Improve Listening: American

[negar92]

Hi everyone
Let's get straight down to business. Listening, or understanding what others say, is one of the four language skills with which most of the learners have some problem. Therefor we're going to work on it here to improve it to the best level.
There are two major English accents in the world, American and British, of which I believe most of you are familiar with the key differences. I personally recommend neither of them alone since both have their own share in usage among the English speakers in the world. In this topic we will work on American accent and soon there will be another one for British accent.
The only thing remained is the procedure need to be taken for using the material introduced in this topic, which are the VOA learning English tracks with the transcription, to improve listening. For this matter the level of the learners is divided into three groups, beginner, intermediate and advanced. However notice that the named levels aren't the exact level you're studying English in but the level of your listening capability. You can determine this level by listening to the tracks and comparing yourself with the descriptions given below:
Beginners are the ones who need to look at the text while listening to the audio to understand the words. So if you are in this level just do what is said above, listening while looking, to get acquainted with the pronunciation of the words, intonation and streses used in speaking and many other things. Then you should just keep doing it to get familiar with the pronunciation of all the words in the text and be able to understand most of them without looking at the paper.
Intermediates could listen to a track and understand the general idea of it without looking at the words. Intermediate learners should listen to the tracks and take notes from them and try to get the main idea of the sentences. Then compare your notes and tokens with the trascription to find out in which parts you have problems and try to correct them with practice.
Advanced learners are the ones who could understand most of the words in the track and write meaningful sentences. If you could do this, do this. Trtanscribe the whole track into a text and then compare it with the given text. If you have mistakes correct them and if you don't, Congratulations, you may go on to the next track.
We try to keep this topic as updated as possible with new tracks. so you keep yourself updated too.
Good Luck

[negar92]

پاسخ: Improve Listening

نسخه فارسی پست بالا:

سلام
بدون مقدمه ميرم سر اصل مطلب. مهارت شنيدن، يا فهميدن حرف ديگران، يکي از چهار مهرات يادگيري زبان است که زبان آموزان بيشترين مشکل را در اين قسمت دارند. به همين خاطر در اين تاپيک براي بهبود اين مهارت کار مي کنيم.
در کل دو لهجه اصلي انگليسي در دنيا وجود دارد، بريتانيايي و آمريکايي، که احتمالاً بيشتر شما با تفاوت هاي اصلي اين دو آشنا هستيد. من به شخصه هيچکدام را به تنهايي توصيه نمي کنم چون هر دو سهم خود را در بين انگليسي زبانان دنيا دارا هستند. در اين تاپيک ما بر روي لهجه آمريکايي کار مي کنيم و به زودي تاپيک ديگري براي لهجه بريتانيايي ايجاد خواهد شد.
تنها مورد باقي مانده روش کار با مواد معرفي شده در اين تاپيک است، که برنامه هاي آموزش زبان voa به همراه متن آنهاست، مي باشد براي تقويت قدرت شنيداري. براي انجام اين کار سطح زبان آموزان به سه سطح ابتدايي، متوسط و پيشرفته تقسيم مي شود. ولي به موضوع توجه داشته باشيد که سطوح نام برده شده سطح شما در يادگيري زبان نيست بلکه سطح قدرت شنيداري شماست. براي تعيين اين سطح بايد به فايل هاي آورده شده در اين تاپيک گوش دهيد و خود را با توضيحات زير مقايسه کنيد:
سطح ابتدايي به کساني اطلاق مي شود که براي فهميدن لغات بايد همزمان با گوش دادن به صداي مجري به متن نيز نگاه کنند. پس اگر شما در اين سطح قرار مي گيريد بايد همين روش، گوش داده و نگاه کردن، را انجام دهيد تا با نحوه تلفظ لغات، آهنگ خواندن متن و تأکيدهاي استفاده شده در کلمات و جملات و بسياري موارد ديگر آشنا شويد. سپس همين کار را براي هر متن ادامه دهيد تا با تلفظ تمامي لغات متن آشنا شويد و قادر به درک کلي متن بدون نگاه کردن به کلمات باشيد.
زبان اموزان سطح متوسط مي توانند به متن گوش دهند و بدون نگاه کردن به نسخه نوشتاري مفهوم کلي آن را درک کنند. اين زبان آموزان بايد به متن گوش دهند و سعي کنند از قسمت هايي که متوجه مي شوند نکته برداري کنند و سعي کنند منظور اصلي هر جمله را متوجه شوند. سپس نکات و کلماتي نوشته شده توسط خود را با متن داده شده مقايسه کنند تا متوجه اشکالات خود شوند و با تمرين زياد سعي در بر طرف کردن آن کنند.
در سطح پيشرفته شما قادر خواهيد بود تا با گوش دادن به متن اکثر کلمات آنرا متوجه شويد و جملات کامل و بامعني بنويسيد. اگر شما قادر به انجام اين کار هستيد، پس آنرا انجام دهيد. تمام متن را بر روي کاغذ بياوريد و آنرا با متن داده شده مقايسه کنيد . اگر با بعضي از لغات هنوز مشکل داريد با تمرين آنرا رفع کنيد و اگر نه، به شما تبريک مي گويم، مي توانيد به سراغ متن بعدي برويد.
ما سعي مي کنيم تا اين تاپيک را تا حد ممکن به روز نگه داريم پس شما هم سعي کنيد تا خود را با اين تاپيک به روز کنيد.
موق باشيد

