VOA LISTENING

1.

On the Road to Health Reform, Congress Moves a Step Closer
A major reform of the American system of health care and insurance has moved farther in
Congress than ever before. President Obama wants a final bill …………..by the end of the
year.
But a difficult ………….. still lies ahead. On November seventh, the House of
Representatives passed a bill with …………..trillion-dollar price over ………….. years. The
president called the vote historic. President Obama said the Affordable Health Care for
America Act will provide stability and security for Americans who …………... It will
provide
quality
…………..
options
for
those
who
don’t.
And it will bring down the cost of health care for families, business and the government
while ………….. the financial health of Medicare. But …………..Democrats voted no, and
only one Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted yes. The bill passed with just two more
votes
than
required.
Republicans say the plan would add to the nation's ………....., raise insurance costs and
………….. government involvement in health care. Republican Representative Joe Barton
from Texas said: "So, there is a choice. Bigger government, more mandates, more control,
less
freedom
Or lower costs, more ………….., more freedom or more …………... I vote for more
freedom." The bill aims to provide health coverage to thirty-six million Americans. That

would raise
the
nation's ………….. rate to about …………..percent.
The most disputed part of the bill is a "public option" for individuals and small businesses.
The government would compete with private plans by offering its own ………….. -- based
on
payment
rates
negotiated
with
providers.
The House bill would raise taxes on high ………….. to help pay for the plan.
It would also cut ………….. hundred billion dollars from health programs for the retired and
poor -- money that supporters of the bill say is now being wasted.
Most Americans would have to buy insurance or pay a fine; the government would help the
……….....
All but the smallest ………….. would have to offer insurance for their workers or pay a tax.
Some small businesses could receive tax credits to help with their costs. Insurance
………….. could not deny or cancel coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. And
the industry would lose its protection from anti-competitive …………...

2.

Family Planning as an Economic Investment Strategy
The United Nations ......................................... says greater access to family
planning ......................................... would save developing countries more than $11 billion a
year.
A new UN report says the savings would come from .........................................of care for
mothers and newborn babies. The "State of World Population 2012" report
was

..........................................
It says over 200 million women in the developing world cannot get .........................................
or other family planning services. It says $4 billion a year could provide these women with
reproductive information to reduce unplanned ......................................... or unsafe abortions.
The report says about $2 billion a year would .........................................contraceptives to
meet the needs of developing countries. The report says .........................................to family
planning is a good economic .......................................... It says having fewer children has
been
.........................................countries
in
Europe
and
North
America.


The UN Population Fund says one-third of the growth of Asia's .........................................is
the result of increased use of family planning services. Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the
biggest
unmet
.........................................family
planning
services.
The report says modern contraceptives are not .........................................in countries such as
Chad and Niger. But contraceptives are not enough. There are .........................................,
political and .........................................that prevent access to birth control.
In ........................................., women are encouraged to have large families and to avoid or
limit the use of contraceptives. The Population Fund says family planning helps
countries
..........................................

A recent study said Nigeria's economy would grow by at least $30 billion dollars if
the .........................................fell by just one child per woman in the next 20 years.

3.

Obesity Rises Among Children in Developing Countries
The World ............................................ says there has been an increase in the number of
children
in
developing
countries
who
.............................................
In African countries, the WHO says the number of ............................................ or obese
children is ............................................ as high as it was 20 years ago. Around the world,
about 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011.
............................................. height, weight and age to measure whether a person is
underweight, ............................................, overweight or obese. Overweight and obese
children
are
............................................
to
become
overweight
and
obese
.............................................
They are also at ............................................ of developing ............................................ like
diabetes and heart disease. Francesco Branca is the director of the
WHO ............................................ for Health and Development. He says governments

should
............................................
providing
vitamins
for
children.
And they should have ............................................ on how food is ............................................
to children. But reducing the number of overweight children will not be easy.
The
............................................
to
meet,
even
in
wealthy
countries.
Experts say lowering obesity rates is ............................................ in countries that also have
high
rates
of
.............................................
But
the
WHO
has
some
.............................................
The organization says people should ............................................, sugar, salt and processed
food. This can be ............................................ more fruits and vegetables and
increased

.............................................
These goals are especially important for children. The WHO also says mothers
should ............................................ for at least the first six months, if possible.
The ............................................ for the WHO's World Health Assembly is
to ............................................ in the percentage of overweight children in the next 12 years.

4.

Car Index' as a Measure of Economic Progress for Middle Class
The International ....................... Fund says worldwide growth is weaker than expected
because of economic ....................... in Europe and the United States. But there is
some
.......................news.
The number of cars being made is on the ....................... That is a sign that the world's
economy is moving in the ........................ Measuring economic progress, especially for
groups
like
the
.......................,
is
not
easy.


But a little known economic ....................... is beginning to gain acceptance. The so-called
"car index" is an ....................... to measure the world's middle class .......................the number
of
people
who
.......................

cars.
Experts say that the number of people who own cars in the developing world
is ....................... increasing. That is because there are about 70 countries with
a .......................of about 3 billion people who are quickly ....................... an
important
.......................
level:
$4,000
per
person.
Experts say when that level is ......................., a country's middle class increases very quickly.
This rise in ....................... income means greater demand for goods that are .......................
non-essential.
And many of these goods are ....................... in Japan, Germany and the United States. The
International Monetary Fund says .......................spending in developed nations
has
.......................
since
the
economic
.......................of
2008.
The fund's .......................director, Christine Lagarde, points to the .......................in Europe
and problems in the United States economy as threats to ........................ Growth could be
slower
than
the
IMF
had
.......................

earlier
in
the
year.
On the other hand, .......................show consumer spending in developing countries has
increased three times ....................... than in developed economies.

5.

Students Try to Cut Federal Budget in Online Game
Some people think of politics as a game. But an online game ............................people think of
themselves doing one of the ............................in American politics: cutting the
federal ............................. The game is called Budget Hero.
Students in Los Angeles and other cities have been playing it. Budget Hero lets
them ............................ how they want to spend federal tax dollars. The game uses
information from the Congressional Budget Office.
It shows what ............................each cost-cutting proposal would have. High school student
Dory Bennett says she thinks spending cuts are needed to keep the economy growing and
keep the American ............................
"I want to grow up, go to college, get ............................, have kids maybe, a dog and a
house." The students ............................ the same issues facing lawmakers in Washington. The
game was developed in two thousand eight.
In the newest ............................, students make decisions about what spending is important to
them. Do they want to ............................? Spend more on environmental ............................?
What about defense spending? Making these decisions helps clarify their ............................
Jane Harmon is a ............................ Democratic representative from California.
She ............................ in Congress for almost twenty years. She now heads the Woodrow
Wilson Center for International Scholars, which helped ............................ Budget Hero.
Ms. Harmon says the students are having more ............................ than Congress at cutting the
budget. More than one million people have played it ............................, she says, and she

thinks they have learned ............................two things: "One, how hard it is, but two, that it
can be done if there's a will to do it." Student Jeffrey Burke agrees.
“The hardest thing for us to ............................was the little cuts like the gas money and stuff,
increasing taxes on gas, because we felt it would have effects everywhere from


the ............................shipping our stuff across the country, or when you order from Amazon
or whatever, to you drive when you're going to work.
I think we need to look at the little things and ............................ that just because they're
small money doesn't mean they're small effects. "Joaquin Alvarado is with
American ............................ Media, an organization that also helped ............................ the
game.
He says many of the players "will literally in the ............................ ask that Congress play this
game to just get a little rational around the questions that have to be answered."

