ความคิดเห็นที่ 1 Debating the Best Way to Learn a Language Loading... 12,482 Published on Jul 24, 2012 This is the VOA Special English Education Report. What is the best way to learn a new language? A small study of foreign language learning in adults compared two methods. One is known as the explicit or classroom method. This is the kind of traditional classroom teaching where students are taught a lot of information about grammar rules.   The other method is known as the implicit or immersion method. The idea here is to learn much the way children do when they learn a native language. That is, by being with native speakers and absorbing the language that surrounds them, generally without a lot of explanation. Teachers may combine these two methods into what Professor Michael Ullman calls immersion-style classroom teaching. But is that necessarily a better way to learn a language?  Mr. Ullman was the senior investigator for the new study. He is a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. He says he was surprised to find that combining the two methods might not help the brain in processing the new language. If he had to learn a language, what would he do? One possibility would be to start with classroom and then go to immersion. But he says there is a possibility that classroom could hurt later immersion -- that is one possibility in interpreting the data. The Public Library of Science published the study earlier this year. The twenty-one adults in the experiment learned Brocanto2, a thirteen-word language created for the study. The words and grammar rules relate to a computer game similar to chess that the learners played. For example, "Blom neimo lu neep li praz" means "The square blom-piece switches with the neep-piece." The researchers tested the people three to six months after they had learned the language, to see how well they could remember it. The study found that those who had learned it with the immersion method had brain waves similar to those of native speakers of a language when speaking that language. Professor Ullman says those who trained with the classroom method also became more native-like in their brain processing. But only the immersion group showed full native-like processing of the grammar. Still, he says teachers should not make any curriculum changes based on his findings. He says further research is needed. "And it may be, for example, that a combination of classroom and immersion might be best. But we don't know that." For VOA Special English, I'm Mario Ritter. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 28Jun2012) จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:04:39

ความคิดเห็นที่ 2 The Limits to Organic Farming in Feeding the World  Loading... 27,111 Published on May 28, 2012  This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Organic farming avoids the use of chemical pesticides and manmade fertilizers. Supporters say organic farming is better for the environment than other methods. But studies have shown that organic farming often produces less food per hectare. That lower yield means feeding the world organically would require more land. But good farmland is limited. And scientists say deforestation from the clearing of land for agriculture is already a problem for climate change. In a new study, researchers wanted to measure the difference between conventional and organic yields. So they combined the results of sixty-six earlier studies. They found that some organic farms can yield almost as much as conventional farms. But most cannot. The findings were reported in the journal Nature. The study's lead author was Verena Seufert of McGill University in Canada. She says convention farms usually have higher yields than organic ones. But some activities, environmental conditions and even crops can narrow the differences. On average, organic farms produced twenty-five percent less compared to conventional farms. But yields of organic fruits and other perennial crops nearly equaled the yields from conventional ones. So did the yields of legumes such as soybeans. Legumes produce some of their own nitrogen fertilizer. However, organic vegetables and cereal crops had a lot lower yields compared to conventionally grown crops. Ms. Seufert says the soil on organic farms holds water better, and that can reduce the yield difference. Also, organic farmers can improve their yields by making sure crops get enough fertilizer. But increasing the nitrogen is harder to do organically, using just animal waste and crop rotations. Organic farmers rotate food crops with plants that fertilize the soil. But while these "cover," or fertilizer, crops are growing, food crops have to be grown on other land. And if farmers use manure, they have to feed the animals that produce it, and that requires grazing land or crop land. The United Nations says world demand for food will grow seventy percent by the middle of the century. John Reganold is a scientist at Washington State University. He says no one should dismiss organic agriculture as part of the solution. He says farming is increasingly a mix of organic and conventional methods. For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villarreal. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 01May2012) จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:10:01

