Kĩ năng nghe tiếng anh

This program is called, ‘Graffiti: Crime or Art?’ Voice 2 We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program... Voice 2 People have used seals in China for centuries.. She sh

Graffiti: Crime or Art?

Voice 2

Some people say that only some kinds of graffiti can be considered art A wall spray-painted

with tags, or names, may not look like art It may not take much artistic skill to tag walls But to create a large piece does take skill and time Many graffiti artists have a great amount artistic ability Saber from Los Angeles told the Thrash Lab:

Voice 3

“My paintings show 22 years of intense art making Art is something very positive to me And I think art is the number one goal for myself Graffiti is the way I learn Art is how I share this message with everybody Art gets a bad name because it is considered something only for a few people in society It is seen as something only a rich or highly educated person can understand And that is not true Every single child in the world drew a picture once and had that

excitement.”

Voice 1

Sometimes it is even difficult to tell the difference between graffiti and other kinds of art Many graffiti artists have had art shows People pay a lot of money to buy their pieces Graffiti artists

Voice 5

"I think I have kept that rawness and that truthfulness and excitement that comes from the graffiti artist That will always be there That is not going to leave What I am doing is a new way of looking at the same thing It does not matter if it is accepted by the rich and educated or the person in the street What is important to me is people in general enjoy my work."

Voice 2

Some people who paint graffiti enjoy the excitement of doing something illegal But some artists

want to be able to do legal graffiti art One way to do this is to have special areas for street artists

to work For example, there is a group called Writerz Blok in San Diego, California They set up

12 walls where people can legally paint graffiti Marcus Tufono works at Writerz Blok He explains to the radio station KPBS:

Voice 6

“Our job and our goal is to take that illegal tag and to put it on a legal wall And from that wall put it on a computer screen and some software We want to help artists to make a portfolio Then they can take their art and use it around the community We want to create partnerships and resources and networks Then graffiti artists have a chance to really prosper through their art.”

Is there graffiti where you live? Do you think it is art? Or is graffiti a problem in your

neighbourhood? You can leave your comments on our website Or you can email us at radio at radioenglish dot net You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Rena Dam The producer was Nick Mangeolles The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the

internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This program is called, ‘Graffiti: Crime or Art?’

Voice 2

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program Goodbye

Voice 2

A seal is a small tool or device This tool has a carved design on it Officials use the seal to print

a symbol on to a document The seal shows who owns the document or who created it In some countries, like China, seals are still an important symbol of authority However, seals are more than just an official sign Seals are also an art form The symbols and characters in a seal can communicate ideas about right and wrong The characters in a seal can communicate many things about culture, morals and values Today’s Spotlight is on seals and their place in Chinese culture

Voice 1

Creating a seal is a form of art First, an artist carefully paints on a small block He paints

pictures and Chinese characters He uses a small brush, made of animal hair Then he uses a small, sharp tool He cuts and carves the images into the block When he is done, he uses the block to stamp an image He presses the carved block into a red paste He has made the paste from plants Then he presses the block onto paper It leaves a red image on the document This block is a seal

Voice 2

People have used seals in China for centuries At first, only experts created seals, for official business One of the most famous Chinese seals is the ancient Heirloom Seal This seal was created around the year 200 The Emperor of China had a seal maker carve it from a famous piece of green, jade stone It was 4 inches square The royal family used the seal for centuries The writing on the seal read,

"For he who has received the Mandate from Heaven, long life and eternal glory."

Voice 1

For hundreds of years, seals were used only by the rich for important business But in the 14th century that changed At that time, stone workers found a kind of soft stone It was easier to cut and carve People began to carve their own seals, instead of paying an expert This change

caused seals to become their own art form

Voice 2

At that time, there were three traditional Chinese arts: painting, poetry, and calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing beautiful looking characters or words These arts were mainly for rich or important people

Voice 1

Seal carving became the fourth art The art of seal carving was based on the three other art forms

It used the beautiful writing of calligraphy It used the beautiful pictures of painting And it used the beautiful language and ideas of poetry

Voice 2

However, the 20th century brought many changes to China Traditional arts were not as

important Children did not learn about them in school And fewer people learned how to make them Officials still used seals But again, only experts carved the seals

Voice 1

Today, Chinese artists are bringing back the traditional art of seal making One of the most important of these artists is Li Lanqing Li Lanqing was born in 1932 He was a famous official

in the Chinese government From 1993 until 2003, he was the Vice Premier of the State Council

of China He was responsible for many parts of the government, including the economy,

education, culture, sport, technology and science After he retired, he concentrated on sharing and encouraging the art of seal carving

Voice 2

Li has made seals for many years In the film, he explained his process

Voice 3

“The idea for a seal starts in the brain After your eyes have studied it, the brain tells you where

to place the knife, and when it should stop The process does not need to be thought through completely before starting.”

