20180418: 美国之音(voa)慢速英语 30分钟

Original littleflute 漂泊者乐园 2021-10-05

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美国之音(voa)慢速英语 30分钟

<1>文本：

The recent United States missile strikes against Syria could increase pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Or the missile strikes could show North Korean officials the need for nuclear arms to keep the country safe from attack.

The United States, France and Britain fired 105 missiles at three suspected chemical weapons factories in Syria early Saturday. The allies said they acted to answer a reported chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma. The attack killed at least 40 people and wounded or sickened hundreds of others.

Damascus skies erupt with surface to air missile fire as the U.S. launches an attack on Syria targeting different parts of the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, early Saturday, April 14, 2018.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied any use of chemical weapons.

The raid on Syria comes as U.S. and North Korean officials are preparing for talks in late May or early June. They are working on plans for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. officials want the North to discuss plans for ending its nuclear activities. North Korea is expected to demand security guarantees from the U.S. government.

Maximum pressure

Observers say Trump’s decision to use force against Syria can be seen to support his “maximum pressure” campaign message.

For the U.S. side, that means sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on most North Korean exports. In addition, the U.S. would take military action against the North, if necessary. The goal is to force Kim to end his nuclear program and the continued development of a nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile – one that could reach North America.

On Monday, a South Korean newspaper, The Korea Joongang Daily, called the U.S. attack on Syria “a warning for Pyongyang.” It said that the North Korean leader must end his country’s nuclear program or face the same kind of airstrike.

U.S. officials hope the show of force in Syria will increase pressure on North Korea to offer meaningful nuclear proposals at the leaders’ meeting.

“The Trump administration will not be satisfied,” unless the North suspends at least some of its nuclear and missile activities, said Bong Youngshik. He studies politics at the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.

A child is treated in a hospital in Douma, eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, Syria, after a suspected chemical attack April, 7, 2018. (White Helmets/Handout via Reuters)

Nuclear weapons as protection

But the U.S. military strike on Syria could also increase concerns in North Korea that giving up its nuclear arms would leave the country defenseless in a similar attack.

Kim Hyun-Wook serves as a professor of American studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul. He thinks that if North Korea thinks its leadership is not guaranteed, “it will keep the nuclear program.”

North Korea has long justified the need for its nuclear program by pointing to what happened to Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. The long time Libyan leader lost power and was killed by rebel forces, just a few years after he agreed to give up his country’s nuclear weapons. At the time, those forces were allied with the U.S. government and NATO forces.

The U.S. and its allies justified their military action in Libya as a “humanitarian intervention” to prevent government forces from killing the civilian opposition. Without nuclear weapons, North Korean officials worry the U.S. could use the same humanitarian justification to intervene in North Korea.

Kim Hyun-Wook noted “The U.S. can see North Korea as an autocratic state or human rights violator,” and then it can remove Kim Jong Un if he does not have nuclear weapons.

The Kim government could use the missile strikes in Syria to demand a step-by-step system to end the nuclear program as a way to guarantee security. That would include the reduction or removal of U.S. forces in Korea over time as part of the required security guarantees.

A man watches a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, April 9, 2018.

Asia reaction

Major U.S. allies Japan, South Korea and Australia voiced strong support for military action to punish Syria’s reported use of chemical weapons and to stop other countries from using them.

China, however, objected to the strike by the U.S. and its allies before an investigation and without the agreement of the United Nations Security Council.

I'm Mario Ritter.

Brian Padden reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

Words in This Story

maximum – adj. the most or largest amount

sanction – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

intercontinental – adj. ability to move from one continent to another continent

ballistic – adj. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes

autocratic – n. a person who rules with total power

<2>文本：

US Education ‘Report Card’ Says Much Can Be Improved

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, Shelly Ellis teaches fourth-grade students in a newly air conditioned classroom at Bement Elementary School in Bement, Ill. AP Photo/David Mercer, File)

A new report on the performance of American students found little or no improvement over the past year in mathematics and reading skills.

The 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress - also known as the Nation’s Report Card - was released April 10. The report is based on tests of students across the United States. The Department of Education organized the testing.

