CNN 2010-09-28

Old McDonald had a farm. And if you could text about that fast enough, you might have won 50 grand! Today, you'll meet the teenager who did. I'm Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN Student News!

First up, leaders from around the world are coming together for a meeting in New York City. It's the United Nations General Assembly¹, and it gets together every year. The group is going to talk about world issues; different leaders will make speeches. President Obama is scheduled to address the assembly today.

So what? Why does it matter that a bunch of leaders are having a meeting? Well, the United Nations General Assembly is made up of 192 countries. And when we say they're talking about world issues, we mean big subjects, like poverty and security², and specific things, like the war in Afghanistan or Iran's nuclear program. They can't create new laws. But the decisions that they make and the policies that they come up with can have a big influence on what goes on in the world.

In the health care reform bill that you see President Obama signing over my shoulder here, that might've been his biggest victory of his first two years in office. And parts of that law go into effect this week. For example, you can stay on your parents' health insurance until you're 26, and insurance companies can't turn down children with medical conditions that exist at the time they apply for insurance. Some people were and still are against this law, though. For one thing, it can cost a lot of money. Plus, critics don't like the idea that people have to get health insurance. That part of the bill goes into effect in a few years.

1 assembly   

n.集会(不可数)；会议(可数)，装配(不可数)

参考例句：

• He took his seat in an unobserved corner of the assembly room.他在会议室一个不为人注意的犄角坐下来。
• It was very quiet in the assembly hall.会场里静悄悄的。

2 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。