177 OBAMA anh MITT ROOMNEY This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

President Obama and Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney debated each other for the first time Wednesday night. The debate was held at the University of Denver in Colorado. Experts say the American economy is the top issue of the election campaign. And the debate centered on economic concerns. Mr. Obama started by noting that, when he took office, the United States was having its most severe economic crisis since the nineteen thirties. He said that, in the past thirty months, five million jobs had been created in private industry. But he admitted a lot remains to be done. One of the big questions of the campaign is how best to reduce the federal budget deficit. Mr. Romney has proposed lowering taxes as a way to lift economic growth. But the former Massachusetts governor sharply disagreed with Mr. Obamas descriptions of his tax cut plan. "I'm not looking for a five-trillion-dollar tax cut. What I have said is I won't put in place a tax cut that adds to the deficit. That's part one. So there's no economist can say Mitt Romney's tax plan adds five trillion dollars if I say I will not add to the deficit with my tax plan." Mr. Romney also said he would not reduce the share of taxes paid by high income individuals. Mr. Obama, however, said his opponents plan for changing the tax system would not work. "The fact is, if you are lowering the rates the way you described, Governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes that only affect high-income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class." The candidates also debated the president's health care program, which some Americans call "Obamacare." Mr. Romney said it would hurt the economy and cost jobs. The president said that when he took office, problems in the nation's health care system were just as urgent as the jobless rate. He said health costs drove government spending and troubled businesses and families. "It was not just that small businesses were seeing costs skyrocket and they could not get affordable coverage even if they wanted to provide it to their employees. It was not just that this was the biggest driver of our federal deficit, our overall health care costs. But it was families who worried about going bankrupt if they got sick."

In closing, Mr. Obama said he wants to build on the strengths of his first four years in the White House. Mr. Romney said re-electing the president would hurt the middle class. He promised to replace the countrys new health care program and to create millions of news jobs. The two candidates are to meet again October sixteenth. And thats the VOA Special English Economics Report. Im Mario Ritter. Grammar notes: 1. To center on sth: tp trung vo First Presidential Debate Centers on Economic Concerns 2. To take office: nhm chc, nhn chc Mr. Obama started by noting that, when he took office, the United States was having its most severe economic crisis since the nineteen thirties.

176 -Experts Work to Develop Better Tools to Predict Severe Weather

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report. Americas National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is celebrating the one year anniversary of its Weather-Ready Nation project. Weather experts from across the United States have been working to improve the way the country reacts to extreme weather. They say scientific progress has made weather forecasts, or predictions, better than ever. But, they say the cost of severe weather on life and property is still too high. NOAA says a new generation of equipment has already made its global numerical weather prediction system nearly three times faster in the past seven months. This is expected to improve NOAAs forecast models. Scientists and weather experts have launched a similar effort in the Philippines. It is called Project NOAH -- the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards. Mahar Lagmay is the head of Project NOAH. He says his country needs high-resolution imaging to predict when and where natural disasters will strike. To be able to construct hazard maps you need very high resolution topography. the simulations of floods you do need high resolution topography. To do

He also says these images will be used to create smaller area maps, which will shape how people react to natural disasters. By doing local scale, or community scale maps, people can relate with the problem because they see their houses, they see their neighbors houses, the bridge in their community, the river in their community in relation to the hazards - the flood hazards in particular. Geologist Carlos Primo David also works with Project NOAH. He says the group depends on satellites, Doppler radar and hundreds of rain gauges across the country. He says the resulting forecasts are very detailed, and can even predict the intensity of rainfall. The Philippine state weather agency used rainfall information from Project NOAH when Manila flooded in August. The weather agency also re-broadcast its warnings on the social networking website Twitter. And a color coded warning system was also put in place. Mahar Lagmay says the project passed its first test. He says the government used the information to move people to safety. Relatively it was successful because what we wanted to avoid was mass death. He says now the government has to get people to take severe weather events more seriously, and to actively prepare for the worst. Grammar notes: 1. React to sth: phn ng, ng ph vi Weather experts from across the United States have been working to improve the way the country reacts to extreme weather. 2. In relation to sth: c mi lin quan, lin h vi By doing local scale, or community scale maps, people can relate with the problem because they see their houses, they see their neighbors houses, the bridge in their community, the river in their community in relation to the hazards - the flood hazards in particular.