[negar92]

The first track (اولین فایل) :

http://njtelecom.unsv.com/archives/v...0904150045.mp3

The text of the file (متن فایل) :

VOICE ONE: 
:  I'm Faith Lapidus.      	VOICE    TWO:  And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we explore some national parks of great beauty in the American West.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  Millions of people from all over the world visit the state of Utah every year. One reason is the many national parks. These are areas of great natural beauty that are protected by the United States government. More than three hundred fifty national parks can be found in the United States. Today we will visit four of them -- all in the state of Utah. These parks include huge colored rock formations, rivers, waterfalls, beautiful trees, other plants and many different kinds of wild animals.      	VOICE    TWO:  The first area we will visit is Arches National Park, near the town of Moab in eastern Utah. Experts say this park has the greatest number of arches of any similar geographic area in the world. Arches are formations that look like half a circle above an opening or hole in a rock. Arches can also appear as curved bridges between two large rocks.  Scientists say the area began forming almost two thousand million years ago. As time passed, the area filled with material left by rivers. Other rocks buried the area. Then great pressure deep in the Earth created huge mountains.  A soft rock called sandstone began moving under this pressure. The sandstone moved upwards when it met other, harder rocks. These sandstone structures continued to grow for about one hundred fifty million years.  Arches developed from thin rock walls. They resulted when pieces of sandstone fell away from the formations. Scientists say water is the most important element in creating arches. Water destroys the chemicals that keep rock particles together. The rock breaks as the water freezes and expands. Then the wind blows away the loose rock particles.      	VOICE    ONE:  Scientists say that most arches seen today developed within the past million years. But they say the land formation continues to change slowly over time. New arches form. Older ones fall away. The National Park Service has counted more than two thousand arches in Arches National Park. The smallest of these is an opening of less than one meter; the longest measures more than ninety-three meters.  The rock formations in Arches National Park are mostly a deep red color. Rocks get their color from minerals. The red color is the result of iron oxide or rust. Scientists say the presence of iron in the rock shows that the weather was hot and dry when the rock was first formed.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    TWO:  Arches National Park is not the only place in Utah where visitors can see arches and other beautiful rock formations. They are also found in the nearby national park named Canyonlands.  Canyonlands National Park is a wild, lonely area of rocks, rivers and desert plants. Only Native Americans, cowboys, and explorers entered this area before the park was established in nineteen sixty-four. Even today, it is difficult to walk or ride through the park. The roads are still made of dirt. Driving requires a special vehicle. The National Park Service says Canyonlands National Park is wild America.      	VOICE    ONE:  Rivers created the area as they cut rock into many different formations. At the     	center    of the park are two deep canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Three areas that surround these rivers are included in the park.  One of these areas is called the Maze District. This area includes rock art made by people who lived there more than two thousand years ago. Yet many people today cannot see the Maze District because it is so difficult to reach. The area is one of the loneliest and wildest in the United States.  Another area of the park is called the Needles. It includes long, thin, red and white rocks that reach high into the air like fingers on a hand.      	VOICE    TWO:  A good way to see all the areas of Canyonlands National Park is to fly over it. A one-hour trip in a small airplane makes it possible to see the park's red rocks, arches and flat areas where ancient Indian people once lived.  From high in the air, visitors can clearly see the third area of the park -- a high broad flat rock known as the Island in the Sky. The island was formed between the two rivers.  