Special English 又叫“慢速英语”，是VOA 专为全世界非英语国家初学英语的听众安排的一种简易、规范的英语广播节目。该节目创始于50年代末期，是VOA 的专家们研究如何与世界各地的英语学习者进行交际的产物。它正式开播于1959年10月。当时只面向欧洲和中东，但由于这个节目适合许多国家英语学习者的需要，所以它的广播对象不久就扩大到世界其他地区，并很快在全世界范围内产生了广泛的影响。现在这个节目对欧洲、非洲和拉丁美洲每晚广播一次，对加勒比地区每晚广播一次（星期天除外），对东南亚广播次数最多，每天上午两次，晚上三次。
　　30多年来，VOA 为了办好Special English节目，进行了大量的调查研究工作，对播音速度、内容及用词范围都作了具体规定，基本上达到了既能为英语学习者提供信息，又不损害英语本身风格的目的，使之成为VOA 独具特色，拥有最大量听众的节目。
　

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2008.11.12

Obama Team Reviews Bush's Order on Stem Cells

By Caty Weaver / Broadcast date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

　　This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

　　Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., is home to the National Institutes of Health. N.I.H. calls itself "the Nation's Medical Research Agency." But it supports research worldwide with its budget of almost twenty-nine billion dollars.

Elias Zerhouni　　Federal agencies will get new leaders when Barack Obama is president. But the head of N.I.H. resigned early. Elias Zerhouni left at the end of October after six and a half years as director.

　　For now, the acting director is Raynard Kington. Doctor Kington has been deputy director for the past five years. Directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

　　The National Institutes of Health had strong financial support during Doctor Zerhouni's first two years. But Congress did not increase the budget very much after that.

　　Albert Reece is dean of the University of Maryland medical school. He says that since two thousand four, N.I.H.'s budget has been reduced by more than thirteen percent after considering inflation.

　　Doctor Reece, writing in the Baltimore Sun, urged President-elect Obama to increase the funding. It would not only improve the nation's health, he says, but also help restart the economy. Medical centers funded by N.I.H., he said, support more than three million full-time jobs.

　　Right now, the Obama team is looking at executive orders signed by President Bush. Those that conflict with Mister Obama's positions could be canceled or amended. One area being looked at is stem cell research. Stem cells can grow into any kind of tissue in the body.

　　President Bush has restricted federal support for research on embryonic stem cells because of his beliefs about protecting life. Others say the embryos would be destroyed anyway because they are unused embryos from fertility clinics.

　　Mister Obama says the research may lead to improved treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. He says other treatments being studied are not substitutes for research on embryonic stem cells. He has called for expanded federal support.

　　Doctor Zerhouni told Congress last year that he thought the limits were interfering with research.

　　Political appointees have to resign when the administration changes in January. But Elias Zerhouni says he left before the election so the next president would have to start thinking early about N.I.H. He says he wants to work on writing projects and explore other professional opportunities.

　　And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. I'm Steve Ember.