By Jerilyn Watson Broadcast: February 14, 2010.
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus. February fourteenth is Valentine’s Day. So this is a good time to play some love songs as we explore the subject of dating.
VOICE ONE: Valentine’s Day is a special time for love. Millions of people will receive flowers, chocolate or some other gifts. Others might get just a phone call or an electronic message from someone they care about. Still others would be happy just to have someone special in their life on Valentine’s Day.
VOICE TWO: Traditionally, there are many ways for people to meet. Some meet at work. Others meet by chance. Still others look for help from services that bring people together. Friends and family members might offer to help. They might plan a blind date. This is a meeting between two people who have never seen each other before. A lot of people try to improve their chances by looking in places where people with similar interests go, such as a place of religion, a bookstore, health club and sports team where men and women play together.
VOICE THREE: Internet dating services had been growing sharply through the end of 2009. But people do no always tell the truth about themselves online. And they do not exactly tell about their age, for example, they might offer an old picture instead. People who meet through computer services may not have to give their full name or e-mail address at first. Relationships that begin over the Internet do sometimes lead to marriage. Yet there is a risk anytime strangers meet. It could be a danger, or simply an unpleasant surprise. A young woman in Washington D.C was angry after seeing a date she met over the Internet. In his picture , he looked twenty-five or thirty years old. In reality, she said, he was old enough to be her father.
72. The topic of the VOA broadcast program is probably________.
A. Valentine’s Day B. how to make friends in daily life.
C. dating between men and women D. how to keep your marriage.
73. In VOICE TWO, which of the following ways of dating is NOT mentioned by the speaker in the text?
A. Meeting by chance or at work
B. Meeting with the help of media
C. Meeting with the help of the services
D. Meeting with the help of friends and family
74.The speaker think Internet dating may be a risk, danger, or simply unpleasant surprise because___________.
A. people can’t know each other’s real name
B. people can’t know each other’s address
C. the computer don’t give their full name or e-mail address at first
D. people don’t always tell the truth about themselves online.
75.From the text, we can infer that the speaker is likely to _______dating online.
A. appreciate B. hate C. suggest D. hold a negative attitude
Agricultural experts met in Ethiopia last week to discuss ways to help sub-Saharan Africa become a major producer of wheat. The area traditionally produced little wheat, while North Africa was the grain basket.
Wheat production fell sharply in sub-Saharan countries during the 1980s. In the 1960s, attempts were made to grow wheat in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa and Zimbabwe. But those countries found it was less costly to import wheat from Europe and the United States. Another problem is that Africa's wheat farms were often far from population centers. There also were transportation issues. And some lowlands were not a good place to grow wheat.
Hans Joachim Braun,one of the experts, says now is a good time to increase wheat production. In the last four years we have seen three major price hikes, where the wheat price and other staple process (主食加工）exploded. And that puts a big, big bill on countries which are depending on wheat imports, and Africa is the biggest wheat importer.
He also says demand for wheat in sub-Saharan Africa is growing faster than for any other crop. With higher income people would like to have more diversified(多样化）food. But that is possible not the most important one. The most important one is that there is a tremendous migration(移民）of in particular male labor to the cities. And wheat products are convenient food because you can easily buy it. It's easy to process and you also can store it for a few days, which is different from some of the maize and rice products.
There are three possible challenges for growing more wheat in Africa： climate change, disease and pests, like insects. Mr. Braun says rising temperatures should not have a major effect on wheat. In fact, he says, it could help wheat grow in areas with high rainfall totals. As for fighting disease and pests, experts suggest growing more resistant crops. In addition, railroads and roads would have to be improved so large amounts of wheat could be moved to large markets.What does the word "hikes" in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?
| A．big changes | B．large increases | C．long trips | D．big bills |
Wheat price exploding indicates_____.
| A．sub-Saharan countries need to increase wheat production badly |
| B．sub-Saharan countries have to issue more money |
| C．sub-Saharan countries should grow more Corn |
| D．importing much wheat is urgent |
Why is there a higher demand for wheat in sub-Saharan Africa？
| A．Because the number ofhungry people there is increasing. |
| B．Because higher income people have the diversified need of food. |
| C．Because male labor are crowding into the cities. |
| D．Because the wheat price is lower. |
According to Mr. Braun the main challenges for growing more wheat in Africa are_____.
| A．climate change and disease |
| B．resistant crops and climate change |
| C．rising temperatures and disease and pests |
| D．disease and pests and inconvenient transportation |
More than a third of the babies born this year could receive a 100th birthday message from whoever happens to be on the throne in the second decade of the 22nd century, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It forecasts that 35% of the 826,000 people born in 2012 will live to become centenarians.
But a long life is not unalloyed good news. David Sinclair, head of policy and research at the International Longevity Centre UK, warned that for many the future may mean social isolation(隔离）as they live longer than friends and members of their families.
"It is of course good news that so many more people are living longer," he said, "but there is a big 'but1. We will be older, but in worse health, and at high risk of living alone. The other problem is that we are very poor at forward planning. We deal with the problems that are under our noses, but even problems two or three years away seem quite distant enough to put off.When you're talking about forecasts for a time half a century away and more, I see no evidence that we are putting in place the measures to deal with it."
This year there will be 14,500 centenarians in the UK, a number which is expected to increase to 110,000 in 2035.
Women have higher life expectancies than men at every age: the likelihood of a girl born this year reaching her century is estimated to be 39%; for boys the figure is 32%.
The estimated number of female centenarians has risen from 500 in 1961 to more than 10,000 in 2010，a figure which is projected to reach 71,000 by 2035 and 276,000 by 2060.