Another interesting formation is called the Upheaval Dome. This is a huge hole about four hundred fifty meters deep and one and one half kilometers wide. It is considered to be the most unusual geologic     	structure    in the area.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  Two other national parks in Utah are included on our trip. The first is Bryce Canyon National Park, in southern Utah. The rock formations there are the result of deposits made by ancient lakes and rivers over a period of about twenty million years. The walls and cliffs of Bryce Canyon once were completely covered with water.  About two million people visit Bryce Canyon National Park each year. The park reaches a height of more than three thousand meters. It includes more than eighty kilometers of trails for walking. Or visitors can drive a twenty-nine kilometer long road, stopping off at different points to enjoy the colorful formations.  These rock formations at Bryce National Park are extremely beautiful. Sunlight makes many of them appear to be the color of fire. Some of the most unusual kinds of rocks in the park are called hoodoos. They are tall and thin, and seem to grow from the canyon floor. Their colors are bright red, orange and yellow. Some of the hoodoos have interesting shapes and names, like Thor's Hammer, the Hunter, and the Wall of Windows. One hoodoo known as the Poodle looks like a poodle dog sitting on top of a long narrow rock.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    TWO:  The fourth and final park we will visit today is Zion National Park. It is not far from Bryce. But it is very different. About three million people visit the park each year. Zion National Park is an area of huge rocks that were cut through by a river. The area is really a desert, receiving only about thirty-five centimeters of rain a year.  Visitors to Zion National Park are surprised by the huge mountain structures of red, pink and white. Driving is restricted in much of the park. Instead, visitors travel in small buses that take them to areas where they can walk on paths into the wild areas.  One easy walk is almost two kilometers. It takes hikers to a clear pool of water and waterfalls. One of the more difficult walks is an eight kilometer hike that is not for anyone afraid of high places. That is because the path ends at the top of a rock high above Zion Canyon. Another hike is a twenty-two kilometer walk that ends at an unusual rock formation. Experts say it could be the world's largest free-standing arch.      	VOICE    ONE:  Visitors who choose not to take long walks can leave the small bus at different stops. At each stop, they can walk a short path to a viewing area where they can see a different     	part    of the park. Some of the huge mountains have interesting names.  One of the park's largest sandstone formations is known as the Sentinel. Another area includes three mountains next to each other. They are called the Three Patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were given the names by a visiting Christian church leader in nineteen sixteen.      	VOICE    TWO:  Visitors to Zion National Park can sleep under the stars in a camping area. Or they can stay at the hotel in the park. Many people stay in the nearby town of Springdale and travel into the park each day.  Of course, visiting these parks includes time to watch local wildlife. Visitors can see all kinds of birds, deer, foxes, and even mountain lions, elk, moose and bears. But they must be careful not to get too close. Many wild animals can be dangerous if they feel threatened.  Most people who visit America's national parks bring a camera and take many pictures. They want to enjoy again and again the natural beauty of the rocks, plants and wild animals. But many who have seen the parks we have described today say that such pictures cannot really capture the huge, beautiful areas of land. These visitors say that they will never forget the beauty of the four national parks in Utah.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  This program was written by Nancy Steinbach. It was produced by Mario Ritter. You can read this report online and download audio at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.      	VOICE    TWO:  And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