ความคิดเห็นที่ 3   Dealing With Digital Legacies After Users Die 1,229 Published on Aug 16, 2012 This is the VOA Special English Technology Report. Benjamin Stassen took his own life in 2010. His parents thought their 21-year-old son was happy. Since his suicide, they have attempted to learn why he killed himself. Alice and Jay Stassen thought Benjamin's Facebook account might hold clues to his suicide. But the account does not belong to them, nor did it belong to their son. Facebook owns everything in his account. That is what the company says in its user agreement. Jay Stassen says he found it difficult even to communicate with Facebook. If you search on the home page of Facebook for an email address, a mailing address, a phone number, or a contact person to help, he says, you will find little information. A court ordered the company to let the Stassens see their son's account. But, Facebook has yet to obey the order.34-year-old Mac Tonnies died in his sleep in 2009. He left behind a lot of online friends, many of whom liked his futuristic blog, "Post-Human Blues." Work on the blog stopped when he died. A short time later, the comments area was filled with unwanted advertising. That angered his friend Dia Sobin. He said the advertising, or spam, dishonored his friend. Lawyer John Boucher stays informed about digital rights and the law. But he admits that he and his wife have signed many user agreements without reading them. He says he would not know how to get information from his wife's accounts if she dies. Mr. Boucher says he thinks that laws will be written, over time, to deal with these situations. But it will take a long time to be accepted by the states. Some businesses now are offering people a way to control what happens to their online information after they die. One way to do this is to place your online accounts and passwords in a digital storage area. You give the owners of the area orders about which information to destroy and which to give others when you die. Mark Plattner was one of Mac Tonnies' friends. He recently used a program called Sitesucker to download Mac's blog. He then uploaded a copy of the blog to a new web site under his control. Mark Plattner says we should all plan our own digital legacy. He says "don't be passive -- get to work on your online afterlife now." And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report. I'm Carolyn Presutti. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 23Jul2012) จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:17:59

ความคิดเห็นที่ 4   US Charity Builds Libraries in Indonesia 2,273 Published on Aug 16, 2012 Children in Western Sumatra love books. An American charity is building libraries around Indonesia including this one in Padang. Fiolisa Anggraini is a student there. "What I like most from this new library is the books, good books ... they really can improve my knowledge." The charity, The World is Just a Book Away, has built many libraries in Indonesia since 2009. University of Southern California professor James Owens started the group. He says children need books. JAMES OWENS: "They go to school, and they learn and they're very smart. They don't have access to books -- history and fables and stories and science -- that can really spark their imagination and let them dream." The libraries cost up to $10,000 to build. Students at the University of Southern California recently raised $8,000 for the latest library. Stephanie Wetzel helped in the effort. STEPHANIE WETZEL: "We take reading so for granted here and I think that people really want the opportunity to be able to give reading literacy to other children who don't have that." Teacher Amril Lasmana says the library has helped his children in Padang. "The enthusiasm, interest, and motivation of our students in learning increased. The library building has been renewed. And now, it's in good and clean condition, so it motivates our students to study." Two mobile libraries bring books to many other schools in the area. Student Lisa Andriyani Putri says the books will help her develop her mind. "I'm very happy with this new library. It makes me want to keep studying, so I can be a good person in the future." The World is Just a Book Away has built 49 libraries for Indonesian children and 26 libraries for adults. จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:22:00

ความคิดเห็นที่ 5   Starting Younger to Prevent Dating Abuse 3,572 Published on Aug 13, 2012  ซับ ในทูปมันไม่ตรงกับเรื่องที่เค้าอ่านอะค่ะ ดูซับในจอละกันนะคะ จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:25:09