Voice 1

Li Lanqing’s seals are unusual in the history of seal carving He chooses words and ideas based

on current issues These inscriptions tell his own story, and the story of China For example, one

of his seals is called “Breaking Through” One character pushes against another It is like

something new pushing against something old “Breaking Through” is also the name of a book

Li wrote about his life In Li’s government positions, he led the way in encouraging international trade in China The seal shows the struggle of new and old ideas

Voice 2

Li believes cultural exchange is the language of the soul or spirit And this affects his seal

making His art may be Chinese, but the influences on it are international He has even created seals based on famous people from the West He made one to honor the great musician Mozart

It almost looks like musical writing

Voice 1

Li has made many seals that represent his experiences of seal carving One of his seals is:

My Heart Travels Beyond the Seal

Voice 1

This seal shows characters breaking past the square border of the seal They are long The seal is limited, but a person’s heart is not limited The characters on the seal also tell about a stone This stone represents Li’s experience of seal making Here are some other seals that talk about the artist, and the seal

A stone speaks of one’s strong desires

A stone speaks of beauty

A stone declares one’s feelings

Voice 1

Li Lanqing has done much to continue the ancient tradition of Chinese seal carving His work unites old and new And he has introduced the art of Chinese seals to the world

Liu Xiaoming is the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom In a speech honoring Li and his seal carving, he said,

to increase hope in Jacmel

Voice 2

A mosaic is a picture or design made of many small pieces These pieces are called tiles The first mosaics were designs on the floor Artists in ancient Rome made these floors out of small stones Many of the Ancient Roman mosaics have lasted for thousands of years Now, most mosaic tiles are glass or stone Tiles usually measure less than two centimetres across They can

be any shape but they are often a square The artist places the square tiles together The artist uses hundreds - or even thousands - of tiles But from far away, a mosaic looks like one smooth picture

Voice 1

Making a mosaic is a complex process First, the artist draws a design on a surface, like a wall Then, she uses glue to attach the tiles to the surface She spreads glue on one side of the tile Then she places it firmly on the surface She must be careful to put it in the correct place When the glue is dry, the tile is permanently attached

Voice 2

But the mosaic is not finished yet The artist must fill the spaces between the tiles Artists fill these areas with a mix of sand and cement called grout When it is wet, the grout is like wet soil But it becomes hard when it is dry The artist rubs the grout over all the tiles She makes sure that all the spaces are full Then she cleans off the extra grout until the surface is flat She wants to see the full shape of all the tiles The grout dries The mosaic is now finished

Voice 1

The children in Jacmel made their mosaic in this way They called it the ‘Tree of Life’ They made it on a long wall near the ocean But the wall is broken There is a long line up and down the wall - a crack The children did not fix this crack Instead, it is a part of their mosaic They put shells into it They want people to put messages and prayers into these shells

Voice 2

The messages and prayers are for the people of Haiti In January 2010, a large earthquake broke the wall The earthquake caused terrible damage to the country of Haiti Many people were killed The earthquake was especially terrible for children Many family members, even parents, died Some children lost the chance to go to school Many children were left with no home and

no food

Voice 1

The earthquake destroyed many buildings in Haiti Broken cement, metal and glass covered Jacmel The children used these broken materials in their art work The children also used tiles The tiles were a gift from people in Haiti and the United States

Mosaic art is a good symbol for Haiti The tiles in a mosaic are very small They may even be broken But they are held together by strong grout They are not easy to destroy And together they can make a beautiful picture The ‘Tree of life’ mosaic is a sign of hope One of the girls who made the mosaic told the TV program Nick News:

The children who created the mosaic are part of an art program The art program is called the

“Art Creation Foundation for Children in Haiti” or ACFFC This group provides meals and education for children But it also provides hope for the future It does this through teaching the children art skills

Voice 2

A person does not have to be an experienced artist to make a mosaic This makes it a good art form for children and young people ACFFC asked the American artist Laurel True to come to Haiti Laurel True is a famous mosaic artist She and the children in Jacmel worked together While working together the children talked and dreamed together They thought of other projects they could do Laurel True believes that making art together can lead to other kinds of

community projects She explains on her website:

The mosaic makes Jacmel a more colourful and beautiful city The children who created it

learned new art skills They made plans for the future of their city They used their skills for their community But they also received something more One of the girls who made the mosaic talked to the TV program Nick News She shared the new hope that she has:

Voice 5

“The mosaic that we are doing represents many things It represents that Haiti will still grow Haiti will still be here It will be rebuilt Deep down inside I feel very good I feel worth

something In the future I would like to be a big artist That is my dream Even if I cannot help somebody out by talking to them - they can see my message through my artwork.”