[negar92]

Today's track:
http://njtelecom.unsv.com/archives/v...0904220045.mp3
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I'm Steve Ember.      	VOICE    TWO:  And I'm Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we travel around the world  visiting several endangered natural and cultural treasures. Some places like Australia's Great     	Barrier     Reef and Montana's Glacier National Park are threatened by the effects of climate change. Other  places are slowly being damaged by pollution and careless visitors.  The book "Disappearing Destinations" explains more about these endangered places and suggests  helpful ways to take action.   (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  Earlier this month, the Obama Administration called for increased protection of the world's most  southern continent, Antarctica. Scientists say climate change and human activity have increasingly  led to the melting of massive pieces of Antarctic ice. The disappearance of ice will not only affect  wildlife in the area such as seals and penguins. The melting will also cause oceans and seas around  the world to rise.       	VOICE    TWO:  This represents a major threat, especially to coastal areas. For  example, the ancient city of Venice, Italy has long been threatened by  rising sea levels. The situation is made worse by the fact that its  ancient buildings, built on a     	body    of water called a lagoon, are slowly  sinking. When the city was founded about one thousand six hundred  years ago, the level of the Adriatic Sea was almost two meters lower  than it is today.   Rising sea levels are not the only threat. The salty water is also  destroying Venice's famous buildings and artworks. The Italian  government is trying to fix the problem with the construction of a  seven billion dollar system of moving flood barriers.       	VOICE    ONE:  Climate change is also leading to the melting of ice in other areas, such  as Mount Kilimanjaro in northeastern Tanzania. It is the highest point in  Africa, measuring almost six thousand meters. The mountain supports  five vegetation zones and many kinds of animals.   The ice glaciers on the mountain are disappearing very quickly. This will  have a bad effect on the mountain's ecosystems and on Tanzania's  travel industry. Also, a valuable record of thousands of years of weather  Saint Mark's Square in Venice is  often flooded Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli  National Parkhistory will also be lost if the ice melts. Scientists study pieces of glacier  to understand weather patterns from thousands of years ago.        	VOICE    TWO:  In the United States, the icy masses in Glacier National Park in Montana may soon completely  disappear because of climate change. In eighteen fifty, there  were an estimated one hundred fifty  glaciers in the more than four hundred thousand hectare park.  There are twenty-six glaciers remaining today. Scientists estimate that the glaciers will be gone by  two thousand thirty. Warming temperatures are also threatening the many kinds of plants and  animals that live in this mountain ecosystem.   (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  Venice, Mount Kilimanjaro, Glacier National Park and other threatened places are  described in     	detail    in a book called "Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril  and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them." Kimberly Lisagore and Heather  Hansen published the book last year.   Both women are reporters who write about travel and the environment. Miz  Lisagore says they began to notice how rare it was to find travel writing that  recognized environmental problems and solutions. So, the two writers made a  list of places that people should see before those places disappear.      	VOICE    TWO:  The writers tell about the good work being done by scientists and activists to protect each place.  They wanted the book to be a hopeful call to action. Miz Lisagore says their aim was to give travelers  a more meaningful experience by educating them about the places they love to visit.   (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  "Disappearing Destinations" is organized geographically by  continental groupings. Some of the threatened places are very well  known. For example, the Great     	Barrier    Reef in Australia is the largest  coral reef system in the world.   Rising sea temperatures are greatly harming the reef. In some areas,  healthy yellow, brown and green reefs have become a bleached  white color. The coral whitens when it becomes stressed by warmer  temperatures and expels the algae organisms it needs to survive.  