6.

Some Websites Judge You by the Kind of Computer You Use
Recently the Wall Street Journal had a report about the ............................ company Orbitz.
The newspaper said Orbitz shows Mac users ............................ travel choices at the top of
search ............................ than users of Windows.
The company began doing this after research ............................ that people who use Mac
computers spend up ............................ more for hotels than people with PCs. Former Orbitz
employee Cameron Yuill is ............................ of a digital media and technology company
called AdGent. He says, "Mac users ............................ to be more affluent than PC users, so
why not ............................ them with the messages that are going to resonate with them?"
This kind of price discrimination is also known as dynamic pricing. Cameron Yuill says it is a
very common ............................, especially in the travel industry. He puts it this way, "Next
time you're on a ........., ask the person next to you what they paid for their .................
" For example, if you are a business traveler or you bought your ticket at

the ............................, you will always get charged more. Companies have
always ................... information about their customers. But now they have a lot more ways to
do it.
Eric Martin is a ............................ at Boost Partners, a management ............................
company. He says a salesperson in a store can only ............................ certain things about you
based on your ............................. Online sellers, however, have far more information to work
with, ............................ information about which website ................... you to them.
Eric Martin says, "The people that you ............................ you online can't see you at all
physically. But they know that, ............................, when you came to Orbitz you may have
been directed there by Kayak." Kayak is itself a ............................ site, and that may then lead
Orbitz to believe that you're searching for .............................
Information about the referring site is only one of the things that a site like Orbitz will
consider. Is the person a ............................? Which hotels has this person viewed in the past?
Websites ............................ this kind of information by placing small files known as cookies
on a person's computer.
In the case of Orbitz, Mac and PC users were actually given the ............................. However,
they appeared in different ............................. For Mac users, the higher-priced hotels showed
up higher in the ............................. Orbitz says ninety percent of its users book a hotel
that ............................ on the first page, and mostly in the ............................ listings.


7.

The World at 7 Billion, and Growing
United Nations ....................... that the world reached ....................... people on October
thirty-first. No one can be sure. The United States Census Bureau does not ....................... the
seven billionth baby until ........................
....................... are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some
in Asia. At the same time, low fertility ....................... in Japan and many European nations
have raised ....................... about labor shortages.

Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached ....................... in
October ........................ They predict nine billion by ....................... and ten billion by the end
of
the
century.
China's population of one and a third billion is ....................... the world's largest. India is
second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to ....................... China and reach one and a half
billion
people
around
........................
India will also have one of the world's ....................... populations. Economists say this is a
chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could ....................... from the skills of
young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have ........ populations.
But economists say ....................... of economic growth, although high, may
not ....................... enough jobs. Also, ....................... education system is failing to
meet ....................... and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern
is
........................
Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished. Sarah Crowe at the
United Nations Children's ....................... in New Delhi says these two problems "could keep
India back." The malnourishment ....................... many children are unable to grow to
their ....................... in school, and later to earn money and pay into the economy.
Out of every two hundred million children who start school, she says, only ten
percent ....................... grade twelve. Michal Rutkowski is the director of .......................
development in ....................... at the World Bank. He says the seven billionth person was
likely
to
be
a

girl
born
in
.......................
Uttar
Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh is one of India's ....................... and most crowded states, with .......................
two hundred million people. He says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good
time for a call to ........................ He says, "Public policy needs to become really,
really ....................... about gender equality and about ....................... to services.

8.

Breastfeeding in the First Hour After Birth
Sometimes ............................ taken at the right time can do a lot of good. A new report says
more than 800,000 babies could ................each year if all mothers begin breastfeeding within
the first hour after giving birth. Save the Children ............................ the report.
It calls breastfeeding one of the best ways to ............................ malnutrition. Hunger is
a ............................ killer of children under the age of five. Carolyn Miles is ............................
of Save the Children. She ............................ that getting mothers to start breastfeeding can
sometimes be the ............................
.The first milk from mothers is called colostrum. This is a highly ............................ form of
breast milk. Colostrum helps build the baby's ............................ system and works best in the
first hours after a mother ............................


Colostrum is ............................, sticky breast milk. The World Health Organization calls it the
" ............................ food for the newborn." Save the Children ............................ it as a child's
"first immunization." But Carolyn Miles says, in some ............................, there is a
mistaken ............................ that colostrum is dangerous.

She says mothers in a lot of places around the world ............................ the colostrum. The
World Health Organization says mothers should ............................ their babies only breast
milk for the ............................
Carolyn Miles says babies do not need anything else. After six months, the WHO says
breastfeeding should continue .............other foods up to two years of age or beyond.
The Save the Children report, called " ............................ for Babies," ............................
barriers to breastfeeding. These ............................ cultural beliefs as well as
a ............................ health workers in developing countries.
Carolyn Miles says health workers, with ............................, can help mothers start and
continue to breastfeed.

9.

As the World Ages, Economies Will Change
The world is getting older. As more people ........................ each year, fewer
.......................people will be there to ....................... them. This has effects not only in
the ......................., but in the world of finance.
The bond rating ....................... Moody’s says the aging ....................... will lead to a drop in
household ....................... This could mean that total investments will fall and .......................
could slow.
Some reports have ....................... Japan, Italy and Germany as the world’s “Super
Aged” ........................ That is the name for countries in which .......................of the
population is at least 65 years old.
Elena Duggar is ....................... of Moody’s Sovereign Risk Division. She says changes in
many populations are .......................quickly. In five years, six more countries
will ....................... the list of super-aged nations.
And 34 nations will be super-aged by the year 2030. Elena Duggar says this will have a
big ....................... on labor and savings. Kishore Kulkarni is with the
Metropolitan ....................... University of Denver.
He says .......................n is one way to reduce the ....................... of an aging population.

