1、Lesson Two,Part I: In the News,What does the news mainly about? When it happens? Who are asked to do so?,Words & Expressions,the Associated Press美联社 the Gulf of Mexico墨西哥湾 BP: British Petroleum英国石油公司 Republican 共和党人 Congress国会 the House of Representatives众议院,Democrats民主党 the Senate参议院 Haiti海地 the Te
2、a Party茶叶党 Chile智利 Iraq伊拉克 Afghanistan阿富汗,release发布 editor编辑 spill溢出 rig钻井设备；钻塔 explode爆炸 barrel桶 contain 控制 passage通过,oppose反对 recession经济衰退 rescue营救 partial部分的 trap困住 combat战斗 diplomatic cables外交电文 troop军队,Gulf Oil Spill was Top Story in 2010,This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. At the end
3、of each year, the Associated Press releases a list of the top ten news stories of the year. American editors and news directors are asked to vote for what they consider the top stories.,This year, the story with the most votes was the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An oil rig operated by BP e
4、xploded in April. The explosion killed eleven workers. Close to five million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf until the leak was contained in the middle of July. BP agreed to set aside twenty billion dollars to pay claims and damages to people working in the areas fishing and tourism indus
5、tries.,The AP says the second most important story was health care reform in the United States. President Obama won a major political victory with congressional passage of his health care reform plan. Among other things, it will extend health care insurance to thirty-two million Americans now withou
6、t it. But many Republicans in Congress oppose the law and want to cancel parts of it.,The congressional elections in November were another big story. The Republican Party gained a majority in the House of Representatives. But Democrats kept their majority in the Senate.,The American economy was anot
7、her major story. Economists reported in twenty-ten that the worst recession since the 1930s had ended. Americans began to spend more as the year ended. But the unemployment rate stayed above nine percent.,In January, a powerful earthquake struck Haiti. It killed at least 230,000 people and left mill
8、ions of others homeless. Disease and other problems have slowed efforts to rebuild the country.,Another important story was the Tea Party movement in the United States. The Tea Party supports limited government, less federal spending and lower taxes. The movement had a big influence on the Congressi
9、onal elections.,Another major story was the rescue of thirty-three mine workers in Chile. A partial mine collapse on August fifth trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They remained trapped for 69 days. Millions of people around the world watched on television as each miner was safely
10、 brought to the surface.,In 2010, United States forces officially ended combat operations in Iraq. The Iraq war began more than seven years ago.,Another major story was the activities of the WikiLeaks website. First the website released thousands of United States military documents about the wars in
11、 Iraq and Afghanistan. Then it published thousands of State Department diplomatic cables. They included comments by American diplomats about the lives of world leaders and criticisms of foreign governments.,The tenth story on the APs list was the war in Afghanistan. President Obama ordered an increa
12、se in troops fighting the nearly ten-year-old war. American troops are to begin leaving the country in July. Afghans are to control their own security by the end of 2014. And thats IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Im Steve Ember.,Part II: Words and Their Stories,What does the report mainly about?
13、,Explain the following expresssions,1. under the weather 2. caught a cold 3. run down 4. a real splitting headache 5. blacked out 6. out cold,7. bring me around 8. take a turn for the worse 9. be at deaths door 10. get yearly check-ups 11. drew my blood 12. contagious 13. go under the knife,14. on t
14、he mend 15. back on my feet 16. a clean bill of health 17. feel on top of the world 18. look like the picture of health,Medical Expressions,Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Many professions have their own words and expressions. This is true for the medical profession. Do
15、ctors use many technical terms that most people do not understand. But there are also expressions we use every day to tell about a persons health. Let me explain.,Last month, I was not feeling well. I was under the weather. I thought I had caught a cold. I had a runny nose, itchy eyes, a sore throat
16、 and a cough. I felt tired and run down. I was in poor condition because I had not been getting enough rest.,My body hurt all over. I also had severe head pains - a real splitting headache. And I was running a fever. My body temperature was higher than normal.,At one point, I blacked out. Thats righ
17、t, I was out cold. I lost consciousness and my friend had to bring me around. He used cold water on my face to restore my consciousness. I grew concerned that I might take a turn for the worse. I did not want to become sicker because then surely I would be at deaths door.,My friend took me to the do
18、ctor. I told the doctor I thought I had come down with a cold. When the doctor saw me, she immediately wanted to run some tests. She said that medical tests would help her discover why I was sick. The doctor also asked when I had my last physical. I do not get yearly check-ups. But I probably should
19、 get a medical exam by a doctor every year.,Then the nurse drew my blood. She used a needle to take a small amount of blood from my arm. She sent it to a laboratory for tests. The nurse also took my temperature. She used a thermometer to measure my body temperature.,The doctor told me I had influenz
20、a, or the flu. But she told me I would recover soon. She said I was over the worst of the disease. She told me to rest at home and to stay away from other people because the flu can spread. It is contagious.,Thankfully, I did not have to go under the knife. I did not need an operation. Instead, I di
21、d just what the doctor ordered. I went home and did exactly what was needed to become healthy again. Soon, I was on the mend. I was pulling through and recovering from my sickness.,Now, I am back on my feet. I am physically healthy again. Even better, the doctor has given me a clean bill of health.
22、She says that I am 100% cured. I am back to normal and I feel great. In fact, I feel on top of the world. My friends say I now look like the picture of health. This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. Im Faith Lapidus.,Homework,Dictation,听写要求,1、下载，准备好一本英汉词典或电子词典 2、认真阅读report文本一至两遍。 3、听写练习。一直循环播放，尽可能的将自己能听写出来的，全部写出来。 4、将自己的听写稿和原稿对照 5、再反复地听report的MP3录音，在脑袋里做听写确保听清每一个词句，并留意你在听写时没有写出来的词句的发音。 6、第二天再听上面的report的录音，并采用上面第5点所用的听法。第四天再听上面的report的录音，等到第七天再听几遍，仍采用上面第5点所用的听法。,