Sick or dying coral affects the entire ecosystem of this special  underwater area. Water pollution and visits by careless swimmers  and divers also threaten the reef.       	VOICE    TWO:  The famous Galapagos Islands, more than nine hundred kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, are also  endangered. This protected area is known for its rich biodiversity of sea and land creatures. One  threat to this area is the introduction of foreign plants and organisms. Foreign plants growing in the  area can upset the balanced ecosystems of native plants and animals. In fact, today there are more  Bleached coral in Australia's Great      	Barrier    Reefforeign plant species on the islands than there are native plants. Increasing immigration and visits  from travelers are also damaging the health of the islands.      	VOICE    ONE:  "Disappearing Destinations" also discusses places that face  environmental threats that are less well known. For example, the Napa  Valley in the American state of California is famous for its fine wines.  But rising temperatures are  threatening the grape harvest and wine  industry in the area. To be made into fine wine, some kinds of grapes  must grow in a limited range of temperatures. As temperatures rise in  Napa, producers may find it harder to produce wine of the same quality.  However, rising temperatures have improved the wine harvest in cooler  areas.        	VOICE    TWO:  In the ancient forests of the Lapland area of Finland, many people in the Sami native group make a  living raising reindeer. Sami have been raising reindeer in this area for hundreds of years. But  intensive logging in this     	part    of Finland has started to threaten the work and culture of this group.  Finland's forestry agency cuts down trees that are very old because they earn the most money.   But this logging also ruins the areas where Sami bring their reindeer to feed. Some experts say only  five percent of Finland's old-growth forest remains.  Continued logging will not only affect the natural  environment of this beautiful northern wilderness. It could also forever change the ancient way of life  of the area's native Sami people.    (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  Many endangered places in "Disappearing Destinations" are cultural treasures. For example,  hundreds of thousands of people a year visit the ancient buildings of Machu Picchu in Peru. These  Incan buildings face severe damage if the number of visitors is not more carefully controlled.   And, in Mali, the famous city of Timbuktu was once a cultural capital  of West Africa. But today, the climate is drying out the fertile  grasslands. This change of climate threatens the local environment  and the livelihoods of people living there. The desertification process  also threatens Timbuktu's many ancient earth buildings. These  buildings have influenced building designers around the world.  (MUSIC)      	VOICE    TWO:  Kimberly Lisagore says that she has been very pleased by the response of people who have read  "Disappearing Destinations." She says she and Heather Hansen have heard from readers who no  longer think of the places they visit as pictures on postcards that are frozen in time. Instead, the  readers see these places as easily damaged and always changing.       	VOICE    ONE:  Miz Lisagore says some readers have decided to work harder to protect the environment. These  people learned that the way they choose to live at home has far-reaching effects on the planet. The  book also includes a list of organizations working to protect the endangered places described. So  Vineyards in the Napa Valley The Sankore mosque in Timbuktureaders can learn more information about the groups that interest them. Readers can also learn more  about traveling in ways that do not harm the places they visit.       	VOICE    TWO:  Kimberly Lisagore says she is starting to see a more balanced travel relationship between tourists and  the places they visit. She says Americans often take what a place has to offer and then go back  home. Miz Lisagore says it is important for travelers to realize that they are visiting a place that is  someone's home. And, she hopes that more travelers of all nationalities will see themselves as  ambassadors who have a long term responsibility to the places they visit.   (MUSIC)      	VOICE    ONE:  This program was written by Dana Demange. Mario Ritter was the producer. I'm Steve Ember.       	VOICE    TWO:  And I'm Faith Lapidus. You can see pictures of these endangered places on our     	Web    site,  www.unsv.com. You can also get transcripts and MP3 files. Join us  again next week for Explorations  in VOA Special English.