Older ....................... spend money differently that younger ones and experts say that
difference ....................... the economies of countries.
But, Kishore Kulkarni believes that ....................... career training and
productivity ....................... from technology could .......................for the drop in the number
of workers. He also says that an aging population will be less of a problem in countries were
older people are highly .......................
And most ....................... agree that young workers will have to .......................and retire later
than today’s older workers.


10.

Africa Could Lose 30 Percent of Its Plants and Animals by 2100
............................ researchers met ........................... in Cameroon to talk about threats to
Africa’s land and animals. They said they believe the continent may ........................... as
much as ...............of its animal and plant species by the end of this ......................
They blame the losses on the ........................... of the Earth, ........................... growth
and ........................... development.The researchers represent 20 African, American and
European universities. They say countries south of the Saharan ........................... are
losing ........................... faster than any place on ...........................
Wood companies are ...........................trees to meet growing ........................... from China,
Europe and the United States. The population is growing three percent each year.
There are now homes, ...........................and farms on land that once was forest. Many African
animals and plants ...........................have a place to live as a ............................ Climate
change also continues to ...........................species.
Thomas Smith is with the University of California. He says Africa may lose 40 percent of
its ........................... species because of expected rises in ............................ The African
chimpanzee is among the mammals ............................
Mary Katherine Gonder is a ........................... at Drexel University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. She ........................... chimpanzees in the Congo Basin. She says their forest

home is ............................
She also says ...........................continue to kill the animals to ........................... as food. The
researchers say it is important to develop ........................... friendly economies.
The Congo Basin area of ........................... and central Africa has the second-largest
equatorial ...........................in the world. It is important to the lives of millions of people.

11.

Turn Negative Writing Experiences Into Positive Ones
Today we hear expert ............................. for academic writing. Jennifer Ahern-Dodson is
an ............................. professor of the Practice in Writing Studies at Duke University
in ............................. Carolina.
Ms. Ahern-Dodson likes to start a ............................. with both students and professors
planning to write a paper or .............................. She asks about their earlier
writing .............................. Were they negative or positive?
She says you are not ............................. if you have had problems with your writing.
Everyone ............................. with writing. "Writing is hard. It's hard for all
writers .............................," she says.
And at some point you are going to ............................. a roadblock," she adds.
She ............................. to think about earlier experiences. When the writing is going well,
what was happening? When the writing was not ............................., what was happening?
She says most people's negative writing experiences happened
very ............................. formula or page limit was .............................

because

a


Another problem can ............................. when the need to do well on a paper

is ............................. important. ............................., she says, can make it harder to get the
writing done.
Ms. Ahern-Dodson says when writing comes easily, the writers believe they have something
important to say. She advises asking yourself questions. What ............................. can you
bring to your paper?
Why does this ............................. matter? What is its importance? For whom is
it .............................? Who will be reading it? You can ease writing by placing
your ............................. on what you have to .............................. That, says Ms. AhernDodson, is an important change for all .............................

12.

China's Alibaba to Sell Stock on the New York Stock Exchange
Investors in the United States are ...................... for the first public sale of stock in the
Chinese company Alibaba. The company .....................by linking buyers and sellers in
the ..................... Chinese online market.
Alibaba is ..................... to make its initial public offering, called an IPO, in September on the
New York Stock ...................... The total ..................... of the company,
.....................Hangzhou, has been ..................... at about $200 billion.
Reports from Bloomberg News say Alibaba is ..................... investors a 12
percent ..................... of the company. That would mean the company could .....................
more than $20 billion in the public stock ......................
After the IPO, Alibaba could become one of the most ..................... technology companies in
the world. The .....................company is responsible for most online sales in China.
It .....................more exchange last year than U.S. companies Amazon and
eBay ...................... And it has more than 230 milion ..................... buyers.
Scott Kennedy is director of Indiana University's ..................... Center for Chinese Politics
and Business. He says Alibaba has grown from a very small company 15 years ago to the
main .....................in China. The company ..................... about 80 percent of the
Chineseonline .....................
.Scott Kennedy says the company is ..................... which is unsusual for a technology

company fist offering an IPO. Alibaba has ..................... to sell its to the public on the New
York Stock Exchange .....................in China. China is now the world's second largest market
for a e-commerce.

13.

Lessons From Shanghai's Top Scores on International Test
The Program for International Student ………………….., or PISA, is a two-hour test that
compares the ………………….. of fifteen-year-olds
In the latest test, the countries with the best ………………….. were South Korea and
Finland. But students in Shanghai, China, scored the highest of all in reading, mathematics
and …………………...
The next strongest ………………….. were in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand
and Japan. In all, around …………………..a million students in more than seventy
economies took the test in two thousand nine.


The test has been given every three years since two thousand. Shanghai …………………..for
the first time in two thousand nine. The Organization for Economic ………………….. and
Development released the results.
Andreas Schleicher is ………………….. of the Education Indicators and Analysis Division
at the OECD. He says: "Asian countries ………………….. education more than other
countries.
They have given education a …………………... Every child, every teacher, every parent
knows that education is the ………………….. to success." Mr. Schleicher says other
education systems can learn from Shanghai.
For example, he says education spending in the province has increased, …………………..
teacher pay and training. And administrators are putting teachers into …………………..
classroom situations to make them better at their jobs.
In the PISA scoring system, Shanghai scored six hundred in math. By ………………….., the

United States scored four hundred eighty-seven. Shanghai's reading ………………….. was
five hundred fifty-six. American fifteen-year-olds scored five hundred, the same as in Iceland
and Poland.
In science, Finland was second behind Shanghai. The United States was twentythird.Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the results show an …………………..need for
Americans to do more to remain ………………….. in the world economy.
He points out that the United States has fallen from first to ninth place in college
………………….. rates because of gains by other countries. Mr. Schleicher says
international testing experts have investigated and …………………..the Shanghai scores.
He says the PISA results are not representative of all of China. But he also says they dispute
the ………………….. belief that Chinese education is centered on ………………….. and
memorization. Twenty-five percent of the Shanghai students showed …………………..
thinking skills to solve difficult math problems.

14.

