1、Photo: AP Steve Jobs during one of his presentations to the media earlier this year. Tim Cook, who was the Apples chief operating officer, has become the companys chief executive. This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. The chief executive who presented the latest, and coolest, electronics
2、 to the world has stepped down. Steve Jobs announced his resignation as head of Apple in a letter last week. He wrote: “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apples CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has
3、come.“ Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer in nineteen seventy-six. The company sold a new kind of electronic device: the personal computer. Apple Computer grew more quickly than anyone could have imagined. In nineteen eighty-five, however, Steve Jobs resigned after disputes with man
4、agers who had been brought in to direct business operations. He soon started his own software company, NeXT, and bought a computer animation studio. The Pixar movie studio would go on to create movies like Toy Story and Finding Nemo. They are two of the most successful animated films ever made. Appl
5、e struggled during the nineteen nineties. Many products failed. The company began losing money and its stock price sank. In nineteen ninety-seven, Apple bought NeXT and brought back Steve Jobs. Apple used software developed at NeXT to create the Mac OS computer operating system. The next year, Apple
6、 became profitable. And a series of highly successful products followed. In two thousand one, Apple released the iPod, a digital music player. The iPhone arrived in two thousand seven. Apple has also been a leader in online marketing. The iTunes Music Store sells songs for download. The App Store se
7、lls applications for computers and mobile devices. As Steve Jobs has noted, trial and error has always been part of the Apple model. STEVE JOBS: “We just try to build products we think are really wonderful and that people might want. And, sometimes we are right and sometimes we are wrong.“ Steve Job
8、s is closely linked with the success of Apple. Investors were scared when he announced he had an operation for pancreatic cancer in two thousand four. His decision to leave comes as Apple continues to release winning products. Apple sold over four and a half million iPads in the first three months o
9、f this year. The company holds the largest share of the growing tablet computer market. On August ninth, Apple first passed Exxon Mobil Corporation to become the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. Since then the two companies have traded the lead. And thats the VOA Special English E
10、conomics Report. Im Mario Ritter. _ Contributing Carolyn Presutti,Photo: AP Two men use a boat to get down the street in Manteo, North Carolina Saturday, August 27. This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Emergency crews in the eastern United States are still working to help people affected by H
11、urricane Irene. The hurricane struck the coast of North Carolina with winds of up to one hundred twenty kilometers an hour last Saturday. The storm weakened as it moved north. But Irene brought heavy rains and destructive winds to the densely populated east coast. Hundreds of thousands of people wer
12、e told to leave areas likely to suffer flooding. That included parts of New York City where Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered over two hundred fifty thousand people to evacuate. Irene is blamed for more than forty deaths in the United States. Five deaths were reported in the Caribbean. New York Govern
13、or Andrew Cuomo estimated his state suffered one billion dollars in damage. Estimates place the total damage from the storm at about seven billion dollars. Insurance companies are expected to pay forty to fifty percent of these costs. But costs of lost trade for the travel industry, especially in No
14、rth Carolina, will be high at a time when the nations economy is struggling. The government reported Friday that the national unemployment rate held at nine point one percent in August. High winds and flooding from Irene brought down electrical lines, causing about four million people to lose power.
