a yearly festival on December sixth. The English-speaking people who lived nearby greatly enjoyed Dutch festivals. And they brought the Saint and the custom of giving gifts into their own (4) celebration at Christmas time.
The Dutch spoke the name "Saint Nikolaas" very fast. It sounded like "Sinterklaas." And so, when the English said this word, it sounded like Santa Claus.
West of New York, in Pennsylvania, many German farmers had also heard of Saint Nikolaas. But they called him Pelznickel. This word came from "pelz," meaning fur, and "nickel" for Nicholas. And so, to the Germans of Pennsylvania, Saint Nicholas or Pelznickel was a man (5) dressed in fur who came once a year with gifts for good children.
Soon, people began to feel that the love and kindness Pelznickel brought should be part of a celebration (6) honoring the Christkindl, as the Germans called the Christ child. After a time, this became Kris Kringle. Later, Kris Kringle became another name for Santa Claus himself.
Whatever he is called, he is still the same short, fat, jolly old man with a long beard, wearing a red suit with white fur.
The picture of Santa Claus, as we see him, came from Thomas Nast. He was an American painter born in Bavaria. He (7) painted pictures for Christmas poems. Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa Claus.
Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southern Germany. (8)Every Christmas, a fat ol
d man gave toys and cakes to the children. So, when Nast painted the picture, (9) his Santa Claus looked like the kindly old man of his childhood. And through the years, Nast's painting has remained as the most popular picture Of Santa Claus.
(10) Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during the Christmas season. Some stand on street corners asking for money to buy food and gifts for the needy. Others are found in stores and shopping centers.
It is easy to find them by the long lines of children waiting to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.
Passage 37
US Banks Under Pressure to Lend More
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
President Obama told some of the nation's top bankers Monday that they need to (1) explore "every responsible way" to make more loans.
BARACK OBAMA: "America's banks received extraordinary assistance from American taxpayers to rebuild their industry. And now that they're back on their feet, we expect extraordinary commitment from them to help (2) rebuild the economy."
Earlier, he criticized what he called "fat-cat bankers on Wall Street."
Major banks have been doing well since the worst of the financial crisis shook Wall Street more than a year ago. Banks including Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo have recently announced plans to repay government (3) rescue money.
New profits and freedom from the pay limits tied to federal aid mean bankers can again receive big bonuses. But critics say banks are (4) profiting mainly from trading activities, not from making loans to small businesses or homeowners.
Britain has placed a fifty percent tax on bonuses for bankers. There have been calls for similar measures in the United States.
Unemployment rates are the highest in a generation -- ten percent nationally in November. An (5) estimated seventeen percent of the labor force either lacks a job or is not working enough to pay all the bills.
The weak job market has not only hurt spending, the lifeblood of the economy. It also puts pressure on homeowners who are (6) struggling to pay their mortgage loans. Record numbers have been told that they could lose their homes. Banks are expected to have sent almost four (7) million foreclosure notices this year.
(8) The administration has had limited success with its promise of seventy-five billion dollars to help struggling homeowners. The Making Home Affordable program aims to prevent up to four million foreclosures. (9) The idea is to get banks to reduce monthly payments. But fewer than thirty-two thousand loans have been permanently changed so far.
Lenders are unwilling to change loans that they suspect will fail anyway. An estimated one-fourth of homeowners owe more than their home is worth. That situation increases the risk that a loan will not be repaid.
Stephen Thode at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania says progress in the housing market will be limited until the job market gets better.
STEPHEN THODE: "Typically
the real estate sector leads the economy in a recovery, meaning that it tends to pick up before some other things. But people have to have confidence that things are going to improve."
Most new jobs in the United States are created by small businesses. (10) But small businesses have been hit hard by the recession and now the difficulty in getting loans.
Passage 38
Educational Technology: Not Just Computers
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
A question from the West Bank: Zuheir Khlaif wants to know how American schools use educational technology.
There is not a simple answer. It depends on the subject and level of students, of course. But it also depends on the (1) interest and training of the teachers, and the goals and (2) budgets of the schools.
Schools are almost all connected to the Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like video (3) conferencing, to bring the world into the classroom.
And some classrooms are equipped with things like a Smart Board, a kind of (4) interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can operate by touch. They can be used for documents or writing or to project video.
Some teachers are trying (5) creative new ways to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But educators say the most important thing, as always, is the (6) content.
Yet technology can have special importance in some cases. Cosmobot is a therapy robot. It stands about half a meter tall and has a blue body and a (7) friendly face with big eyes.
One child who works with it is six-year-old Kevin Fitzgerald. Kevin has developmental dyspraxia; (8) he has difficulty moving his mouth and tongue.
He works with Carole Semango-Sprouse as he interacts with the Cosmobot during therapy for his condition. Here, he uses a set of buttons attached to a computer to make the silent robot move forward, backward or around in circles.
CAROLE SEMANGO-SPROUSE: "Say come!"
KEVIN: "Om here ..."