Water Problems in a World of Insecurity
An American …………………… report says water-related problems will likely increase
tensions around the world in the next ten years.
These problems …………………… water shortages, poor water quality and
…………………… The report says the problems will increase the risk of
i…………………… and the failure of governments.
However, countries are seen as …………………… to go to war over water. The report says
water tensions have …………………… led to more water-sharing agreements than
…………………… conflicts.
But beyond ten years, it warns that some governments could use water as a weapon to
…………………… others. And water could also be used to "further terrorist
……………………." The report is called an Intelligence Community Assessment on Global
Water …………………….
It looks at possible effects of water problems on United States …………………… security
interests over the next thirty years. It says the areas that will be most …………………… by

water problems are North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. …………………… of
State Hillary Clinton announced the report on World Water Day, which was
…………………… March twenty-fourth.
The National Intelligence ……………………wrote the report based on a National
Intelligence …………………… she requested a year ago. The report says water-related
problems could distract countries from working with the United States on important policy
…………………….
But it also predicts an increased demand for American aid and expert help to solve those
problems. That …………………… could create "opportunities for leadership" and
……………………. The report says, "Water shortages, poor water quality, and floods by
themselves are unlikely to result in state failure." But these could ……………………with
poverty, social tensions, environmental problems, poor leadership and weak governments to
produce …………………… disorder
And that …………………… could cause state failure. The report …………………… that
from now through twenty forty, "water shortages and pollution probably will harm the
economic …………………… of important trading partners." During the next ten years, it
says, the …………………… of groundwater supplies in some ……………………areas will
create a risk to national and global food markets.
These …………………… will be a result of poor management. Agriculture uses about
seventy percent of the world's ……………………. The report says technology that reduces
the amount of water needed to grow …………………… will offer the best defense against
shortages.

15.

Are You Learning English? These Songs May Help
Songs teach language. ……………….. a song like "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. An
American teaching English ……………….. once told us that students love that song.

Recently we asked people on the Special English Facebook page to ……………….. other
songs that English learners might like.
Noemi Nito ………………..: I'm one of those English students who love "Tom's Diner." I
started learning English with "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden. Another ……………….. is
"Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden.
Another person, Asi Tambunan, suggested the song "………………..Only Knows" by
Orianthi. Gyongyi Jako wrote that ABBA's songs from Sweden are………………..for class
work. Other good songs for learning English are songs by the Beatles and John Lennon, as
well as Louis Armstrong's "……………….. World."
Paul Cifuentes says Bob Marley's songs are ……………….. for teaching. Another teacher,
Joseph Deka, says songs by Johnny Cash have always worked in his ………………... He
says his students can hear the words, ……………….. the songs often have stories.
He also likes "We Will ……………….. You" by Queen and "Beautiful Girls" by Sean
Kingston. He says young children love "C Is for Cookie" by Cookie Monster from the TV
show "Sesame Street." Nina John Smith suggested these songs: "It's My Life" and "We
Weren't Born to ……………….." by Bon Jovi.


Also "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica.Aurelio Lourenco Costa Gusmao says he began to
like English after his teacher played the ……………….. song "I Have a Dream." He wrote:
That was eight years ago. I was in the seventh ………………...
.And from that day on, my dream of improving my English skills became ……………….. in
my mind. Teachers can use this song to ……………….. the message to their students that
they should have their own dream for the future.
Aurelio's story was no ………………..to another commenter, Katie Kivenko. She especially
likes songs by Michael Jackson and Queen. She wrote: When you listen to your favorite
songs, you feel ……………….. high and it moves you to action.For VOA Special English,
I'm Alex Villarreal. Do you have any favorite songs for learning English? You can share other
music ……………….. for English learners at our website

16.

What Is the Relationship Between Age and Happiness?
Are people …………….happy or more happy the older they get? If you answered more
happy, then you were right, …………….a study published two years ago.
It found that people ……………. become happier and experience less worry after age fifty.
……………., it found that by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than
they were at eighteen.
The ……………. came from a Gallup survey of more than three hundred forty thousand
…………….in the United States in two thousand eight. At that time, the people were
between the ……………. of eighteen and eighty-five.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and ……………. Science at Stony Brook
University in New York led the study. His ……………. found that levels of stress were
highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five.
Stress levels ……………. sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest
among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least
……………. to report feeling negative ……………. were those in their seventies and
eighties.
The ……………. also found that men and women have …………….emotional patterns as
they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more ……………., stress and worry
than men did.
The researchers also ……………. possible influences like having young children, being
unemployed or being single. But they found that ……………. like these did not …………….
the levels of happiness and well-being related to age. So why would happiness increase with
age?
One ……………. is that, as people get older, they become more ……………. for what they
have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad
…………….. The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the ……………. Academy of
Sciences.
Happiness is not the only thing that apparently ……………. with age. In a study published

this year, people in their eighties reported the fewest problems with the ……………. of their
sleep. Researchers surveyed more than one hundred fifty thousand American adults.


The study, led by Michael Grandner at the University of Pennsylvania, ……………. in the
journal Sleep. The original goal was to ……………. the popular belief that aging is
……………. with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during
……………. age, especially in women. But except for that, people ……………. that they felt
their sleep quality improved as they got older.

17.

Testing New Ways to Recognize What Makes a Good Teachers
In recent years, Bill Gates has given ……………………. to improve American education. In
two thousand nine, the Bill and Melinda Gates ……………………. launched the Measures of
……………………. Teaching project.
The project tests new ways to ……………………. what makes a good teacher. Its goal is to
help educators and policymakers ……………………. and support good teaching.The study is
being carried out in public school systems in seven American cities.
Thousands of teachers ……………………. to take part. They agreed to have their classes
recorded on video, but only for observation by expert researchers.Last spring, the project
……………………. digital videos of thirteen thousand lessons in the …………………….
taught by the teachers.
They were in …………………….four through nine. Researchers also collected information
from students. They asked students to report their opinions of each teacher's classroom.
Students were also tested in mathematics, English and ……………………..
Officials recently ……………………. early results of the project study. The report says
teachers' past success in raising student scores on state tests is one of the strongest signs of
their ……………………. to do so again. This is known as a teacher's "value-added."The
teachers with the highest value-added scores on state tests also help students understand math

or show reading ability.
The ……………………. also say students know effective teaching when they experience it.
The students gave ……………………. on whether or not their teachers
…………………….about them.
They also gave opinions on how much teachers controlled or managed student
……………………. in the classroom.The report found that classrooms where students
reported ……………………. experiences were more likely to show greater learning gains.
Another finding shows that ……………………. different sources of information helps
administrators provide better comments and ……………………. to teachers. In many cases,
administrators had been basing their comments on student test scores only.The
……………………. of Effective Teaching project continues through twenty twelve when
final results will be released.
Researchers plan to test a new measure that ……………………. what a teacher knows about
how to teach a …………………….. Experts say these findings could also help create better
training and development for teachers.

18.

A Comic Book About Business Finance
You probably have heard of comic book …………… like Superman, Batman and Spiderman.
But what about Tom the motorcycle shop ……………, Joe Knight and Karen Berman?