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[negar92]

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Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English. (MUSIC) I'm Doug Johnson. This week ... We play new music from jazz artist Diana Krall ... And answer a question about American revolutionary leader Patrick Henry. But first, we report on a "sporty" international competition in robot building. (MUSIC) FIRST Championship HOST: Last weekend, twenty thousand people gathered in the state of Georgia to watch students from twenty-eight countries compete with robots they built. More than ten thousand students and more than five hundred robots took part in the competition. Faith Lapidus tells us about it. FAITH LAPIDUS: The students and their robots competed at the FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. FIRST is the short way of saying the organization's complete name: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Almost one thousand seven hundred high school teams entered a level of competition called LUNACY. The competitors came from eleven countries, including the United States. In January, the organization sent identical supplies for robots to each team. The teams had six weeks to build robots that could compete in the LUNACY game. The playing area had six robots, three on each team. Each robot had another vehicle, or trailer, connected to it. The robots had to pick up large balls and throw them into the trailers of opposing robots. The robots were moving on a surface where they could slide. An alliance of teams from California, Illinois and Michigan won the LUNACY competition. A second competition involved building a robot that could travel on uneven surfaces, move objects with unusual shapes and withstand physical stress . Another competition was for younger students, ages nine to fourteen years old. Eighty-four teams from twenty-seven countries competed with robots made with LEGO products. They had to design, build and program robots to explore the Earth's climate. American inventor Dean Kamen started FIRST in nineteen eighty-nine to increase young people's interest in science and technology. The organization holds robotics competitions around the world. It offers programs that help young people learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, while building life skills. Many companies provide support to the organization. Competitors at the FIRST ChampionshipMister Kamen says the goal is about more than building robots. He says the student competitors showed they could solve difficult technological problems. And, he says that is good news because the world needs creative thinkers to help solve increasingly complex problems in the future. (MUSIC) Patrick Henry HOST: Our listener question this week comes from China. James Green wants to know about Patrick Henry, an important leader of the American Revolution. Patrick Henry is most famous for a speech he gave in seventeen seventy-five to support his proposal to raise forces to defend the colony of Virginia against the British. Patrick Henry said, "give me liberty or give me death." He was born in seventeen thirty-six in Hanover County, Virginia, near Richmond. His father was a well-educated farmer from Scotland. Historians say Patrick Henry was an intelligent boy but not always a hard worker. When Patrick was sixteen, his father bought a store for Patrick and his brother. It failed within a year. At eighteen, Patrick married a sixteen year old named Sarah Shelton. Her father gave them a farm, house and slaves. But a fire destroyed the farm a few years later. The Henrys had six children together. But Sarah Henry became mentally ill and died in seventeen seventy-five. Henry then married Dorothea Dandridge who came from a rich and socially important Virginia family. He and his second wife had ten more children. In seventeen sixty, when he was in his middle twenties, Patrick Henry had decided to become a lawyer. He became successful and gained fame as a rebel. One of Patrick Henry's first cases took on the British government and the Anglican Church. Henry won the case, condemned the clergy involved and questioned British rule all at the same time. The case won him fame for his power of speech. Patrick Henry was elected to the Virginia legislature in seventeen sixty-five. He represented Virginia in the Continental Congress in seventeen seventy-four. He famously said: "The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American." However, Henry strongly believed in states' rights over federal powers. He supported a weak central government. For this reason he fought the approval of the proposed United States Constitution. But he lost that battle. Virginia approved the Constitution in seventeen eighty-eight. However, Patrick Henry used his powerful gift of speech to get passage of some amendments. These later became the Bill of Rights. Patrick Henry served five terms as governor of Virginia. He died in seventeen ninety-nine at the age of sixty-three. In his final document to his family, he advised his descendants to "practice Virtue thyself, and encourage it in others." Patrick Henry(MUSIC) Diana Krall HOST: This week, we continue to honor Jazz Appreciation Month with the music of jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall. The Canadian-born performer recently released her twelfth album. "Quiet Nights" combines the sensual beat of Brazilian bossa nova with the smooth sound of jazz. Diana Krall says the songs are a love letter to her husband, British rock singer Elvis Costello. Barbara Klein has more. (MUSIC) BARBARA KLEIN: That was the song "You're My Thrill." Like many songs on the album "Quiet Nights" it is a good example of Diana Krall's soft and smoky voice . Krall says she was influenced to make this album because of a trip she made to Brazil last year. She said she heard the sounds of bossa nova music everywhere she went. Here is the album's title song, "Quiet Nights." This song by the Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim first became famous in the early nineteen sixties. (MUSIC) Diana Krall says that making "Quiet Nights" was a very natural and joyful process. At the end of recording every day, she says she had something wonderful to look forward to – being with her two infant sons. Diana Krall will be performing songs from her new album in Canada and United States this spring and summer. We leave you with "Too Marvelous for Words." (MUSIC) HOST: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver who was also the producer. For transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs, go to UNSV.COM英语学习频道 - 中国最给力的免费英语学习网站. Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and where you live. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two- three-seven, U.S.A. Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