CAROLE SEMANGO-SPROUSE: "Good boy. Call him again! Come here!"
KEVIN: "Om ere ... "
CAROLE SEMANGO-SPROUSE: "Perfect! Say it again, Kev! Come here."
KEVIN: "Om ere."
CAROLE SEMANGO-SPROUSE: "Good boy. That's beautiful."
Kevin's mother thinks the robot has had a calming influence, (9) helping her son get along better with his friends.
Cosmobot was developed by AnthroTronix. Corinna Lathan started the company ten years ago to work with children with cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities.
Children become friends with the robot, she says. (10) That can have a big effect on their behavior, helping them work harder and longer in therapy sessions.
Corinna Lathan is currently working with a British company to develop other socially assistive robots. She says they are still considered research tools in the United States, and not used as much a
s in places like Britain and Japan. But she hopes to change that.
Passage 39
Experts Say as AIDS Epidemic Changes, So Should Prevention Efforts
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
Tuesday was World AIDS Day, and the latest report on the (1) epidemic provided some reason to celebrate.
Experts say new H.I.V. (2) infections have fallen by seventeen percent since two thousand one. Estimates for sub-Saharan Africa are down by about fifteen percent. In East Asia new infections with the virus that causes AIDS have (3) decreased almost twenty-five percent.
In Eastern Europe, the epidemic has (4) leveled off. But new infections appear to be rising again in some countries.
The report came last week from the UNAIDS program and the World Health Organization.
It says H.I.V.-related deaths appear to have reached their highest point in two thousand four. Since the peak, deaths have fallen by around (5) ten percent as more people have received treatment.
Experts credit the good news in the report at least in part to prevention programs, not just the natural progress of the epidemic. Yet the report points out that while the AIDS epidemic is changing, (6) prevention programs are not.
Karen Stanecki at UNAIDS says few programs, for example, are designed for people in secure relationships. Or people over twenty-five. Or the newly single.
AIDS is the (7) leading cause of death in women age fifteen to forty-four. Those are the main years for having children.
The W.H.O. is now advising infected women to begin antiretroviral drugs at fourteen weeks of pregnancy, instead of twenty-eight. Women are also advised to continue treatment through the recommended end of breastfeeding, when the baby is one year old. This reduces the risk of infecting the child.
(8) Treatments and population growth mean more people than ever are living with H.I.V. The latest estimates say almost thirty-three and a half million have the virus. There were two million AIDS-related deaths last year, and two million seven hundred thousand new infections.
About two-thirds of the people with H.I.V. are in sub-Saharan Africa. Hardest hit is South Africa. On Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma announced an expansion of testing and treatment. (9) By next April, he says, all H.I.V.-infected children less than one year old will receive treatment.
AIDS research continues. On Monday the United States said it will hold the two thousand twelve International AIDS Conference. (10) The event has not taken place here since nineteen ninety because of restrictions against visitors with H.I.V. The travel ban will end January fourth.
Passage 40
Dubai Feels the Financial Pain
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
In recent years, a shining city grew in the desert of Dubai on -- and even off -- the Gulf coast. An island (1) shaped like a palm tree was built for hotels, homes and entertainment.
In October of last year the same developer announced plans for the world
's tallest building yet. But the economic (2) downturn soon forced the Nakheel company to (3) suspend those plans.
Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates, a thirty-eight year old federation of seven territories ruled by emirs. But, unlike its neighbor Abu Dhabi, oil has not fueled Dubai's growth. Oil is only six percent of its economy. Instead, the (4) property and service industries have led its expansion.
Now Dubai finds itself in financial pain. And its reaction has some investors worried.
Last week, Dubai's largest investment company called for a six-month delay in paying some of its debts. Dubai World Group is seeking to (5) renegotiate terms on twenty-six billion dollars in debt. All of it is linked to Nakheel, which is part of Dubai World.
The government owns Dubai World and will take control of its (6) restructuring. But Dubai's finance chief said the government does not guarantee its debt.
Dubai World owes creditors a total of sixty billion dollars. The company is not an investment vehicle for the government like a sovereign wealth fund. It is a holding company for businesses in land development, port operations, energy and (7) financial services. The group has used borrowed money for economic development.
Ghiyath Nakshbendi of American University in Washington notes that the problems are linked to a worldwide collapse in real estate prices.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "(8) Emerging markets are as victim to the world meltdown as any other economy and there are no exceptions."
He expects the debt restructuring to be successful. He says Dubai and its leaders have too much to lose to let creditors -- like banks in Britain -- suffer losses.
Still, last week's announcement was a surprise. (9) Now Dubai World is faced with selling properties at heavy losses to raise money. Some experts question how willing Abu Dhabi will be to rescue Dubai. Their relationship is sometimes tense.
Ghiyath Nakshbendi says Dubai World will have to change its ways.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "I think Dubai went a little bit too fast and they borrowed too much money in a very short period of time."
Of course, (10)Dubai was not alone in gathering debt during the easy credit years. There are worries that the crisis could be the first of more to come in other parts of the world.