168-The Legal Battle Between Apple and Samsung

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report. Samsung Electronics has won the latest case in its continuing battle with the American owned computer company Apple over property rights. A court in Japan ruled in favor of

the South Korean company last week in a case involving its Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets. The three-judge panel in Tokyo said the products did not violate the property rights of an Apple patent for organizing music and video across devices. The court also ordered Apple to pay all costs relating to the court case. The case is just one of many in the worldwide legal battle between Apple and Samsung. Last month, a jury in the state of California found the South Korean company guilty of willfully violating property rights on several patents owned by Apple. The California jury awarded Apple more than one billion dollars in damages. The patents include so-called utility patents for Apples pinch to zoom and tap to zoom technology. They also include design patents on the look and shape of the iPhone, and one for the home screen design. Madhavi Sunder is a professor of law at the University of California, Davis. She has also written a new book called From Goods to a Good Life: Intellectual Property and Global Justice. She says issues involving design patents are more complex. MADHAVI SUNDER: These design patents are much more controversial. And a big question here is isnt that what market competition is all about. Professor Sunder says patents are meant to increase competition and support design and development. MADHAVI SUNDER: For Apple to say its design -- which becomes a new industry standard, the standard of sleek, cool, modern gadgets -- is something that only one company can have an exclusive right over, this is a real problem. And it raises the real question of whether or not we should be protecting designs with patents in the first place. She says Apple built its computer company using the same methods that it is now opposing. MADHAVI SUNDER: Steve Jobs, ironically, built Apples reputation on the fact that Apple freely took all the best ideas that were out there and tweaked them and modified them to create a better product. He often quoted Picasso who said good artists copy but great artists steal. The said thing now is that Apple is saying they can do it but no one else after them can. This goes to the heart of what innovation is about. Samsung said the California courts verdict, in its words, "should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for American consumers. In a rare memo to its employees, the company said it would continue its fight until its

arguments are accepted. On the same day as the California ruling, a court in South Korea ruled in another case that both Apple and Samsung had violated each others patents. And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember. Grammar notes: 1. To be in favor of sb/sth: ng h ai, ci g A court in Japan ruled in favor of the South Korean company last week in a case involving its Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets. 2. In the first place: u tin, ban u And it raises the real question of whether or not we should be protecting designs with patents in the first place.

166-Tobacco Forces Still Strong

This is the VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT. This month, the Australian High Court ruled in support of a law that bars tobacco companies from putting their logos or colors on cigarette packages. The European Union is considering a similar ban. But a recent international study showed that some countries do little to control tobacco use. It found that the tobacco industry still has a strong influence on tobacco use around the world. Study organizers examined information about three billion tobacco users worldwide. They looked closely at tobacco use in fourteen low- and middle-income countries. They compared this information with tobacco use in two developed countries the United States and Britain. Gary Giovino is with the University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Professions in New York State. He also was the lead researcher in the study. GARY GIOVINO: Tobacco contributes an enormous burden to the health care system in developed countries, and that scenario will play out in the not-too-distant future in low- and middle-income countries. It already has in many countries -- in India, for example. The study found that China has three hundred million tobacco users -- more than any other country. India was second, with almost two hundred seventy-five million tobacco users. Dr. Giovino says the researchers found powerful pro-tobacco forces were active

even in elementary schools. GARY GIOVINO: The China National Tobacco Company has supported elementary schools in China dozens and dozens of them. And they use their support to promote propaganda about tobacco use, and they are basically telling students that genius comes from hard work and tobacco helps them to be successful. That to me is mind-boggling, that a government would tell its children to use tobacco to be successful when tobacco will addict them and shorten their lives. The study showed that governments and social traditions in many countries are open to influence from pro-tobacco forces. So the Australian court decision is considered important in supporting those fighting to control tobacco use. Jonathan Lieberman directs the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer in Australia. JONATHAN LIEBERMAN: It shows to everybody that the only way to deal with the tobacco industrys claims, sabre rattling, legal threats, is to stare them down in court. Its a fantastic decision for public health in Australia and globally. The study found that, unless urgent action is taken, about a billion people will die early in this century as a result of tobacco use. On average, each of them will lose fifteen years of life. And thats the VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT. You can find a link to the tobacco study and a video of Dr. Giovino explaining it on our website, voaspecialenglish.com. Im Steve Ember. Grammar notes: 1. Bar sb from doing sth: cm ai lm g This month, the Australian High Court ruled in support of a law that bars tobacco companies from putting their logos or colors on cigarette packages. 2. To play out: xy ra That scenario will play out in the not-too-distant future in low- and middle-income countries. 3. Be open to sth: d b nh hng bi iu g The study showed that governments and social traditions in many countries are open to influence from pro-tobacco forces.