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VOICE ONE:   This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.       	VOICE    TWO:   And I'm Bob Doughty. Today we tell about osteoporosis, a disease that can make bones weak so  they break easily.    (MUSIC)       	VOICE    ONE:   Osteoporosis is a silent disease until it develops. If you do not know you have  it, it can hurt you.   A fifty-five year-old American woman named Jill went skiing several years   ago. Although she was a good skier, she fell on a difficult hill. She attempted  to get up, but could not move one leg. She was taken to a hospital, where   doctors found she had broken a     	bone    in her upper leg. And there was another  discovery in the hospital. She had osteoporosis.   Today, Jill still goes skiing. But now she takes medicine to protect against  osteoporosis.       	VOICE    TWO:   Like Jill, many people do not know they have osteoporosis unless they break a     	bone   . Or, they may  find that they are getting shorter.   Osteoporosis can make it hard for a person to stand up straight if the disease is untreated for a long  time. When it has progressed very far, walking can be difficult. Severe osteoporosis in older adults  can take away their independence.   The National Osteoporosis Foundation works to inform Americans about     	bone    health. The group says  breaks caused by weakened bones can     	lead    to pain, disability and even death    (MUSIC)       	VOICE    ONE:  The word osteoporosis means porous bones, or bones that are not solid enough. The disease harms  bones by removing calcium and other important minerals from tissue. Bones are living tissue. Tissues  continually break down and then they replace themselves. But as people get older, more     	bone    breaks  down than gets replaced. The result is that small spaces inside the     	bone    get larger. And the     	shell    of  the bones gets thinner.   The National Osteoporosis Foundation, or NOF, says eight of every ten osteoporosis patients are  women. It says the condition is most common in Caucasian women over age fifty. Last year, the  group suggested that doctors expand their list of persons to watch for osteoporosis. The additions  included Latina, African American, Asian and other women. The NOF also called attention to the fact  Osteoporosis causes bones  to weaken and break more  easily. that men can also suffer from osteoporosis.       	VOICE    TWO:   Before people develop osteoporosis, they have a condition called osteopenia. Treatment can prevent  this condition from becoming osteoporosis. Doctors agree that the best way to deal with osteopenia  or osteoporosis is to find and treat it before the disease progresses.     	Bone    damage need not be  permanent. Drugs can help replace lost     	bone   .    Identification of osteoporosis and osteopenia is made by measuring the mineral     	density    of a person's  bones. In this case,     	density    means the     	strength    of the bones.       	VOICE    ONE:   The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says there are a number of ways     	bone    mineral      	density    can be measured. The group suggests     	bone    mineral     	density     examinations for women sixty  years and older. Doctors use the tests to examine the hip and     	spine   , or     	backbone   .   The NOF says a test called Dual-    	energy    X-    	ray    absorptiometry, or DXA, is the best test for  osteoporosis. DXA uses     	radiation    from x-rays. The patient does not get much     	radiation    from the  process, which lasts only a few minutes.       	VOICE    TWO:   Another way to measure     	bone   -    	density    is called peripheral     	bone    mineral     	density    testing. It is often  used in the United States to show people if they are in danger of osteoporosis. A moveable machine  does the test.   Medical testing companies sometimes perform this examination at an office or other place of  business. The test costs less than the DXA. But peripheral testing measures only one     	part    of the      	body   . Usually that place is the     	wrist   , the heel, or the bones between finger joints.   If the testing device is in good condition, it probably will give  satisfactory results. But what if the  patient has normal bones in the tested areas, but not in others? A person could appear normal on the  test. But she still might have osteoporosis in her     	backbone    or hips.       	VOICE    ONE:   Differences in     	bone    mineral     	density    among     	body    parts are most often found in women who recently  ended their     	childbearing    years. The     	density    may be normal at one place but low at another.     	