VOA慢速英语 2008 0128a

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The Internet search engine company called Google has announced it will give more than twenty-five million dollars in money and investments to help the poor.  The money will be spent over the next five to ten years in several areas, including poverty reduction and private business development.

The company says the effort is to use the power of information and technology to help people improve their lives.

Aleem Walji works for Google.org -- the part of the company that gives money to good causes. He spoke¹ to us from San Francisco, California.   He said the first project to receive money will help identify where infectious diseases are developing.  In Southeast Asia and Africa, for example, Google.org will work with partners to strengthen early warning systems and take action against growing health threats.

Google.org will also invest in ways to help small and medium size businesses grow.  Mister Walji says microfinance is generally small, short-term loans that create few jobs.  Instead, he says Google.org wants to develop ways to bring investors² and business owners together to create jobs and improve economic growth.

Google.org also will work with local partners to improve public services and reduce poverty.  In India, for example, the Pratham non-profit group has developed a way to identify if students are learning in school.  Mister Walji says Google.org hopes to expand it and similar tools to other public services. 

Google.org will also give money to help two climate change programs announced earlier this year.  One of these programs studies ways to make renewable energy less costly³ than coal-based fuels.  The other program is examining efforts to speed up common public use of electric cars. 

Mister Walji says Google.org can give money called grants much like other corporate⁴ foundations.  It can also invest in ideas and technologies that may or may not be profitable over time.  To date, Google.org has spent seventy-five million dollars. 

The creators of Google have promised to give Google.org about one percent of company profits and one percent of its total stock value every year.  Aleem Walji says this amount may increase in the future.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss⁵. You can find other Development Reports at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.  I’m Steve Ember.

 

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

5 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。