You can also leave your comments on our website Or you can email us

at radio@radioenglish.net You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program Goodbye

amazing monument is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World More than 5,000 people visit it every day This statue is a cultural and religious treasure for Brazil and for the whole world Today's Spotlight is on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio

Voice 2

In 1920, there was a group of Christians in Rio called Circulo Carioca They proposed the idea for an important religious monument They wanted to build a large statue of Jesus Christ in the city First of all, the group wanted to celebrate 100 years of independence from Portugal They also wanted Rio to have a symbol of the importance of the Christian religion in Brazil Brazilian

It was truly a work of national pride

Voice 1

After the idea was approved, Circulo Carioca held a competition to design the statue A man named Heitor da Silva Costa won the competition Da Silva Costa worked with a Brazilian artist named Carlos Oswald and a European artist named Paul Landowski It took a long time to design the final plans, and even longer to build them In total, it took ten years to finish the statue The designers wanted it to be an object of great wonder and beauty But it also needed to be strong enough to stand against time and weather The designers wanted people to be able to see it from all points of the city They also wanted the statue to represent the Christian faith before the world

Voice 1

Da Silva Costa was a Christian Christians call Jesus the Christ, or Messiah Messiah means

"special chosen one." Christians also call Jesus the Redeemer of the world A redeemer is a person who saves In the Hebrew language, Jesus’ name means "he who saves." So the statue's title "Christ the Redeemer" means "the special chosen one who saves." Christians believe that Jesus is the one who saves the whole world

Voice 2

At first, Da Silva Costa designed the statue to include Jesus holding his cross The cross is an important symbol for Jesus Jesus chose to die on a cross Christians believe that he became a sacrifice – he took the punishment for all the wrong things in the world Then, Christians believe that he defeated death – he returned to life, and he is still alive And he offers new life, and forgiveness to all people

Voice 1

With the help of Carlos Oswald, Da Silva Costa redesigned the statue In this design, there was

no cross Instead, Jesus is standing in the shape of a cross He stands with his arms spread wide open This is the design we see today It represents all these elements of the Christian faith But it

also shows something else The stories of Jesus show that Jesus loved all people He cared for all people - rich and poor, from different cultures The statue’s wide open arms represent this side of Jesus It looks like Jesus is embracing the city, and blessing it

Voice 2

Christ the Redeemer is not the world's tallest statue of Jesus But it is the most famous Millions

of people come to visit it every year In 2007, the world's population voted on the new Seven Wonders of the World More than 100 million people voted Along with other famous structures, such as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal in India, Brazil's Christ the Redeemer became one of the new Seven Wonders of the World

Voice 1

When Da Silva Costa designed the Christ statue, he imagined the light of the sun touching Jesus'

head He maynot have imagined lightning However, for a tall statue on the top of a mountain,

lightning has always been a danger And lightning has damaged the statue several times

Recently, lightning storms have become even more intense They present more danger to the statue than ever before Osmar Pinto works for the Brazilian Institute of Space Research He told the BBC,

Voice 4

"In the past few years, there have been some cases of storms with more than one thousand

lightning bolts This has not happened before."

Voice 2

Because of the more intense storms, the Brazilian government has increased its efforts to protect the statue Officials have been working hard to design ways for the statue to survive lightning strikes Businessman Paolo Dal Pino is paying for some repairs to the statue He told the BBC,

Voice 5

"This monument has two million visitors a year - it is going to be three million people probably

in 2014 A place like this, damaged, is something that cannot exist."

"It is a religious symbol, a cultural symbol, and a symbol of Brazil Christ the Redeemer brings a wonderful view of welcoming, open arms to all those who pass through the city of Rio de

Janeiro."

Voice 2

The writer of this program was Jen Hawkins The producer was Michio Ozaki The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom All quotes were adapted and voiced

by Spotlight You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet

at http://www.radioenglish.net This program is called, “The Statue of Christ the Redeemer."