15、 Days after the storm, hundreds of thousands were still without electricity. Many states in the path of Irene declared disasters. Governors in several states activated over four thousand National Guard members to help in rescue and relief efforts. In North Carolina, some communities near the ocean w
16、ere flooded and cut off from the mainland. And the small northeastern state of Vermont was especially hard hit. Emergency workers have had to airlift food and supplies to thousands of people trapped by flood waters. Officials said it was the worst flooding in Vermont in almost one hundred years. Thi
17、s man describes what he saw in the community of Woodstock. MICHAEL RICCI: “The water in the yard was almost up to the house, which is another ten feet above this level, which is probably fifteen or twenty feet above the normal river level. So the water was really, really up very high. And the force
18、of it was beyond our comprehension.“ President Obama has made major disaster declarations for North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Puerto Rico. Emergency declarations were made for all coastal states from North Carolina to Maine. These declarations release federal aid through FEMA - the
19、 Federal Emergency Management Agency. Roger Pielke is a professor in environmental studies at the University of Colorado. He says the economic costs of hurricanes have grown many times over the years. This is because millions of people in the United States have crowded coastal areas that are often a
20、ffected by storms. ROGER PIELKE: “Along the entire coast from Texas all the way up through Maine in the United States, there are today very few locations where a hurricane can make landfall without causing an enormous amount of damage.“ Still, Roger Pielke credits stronger building rules and better
21、weather predictions for saving lives and limiting costs. Irene is unlikely to be the only major hurricane this year. Two powerful storms are threatening the coastal United States. One is nearing the onmouseover=y title=“US Gulf Coast Bracing for Rain as Storm Approaches“ href=“http:/ of Mexico, the
22、other is in the onmouseover=y title=“Forecasters Monitor Katia as East Coast Recovers from Irene“ href=“http:/ Ocean. September is normally the most active month of the hurricane season. Experts predicted eight to ten hurricanes in two thousand eleven. That is higher than normal. And thats IN THE NE
23、WS in VOA Special English. For transcripts and mp3 of our programs, go to . And follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Im Steve Ember.,Photo: Global Youth Groove Dave Chapman with children at the Divine Providence Childrens Home in Kakamega, Kenya This is the VOA Special English
24、Education Report. Current and former students from Berklee College of Music in Boston recently returned to the United States after three weeks in Kenya. They were part of a cultural exchange program aiming to influence lives through music. They taught music, performed and donated instruments to a Ke
25、nyan community center. They also learned about traditional Kenyan music. Music is an important part of life in Kenya. (MUSIC) SAM LUTOMIA: “Growing up, I sang a lot in school. And we had competitions and choir and music every year.“ Sam Lutomia works for the Berklee College of Music. He was born and
26、 spent his early years in Kenya. SAM LUTOMIA: “When I moved to the States, I get exposed to a higher level of music. And I was like, Is there something I can do now that Im in the States?“ He helped to create a group called Global Youth Groove. Its goal is to bring western music to young Kenyans, an
27、d get them to consider music as a career. SAM LUTOMIA: “I started talking with students at Berklee College of Music and faculty members, and they all responded positively. And we started collecting instruments.“ Thirteen Americans made the trip to Kenya in July. They included four high school studen
28、ts from the Boston area. One of them was Marina Miller. MARINA MILLER: “We started out in Nairobi. We got a chance to meet with local musicians and listen to them play.“ Project coordinator Aaron Colverson says the Americans presented a gift during a visit to Kakamega in western Kenya. AARON COLVERS
29、ON: “Weve gathered like 20 instruments. We had some recorders and also an entire drum kit, lap tops and recording software.“ Many Kenyans attended the activities offered by the group. (MUSIC) Berklee student David Chapman says for some of the Kenyans, it was the first time to see and touch such inst
30、ruments. DAVID CHAPMAN: “Their music classes would just be them reading books about western instruments.“ Aaron Colverson says music can give someone a sense of power. AARON COLVERSON: “When you put music in front of kids, it seems that their minds open up. Music gives them a chance to express thems
31、elves through songs and writing the songs.“ The American group also performed at a national music festival. During the trip, Aaron Colverson says, they met with local musicians and listened to them play. They also learned about traditional Kenyan instruments, dances and songs. AARON COLVERSON (singi
32、ng in Swahili): “Its pretty music to say nice to meet you, in Kenya where there are no worries.“ Trip organizer Sam Lutomia says he is happy with the levels of energy the exchange program has produced. He hopes the trip will take place every year and expand to neighboring countries. And thats the VO