Tom, Joe and Karen all …………… in a comic book called "Financial Intelligence." But Mr.
Knight and Ms. Berman are …………… people.
In two thousand six, they wrote a book called "Financial ……………: A Manager's Guide to
Knowing What the Numbers …………… Mean." It was written for people who need to learn
quickly about accounting.
The book ……………, in simple ways, often-complex methods of keeping financial
information. It became a ……………. In June, publisher SmarterComics …………… a

comic book that provides the same information in easy-to-understand, picture form.
The new book is a combination of a …………… and a graphic novel. It tells the story of
Tom, a mechanic who must quickly learn how to direct the motorcycle …………… shop his
father founded. Tom has no experience with finance, and is …………… with the business.
Joe Knight and Karen Berman help him. Artist Dave Wachter made illustrations for the comic
book.Franco Arda is the founder and head of SmarterComics. He formerly worked as an
…………………..
He started the company almost three years ago with his own money. He wanted to
…………… educational comic books that increase understanding. Franco Arda ……………
that many people grew up with comics.
He says pictures combined with written text can help people learn an idea much more quickly
than just text ……………. This explains the expression, 'a picture says a thousand words.'
"Financial Intelligence" will help readers quickly understand many of the …………… areas
of accounting.
The new comic book is available in paperback.The website Entrepreneur.com named
SmarterComics to its list of 100 Brilliant Companies of 2012. The company has created
comic book …………… of more than ten other books.
These …………… "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, "The Prince" by Niccolo
Machiavelli and "The …………… of War" by Sun Tzu. Later this year, SmarterComics plans
to release a comic book by rapper 50Cent

19.

Can America Win the Education Race?
President Obama talked a lot about education in his State of the ………….. speech in
January. He said: "We need to out- ………….., out-educate and out-build the rest of the
world.
If Americans want to "win the future," he said, then they also have to win the race to educate
their children.The president said: "Over the next ten years, ………….. half of all new jobs
will require education that goes ………….. a high school education.

And yet as many as a ………….. of our students aren't even finishing high school. The
quality of our math and science education ………….. behind many other nations. America
has fallen to ninth in the ………….. of young people with a college degree.
“Two years ago, Mr. Obama set a goal to regain the world's highest rate of college …………..
by twenty-twenty. He says the ………….. to give every child a chance to succeed begins not
in classrooms, but in homes and …………... He said: "Only parents can make sure the TV is
turned off and ………….. gets done.


We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who ………….. to
be celebrated, but the winner of the ………….. fair."President Obama talked about his Race
to the Top competition.
It offered ………….. money to develop plans to improve teacher quality and student
…………... Also, he called for preparing one hundred thousand new teachers in science,
technology, engineering and math over the next ten years. Mr. Obama offered to begin
………….. with Congress on immigration reform, and he linked that ………….. to
education.
He said: "Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are
not American …………... Some are the children of undocumented workers. They grew up as
Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the …………..
of deportation.
Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they
………….. advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us."The speech
came the same day the Education Department ………….. the latest results on student
progress in science.
The goal is for all students to perform at the ………….. or advanced level. But only about
one-third of students in ………….. four and eight and one-fifth of twelfth-graders did that in
two thousand nine. Just one to two percent of students performed at the ………….. level.

20.

Iron, Vitamin D May Lead to Smarter, Healthier Children
Many people have low amounts of iron in their blood. But ……………… women need extra
iron for their own health and their baby's health. Iron is important to the development of a
baby's brain and central ……………… system.
In poor countries, however, providing all pregnant women with iron ……………… can be a
financial issue. Some experts say giving supplements to babies after they are born is enough.
Someone who ……………… is Parul Christian, a nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins School of
Public Health in Maryland. She and other scientists have been doing research in Nepal. She
says their latest findings should ……………… any question about the value of making sure
every pregnant woman ……………… iron supplements.
Iron is a micronutrient. Micronutrients are important ……………… that are found in small
amounts in foods. The researchers first ……………… a study among poor women in Nepal
ten years ago. During pregnancy some of the women received supplements ………………
iron and another micronutrient, folic acid.
Ms. Christian says that study showed the supplements could ……………… child survival.
Now the children are older. The researchers returned to Nepal and tested their neurological
development.
They found improved ……………… among those whose mothers had received iron and folic
acid during pregnancy and for three months after. Another new study looks at ………………
of vitamin D in babies.


It says newborns with the lowest levels were twice as likely to develop respiratory
……………… as those with normal levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps build strong bones
and strengthens the body's defenses ……………… disease.
The vitamin is ……………… added to cow's milk and also found in supplements. Vitamin D
is called the sunshine vitamin. The body naturally produces it from ………………. Carlos
Camargo from Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and other researchers did the study.
It ……………… more than nine hundred children in New Zealand until they were five years

old. Dr. Camargo said the problem of vitamin D ……………… is not limited to countries
with the least sun. There are low levels of vitamin D in people living in areas where there is a
lot of sun. This is because people are spending more time ……………….

21.

Less Salt Can Mean More Life
Even a small …………… in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a
computer model to …………… how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in
the United States.
The result: thirteen percent fewer heart ……………. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four
percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred
forty billion dollars in …………… savings.
Researchers found it could …………… one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two
thousand
deaths
every
year.
The study is in the New England Journal of ……………. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the
University of California, San Francisco, was the …………… author.
She says people would not even …………… a difference in taste with three grams, or onehalf teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also …………… researchers at Stanford and
Columbia University.
Each gram of salt …………… four hundred milligrams of sodium, which is how foods may
list their salt content. The government says the …………… American man eats ten grams of
salt a day. The American Heart …………… advises no more than three grams for healthy
people.
It says salt in the American …………… has increased fifty percent since the nineteen
seventies, while blood …………… have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood
pressure.New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the
…………… Salt Reduction Initiative.

The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government
……………. Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like …………… fast
food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Childrens
Research …………… shows how that idea can …………… what parents order for their
children.
Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had McDonald's menus
…………… showing how many calories were in each food. The other half got ……………
without the calorie information.


Parents given the …………… chose an average of one hundred two fewer calories when
asked what they would order for their children. Yet there was no difference in calories
between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves.
Study leader Pooja Tandon says even small calorie reductions on a …………… basis can
prevent weight gain over time. The study was …………… in the journal Pediatrics.

22.