Voice 2

Pascale Marthine Tayou is an artist from Cameroon He designed this huge art piece made of plastic bags Tayou wanted to get the attention of people entering the train station He wanted people to think about using plastic bags The plastic bags represented waste Tayou thinks people buy and throw away too many things Many people agree with him Instead of throwing plastic bags away they try to find ways to reuse them Today’s Spotlight is on making something useful and beautiful with old plastic bags

Voice 1

Plastic is made from natural gases and petroleum - a thick oil that people remove from the earth

In the 1960s, scientists discovered how to make very light and thin bags from plastic Plastic bags are strong and light They can safely contain things that are wet or dirty Plastic seemed like

a good material to carry everything from meat and fruit to cloth and paper By the 1980s, people all over the world were using plastic bags

Voice 2

People used these plastic bags once and then threw them away Using plastic bags this way causes many problems Factories that produce plastic use a lot of resources and energy But the largest problem with plastic bags is what happens after people throw them away

Voice 2

As people produce more plastic, this has become a large problem around the world People use

so many plastic bags that they pollute the environment Plastic bags block pipes where water should flow They cover areas of land and sea They look dirty Sometimes they carry dangerous germs and bacteria from human waste But more than that, they are dangerous to birds and

animals Sometimes animals try to eat them But plastic does not break down in the stomach of

an animal either Animals that eat plastic usually die

Voice 1

People are trying to find solutions for this problem of too many plastic bags In some countries shops do not give people plastic bags for free Shoppers now have to pay extra money to buy a plastic bag Other governments have tried to solve the problem by banning plastic bags For example, in 2012 the Environmental Agency in Cameroon tried to stop stores from using plastic bags But this ban did not work It was too difficult for the government to control People

continue to use plastic bags in Cameroon and in most other countries around the world

Voice 2

Some people are making individual or group efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags Some people refuse to use plastic bags They carry their things in cloth bags These bags can be used many times without breaking In some situations people must use plastic bags Then they try to reuse them before throwing them away

In Cameroon, a group of women saw the problem of plastic bags They decided to do something about it They formed a group called FAREM The members collect used plastic bags Then they boil them and use special soap to clean them Marceline Fotso is the president of FAREM She explained to the news network MSN:

Voice 3

“We treat the plastic bags We have to clean them so that no one catches any diseases from them

We want to be totally sure that all the germs are dead!”

Voice 2

When the bags are clean, the women dry them They use them to make things for people to use

or wear The women cut the bags into long thin strips They weave the strips together to make a strong kind of plastic cloth They use this cloth to make new products such as purses and wallets for carrying money They also make beautiful jewellery such as earrings for people to hang from their ears

“We are doing it because we do not want to see the plastic bags filling the streets We are

recycling the bags We turn them into useful things in order to protect the environment.”

Voice 1

Carrying bags and wearing jewellery made from old plastic bags is better for the environment It

is a way to make something useful out of garbage! It is also a way to make art out of plastic bags

- like Pascale Marthine Tayou did at Gare Saint Lazare The artist and the women at FAREM have a similar hope for the world They hope that people will think carefully about the materials

that they use And they hope that people will take care of their environment - especially when it comes to plastic bags

Voice 2

The writer of this program was Rena Dam The producer was Mark Drenth The voices you heard were from the United States All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet

at www.radioenglish.net This program is called, ‘Plastic Bag Art.’

Voice 1

You can also leave your comments on our website Or you can email us

at radio@radioenglish.net You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program Goodbye!

Can you solve this riddle? Do you know what I am talking about?

What animal has nine lives, a long tail, may be good luck or bad luck, and sounds like this?

If you guessed a cat, you are right! Today’s Spotlight is on cats These animals have been the subject of many stories and beliefs all around the world In some cultures, people have even worshiped these animals In today’s Spotlight we look at the history and stories of the domestic cat

Voice 2

Cats began as wild animals But the cats we are talking about today are domestic cats - cats that have learned to live with people They are the cats people have as family pets Cats have a long history with people Many experts believe that the first domesticated cats came from Egypt Ancient pictures show that cats were a normal part of Egyptian life for thousands of years!

No one knows exactly when the first cats in Egypt came from the wild and became domesticated But experts say that it was probably about 4,000 years ago

Voice 2

Many experts believe that the first cats in Egypt were African wild cats These small wild cats were skilled at hunting and eating smaller animals like mice, rats, and poisonous snakes And these were some of the Egyptians’ biggest problems!

