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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS - Some encouraging health news

时间:2013-04-05 12:39:54

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AS IT IS - Some encouraging health news

Hello. Thank you for joining us.  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.

Today we travel to South Africa to examine police violence. We will also hear about pirates in Puntland and Somalia.  But first, some encouraging health news. A new study suggests that we might all eat better if the cost of healthy foods was lower. 

The South Africa health insurance company Discovery offered a rebate2 on purchases of fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. The company promised to return up to 25 percent of the purchase price to the buyer. 

This rebate was part of a larger program to get South Africans to eat healthy foods. Roland Sturm works for the America-based Rand Corporation. He and his team wanted to learn what influence the program has made. 

“This has been going on for four years now, with hundreds of thousands of people. So a unique opportunity to really evaluate what can a discount on healthy foods do in terms of shopping patterns, in terms of diet, in terms of obesity3.”  

To find out, the researchers studied information from supermarket barcodes, which recorded what kinds of food people bought.

All the buyers in the study used credit cards. This enabled the researchers to study all their purchases between 2009 and 2012. Roland Sturm noted4 the results. 

“A 25 percent discount on healthy foods will increase the proportion of healthy foods by about 10 percent.” 

At the same time, purchases of unhealthy food went down by six percent. Unhealthy foods were said to include salty between-meal snacks, sugary soft drinks and candy. 

Food available under the rebate program was clearly marked with signs in the store and on sales receipts. For example, canned fruits and vegetables were fine unless sugar or salt were added. 

Mr. Sturm says the message is clear. Lowering the cost of nutritionally healthy foods can get people to make major improvements in their diet. Researcher Sturm’s paper was published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 

Legal reforms since the end of apartheid in South Africa have not ended mistrust between citizens and the police. Several cases of police violence in recent years have harmed the country’s image. Christopher Cruise provides details. 

Nine South African policemen are waiting trial, charged with dragging a Mozambican taxi driver behind their vehicle. He later died in detention5. Last August, police fired on a group of striking miners in Marikana, killing6 34. 

However, the government continues to depend on the police to respond to citizens’ protests. Eight thousand community members of the Thabo Mbeki settlement recently demonstrated to seek government assistance with housing and electricity. A demonstrator protested their treatment. 

"This morning they (police) were shooting at us, and we were hitting them with stones. Because there's nothing we can do. We have to do something if they're shooting at us." 

The Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies, or I.S.S., notes that the police are increasingly being called to intervene in situations like the settlement protest. As a result, the I.S.S. says police have become the image of a government that the protesters charge is failing its citizens and creating deep distrust. 

Violence as well as differences between rich and poor have increased in South Africa in the past 20 years. A criminologist from Cape7 Town University says politicians are dealing8 with the increased violence by giving police orders to react severely9

Elrena Van der Spuy says that in 2008, the security minister at the time told policemen not to fire warning shots. But, she said the official told the officers that they had one shot and that it must be a killing shot.  She says police violence does not come from single incidents of bad behavior. 

"The political climate itself then has created a more fertile state of conditions within which police's excessive use of force has taken on almost a systemic feature rather than just located in some wayward individual cops."    

Experts say the problem of police violence is partially10 a result of South Africa’s history.  When the African National Congress took power in 1994, it acted to end the famously violent behavior of the police force. It also placed black Africans into police jobs.

Observers say no police officers held positions of higher responsibility during the country’s apartheid years. And they say this condition led to a lack of expert knowledge. I’m Christopher Cruise. 

The self-governing area of Puntland in Somalia is perhaps known best for its pirates and smuggling11. The pirates have hijacked12 many ships and crewmembers and demanded millions of dollars. Now there are efforts to develop Puntland and improve the quality of life for its people. Caty Weaver13 has details. 

Paul Crook14 is chief technical advisor15 in Somalia for the International Labor16 Organization, the ILO.  Mr. Crook notes the difficulties created by the area’s image. 

“We see the power of the negative. The negative image is one of piracy17… that lovely word that conjures18 up so much.  The influence of international criminality and extremist organizations which still are around;  Al Qaeda manifests itself with al Shabab, for example. “ 

Al Shabab is the main militant19 group in Somalia. The group has been the target of a long offensive by African Union, Somali and Kenyan forces. A lot of territory has been recaptured. But the group has not been defeated. 

Poverty and piracy are linked. Young, unemployed20 men see piracy as a way to improve the quality of their lives and that of their families. Mr. Crook says the international community should do more to break that link by offering choices. He wants young men to feel part of society by having chances for employment. 

Puntland is in northeastern Somalia.  Its leaders declared it an autonomous21 state in 1998. The self-declared independent Somaliland lies to the west. Somaliland has been demanding international recognition as a separate nation. Mr. Crook says it is unclear whether Puntland would reunite with Somalia once peace returns. 

He says the opinion about re-uniting changes almost monthly. But he says people understand that cooperation is necessary. Mr. Crook said, “Clearly the case is people see that they are part of a greater nation, if not state, and see the need for collaboration22. “ 

And, he says, the ILO clearly has an important part in helping23 by supporting employment-led economic development. I’m Caty Weaver. 

And I’m Jim Tedder. Thank you for being with us. By the way, April is Jazz History Month in the United States. So we will leave you with “Take the ‘A’ Train,” a great jazz song by America’s Duke Ellington.  See you tomorrow.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
2 rebate GTIxY     
v./n.折扣,回扣,退款;vt.给...回扣,给...打折扣
参考例句:
  • You can claim a rebate on your tax.你可以要求退回部分税款。
  • Customers are to benefit from a rebate on their electricity bills.顾客将从他们的电费退费中得到实惠。
3 obesity Dv1ya     
n.肥胖,肥大
参考例句:
  • One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
  • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
4 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
5 detention 1vhxk     
n.滞留,停留;拘留,扣留;(教育)留下
参考例句:
  • He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
  • He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。
6 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
7 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
8 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
9 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
10 partially yL7xm     
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
参考例句:
  • The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
  • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。
11 smuggling xx8wQ     
n.走私
参考例句:
  • Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
  • The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。
12 hijacked 54f3e68c506e45e75f9a155a27738c2f     
劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 ); 绑架; 拦路抢劫; 操纵(会议等,以推销自己的意图)
参考例句:
  • The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
  • The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。
13 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
14 crook NnuyV     
v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处)
参考例句:
  • He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子,他要我向他认错。
  • She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。
15 advisor JKByk     
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
16 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
17 piracy 9N3xO     
n.海盗行为,剽窃,著作权侵害
参考例句:
  • The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
  • They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。
18 conjures 6e9034d987393ecf704e5c3a4c34247b     
用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 ); 祈求,恳求; 变戏法; (变魔术般地) 使…出现
参考例句:
  • The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
  • The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。
19 militant 8DZxh     
adj.激进的,好斗的;n.激进分子,斗士
参考例句:
  • Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
  • He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。
20 unemployed lfIz5Q     
adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的
参考例句:
  • There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
  • The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
21 autonomous DPyyv     
adj.自治的;独立的
参考例句:
  • They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
  • This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。
22 collaboration bW7yD     
n.合作,协作;勾结
参考例句:
  • The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
  • He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。
23 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

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