33、A Special English Education Report. You and read and listen to our reports at .Im Bob Doughty. _ Contributing: Faiza Elmasry,By Jerilyn Watson 2011-8-29 This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Some trees can survive a long time without water. Think of trees that grow in the desert. But o
34、ther trees may need more moisture than they can get from rainfall or from the air - from, say, coastal or mountain fog. The soil stores moisture during cooler weather. But most of that moisture is gone by the middle or end of the hottest months of the year.,AP A white pine tree in Bradford, New Hamp
35、shire Trees and other plants can look thirsty. Leaves can become droopy and hang downward. They can also turn yellow. Yellowing can be a sign of too much water. But it can also be a warning sign of too little water. The Vacaville Tree Foundation is a volunteer community group in California. It has a
36、dvice for watering newly planted trees and established trees. With a newly planted tree, the roots have not yet spread out from the root ball. The root ball can become dry faster than the dirt around it. So put water on the area of the root ball and the surrounding soil until the roots become establ
37、ished. Once a tree is well established, water deeply instead of often. The amount of water needed depends on the tree and the soil. Clay soils hold water for longer periods while sandy soils hold less water. During the hottest season, a deep watering may satisfy a tree for anywhere from ten days to
38、four weeks. Part of skilled watering is knowing to stop when the soil needs a little time to absorb the water. Otherwise the water runs off the surface and gets wasted. Ted Swiecki is a plant scientist in California with the Phytosphere Research company and the Vacaville Tree Foundation. He says peo
39、ple should not water established trees at the base of the trunk. This can harm the tree. Too much water in the soil at the base of a tree can lead to the growth of fungi. If the area is too wet, harmful organisms have a better chance to invade the tree and cause disease. Mr. Swiecki says this is tru
40、e especially in Mediterranean and semi-dry climates. Many trees in these climates have adapted to having a dry area near their base during the hottest season. TED SWIECKI: “Water displaces air in the soil. And roots are aerobic; they require oxygen (for the soil) to function properly. So if you keep
41、 the soil saturated and theres no air there, and then you are basically starving the roots for oxygen.“ And thats the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more growing advice, and to learn English, go to . You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at VOA
42、 Learning English. Im Bob Doughty.,By June Simms and Julie Taboh 2011-8-28,Photo: Courtesy Nancy Grace Roman Nancy Grace Roman, center, with President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office at the White House in 1962. This is the VOA Special English Technology Report. The Hubble Space Telescope continue
43、s to make valuable discoveries after more than twenty years in orbit around Earth. Hubble recently showed a fourth moon orbiting Pluto. Astronomers temporarily named it P4. The moon is the smallest to be discovered around the icy dwarf planet. Astronomers estimate that the moon is from thirteen to t
44、hirty-four kilometers across. They first saw it in a Hubble photo taken on June twenty-eighth. The American space agency NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope in nineteen ninety. Reaching that day took years of work. Ed Weiler is NASAs chief astronomer. Mr. Weiler has worked closely with the Hubb
45、le program since nineteen seventy-nine. ED WEILER: “The Hubble, when it was launched, represented an increase in capability of other telescopes on the ground by a factor of ten. The last time in human history in astronomy that we leaped a factor of ten, in one step, was when Galileo stopped using hi
46、s eye and put the first telescope to his eye.“,VOA - J. Taboh Nancy Grace Roman, 86, was NASAs first chief of astronomy and is considered the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope. NASAs first chief of astronomy was Nancy Grace Roman. Ms. Roman joined NASA in nineteen fifty-nine. She led the effort t
47、hat resulted in the creation of the Hubble Space Telescope. NANCY GRACE ROMAN: “Astronomers had been wanting to get observations from above the atmosphere for a long time. Looking through the atmosphere is somewhat like looking through a piece of old, stained glass. The glass has defects in it, so t
48、he image is blurred from that.“ The Hubble telescope orbits about five hundred fifty kilometers above Earth. Ms. Roman says she still remembers the first images that it captured. NANCY GRACE ROMAN: “I think the image that to me was most striking was the center of a globular cluster. You could see ea
49、ch star individually, and see their color, and it was just a fantastic sight.“ The Hubble Space Telescope has helped expand our knowledge of the universe. It helped scientists estimate that the universe began about fourteen billion years ago. Earlier estimates had placed it between ten and twenty billion years old. Ed Weiler says the Hubble telescope also confirmed the existence of black holes. These are extremely dense masses believed to exist at the center of most galaxies. Their gravitational pull is so strong, they absorb light.,
