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Family Planning as an Economic Investment Strategy 1.The United Nations says greater access to family planning would save developing countries more than $11 billion a year 2.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 3.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 4.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 6.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 8.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 Obesity Rises Among Children in Developing Countries 1.The World says there has been an increase in the number of children in developing countries who 2.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 obese overweight and 4.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 5.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 6.Experts say lowering obesity rates is in countries that also have high rates of But the WHO has some 7.The organization says people should , sugar, salt and processed food This can be more fruits and vegetables and increased 8.These goals are especially important for children The WHO also says mothers should for at least the first six months, if possible 9.The for the WHO's World Health Assembly is to in the percentage of overweight children in the next 12 years Car Index' as a Measure of Economic Progress for Middle Class 1.The International Fund says worldwide growth is weaker than expected because of economic in Europe and the United States But there is some news 2.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 3.But a little known economic is beginning to gain acceptance The socalled "car index" is an to measure the world's middle class .the number of people who cars 4.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 billion people who are quickly an important level: $4,000 per person 5.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 6.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 7.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 8.On the other hand, .show consumer spending in developing countries has increased three times than in developed economies In England, a Hotel for Chickens 1.More and more British people are their own chickens But these chicken owners have a : what to with their chickens when they go on A woman named Julie Smith has their prayers 2.She has opened a chicken hotel in the English countryside to the birds when their owners are Julie Smith named her hotel the Fowlty Towers The name is a on words from the British television about a hotel called Fawlty Towers 3.But Julie's hotel houses fowl, or chickens And she wants to they have a wonderful stay She gives them lots of individual and feeds them fresh every day 4.She the eggs they lay, and gives them to their owners when they She even takes the chickens for walks in her hen stroller England has faced times during the global 5.Julie Smith that she has been able to develop a business around her Her specialized business has done well She has thirteen chickens of her own They are hens 6.That means she uses the eggs and sells them Also, she knows she is providing a service for her Now clients even come to her from outside the of Kent where she lives, in England 7.Recently she kept a woman's hens when she went into the to have a baby At night, the chickens stay in hen houses But during the day they can free-range in a But, Julie Smith only takes hens, which are birds No male birds are Students Try to Cut Federal Budget in Online Game 1.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 2.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 3.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 6.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 7.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 it." Student Jeffrey Burke agrees 8."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 9.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 10.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." Some Websites Judge You by the Kind of Computer You Use 1.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 2.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?" 3.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 4." 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 it 5.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 6.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 7.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 8.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 The World at Billion, and Growing 1.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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.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 7.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 8.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 9.Uttar to be Pradesh a is girl one of born India's in Uttar Pradesh 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 Breastfeeding in the First Hour After Birth 1.Sometimes taken at the right time can 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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.Carolyn Miles says babies not need anything else After six months, the WHO says breastfeeding should continue .other foods up to two years of age or beyond 7.The Save the Children report, called " for Babies," barriers to breastfeeding These cultural beliefs as well as a health workers in developing countries 8.Carolyn Miles says health workers, with , can help mothers start and continue to breastfeed As 1.The the world World is getting Ages, older As Economies more people Will Change each year, fewer .people will be there to them This has effects not only in the , but in the world of finance 2.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 3.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 4.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 Metropolitan labor and savings Kishore Kulkarni University is of with the Denver 6.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 7.But, Kishore Kulkarni the believes economies that of countries 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 8.And most agree that young workers will have to .and retire later than today’s older workers 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 2.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 3.Wood companies are trees to meet growing from China, Europe and the United States The population is growing three percent each year 4.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 5.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 6.Mary Katherine Gonder is a at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She chimpanzees in the Congo Basin She says their forest home is 7.She also says continue to kill the animals to as food The researchers say it is important to develop friendly economies 8.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 Turn Negative Writing Experiences Into Positive Ones 1.Today we hear expert for academic writing Jennifer Ahern-Dodson is an professor of the Practice in Writing Studies at Duke University in Carolina 2.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? 3.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 4."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? 5.She says most people's very negative formula writing or experiences page limit happened was because a 6.Another problem can when the need to well on a paper is important , she says, can make it harder to get the writing done 7.Ms Ahern-Dodson says when writing comes easily, the writers believe they have something What important to say can She advises you asking bring yourself questions your paper? to 8.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 China's Alibaba to Sell Stock on the New York Stock Exchange 1.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 2.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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.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 Lessons From Shanghai's Top Scores on International Test 1.The Program for International Student ………………… , or PISA, is a two-hour test that compares the ………………… of fifteen-year-olds 2.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 ………………… 3.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 5.Andreas Schleicher is ………………… of the Education Indicators and Analysis Division at the OECD He says: "Asian countries ………………… education more than other countries 6.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 8.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 9.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 more to remain ………………… in the world economy 10.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 11.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 Water Problems in a World of Insecurity 1.An American …………………… report says water-related problems will likely increase tensions around the world in the next ten years 2.These problems …………………… water shortages, poor water quality and …………………… The report says the problems will increase the risk of i…………………… and the failure of governments 3.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 4.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 …………………… 5.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 6.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 …………………… 7.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 8.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 9.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 Are You Learning English? These Songs May Help 1.Songs teach language ……………… a song like "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega An American teaching English ……………… once told us that students love that song 2.Recently we asked people on the Special English Facebook page to ……………… other songs that English learners might like 3.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 4.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." 5.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 6.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 ……………… 8.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 9.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 What Is the Relationship Between Age and Happiness? 1.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 2.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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.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 7.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? 8.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 9.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 10.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 Testing New Ways to Recognize What Makes a Good Teachers 1.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 2.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 3.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 4.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 …………………… 5.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 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 6.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 8.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 9.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 A Comic Book About Business Finance 1.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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.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 ………… 7.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 8.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 9.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 10.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 Can America Win the Education Race? 1.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 2."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 4."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 5.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 6.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 7.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 9.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 Iron, Vitamin D May Lead to Smarter, Healthier Children 1.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 2.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 3.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 4.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 5.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 6.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 7.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 8.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 9.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 ……………… Less Salt Can Mean More Life 1.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 2.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 3.Researchers found it could …………… one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninetytwo 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 4.She says people would not even …………… a difference in taste with three grams, or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day The team also …………… researchers at Stanford and Columbia University 5.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 6.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 7.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 8.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 9.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 10.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 Good luck to you  ... Entrepreneur.com named SmarterComics to its list of 10 0 Brilliant Companies of 2 012 The company has created comic book …………… of more than ten other books 10 .These …………… "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon... to in the percentage of overweight children in the next 12 years Car Index' as a Measure of Economic Progress for Middle Class 1. The International Fund says worldwide growth is weaker... Schleicher says international testing experts have investigated and ………………… the Shanghai scores 11 .He says the PISA results are not representative of all of China But he also says they dispute