What Is the Relationship Between Age and Happiness?
Are people …………….happy or more happy the older they get? If you answered more
happy, then you were right, …………….a study published two years ago.
It found that people ……………. become happier and experience less worry after age fifty.
……………., it found that by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than
they were at eighteen.
The ……………. came from a Gallup survey of more than three hundred forty thousand
…………….in the United States in two thousand eight. At that time, the people were
between the ……………. of eighteen and eighty-five.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and ……………. Science at Stony Brook
University in New York led the study. His ……………. found that levels of stress were
highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. Stress levels

……………. sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the
people least ……………. to report feeling negative ……………. were those in their
seventies and eighties. The ……………. also found that men and women have
…………….emotional patterns as they grow older.
However, women at all ages reported more ……………., stress and worry than men did. The
researchers also ……………. possible influences like having young children, being
unemployed or being single. But they found that ……………. like these did not …………….
the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
So why would happiness increase with age? One ……………. is that, as people get older,
they become more ……………. for what they have and have better control of their emotions.
They also spend less time thinking about bad …………….. The findings appeared in the
Proceedings of the ……………. Academy of Sciences.
Happiness is not the only thing that apparently ……………. with age. In a study published
this year, people in their eighties reported the fewest problems with the ……………. of their
sleep. Researchers surveyed more than one hundred fifty thousand American adults.
The study, led by Michael Grandner at the University of Pennsylvania, ……………. in the
journal Sleep. The original goal was to ……………. the popular belief that aging is
……………. with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during
……………. age, especially in women. But except for that, people ……………. that they felt
their sleep quality improved as they got older.

23.

Most African Children with AIDS Have No Access to Medical Care
A United ........................official says nearly 95 percent of African children ........................
AIDS do not have a way to get ........................ for the disease.


Michel Sidibe is ........................of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS. ........................

have shown that infection with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, ........................
development of the disease.
Mr. Sidibe spoke Tuesday ........................ to Cameroon. There, people living with AIDS
reported ........................ of antiretroviral drugs.
The UN official said that more than ........................ the three million children infected with
AIDS live in African countries south of the Sahara. ........................ living with AIDS in subSarahan Africa often do not have access to ........................ treatment.
“We need to think about treatment for children. This is really a ........................ for me
because it is a forgotten........................,” Mr. Sidibe said. He ........................ only six percent
of children living with AIDS in Africa have access to treatment.
UNAIDS ........................ that only 24 percent of children ........................needing
antiretroviral treatment received it in 2013. That same year, 190,000 children ........................
the disease.
Mr. Sidibe said many people with AIDS die ......................... In many places in Africa, talking
about the disease ........................ a taboo subject – something that should not
be.........................
Minyim Jean has been living with AIDS for 15 years. He says it is very difficult to
get ........................ for the disease. Some medical supplies are not always ........................, he
says. Some doctors even change treatment for some patients because they do not
have .........................
UNAIDS research shows that sub-Saharan Africa has the most ........................ with HIV and
AIDS in the world. The disease has had major ........................ effects on the area. Twenty-five
million people with AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. That ........................ about 70 percent
of all cases.

24.

Simple Steps Can Save Millions of Newborn Lives
The latest …………….. is that more than three million babies die each year within the first
month of life. A report says this is down from 4.6 million …………….. in two thousand
nine.

Still, newborn babies …………….. about forty percent of all deaths in children under five
years old. Experts say five countries have the lowest …………….. survival rates: India,
Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
India has one-fourth of all deaths …………….. the first four weeks after birth. The report is
from the …………….. humanitarian group Save the Children and the World Health
Organization. Dr. Joy Lawn from Save the Children says …………….. actions can help save
lives.
"Not delivering the baby onto a dirty …………….., drying the baby, keeping the baby warm
and feeding the baby straight away …………….. almost in a halving of the newborn deaths
in a very …………….. area in India


"Dr. Lawn says having trained medical workers …………….. could also save many babies
and mothers. "If you had the health workers with the right …………….. and the right drugs
in these settings, definitely maternal deaths, neonatal deaths, child deaths, could be halved.
“And the equipment does not have to be ……………... A student team at Rice University in
Houston, Texas, developed a low-cost device to …………….. newborns with breathing
problems. The ……………..is called infant AIR.
The researchers plan to test it at a hospital in Malawi, then develop training programs for
…………….. and hospital technicians.The World Health Organization estimates that about
fifteen hundred …………….. women die each day.
Millions more suffer infections or injuries from pregnancy and ……………... A recent
conference in Washington presented winning ideas in a competition called "Saving Lives at
Birth." The top …………….. went to Dr. Michelle McIntosh and her team at Monash
University in Australia.
They plan to …………….. a dry powder containing the drug oxytocin. Oxytocin reduces the
bleeding after birth that causes twenty-five percent of all maternal deaths. The ……………..
would be used in a spray that the mother could …………….. into her lungs. The contest
organizers included the US Agency for International Development and the Bill and Melinda
Gates ……………...

There is evidence that programs to reduce newborn deaths are starting to make ……………..,
especially in parts of South Asia. But progress is slower in Africa. The new report says Africa
could need more than one hundred fifty years to …………….. the current survival rates in
the United States or Britain.

25.

Global Jobless Numbers Likely to Rise This Year
The International ……………………………. ….says nearly 200 million people are
……………………………. ….around the world. And the ILO is warning of even higher
unemployment this year.
The United Nations agency ……………………………. ….called "Global Employment
Trends 2013." It says the ……………………………. ….worldwide rose by more than 4
million last year from the year before. The report says one fourth of this increase was in
……………………………. …..
The remaining 75 percent was in mainly developing economies in Asia, and in African
countries south of the Sahara Desert. The report also says …………………………….
….people stopped looking for work last year.
The average length of unemployment ……………………………. ….in developed
economies. One-third of all ……………………………. ….in wealthy countries were
unemployed for a year or more.
The ILO's Director-General, Guy Ryder, says the world's economic recovery is not expected
to ……………………………. ….to reduce unemployment quickly. His group says the labor
market is ……………………………. ….for young people.
The ILO says 12.6 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed
worldwide. It says more and more young people, who …………………………….


….unemployment, stop looking for work. ……………………………. ….from gaining
needed on-the-job experience.

Guy Ryder says, ……………………………. …., all countries must provide more predictable
policies. He says these ……………………………. ….to raise wages and
……………………………. ….. He says countries should enact reforms to strengthen their
……………………………. …., so banks can provide credit.

26.

Venezuela's Economic Problems
Venezuela is ............................ of economic problems. Inflation
............................many businesses. Rotzen Villabon owns a .............................

is

putting

But his business needs American dollars to ............................made in China. He
is ............................Venezuelan money for dollars at the official ............................of about 6.5
bolivares to the dollar.
He says the supply of dollars is even limited on the ............................, where dollars cost
much more. He says that is why business at his store is down. Venezuela has
the ............................of inflation in South America.
In February, Venezuela ............................of its currency by one third, which has made imports
more costly. The ............................have resulted in ............................ of products -- from
necessities like food to beauty products.
Venezuela is a major ............................. The nation's oil wealth paid for
many ............................during the 14-year-rule of ............................Hugo Chavez. But
Venezuela's recent ............................showed there are divisions in the country. Nicolas
Maduro was declared the winner of a close ............................ over
opposition ............................Henrique Capriles on April 14th. Mr. Capriles disputed the vote
and called for a recount.