Men are also living far longer, although their numbers are far fewer. There were an estimated 92 male centenarians in 1961 and just below 2,000 in 2010.The underlined word centenarians probably means people who_____.
| A．are born this year | B．live longer than their friends |
| C．are in poor health | D．are a hundred or more years old |
From what David Sinclair said, we can learn_____.
| A．he doesn't believe so many people are living longer |
| B．the older we are, the more likely we are to live alone and in poor health |
| C．the people who are good at forward planning are likely to live longer |
| D．too distant planning is not always necessary for most of us |
Which of the following statement is true?
| A．About 289，100 people born in 2012 will live to 100. |
| B．More men will reach their century than women in the future. |
| C．The number of the female centenarians was 1,000 in 1970s |
| D．More than 600 people reached their century in 1961. |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．A long life is not always good news. |
| B．A long life also means social and physical isolation |
| C．In the future, more people will live to 100 in the UK. |
| D．It is good to live to 100. |
Online educational learning games is an effective way with endless option (选择）for teaching kids of all age groups, and children are also able to operate it without much assistance. Parents find it easier to teach kids through these programs, who become familiar with operating the computer.
Kids have fun learning phonetics, spelling and even a new language. Children are not willing to learn math tables or difficult words at school. They find it fun to sit in front of a computer and learn language and solve mathematical problems. In this age of computers, computers are becoming an important part of the child's daily curriculum with parents opting to teach these children new things each day with the help of online educational games.
Computers are also known to improve the motor skills in children. In addition, the level of these games can be adjusted according to the level and learning ability of the kids. The makers of the games keep the kids' interest in mind while designing them so that their interest is maintained. Another advantage of these games is that you can find free online games and do not have to invest in these expensive products. Other activities that are available on the internet include online coloring games. This is also a constructive way that children can use to pass their leisure time.
Another advantage is that the children can lay in the comfort of their homes. Kids who are fond of playing on the computer can spend their time learning educational material instead on video games that teach violence.
Parents have to keep an eye on their kids and make sure that they do not spend their time on the computer playing games that could be harmful for them. It is essential to direct the kids to educational sites that have beneficial games and are known to help the progress of these children.What is the main idea of this text?
| A．Online games can be harmful to kids. |
| B．Online games can be helpful to kids. |
| C．Kids like to play games online. |
| D．Parents are worried about their kids. |
Kids don't like to learn knowledge probably because_____.
| A．they have trouble operating the computer |
| B．phonetics and spelling are useless |
| C．staying in the classroom is boring |
| D．mathematical problems are difficult |
What should the makers mainly consider while designing the computer games?
| A．The kid's expense. | B．The kid's interest. |
| C．The kid's level. | D．The kid's ability. |
One of the advantages of online games is that they can_____.
| A．help parents keep an eye on their kids |
| B．make it easier to solve mathematical problems |
| C．establish closer relationship between parents and kids |
| D．leave kids comfortable at home |
Educating girls quite possibly gets a higher rate of return than any other deal available in the developing world．Women's education may be unusual field for economists, but increasing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social project．And economics, with its emphasis on incentives （激励）, provides an explanation for why so many girls lose the chance of education．
Parents in low-income countries don't send their daughters to school because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else's family and bear children．Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school----the prophecy （预言） becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle （恶性循环）of abandonment．
An educated mother, on the other hand．has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices．She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance．The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys．will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle （良性循环）．
Few will argue that educating women has great social benefits．But it has enormous economic advantages as well．Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers．Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling．Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available deal, but they are just the beginning．Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices， including family planning．The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is _______．
| A．expensive | B．troublesome |
| C．rewarding | D．labor-saving |
What does the author say about women's education?
| A．It has developed the interest of a growing number of economists |
| B．It is in the first place in many developing countries |
| C．It deserves greater attention than other social project |
| D．It will get greater returns than other known deal |
The passage mainly discusses ______．
| A．unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries |
| B．the economic and social benefits of educating women |
| C．the major contributions of educated women to society |
| D．the potential earning power of well-educated women |
Children's lives have changed greatly over the last 50 years．But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did?
It's difficult to look back on one's own childhood without some element of nostalgia（怀旧的）．I have four brothers and sisters, and my memories are all about being with them．Playing board games on the living room floor, or spending days in the street with the other neighborhood children, racing up and down on our bikes, or exploring the nearby woods．My parents scarcely appear in these memories, except as providers either of meals or of severe blame after some particularly risky adventure．
These days, in the UK at least, the nature of childhood has changed dramatically．Firstly, families are smaller, and there are far more only children．It is common for both parents to work outside the home and there is the feeling that there just isn't time to bring up a large family, or that no one could possibly afford to have more than one child．As a result, today's boys and girls spend much of their time alone．Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home, inside．More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers, so they wouldn't dream of letting their children play outside by themselves．
Finally, the kind of toys children have and the way they play is totally different．Computer and video games have replaced the board games and more interesting activities of my childhood．The irony（令人啼笑皆非的事情） is that so many ways of playing games are called "interactive”．The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today．
Do these changes mean that children today have a less relaxing childhood than I had? I personally believe that they do, but perhaps every generation feels exactly the same．What is the purpose of the direct question given in the first paragraph?
| A．To show who the passage is written for |
| B．To gather people's opinions on childhood |
| C．To compare the childhood lives of two generations |
| D．To get people's attention and lead in the topic |
Which is NOT a reason for the changes?
| A．Families are smaller today |
| B．Toys can be played by children alone at home |
| C．It's too dangerous to play outside |
| D．Parents worried too much about their children |
What has the writer focused on in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Some games that young people play today aren't really good |
| B．Computer and video games have replaced the board games |
| C．Young people today shouldn't play electronic games |
| D．Board games are much more interesting than computer games |
The writer's attitude towards the childhood changing is _____．
| A．approving | B．objective | C．unconcerned | D．optimistic |