美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-09-09(在线收听

   U.S. national debt has hit a new milestone, and it’s not a good one. The government now owes more than $16 trillion. That’s 16 with 12 zeroes after it, and still counting. We can put it this way, if you spend a million dollars a day, it would take you almost 44,000 years to spend 16 trillion. For this debt many Republicans blame Democrats and President Barack Obama. Many Democrats blame Republicans and former president George W. Bush. Two things we can say for sure. One, the government is spending a lot of money, and two, it’s taking in a lot less tax revenue because of the struggling economy, so you can count on this number increasing in the months ahead.

  It’s time for The Shout out. Which of this object is closest in size to the international space station? If you think you know it, then shout it out. Is it 747 airliners, football field, spaces shuttle Discovery or Lake Erie? You’ve got three seconds, go? The length and width of the ISS is about the size of a football field, according to NASA. That’s your answer and that’s your Shout out.
  Of course, that includes its solar panels and everything else. The actual living space of the ISS is little smaller, it’s about the size of a five-bedroom house. It didn’t matter much yesterday for two of the six folks who are living there. A NASA astronaut and a Japanese space flyer stepped outside the ISS to fix one of its power units. Though the space station is the single most expensive object ever built, and one of the most technologically advanced, part of yesterday’s repair job was done using a spare toothbrush. It’s not the only walk we are showing you today. Nor is it the most dangerous. Before we go, why did the ducks crossed the highway? Because they had no fear. Now, don’t duck out on us here, nothing bad is going to happen, although with all these cars racing by, there are a couple of closed calls, including this one, right here . The mother and her babies got blown around a lot, but when they all waddled safely across, which eventually they did, the video went viral. Hard to say if there is some sort of lesson in this. It’s not look both ways before crossing the street, because they didn’t. It’s definitely not mama know best, because she doesn’t. If it was a lesson in safety, it certainly ruffled some feathers. A lesson in bravery doesn’t really fit the bill, and if it’s a lesson in sound judgment, there are definitely quacks in her armor. We’ll see you Friday, and wish you safe travels wherever you go.
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/cnn2012/9/227173.html