Voice 1

Mice, rats, and snakes attacked food supplies in Egyptian houses and village grain storage areas Experts say that wild cats began to enter Egyptian communities The cats hunted and killed the mice, rats, and snakes The Egyptians were probably very grateful for the assistance of these cats So, they repaid the animals with small pieces of food Experts say that it was only a short time before these wild cats began to enter Egyptian homes This was a good deal for everyone!

Voice 2

The wild cats probably began to spend more and more time inside the homes of the Egyptians They let the Egyptians take care of them The cats began to raise their babies near people Also,

after a time, the wild cat’s diet probably changed It began to depend on people for food, instead

of hunting its own food

Voice 1

The Egyptian people probably also encouraged particular cats to mate This way, they could breed good characteristics into the cats - making them more friendly As the cats became more and more domesticated, they became the perfect pets for Egyptians The cats liked to play and they were intelligent They showed love toward the Egyptians And they also kept problem animals away from the food stores

Voice 2

History experts say that many ancient pictures show cats taking part in everyday Egyptian life The Egyptians valued the mysterious qualities of the cat They believed that the female cat was a good mother Evidence even shows that Egyptian people started naming their children after cats!

Voice 1

And soon, the image and shape of cats began to appear on everyday objects Cat images

appeared on jewellery that a person would wear around the neck or arm, or on the ear People owned cat statues Women even began copying the look of the cat They painted around their eyes to look more cat-like

Voice 2

Many Egyptians even worshiped a cat goddess, a female god She had the body of a woman, but the head of a cat They called her Bastet They believed that Bastet protected women, children, and domestic cats from harm Every year, Egyptians had a celebration for her

Voice 1

Egyptians valued cats so much, that they worked very hard to protect them During one time in Egyptian history, it was illegal to kill a cat - even by accident The punishment for this act was death!

Voice 2

Many superstitions about cats have to do with luck Cats can be either good luck, or bad luck - but it depends on the situation

In the United States, it is bad luck to see a white cat at night But dreaming of a white cat is good

means good luck! And in Southern England a newly married woman may hope that a black cat

walks in front of her There, the superstition says that if that happens, she will have a very good marriage

Voice 1

Cats are definitely the subjects of some strange beliefs These superstitions are not true But they all show how full of mystery people believe the cat to be Do superstitions like this exist in your community? Do you have a cat? Write to us to tell us your experiences at radio @ radioenglish net

covered with blood The Prince was frightened Quickly, he ran to find his son He found the baby’s bed empty The blankets and floor were covered with blood Llewelyn felt insane with anger He thought his dog had killed his baby He quickly killed Gelert with his sword The dog’s dying cry was followed by a baby’s voice The Prince searched and discovered his son The boy was not hurt But next to the baby lay the dog-like body of a large wolf Gelert the dog had killed this wild and fierce animal The Prince was full of regret People say he never smiled again The prince buried Gelert here.”

Voice 4

“Some wolves moved close to human cooking fires after smelling something good to eat Then they worked to get closer to groups of humans They did this by being helpful or proving they would not hurt people The humans might have used the wolves’ better hunting skills to help them hunt animals The wolves could warn humans of danger at night.”

Voice 2

Humans and wolves both lived in groups The groups usually had a leader The smaller, weaker wolves knew how to obey the wolf leader So it was easy for them to learn to obey a human leader Both humans and these smaller wolves got something good from this relationship Angus Phillips explains the result:

“Over thousands of years .humans kept the large, rough wolves out of the human camps This led to the development of different kinds of dogs that were more friendly to people They began

to look different than wolves .They were generally smaller than wolves, with a shorter nose.”

Voice 1

Today, there are about 400 different kinds of dogs People can see many of these kinds of dogs at dog shows At these shows, people bring their dogs to compete for a prize The dogs run, walk and do tricks for judges Some of the dogs are as tall as the waist of a person Others are small enough to be carried in one hand Some dogs have long hair that reaches to the ground Others have no hair at all

Voice 2

Humans have spent a lot of time and effort breeding different kinds of dogs But most dogs are not show dogs Most dogs do not even work Today, the most common use of a dog is for

friendship Some people even consider their dog to be a part of their family Scientists are

finding that dogs can even understand human emotions

Voice 1

Around the world today there are more than 400 million dogs But their relationship with people

is not always close Some of these dogs do not have a home They are strays They live on the streets and often eat garbage Diana Bharucha is from Bangalore, India She started a program called ‘Stray Dogs Free Bangalore.’ She says that dogs should have a home with a human

master If not, she thinks that the dogs should be killed in a way that does not cause them pain Diana told the newsmagazine ‘Citizens Matters’:

