1、篇简短的voa新闻文本1VOA新闻听力100篇News Item 1This week, the chairman of Americas nuclear agency said there is little chance that harmful radiation from Japan could reach the United States. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko also said America has a strong program in place to deal with earthqu
2、ake threats. No new nuclear power centers have been built in the United States since nineteen seventy-nine. That was when Americas worst nuclear accident happened at the Three Mile Island center in Pennsylvania. The accident began to turn public opinion against nuclear energy.News Item 2Most restaur
3、ants in the United States offer their customers a glass of tap water at no charge with their meal, but this week many restaurants are asking diners to pay a dollar, or more, for a glass of water. Placards on their tables explain that this small amount helps bring clean water to children around the w
4、orld. Its called the UNICEF Tap Project.News Item 3Japan has confirmed radiation contamination of some agricultural products near a nuclear power plant crippled by last weeks earthquake and tsunami that is still spewing radiation. Yukio Edano, the chief Cabinet secretary, says high levels of radiati
5、on have been detected in milk in Fukushima prefecture and spinach from Ibaraki prefecture have been found to be contaminated. He tells reporters there is no immediate health risk and the government is considering regulating shipments of farm products from the affected area. At the Fukushima-1 nuclea
6、r power plant efforts continue to try to cool overheating reactor cores and water in tanks containing spent fuel rods.News Item 4Some of Americas brightest students came to Washington for the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search, the nations oldest and most prestigious science competition. The awards ce
7、remony was the culmination of an intense week during which the 40 finalists were queried by judges and the public. They met with scientists, politicians and even President Barack Obama, who welcomed them to the White House. These high achievers were whittled down from nearly 2,000 contestants nation
8、wide, representing excellence across many disciplines.News Item 5The billionaires club is growing. Forbes magazines annual list shows there are now 1,210 billionaires around the worldthat is 199 more than last year. Although the worlds top three earners are unchanged from last year, the newcomers in
9、 the list of the worlds richest did not come from the U.S. or Western Europe, but from Russia and the Asia Pacific region. Magazine chairman Steve Forbes says of the 200 new billionaires this year, the majority are from the BRIC countriesBrazil, Russia, India and China.News Item 6Defense attorneys f
10、or former Liberian president Charles Taylor say testimony from prosecution witnesses is tainted by cash payments from a special fund provided by the United States. Mr. Taylors war crimes trial is drawing to a close after more than three years. Defense attorney Terry Munyard says money “lavished” on
11、prosecution witnesses has polluted “the pure waters of justice.” He told the court that those payments went far beyond the simple reimbursement of expenses and were used in such a way “as to taint the testimony of some of the prosecution witnesses.”News Item 7Many world leaders are expressing shock
12、and sympathy following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and are offering to assist the country as it struggles to recover from the disaster. . President Barack Obama pledged assistance for what he called a potentially catastrophic disaster in Japan. Mr. Obama called Japan one of Amer
13、icas strongest allies and said the U.S. is offering whatever assistance is needed. . Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a preliminary assessment indicates that American troops, ships and military facilities were not seriously damaged by the quake or tsunami.News Item 8Women are joining together all
14、 over the world to mark the 100th anniversary of International Womens Day on March 8. Women poured through Londons streets on Tuesday singing loudly for womens rights. The banners they carried trained a spotlight on the range of issues still at hand: health, education, and politics to name a few.New
15、s Item 9Food prices continue to rise, threatening to push more and more people into poverty and hunger. A new report from the UN food agency says one of the best ways to boost agricultural productivity worldwide would be to remove the barriers women farmers face that their male counterparts do not.