Lesson 165 :Finding the Right Match With Online Dating

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report. Ten or fifteen years ago, online dating was too new to be socially acceptable. But now, many people search for a partner online. Online dating is very different from traditional dating, in which people spend time with one another, slowly learning about each other. With online dating, people learn a lot about a potential partner before even meeting them. We spoke with Mario, who had recently moved to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. His friends paid for him to use an online dating site. He thought he knew just what he was looking for. MARIO: "A non-American, non-scientist, nothing related with Latin. And I ended up with the completely opposite." "Opposites attract" is a popular saying. But online dating companies say the more similar two people are, the more likely they are to have a relationship that lasts a long time. One of the largest online dating sites is eHarmony. It asks people who want to meet someone using the site to first answer more than four hundred questions. A secret mathematical algorithm then uses the answers to match people. An algorithm is a stepby-step process for solving a problem. Gian Gonzaga is the director of research and development at eHarmony. He spoke to us on Skype: GIAN GONZAGA: "We like to say that opposites attract and then they attack. And it's not that you have to be similar on everything. It's only those things that are most important to you." Makon Fardis is a clinical psychologist who works with couples. He does not believe in using mathematical algorithms to match people because, he says, only seven percent of people tell the truth when describing themselves. He says even if people don't decide to lie or mislead, the way we see ourselves is different from who we really are. He says there are many examples of couples that seem like they would be compatible, but are not when they meet. Remember Mario? A woman named Tamara was his online match. She had some worries about online dating, but also saw the good, as well. TAMARA: "One is that you just meet a lot of people and, you know and people you may not encounter regularly. And the other thing, it was almost easier like, if you didn't have a connection, it made it easier to say, you know I'm just not, this isn't what I want and you move on."

At first, Mario worried that Tamara was too similar to him. But he suggested they meet for coffee. MARIO: "But then she ordered another drink, another drink. And let's order something to eat. And it was like 'OK.'" TAMARA: "It was very natural -- we were just blah, blah, blah the whole time. And it ended up being five hours later that we had dinner and everything." That was a year ago. Last month, they got married. And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report. We'll post a video about Mario and Tamara and online dating at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Christopher Cruise. Grammar notes: 1. End up with: kt thc bng I ended up with the completely opposite. 2. And everything: vn vn, tng t nh vy And it ended up being five hours later that we had dinner and everything.

163-Making Friends Not Always Easy for Foreign Students

This is the VOA Special English Education Report. A recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education said many foreign students report feeling lonely or in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education industry. The government has formed an advisory council to help develop a five-year national strategy for the future of international education in Australia. But wherever international students go, making friends may not always be easy. The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication recently published a study done in the United States. Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed four hundred fifty-four international students. They were attending four-year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast. Students from English-speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But thirty-eight percent of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States.

And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Professor Gareis says thirty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful. ELISABETH GAREIS: "Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. But then there's also language problems, and maybe some social skills, such as small talk, that are possibly not as important in their native countries, where it's not as important to initiate friendships with small talk." She says many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans. ELISABETH GAREIS: "The vast majority blames themselves, actually for not speaking the language well enough, not knowing the culture well enough. There were also some comments about the college environment, like many of them were in the natural sciences or worked in labs where they were surrounded by other East Asians." VOA's Student Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and foreign students relate to each other. More than one hundred students, about half of them American, answered her online questions. Half of the international students and sixty percent of the Americans said they related as well or better to the other group than to their own group. Eighty-five percent of the Americans said they have at least one international friend. But only about half said they have more than two international friends. Among the foreign students, seventy-five percent said they have more than two American friends. But ten percent said they have no American friends. Not surprisingly, Professor Gareis says students who make friends from their host country return home happier with their experience. ELISABETH GAREIS: "International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills, they have better academic performance and they have better attitudes toward the host country. So when they return home, and often fill leadership positions, they can foster productive relations with the former host country." And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Jim Tedder. Grammar notes: 1. Blame sb/sth for sth: li cho ai/ci g v iu g

She says many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans. 2. Be/make friends with sb: kt bn vi ai International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country.