Among the report’s findings was that only about one-third of 8^th grade students were considered proficient in reading and math. Generally, most eighth graders are 13 or 14 years old.

The Department of Education defines proficiency as “solid academic performance.” It says students who reach this level have a good knowledge of the subject and can use their knowledge in real-world situations. These students are also able to use analytical skills related to the subject.

About 40 percent of 4^th graders were found to be proficient in reading and math. The report found just 25 percent of 12^th grade students had math proficiency, while 37 percent reached that level in reading.

In science, 38 percent of 4^th graders were rated proficient, while about 34 percent of 8^th graders demonstrated proficiency.

Results of the latest Report Card were similar to other reports released in recent years.

Second grade student Khalil Morgan, left, reacts after completing an interactive math problem on his computer, with teacher Jillian Martin, standing to the right, at Turner Elementary School in southeast Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Manue

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said the latest study shows that much can be done to improve the nation’s education system. As she noted, “The Report Card is in, and the results are clear: We can and we must do better for America’s students. Our nation’s reading and math scores continue to stagnate.”

DeVos said she was concerned the assessment found major differences between the highest and lowest performing students. These differences were widening, she said, although billions of dollars had been spent in an effort to reduce them.

DeVos praised the state of Florida for being “one bright spot” in the latest Report Card. She said Florida students showed “significant improvement” in 4th and 8th grade math, and 8th grade reading.

In this file photos, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Maryland, Feb. 22, 2018.

Carissa Miller is head of the Council of Chief State School Officers. She told the Associated Press the assessment shows much work needs to be done to prepare students at all levels for college, careers and life. “It is clear we as a country must do better by all of our students, especially our lowest-performing kids,” she said.

How do US students rate internationally?

A leading measure of student performance worldwide is the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). It is carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The most recent study involved about 540,000 15-year-olds living in 72 nations and economies.

The test includes a mix of multiple-choice questions and some requiring originalanswers. Students are tested in different subject areas. The students also provide information about themselves, their home, school and learning experiences.

PISA studies are completed every three years. The latest one, in 2015, found that U.S. students performed below students living in other economically developed nations.

American students had an average test score of 497 in reading, which was just above the OECD average of 493. The U.S. score for math was 470, and 496 for science.

The country with the highest PISA scores overall was Singapore. Students there had average test scores of 535 in reading, 564 in math and 556 in science.

The next highest-scoring students were in Japan, Estonia, Taiwan, Finland, Macao and Canada. Australia, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland had scores averaging in the low 500s in the three subject areas.

Children from the local Globe Primary School help build a Lego sculpture during a photocall to promote the exhibition "The Century of the Child: Nordic Design for Children 1900 to Today" at the V&A Museum of Childhood in east London, Monday, March 19, 201

PISA says it produces the reports to provide governments and educators around the world with information to help make decisions about education policies. However, planning and carrying out the tests is a complex process. Some educators and school activists have criticized PISA’s testing and reporting methods.

Critics have pointed out that in some countries – for example, China – PISA testing is only done in a few cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. They argue this ignores China’s rural areas - where the majority of students live and where other studies have shown lower performance levels.

PISA has also been accused of lacking neutrality. Critics say the findings generally support the economic role of public schools because it is part of the OECD.

In 2014, a group of educators wrote an open letter to PISA director Andreas Schleicher to express their concerns about the PISA system. Among the concerns were that PISA testing had led to an increase in standardized testing across the United States. This led to ratings of student and teacher performance from methods “widely known to be imperfect,” the group wrote.

Miyako Ikeda is a senior analyst of PISA data. She says the organization completes careful research and experiments with trial questions in an effort to create the best possible testing.

Ikeda says there is also intense cooperation between nations taking part and the OECD in an effort to collect the best sample data. “It is a very collaborative process between the participating countries in the OECD, to make sure that what we observe in the scores is not due to technical issues,” she said.

She added that the main goal of PISA is to go past measuring only performance levels in different subjects. Instead, she said, tests are designed to also show a student’s problem solving skills and readiness to use knowledge in real-world situations.

I’m Bryan Lynn. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Bryan Lynn reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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