Voice 2

The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet

at http://www.radioenglish.net This program is called, ‘Dogs and Humans’

You can also leave your comments on our website Or you can email us at radio@ radioenglish net You can also find us on Facebook - just search for SpotlightRadio We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program Goodbye

Voice 2

This space object is made of frozen gases, rock and dust It orbits the sun in a long path It orbits the sun again and again The orbit of some comets lasts tens of years But the orbit of other comets lasts thousands of years The comet gets hotter every time it gets close to the sun The dust and gas flow out behind it for millions of kilometres This is why a comet looks like a bright point of light with a long tail behind it

example, there is a cloth tapestry that shows an old battle in the United Kingdom The tapestry also shows a comet in the sky This battle was fought in the United Kingdom in 1066

Voice 1

Old records like these helped scientists discover when particular comets would arrive in the sky

In 1705 Edmund Halley discovered when a particular comet would return This comet became known as Halley’s comet It was the same comet that had appeared in 1066 Halley’s comet returns every 76 years It most recently returned in 1986

Voice 2

During that year, many people wanted to study Halley’s comet Russia, France and Japan sent spaceships or probes to investigate the comet They could only pass by the comet and collect information about its atmosphere A probe from Europe called Giotto flew to about 600

kilometres from the comet Giotto was almost destroyed by the fierce dust of the comet But it survived It saw the nucleus of the comet And then it sent images of the comet back to earth Gerhard Schwehm of the European Space Agency said,

Voice 3

‘It was a once-in-a-life-time event It had a big effect on the general public It may sound simple

to say this, but the picture was the best thing The minute you saw it, it was amazing Giotto excited the space science community in Europe We had demonstrated that we could successfully lead demanding missions And people started thinking about what else we could do.’

Voice 1

After that success the European Space Agency decided to land a probe on a passing comet The Rosetta spaceship lifted off planet Earth in 2004 Its purpose was to catch a comet called Comet 67P This comet orbits the sun every 6 1/2 years and travels between the orbits of Jupiter and Earth The scientists worked hard to establish the exact path of comet They had to make sure that Rosetta and the comet would meet This was not easy The comet travels at 55,000 km/h And it is only about four kilometres wide

Voice 2

Rosetta travelled for ten years It went round the sun five times facing great extremes of hot and cold At last on August 6th, 2014 Rosetta caught the comet The spaceship went into a powered orbit around the comet At times Rosetta was only ten kilometres above the comet And Rosetta took pictures and made maps of the surface of the comet

Voice 1

Then on the 12th of November 2014 Rosetta launched a small landing vehicle called Philae Philae flew down toward the surface of the comet

Seven hours later Philae landed! But back on earth the scientists waited for news The comet was

500 million kilometres away from earth So the signal took about 30 minutes to reach earth

scientists on Earth Matt Taylor of the European Space Agency said:

Voice 6

‘The science is only just beginning The science teams are already buried with information.’

Voice 2

The scientists also continued to receive information from Rosetta As Rosetta orbited the comet

it found water, methane and hydrogen and other rarer gases in the comet’s thin atmosphere Rosetta also discovered important information about water Many scientists believed that most water on earth came from comets But Rosetta showed that water on the comet was different from water on planet Earth So now the scientists think their theory could be wrong

Voice 1

As the comet nears the sun it will become hotter Dust and gas will flow out behind it Rosetta will go through this dust and gas tail And Rosetta will send more information back to earth The scientists hope this will help them learn how comets formed

Voice 2

Then the comet will travel back into deep space And its tail will slowly disappear Rosetta will continue to orbit the comet for several months It will continue to send back information about the comet’s journey Who knows what it may send back? Scientists are excited to know!

Voice 1

The writer of this programme was Katy Blake The producer was Luke Haley The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom All quotes were adapted for this programme and voiced by Spotlight You can listen to this programme again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net This programme is called, ‘The Rosetta Comet Mission’

biotechnology, scientists change the natural form of a plant by changing its genes Nguyen has heard many things about GM crops He is not sure how he feels about them GM seeds are made

to grow well and produce good harvests But, farmers must buy GM seeds every year from a foreign company Nguyen worries about depending too much on a large, international company

Richard Jefferson is a molecular biologist He uses technology to work with the genes of plants

In the 1980s, Jefferson invented a scientific tool called GUS GUS helps scientists effectively combine the genes of different plants It has become a very important technology for creating

GM seeds Jefferson hoped this technology would provide farmers all over the world with GM seeds that could grow better crops