Henrique Capriles is ............................. He promised to open the economy
to ............................. Nicolas Maduro is former ............................. He served as vice president
to Mr. Chavez before the president died of cancer last month.
Mr. Maduro promised to continue the ............................and programs of Mr. Chavez. For
supporters, the election was about saving programs for free housing, ............................and
education.

27.

AIDS Tests Advised for All in US Age 15-65
An advisory group has .................................. that everyone in the United States between the
ages of 15 and 65 should .................................. for HIV, the virus that ..................................
AIDS.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says wider public .................................. of HIV
testing could lead to .................................. for those infected, and it would further slow
the .................................. of AIDS.
The 16 .................................. on the task force are .................................. by the government.
They examine .................................. for and against health care services designed
to ................................... HIV is spread through unprotected sex or contact with an infected
person's ...................................


In 2005, the task force recommended testing for all .................................. and anyone at
increased risk of HIV. Now, HIV tests could be .................................. as an early screening
tool.
He says that makes more sense than offering it later when people go to the doctor for tests to
find out why they are ...................................An estimated 1.2 million Americans have HIV.
Each year about 50,000 more get infected.
Up to 25 percent of all infected people do not know they have the virus.
But .................................. young people, the Centers for .................................. and Prevention

says about 60 percent do not know it. The CDC says one-fourth of new infections in the
United States are in young people age 13 to 24.
December first was World AIDS Day. .................................. United Nations AIDS report says
25 low- to .................................. countries have cut their rate of new infections in half since
2001.
Most of those countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. But UNAIDS .................................. say
the number of new cases has risen more than 35 percent in the Middle East and North Africa
in the last 10 years.

28.

New Graduates Seek Jobs in Slowing Chinese Economy
China will have a .................................. of graduates moving into the
..................................this summer. Seven million people will finish their studies and
begin ................................... But China's economy is ...................................
Chances for jobs for many new graduates are not good.To make things harder for
current .................................., more than 200,000 who graduated last year are still looking for
jobs.Hu Xingdou, an economist at the Beijing .................................., said only 30 percent of
graduates can be ...................................
The economist said the majority of students ..................................and looking for work.
And it is not just the number of graduates that is making the job ...................................
After years of strong growth, China's economy is slowing. Chinese leaders say they are
struggling to ..................................about seven percent. But, Hu Xingdou says a big problem
is the .................................. of Chinese industry.
He says there are many places in China where graduate students are needed, but are not
willing to go. Recently, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on companies to give
more ..................................to new graduates.
In response, some .................................. have announced increases in their hiring of new
graduates.Observers say the government could go even further by giving private
companies ..................................and funding to help make them more equal

to ..................................enterprises.
They also say the government could .................................. new graduates to work in smaller
cities away from China's coastal area by giving them ..................................or
other ..................................


29.

Practicing Climate-Friendly Agriculture.
Agriculture .......................................... the heat-trapping gasses that scientists link to
rising .......................................... and ...........................................
Agriculture also can be .......................................... of climate change. The Worldwatch
Institute in Washington .......................................... that agriculture can reduce its effects on
the ...........................................
Worldwatch released a report called ".......................................... in Sustainable Agriculture:
Supporting Climate-Friendly ..........................................." Researcher Danielle Nierenberg
was one of its ...........................................
She says 25 to 30 percent of all .......................................... gas emissions come
from ........................................... This is because fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotic
drugs, .......................................... and processing are all .......................................... oil, gas
and coal.
Danielle Nierenberg says .......................................... has an especially big effect on the
environment. She notes that more .......................................... in countries like Brazil, China
and India. As a result, more industrial .......................................... are being built in the
developing world.
The .......................................... six land and water use practices that it says are sustainable.
These .......................................... growing trees on farmland to reduce soil erosion and
planting cover crops to .......................................... from drought, heat and pests.
Danielle Nierenberg says urban farming can help as well. Growing more food in cities can
reduce .........................................., she says. Urban residents then can buy food from within

their ...........................................
Other recommendations include recycling .......................................... in cities, drip irrigation,
and catching and storing ........................................... The United Nations estimates that
changes in the agriculture industry could cut its carbon dioxide production by 88 percent.

30.

WHO Urges Health Care for All
The ........................................ Organization says everyone should ........................................ to
the health care services they need without ........................................ ruin.
A new WHO report is ........................................ countries to provide health care designed
to ........................................ of their citizens.
In 2005, all 194 members of the World Health Organization ........................................ of
providing
universal
.........................................
But
very
few
countries
have .........................................
Most people must use their own ........................................ to pay for the health care they
need.Since health care needs ........................................ one country to another, the new report
urges every country to ........................................ system of health coverage.
It says the services should include ........................................, rehabilitation
and ......................................... And the health care should ........................................, health
centers and hospitals. Christopher Dye is head of the WHO's Office of Health Information,
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected .........................................

Every year, he says, about 150 million people face extraordinary ........................................
that they cannot pay. The question, he says, is how to put in place financial risk protection
that ........................................ to a minimum.
The ........................................ how research can help countries improve their health system.
Dr.
Dye
said
some
European
countries
have
continued
supporting
their ........................................ services even ........................................ of financial difficulty.
He says that decision is paying off in better health for their people. Dr. Dye notes that the cost
of medical care is ......................................... Because of that, he says, governments
must ........................................ to keep costs ........................................

31.

New Rules Aim to Improve Food Safety in US
Each year, …………………….. sickens about one in six Americans. But, proposed
…………………….. raise hopes to improve food safety.
.…………………….. say the changes could …………………….. more than 1 million cases
of food-related illnesses each year.The new rules were …………………….., exactly two
years after President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The rules are the …………………….. in putting that law into effect. They
…………………….. the biggest changes in food safety since the 1930s. The new law makes
the Food and Drug Administration …………………….. for preventing foodborne illnesses.
Experts say this is a change in the way that the FDA has …………………….. disease

outbreaks in the past. Congress …………………….. after a series of outbreaks that were
linked to spinach, peanut butter and other foods.
The agency is proposing to require …………………….. to show that they have identified
where contamination is most likely to happen. Manufacturers would also have to show that
they have taken steps to ……………………...
The proposed rules also deal with safety in growing and harvesting ……………………...
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that establishing all of the provisions of the law
will …………………….. $1.4 billion.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America, an industry group, has not …………………….. of
what it will cost ……………………... But FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor says
the new rules are worth the cost.
He says there should be …………………….. in illness and disruptions in the
…………………….., and increases in buyer confidence. He says, when these issues are
considered, the …………………….. outweigh the costs of the new law.