16、Studies show when women have financial resources, they are more likely than men to spend them on food, health and educating their children. Women farmers tend to be less productive than men, but there are good reasons for that, says Agnes Quisumbing, an economist with the International Food Policy R
17、esearch Institute.News Item 10Ronald Reagans Hometown Celebrates His 100th Birthday. Though he gained prominence as an actor in Hollywood and later as President of the United States, the people of Dixon, Illinois, remember Ronald Reagan as a hometown hero who saved the lives of 77 people while worki
18、ng as a lifeguard. The town is honoring Reagans 100th birthday this year, with a year-long celebration. The 40th Presidents hometown was never very far from his heart.News Item 11The National Football League wrapped up the 2010 season with the biggest football game of the year: Super Bowl XLVplayed
19、in a huge stadium in Arlington, Texas. But without the small, Midwestern town of Ada, Ohiopopulation 5,400the game would not have been the same. Ada is where the Wilson Sporting Goods company makes footballs. Wilson has been the official football maker of the National Football League since 1941, and
20、 many of the 130 employees at its factory in Ada have spent most of their lives theremany working for 25 to 45 years.News Item 12Scientists say a common headache medicine dramatically reduces the risk of developing Parkinsons disease, a physically-disabling brain disorder that mostly strikes elderly
21、 adults. In a six-year study of just over 136,000 nurses and health professionals, researchers at Harvard University School of Public Health in Massachusetts found that people who take ibuprofen（布洛芬镇痛药）regularly for headache or other pain reduced their risk of developing Parkinsons disease by nearly
22、 40 percent. Taking one or two pills of ibuprofen two or more times per week was considered regular use. Other non-prescription pain relievers, including aspirin and acetaminophen, did not show a similar protective benefit.News Item 13Insurgents opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi continue to h
23、old two strategic towns along the road to eastern Libya, after unsuccessful attempts by pro-Gadhafi forces to retake them. Libyan warplanes launched new air strikes Thursday against the key eastern oil port of Brega, but the son of embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi says the bombs were only intended t
24、o “frighten” rebels warplanes struck at the rebel-held oil port of Brega on Thursday, a day after anti-government fighters turned back an assault by forces loyal to the countrys longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.News Item 14A new study of more than million people in six Asian countries finds that, lik
25、e Westerners, Asians are more likely to die if they are overweight or obese. However, some of the highest death rates were seen in people who were severely underweight. Many previous studies have found that the risk of death increases as body-mass index increases. Body-mass index, or BMI, is a measu
26、re of body fat based on height and weight. The trouble is, those studies mostly analyzed Europeans and other Westerners. So scientists couldnt be sure if the results applied to other groups.News Item 15Agriculture is one of the most important economic activities in Africa. In addition to providing e
27、mployment, agriculture has the potential to transform African societies through the increased export of produce to Western markets. Many agree that transformation will not take place without increased investment in agriculture, including public or private loans to small farmers. Statistics show that
28、 Africa has about 12% of the worlds arable land but 80% of it is not in use.News Item 16In July 2012, the worlds largest AIDS conference comes to Washington, D.C. Its the first time the gathering will be held in the United States since 1990 and preparations are already underway. Despite the massive
29、U.S. financial, medical and scientific contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS, a major issue blocked the conference from being held here. That was a law that prohibited HIV infected people from traveling to the United States. It was passed in 1987 in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Eff
30、orts to lift the ban began during President George W. Bushs second administration. It was finally repealed in January 2010 under President Obama.News Item 17As Discovery begins its 39th and final mission into Earths orbit Thursday, Americas 30-year space shuttle program comes one step closer to its
31、scheduled end this April. Discovery has been a regular visitor to Earths orbit since its maiden flight in 1984. It is the oldest and longest-serving vehicle in the U.S. space agencys shuttle fleet. Discoverys final flight follows several delays due to technical problems and repairs to its external f
32、uel tank, but NASAs mission launch director Mike Leinbach says the shuttle is still spaceready.News Item 18Not long ago, most professional musicians lived in a world far removed from the nitty-gritty of business management, distribution and promotion. But today, social media, laptop production techniques and fragmented musical tastes have largely replaced the old relationship between musicians, their audiences and the marketplace, making entrepreneurial savvy more important than ever. A leading U.S. conservatory now teaches students how to create successful careers in this bra
