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It is 22:30 Universal Time. I'm Jim Ted in Washington.

此段world news文本仅供参考:

[1] Officials in the Gaza Strip say Palestinian groups have reached an agreement to stop fighting after days of violence. The details of agreement between the ruling Hamas and the opposing Fatah groups haven't yet to be announced. The fighting increased in Gaza following a call for new elections by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Gunmen kidnapped and killed security officials loyal to the Fatah Party of the President. Earlier suspected Hamas's militants fired at pro-Fatah demonstrators in the northern Gaza Strip. They also fired mortars at the President's office in Gaza City. He was not there. Fatah gunmen also seized control of 2 ministries controlled by Hamas. The Prime Minister called this an attempt to overthrow the government. One civilian was killed. Many others were wounded.

[2] Gunmen in Iraqi army-close have kidnapped at least 24 people from the Red Crescent aid group office in Baghdad. Officials say at least 6 hostages have been released. The attack took place as British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a surprise visit to the Iraqi capital. He spoke at news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The British leader said the Britain will make sure Iraq's democracy is not destroyed by terrorists. He also said he discussed preparations for British troops in the city of Basra to return security to Iraqi forces in next year.

[3] Also in Iraq representatives of the nation's opposing ethnic and religious groups held a second-day of talks. Delegates tried to find ways to stop violence among their groups. Iraq's Sunni Vice President says more American troops are needed for security in his country. Tariq al-Hashemi spoke to CNN television. He said Iraqi forces do not have the equipment to secure Iraq. He also said suspected resistance fighters are operating with the force. Mr. al-Hashemi blamed the Bush Administration for dismissing the Iraqi army. The incoming American Senate majority leader spoke on ABC television. Senator Harry Reed said the conflict should be settled politically but that he would support more American troops for a short time.

[4] France says it will withdraw about 200 members of its military special forces from Afghanistan in the next few weeks. The French Defense Minister says troops will leave their positions in eastern Afghanistan. They have been involved in the fight against Taliban and Al-Queda forces there and in search for Al-Queda's Osama Bin Laden. More than 1,500 other French soldiers are expected to remain in Afghanistan. Taliban fighters have increased their attacks on NATO and Afghan soldiers this year.

[5] The top American diplomat on North Korea's nuclear program is urging that country to get serious about ending the program. Christopher Hill spokes in Beijing where he will talk part in 6-nation talks on the subject. The talks are to begin Monday. Mr. Hill says these serious talks represent a major decision time for North Korea. He says it must choose between a diplomatic method for settlement or one that involves in restrictions. The 6 nations - North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have not met in more than a year.

You are listening to the news in VOA Special English.

[6] Police in Central Pakistan say a fire at a wedding has led to the death of at least 37 people, including the woman who was to be married. Crowds running to escape the fire crushed some people. Others were killed under a wall that fell. Most of victims are women and children who were seeing for the ceremony near the town of Jhok Utra. Officials suspected electrical problem calls the fire.

[7] Nigeria ruling party has chosen Katsina's State Governor Umaru Yar’ Adua to be its presidential candidate in elections next year. And an official of ruling People's Democratic Party says the Muslims from northern Nigeria won the support of more than 3,000 of 4,000 party delegates. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term.

[8] Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has failed to influence his ruling party to officially extend his presidency until 2010. Presidential elections are to be held in 2008. Mr. Mugabe had argued the election should instead be held in 2010 at the same time as parliamentary elections. Delegates at ZANU-PF yearly conference agreed but they said such a move should not purposely extend Mr. Mugabe's presidency without an election. Mr. Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980.

[9] The new king of Bhutan has promised democratic reforms for the small Himalayan mountain country. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck spoke to thousands of supporters in the capital. He talked about plans to surrender total power and change Bhutan into a parliamentary democracy. The 26-year-old king took power earlier this month. He replaced his father who resigned earlier than expected.

[10] United States space officials have extended the visit of the Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Officials say astronauts will use the extra time to repair a device that gathers sonar energy. Discovery astronauts are expected to complete the work outside the station Monday. It will be their fourth space walk this visit. During the first three, the astronauts rewired the space station to connect 2 new solar panels brought on earlier visits. Discovery now is expected to return to the Earth on Friday one day later than planned.

Briefly here again is the major news.

Officials in the Gaza Strip say Palestinian groups have reached an agreement to stop fighting after days of violence. Gunmen in Iraqi army-close have kidnapped at least 24 people from the Red Crescent aid group office in Baghdad. And the top American negotiator to North Korea's nuclear program is urging that country to get serious about ending the program.