32.

What Teachers Think of the Digital Age
Teachers say the digital age has been both a …………………….. on this generation of
American ……………………... More than 2,000 middle and high school teachers took an
……………………...
Researchers also spoke with teachers in ……………………... Three-fourths of the teachers
said the Internet and digital …………………….. have had a "mostly positive" effect on their
students' research ……………………...


But 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an "easily distracted generation
with …………………….. spans." And 64 percent said the technologies "do more to distract
students than to help them academically.
" Many students think "doing research" now means just doing a …………………….. on

Google.
The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the College Board and the National
……………………...
…………………….. of the teachers came from Advanced Placement classes, which provide
…………………….. work for high school students.
Judy Buchanan is with the National Writing Project and a co-author of ……………………...
She says digital research tools are helping students learn more, and ……………………...
But, one problem the survey found is that many students are …………………….. digital
literacy. In …………………….., they trust too much of the information they find on the
Internet. Judy Buchanan says these students have not …………………….. they need to judge
the quality or credibility of online information.
They also say being able to quickly find information online …………………….. their
students' ability to …………………….. to find answers.
Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work
done by others …………………….. using their own ……………………..

33.

For the Brain, the Benefits of Being Bilingual
There is …………………… suggesting that being bilingual is ……………………your brain.
A new study found that ……………………who have spoken two languages since childhood
showed better ……………………than those who speak just one language.
Earlier studies showed that the ability to ……………………, or bilingualism, seemed to
favor the development of these heightened skills.
The ……………………in the Journal of Neuroscience. Brian Gold was the
……………………of the study. He is a neuroscientist at the University of Kentucky College
of Medicine.
Dr. Gold and his team asked people to ……………………and shapes in a series of simple
……………………. They used brain imaging to ……………………three groups of people
switched among these exercises.

The groups were bilingual seniors, monolingual seniors and ……………………. The
imaging showed different patterns of activity in the frontal part of the brain, in an area used
for ……………………….
Dr. Gold says the results suggest that bilingual subjects use their brain …………………….
Dr. Gold notes that knowing a ……………………made no difference for the young adults.
They did better at the exercises than both groups of older people.
But he says the older bilingual adults appear to have built up a surplus ……………………of
increased mental activity. He says his research …………………… an earlier study on
bilingualism among patients with Alzheimer's …………………….


That study showed that bilingual speakers suffered more ……………………, but were able
to think at the same level as …………………… with less damage. Dr. Gold says he believes
the new study confirms that bilingualism can …………………… brain performance.

34.

How Mobile Phones Are Changing Life in Africa
The …………………………………… there are about 650 million
……………………………………in African countries south of the Sahara desert.

mobile

That is greater than the number of users in the United States and the
……………………………………. Samia Melhem works for the World Bank to increase
……………………………………in Africa.
She says mobile phones are Africa's fastest-growing technology. She says more Africans have
………………………………than to clean water or sanitation. She says mobile technology
has brought about ……………………………………in how people live. CNN television
recently named seven ways life has been revolutionized by mobile phones.

They include political activism, ……………………………………, disaster management,
agriculture, and health. Banking is another industry that has been transformed by mobile
phones. Reports say at least ……………………………………in Gabon, Kenya, and Sudan
use mobile money.
Rene Mendy ……………………………………in the streets of Dakar, Senegal. But he never
had enough money to open ……………………………………. Now he uses a mobile phone
……………………………………called Orange Money.
With his telephone, he can add or ……………………………………as little as one dollar
from his account. He can ……………………………………and send money to family
members who live far away.
Orange Money says it serves ……………………………………customers in 10 countries.
The World Bank's Samia Melhem notes that the French company is
……………………………………from other mobile banking services.
That is ……………………………………. The cost of sending a payment by phone is far
lower than with ……………………………………agents like Western Union.

35.

Reducing High Rates of Wasted Food
How much of the ………………………… is going to waste? The Institution of Mechanical
Engineers …………………………that says as much as half of all food is wasted.
The Britain-based group says that …………………………if the world is to feed its
…………………………. Every year the world produces about 4 billion
…………………………. The report says that between one third and one half of it goes to
waste.
It says that in …………………………countries, between 37 and 80 percent of all
…………………………is lost. Colin Brown helped write the report for the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers. He says a lot of rice is lost because of the way it is harvested,
………………………….

The developed world also wastes food. The report says more …………………………
methods ensure that more food reaches markets. Still, Colin Brown says millions of tons of
food are thrown away because it is past its sell-by date or for ………………………….
He says a lot of food is thrown away because it no longer looks good, and not because it is no
longer ………………………….A spokesman for a group that …………………………in
Britain says the big food stores are not to blame.
He says they are only following European Union …………………………. The stores have
been pushing for an easing of those rules. He says that in 2009, …………………………in
getting a number of rules relaxed.
Many …………………………welcomed the report. They say it shows how much food is
being wasted at a time when millions of people do not get enough to eat. The group
…………………………says there is enough food in the world to feed every child. Yet, 2.3
million children die every year as a ………………………….

36.

Staying Safe in Freezing Weather (Part 1)
.………………………………. is a fact of life to many people in the
……………………………….of the world. Freezing weather can mean frostbite and
hypothermia unless a ………………………………..
Here are some ways to stay warm, ……………………………….in cold weather. Frostbite is
damage that happens when skin is exposed to ……………………………….for too long.
It mainly happens on the hands, feet, ……………………………….. People with minor cases
of frostbite that ……………………………….may not suffer any permanent damage. But if
deeper tissue is affected, a person is likely ……………………………….every time the area
gets cold.
Damage to blood vessels is ……………………………….. This kind of injury can lead to a
gangrene infection. Sometimes the only way ……………………………….an injury like this
is to remove frostbitten areas like ………………………………..

Hypothermia is a condition in which the body cannot ……………………………….as it
loses.
Signs
of
hypothermia
include
uncontrollable
shaking,
very
……………………………….and difficulty thinking clearly. If untreated, hypothermia can
………………………………..
To avoid cold-related injuries, here is a simple way to remember
……………………………….to staying warm. Think of COLD -- C.O.L.D. The C stands for
cover. ……………………………….and scarf to keep heat from escaping through the head,
………………………………..
And wear mittens which are warmer than gloves. The O stands for overexertion.
……………………………….that will make you sweaty. Wet clothes and cold weather are a
……………………………….. L is for layers.
Wearing loose, lightweight clothes, one layer on top of another, is better than wearing a
……………………………….layer
of
clothing.
And
D
is
for
dry.
………………………………., stay as dry as possible.