Bone     mineral     	density    in the     	spine    decreases first. A woman's     	bone    mineral     	density    becomes about the  same in all parts of her     	body    after she is seventy years old.   The lower-cost test may not give complete answers. But it can warn that osteoporosis threatens or  has started.   (MUSIC)       	VOICE    TWO:   The National Osteoporosis Foundation has advised several steps toward the goal of healthy bones.  Its experts say get enough calcium and     	vitamin    D. The experts say do not smoke or drink too much  alcohol. Talk to your healthcare provider about     	bone    health and a possible     	bone    mineral     	density    test.    The NOF's guide for healthcare providers says people over fifty should get one thousand two hundred  milligrams of calcium every day. The guide also says this age group should get eight hundred to one  thousand International Units of     	Vitamin    D. It says     	Vitamin    D-Two and     	Vitamin    D-Three are both good for bones.       	VOICE    ONE:   Milk and milk products contain calcium. So do fish with soft bones, like salmon, and dark green leafy  vegetables. Some orange juice, bread and cereals  may have calcium added.   Some people also take pills containing calcium. But be careful about how much calcium you take. You  should not have more than two thousand five hundred milligrams a day. That total includes calcium  from food and all other sources. Too much calcium can cause problems like kidney stones.       	VOICE    TWO:       	Vitamin    D absorbs, or takes up, calcium. Fish, cereal and milk are good sources of     	Vitamin    D. If you  spend at least fifteen minutes a day in the sun without a product to     	block    the sun's     	radiation   , you  probably get enough     	Vitamin    D.    Several kinds of drugs treat osteoporosis. America's Mayo Clinic medical centers say bisphosphonates  are the most popular. Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva are products of this family of drugs. The Mayo  Clinic advises that these drugs  are very effective and appear safe for most people if taken as  directed. Fosamax has been sold for at least ten years. Other drugs proven effective for osteoporosis  are hormones and parathyroid hormone.       	VOICE    ONE:   Doctors who treat osteoporosis patients say physical exercise can help the  bones. For active people, lifting weights or playing tennis, slow running and  dancing can be helpful.   Some older adults worry about exercising. They believe they could hurt  themselves. The Mayo Clinic says that could be true if they have not  exercised in the past. It says people who have not been active in the past  need a doctor's advice before starting.       	VOICE    TWO:   Some people who are afraid of exercise worry about its effects on their joints, especially the knees.  They are afraid exercise might cause osteoarthritis, a condition in which connective tissue around the  bones wears down. A study in The Netherlands found that could be true. Results of the study were  reported recently in the publication "Arthritis     	Care    and Research."   Researchers studied one thousand six hundred seventy eight people over a period of twelve years.  The subjects were between fifty-five and eighty -five years old. The results linked knee osteoarthritis  to high mechanical     	strain    -- activities that are hard on joints.       	VOICE    ONE:   But another study found that regular exercise does not harm joints. Those findings were reported in  "The Journal of     	Anatomy   ." Scientists from Germany and the United States considered earlier research  on the effect of exercise on joints. They did not find a link between regular exercise and knee  osteoarthritis.   If you are still worried about exercise for osteoporosis, why not go for a walk? But you have to do it  correctly. The Mayo Clinic says hold your head high. Straighten your back and neck as much as  possible. Tighten the     	chest    muscles. As you move along, let your shoulders and arms move freely  and naturally.   Doctors say physical exercise  can help keep bones strong.Walking places the full     	weight    of your     	body    on your bones. It also has other good effects. It raises  the levels of chemicals in the     	brain    known as endorphins. They reduce pain and make you feel  happier.  (MUSIC)       	VOICE    TWO:   This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson. Our producer was Brianna  Blake. I'm Bob Doughty.      	VOICE    ONE:  And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the      	Voice    of America.