That's the news in VOA Special English. This is Jim Ted reporting.

Next in VOA Special English, the Development Report, then learn all about the state of Vermont.
Visit us at voaspecialenglish.com for MP3 files, program transcripts, * and more call our email address is special@voanews.com.

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - White House Increases Support for Malaria Fight

By Jill Moss / Broadcast: Monday, December 18, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The Bush administration has announced a new program to support local efforts to control malaria in Africa. Laura Bush said thirty million dollars will go to African and American nongovernmental organizations, as well as civic and religious groups.

The first lady announced the Malaria Communities Program at a White House conference last Thursday. The one-day White House Summit on Malaria was the first of its kind. It was organized to educate Americans about malaria and to give new life to a worldwide campaign to end the disease.

President Bush (l) with with actor Isaiah Washington at closing of the White House Summit on Malaria, 14 Dec 2006

The conference included nonprofit groups, international health experts and African civic leaders. Among other things, they discussed an effort to get millions of chemically treated mosquito nets to Africans. That campaign is led by a new group called Malaria No More.

Also, President Bush will declare April twenty-fifth of next year Malaria Awareness Day, as observed by other nations. And he announced he will add eight countries to a year-old program, the President's Malaria Initiative. They include Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya, along with Liberia, Madagascar, Mali and Zambia.

The initiative calls for spending more than one thousand million dollars over five years on fifteen African countries. The goal is to cut their malaria-related deaths by fifty percent.

President Bush says the plan has already helped six million people in Tanzania, Angola and Uganda. Other targeted countries are Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal.

Malaria kills more than one million people a year, mostly young children in Africa.

The World Bank last week announced one hundred eighty million dollars in interest-free loans to fight malaria in Nigeria. Africa's most populated nation has twenty percent of the world's cases.

Earlier this month, a study in Science magazine showed how malaria and AIDS help each other to spread. University of Washington scientists say malaria temporarily increases virus levels in people with HIV. So they are more likely to infect others. And because the AIDS virus weakens the body's defenses, the victims are at higher risk from malaria.

And last week, the United States National Institutes of Health announced another important finding about AIDS. Two studies in Africa showed that circumcision can reduce a man's risk of getting HIV through heterosexual sex by half. For more about this finding, and about malaria, go to www.voaspecialenglish.com.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I'm Steve Ember.

THIS IS AMERICA - Traveling Through Vermont's Fertile Farmland and Beautiful Green Mountains

By Jill Moss / Broadcast: Monday, December 18, 2006

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we take you on a trip through the northeastern state of Vermont, part of the area known as New England.

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VOICE ONE:

Shelburne Farms overlooking Lake Champlain

Each fall, people travel to Vermont to see the colorful autumn leaves. In winter, people come to ski and snowboard in the mountains. In the warmer months, they go on river-rafting trips and camp and enjoy other outdoor activities.

Only about six hundred thousand people live in Vermont. That makes it the second least-populated state in the country after Wyoming. And the state is small not just in population. Vermont is forty-fifth out of the fifty states in territory. It has just twenty-four thousand square kilometers of land. In addition, it has almost nine hundred fifty square kilometers covered by water.

VOICE TWO:

What Vermont lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty. It is known as the Green Mountain State. The name comes from the Green Mountains, which divide the state up and down the center. In fact, the name Vermont comes from the French "verd mont," meaning green mountain.

Along the northern border of Vermont is the Canadian province of Quebec. Vermont is bordered by Massachusetts on the south, New Hampshire on the east and New York on the west.

VOICE ONE:

A century ago, forests covered less than one-third of Vermont. Trees were being cut down for farmland and forest products faster than they could be replaced. That has changed. Today forests cover more than three-fourths of the state.

But Vermont is known not just for its natural resources. It is also known for a strong sense of independence. For example, one of its two United States senators, Jim Jeffords, is a rare Independent in Congress.

During colonial times, Vermonters fought off territorial claims by bordering colonies. Ethan Allen led most of the fighting with help from his brother Ira and an armed group known as the Green Mountain Boys.

Ethan Allen became a hero of the American Revolution. But Vermont was not among the thirteen colonies that declared their independence from England in seventeen seventy-six.

Vermont did become the fourteenth state, however, when it joined the Union in seventy ninety-one. And it became the first state to declare slavery illegal.

By seventeen seventy-seven, Vermonters had written their own constitution declaring themselves free and independent. Their constitution also made slavery illegal in Vermont.