Voice 2

However, today, people have many concerns about GM crops One of the main concerns is that a very small number of international companies own the methods and technology to make GM seeds They also own the seeds they produce Some people think that this gives too much power

to a very small group of people

Voice 1

Traditionally, farmers like Nguyen save their own crop seeds from year to year Using traditional farming methods, Nguyen can combine different seeds to make new kinds of crops He uses his knowledge and the knowledge of other farmers Together, they can create crops that grow

especially well in the Mekong Delta

Voice 2

The problem with GM crops is that farmers cannot save the seeds They cannot combine their

GM crop seeds with other seeds This is because the international companies that make and sell

GM seeds own the rights to the seeds It is their intellectual property By law, if farmers harvest and reuse GM crop seeds, they are stealing from the company If a farmer changes or combines

GM seeds they are damaging the company’s property Companies enforce the intellectual

property laws because they want to protect their investment They have paid a lot of money for the technology they use to make GM seeds

Voice 1

Jefferson understands the GM companies’ concerns But he also believes that intellectual

property laws have negatively affected GM science He told Wired magazine,

Voice 3

"So much of what we want to do is connected to somebody's intellectual property It is a

completely blocked situation Nobody has any freedom of movement We want to invent a better way to connect everyone to share the improved technology."

Voice 2

Another problem with GM science is that using GM technology costs a lot of money A few, large international companies can pay for this technology But many smaller companies and

scientific groups around the world cannot This makes it difficult for smaller, local groups to compete

Voice 1

For these reasons, Richard Jefferson decided to form a not-for-profit organization called Cambia Cambia is based in Australia It leads a project called BIOS, or Biological Open Source This project openly shares basic biotechnology tools Scientists from all over the world can use these tools to create GM seeds And since the technology is free, more people are able to use it

Jefferson spoke to the ABC news organization about BIOS He explained,

Voice 3

"Open source seems like something new but it is not For four thousand years, all of human culture has been built on open source Let's say we are developing a new kind of apple fruit

We can use someone else's interesting apple, like a Granny Smith or Pink Lady We can combine

it with our own apple to make a better apple The seeds, the genes of the apple, are shared with everyone Instead of being owned by international companies, what if everyone owned the tools for biotechnology?"

Voice 2

So, Cambia creates new scientific tools and shares them freely with people who want to use them However, the people that use the tools have to sign a legal agreement with BIOS They must promise to share any improvements with the rest of the BIOS community That is, anyone else who has signed the legal agreement with BIOS Through BIOS, Jefferson wants to create a community that shares and builds on each other’s ideas With BIOS, people do not have to worry about paying huge amounts of money just to experiment

Voice 1

BIOS does not answer all the concerns people have about GM crops Many people wonder if

GM crops are healthy for our body Other people wonder if they are good for the earth The debate about GM crops is complex But GM crops are not going away Over the last 20 years, people’s use of GM crops has increased by almost 100% And an increasing number of countries

in Africa and Asia are choosing to grow GM crops

Voice 2

For farmers like Nguyen Van Chu, BIOS could provide a new choice By signing an agreement with BIOS, scientists in Vietnam could work on creating their own GM seeds The Vietnamese government would not have to pay international companies huge amounts of money And

Vietnamese farmers would not have to depend on foreign companies for their seed supply

Peter Pringle is a writer who often reports on farming and food In the book “Food, Inc.,” he writes,

What do you think? Will developing countries be able to receive advantages from GM

technology? Can organizations like BIOS help? If Richard Jefferson had his way, the answer would be "Yes."

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Jennifer Hawkins The producer was Michio Ozaki The voices you heard were from the United States All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This program is called, "Food Technology for Everyone."

go right back to 1881 for the real start of broadcasting

Voice 2

Yes it really was 1881 At that time, Marconi was only seven years old! So it was not radio broadcasting, but broadcasting over wires The first broadcast was in Paris at a public meeting devoted to the wonderful new discovery of electricity People came in their thousands to try out the new technology At the meeting, the people put some sound equipment to their ears and listened They heard music coming from a theatre in another part of Paris The president of

France liked the system very much He had one installed in his home He supported the new technology A few years later, in 1890, there was a full service for the people of Paris It was called the Theatrophone, because it brought the sounds of the theatre into people’s homes by over the telephone wire

Voice 1

Soon, other countries in Europe had the same technology In Hungary there was a talking

newspaper on the telephone The Telefon Hirmondo operation in 1893 Here is a description of the service written by a person who visited Budapest two years later, in 1895

Voice 3

“While I was putting on my clothes in the morning, a hotel official came to my door and asked if

I wanted the ‘telephone news-paper’ He then gave me two receivers They were small enough to hold in my hand They were attached to long wires, which can be linked to electrical connections near the bed He told me that the hotel does not ask visitors for any money for the service It only costs the hotel a penny a day.”