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VOICE TWO:

The capital of Vermont is Montpelier, in the center of the state. But the largest city is Burlington, on the shores of Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain and the fertile Champlain Valley are in the northwestern part of Vermont. They are named for Samuel de Champlain. The French explorer arrived at the lake in sixteen-oh-nine.

University of Vermont in Burlington

Burlington is busy and fast-growing. It is also home to one of the state's oldest and largest schools: the University of Vermont. The university was established with a financial gift from Ira Allen in seventeen ninety-one.

Vermont has strong roots in education. Emma Willard was teaching in Vermont when she became an activist for women's rights in education. Martin Henry Freeman, the first black college president in the United States, was born in Rutland, Vermont.

And the philosopher John Dewey was from Burlington and attended the University of Vermont. Dewey is considered the father of modern progressive education in the United States.

VOICE ONE:

Dairy farming is the main agricultural industry in Vermont. But the travel industry and manufacturing are also major employers.

General Electric manufactures airplane engine parts in Rutland and North Clarendon, Vermont. IBM makes computer equipment at a factory in Essex Junction. And the computer software developer IDX Systems is based in Burlington.

Food producers also help drive the Vermont economy. Local companies include Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. The Cold Hollow Cider Mill is the largest producer of fresh apple cider in the northeastern United States. More than three hundred thousand people visit the mill each year to see how fresh apples get crushed into cider.

Vermont is the leading producer in the United States of another liquid that many people enjoy: maple syrup. The sweet, golden syrup is made from the sap harvested in spring from Vermont's sugar maple trees. The four grades of Vermont maple syrup differ somewhat in color and taste. But they can all be enjoyed on a morning meal of pancakes and eggs.

VOICE TWO:

Burlington Farmers Market

Community support for local farming is strong in Vermont. Burlington and its surrounding communities, for example, hold local farmers markets several times a week.

Many people who sell goods at these markets are members of a cooperative farming program supported by the Intervale Center. This is a nonprofit group that helps develop land and farm-based businesses in and around the city of Burlington.

One of its most successful operations is the farm incubator program. Through the program the Intervale Center provides low-cost land to new and established farmers. In addition, members share equipment, business services and technical assistance. Each incubator farm is required to use organic growing methods.

VOICE ONE:

Intervale does not support dairy framing, but Shelbourne Farms near Burlington does. This nonprofit working farm is one of the biggest and oldest cheese producers in Vermont. Its award-winning cheddar is made from the milk of Brown Swiss cows.

Shelbourne Farms also supports community education programs. Each year more than one hundred thousand people visit the farm which overlooks Lake Champlain.

Lila Vanderbilt Webb founded Shelbourne Farms in eighteen eighty-six. The Vanderbilts are an important family in American history. She was the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built his wealth in shipping and railroads.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ben and Jerry's factory in Waterbury

One of the best-known companies in Vermont is Ben and Jerry's. It sells ice cream around the country with names like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey. The British-and-Dutch company Unilever bought Ben and Jerry's in two thousand.

Ben and Jerry's even has a small graveyard with markers for flavors that have been retired. The graveyard is behind its factory in the small town of Waterbury.

Also in Waterbury is a store operated by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Toy bears sold in the United States are commonly made in China. But the company says it hand-produces the only bear made in America and guaranteed for life. And it ships its products around the world. The bears can come specially dressed -- for example, for events like weddings, birthdays or holidays.

VOICE ONE:

Vermont Covered Bridge

No matter what road you take to the Ben and Jerry's factory or the Vermont Teddy Bear store, chances are you will cross a covered bridge. Bridges protected by structures that look like barns represent historic small-town America. There are just over one hundred covered bridges remaining in Vermont. Most were built in the eighteen hundreds.

VOICE TWO:

Our trip to Vermont would not be complete without a stop at Huntington Gorge. This is a deep, narrow cut in the earth. Water from the Huntington River flows fast through the gorge. Officials estimate that more than forty people have drowned over the years while swimming in Huntington Gorge.

Dangerous as it is, Huntington Gorge is also perhaps the best example of water sculpture in Vermont. It is truly a natural work of art. A series of deep drops along the gorge end in pools of dark blue, green and clear water.

Huntington Gorge

Smooth white rock formations force the water through the path of the gorge. Rainbows of color fill the air along with the music of bubbles and rushing water.

Huntington Gorge is another reminder to visitors that nature has made its mark on Vermont.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written and produced by Jill Moss. To learn about other states, and to download MP3 files and transcripts of our programs, go to www.voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. We hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

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