Voice 2

In London, rich and famous people were first to make use of telephone broadcasting A service called the Electrophone started in 1895 It became very popular It offered broadcasts from theatres and churches in the centre of London

Voice 1

The ruler of Great Britain in those days, Queen Victoria, was a listener She listened at her royal home, Windsor Castle There is a report of her listening to boys from several military schools singing “God Save the Queen” The boys were singing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, in the middle of London The queen was listening forty kilometres away at Windsor Castle

Voice 2

The church of St Martin in the Fields was one of the places of worship using the Electrophone

St Martin in the Fields is a well-known church It is in the middle of London, close to Trafalgar Square Ralph Smith, who is a church official, told Spotlight:

“Yes, the Electrophone company often broadcast from the church In 1888 electricity was

brought into the church A few years later the Electrophone was put in This made it possible for those unable to attend church to hear the service in their own homes.”

Voice 2

This earliest form of Christian broadcasting did cause some worries The equipment to get the sound from the church was big and not very nice to look at The wires and microphones did not look very good among the beautiful things in the church The Electrical Engineer magazine of

1889, reported on this problem;

Voice 5

“The transmitters of this system can be put into a wooden model of a bible This looks like a real book It can be left lying in a natural position close to where the minister is standing This is how the sound of his voice can be heard.”

Voice 1

There was once an emergency telephone broadcast from a church in America A serious disease

influenza was spreading through the country The authorities banned people from meeting in public This included church meetings A trade magazine from that time reported what happened

in Muncie, Indiana in 1918

Voice 6

“At 10:30 on the morning of December the 22nd, through the help of the local telephone

company, the telephones of all who wished were connected with the church A special sounder was attached to a telephone in the church so they could hear the Reverend Smith speaking The church organist also played a few songs.”

Voice 1

By the year 1901, the Electrophone was well established in London The company started using loud speakers, instead of equipment that you had to hold up to your ear A loud speaker made it possible for everyone in a room to hear the music It was almost the same as radio is today

Voice 2

But two new things came along in the 1920s which took away the market for Electrophones One was the phonograph This was a machine that could record and play back music And the other was radio broadcasting Radio was a much less costly way of sending sound to thousands of listeners When radio started it was called ‘wire-less’ The miracle of radio was that you did not need a wire to receive the sound But in all other ways, radio already existed The music, the church services, the news, the market prices all these things had already been broadcast over telephone wires

Voice 1

It is strange to think about, but in one sense we have gone right back to broadcasting over the telephone Radio became the main form of mass communication in the middle of the twentieth century Then came television And then the internet And now, people can use the internet on their telephones, just as people listened to the Electrophone in 1895

Voice 2

The writer of today’s programme was Peter Laverock The producer was Mike Holmes The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight You can find our programs on the internet

at http://www.radioenglish.net This program is called ‘Electrophone: Broadcasting over

Dong and Huong had two very different problems However, they found the same solution – a biogas system Today’s Spotlight is on the award winning Vietnam Biogas Program

Voice 2

Seventy percent of people in Vietnam live away from cities They live in rural areas Like Dong, most of these people earn money by caring for farm animals like pigs Other common jobs are crop farming and fishing For many of these farmers and fishermen, animal and plant waste is still a problem

But a biogas system can solve all of these problems! It can turn animal or plant waste into

valuable resources - such as cooking fuel, electricity and plant food It works like this:

Voice 1

First, an expert must build a system of pipes and tanks This biogas system contains and

manages the decaying process of animal or plant waste

Voice 2

The slurry is full of rich nutrients Farmers can add it to soil to help produce healthy crops The biogas is a form of fuel Another set of pipes carries the biogas from the bio-digester to people’s homes They can use this gas as fuel for cooking or producing electricity Dong explained to Alertnet how biogas helps his family

Voice 4

“I feed the bio-digester with animal waste every day The decaying process produces clean gas for cooking in our kitchen I also use this gas for light during the night And I use the gas to boil water for washing or bathing during winter.”

Voice 1

So, in 2003, the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development joined with the

Netherlands Development Organization They started the Vietnam Biogas Program to solve these problems