ความคิดเห็นที่ 6 A Former American Treasury Secretary  Talks About US-China Economic Ties Loading... 5,220 Published on Aug 13, 2012 This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. The world's two biggest economies and their trade ties are important to global economic progress. China accounts for nearly half of the world's economic growth. Last year, trade between the United States and China was worth more than $500 billion. The two nations share many interests. But they also differ on many, including trade issues. American and Chinese policy experts have worked to study and improve relations between the trading partners. Recently, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson spoke in Washington about his report on a possible new direction in US-China relations. Former National Security Advisor Steve Hadley joined the discussion. Both men served in the administration of President George W. Bush. The slowdown in China's economy was the first issue they discussed. Members of the Chinese news media also attended. Chinese officials reported last month that the economy grew at a rate of seven and six tenths percent from April to June. That is China's slowest growth rate in more than three years. The Chinese economy needs a high growth rate in order to provide jobs for its huge work force. The People's Bank of China cut its main interest rate twice in July to support lending and economic growth. Mr. Paulson said he thinks government measures to control lending will work over the short term. "I would be quite surprised," he said, "if they don't grow somewhere between seven and a half or eight percent this year." But there are important economic issues waiting in the future. Much of China's economic activity depends on investment by state-owned and foreign companies. Mr. Hadley said China's economy, its Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, depends on investment too much. He said, "almost 47.8 percent of the GDP is investment. Consumption is only 33 percent. And one of the things Hank calls for in this paper is, they need to move from investment-based economic growth to consumption-based economic growth." Consumer or personal spending accounts for about two thirds of the economy in the United States.  And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 20Jul2012) จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:39:57

ความคิดเห็นที่ 7 Good News, Bad News on Food Prices and Production 8,615 Published on Aug 13, 2012 This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Food prices have risen sharply in the past few years. The good news is that the rate of increase has slowed. The bad news is that prices will not go down anytime soon. Also, the rate of global agricultural production is slowing. But it needs to increase 60 percent over the next 40 years to feed a growing world population. These are some of the findings in the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2012-2021. The OECD is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency. FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva spoke at a news conference in Rome last month when the report was released. Mr. Da Silva said the world's poorest people will feel the greatest effects of higher prices. He said for millions of people living in extreme poverty, the meaning of higher food prices is clear. They might have to change their diets, often to ones with less nutritional value. In middle-income countries, people are gaining weight. They are eating fewer fruits and vegetables. And they are eating less nutritious, and cheaper, food.  The report also shows that farmers in poorer countries will be leading efforts to feed an expected 9 billion people by 2050. The Outlook predicts that farmers in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa will drive agricultural production in the future. Angel Gurria is chief of the OECD. He says we can feed 9 billion people by 2050 without stretching things too far. But, he said, we have to organize ourselves better. Still, there are many problems. One-fourth of all agricultural land is damaged. Many countries face water shortages. And experts believe climate change is driving increasingly unusual weather.  The report says farmers need to use more environmentally sustainable growing methods. At the same time, it says governments should end economically harmful supports and invest more in agricultural production. Mr. Gurria says rich and poor nations need to treat agriculture more like a business. That also means reducing waste. The FAO and the OECD estimate that about one-third of world food production is lost. This is either because of poor growing and harvesting methods, or because people are throwing away good food. And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Mario Ritter. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 17Jul2012) จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:50:32

ความคิดเห็นที่ 8 Callers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Vietnam, Cambodia and more 746 views Published on Aug 16, 2012 by VOALearningEnglish Carolyn Presutti from VOA News and Avi Arditti from VOA Learning English talk to English learners on Skype แก้ไขเมื่อ 18 ส.ค. 55 08:53:53 จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:52:55

ความคิดเห็นที่ 9   จบละจ้ะ 1. อันนี้เผื่อใครอยากดูเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับเว็บเค้า อันนี้คือรีวิวแนะนำเว็บวอยซ์ ออฟ อเมริกา, ลิงค์ไปเว็บเค้า, และอื่นๆน่ะจ้ะ ก็ ในเว็บเค้า ก็จะมีสอนภาษาอังกฤษ ข่าว เกี่ยวกับทั้งโลกเลย, ประวัติศาสตร์, แกรมม่าเบื้องต้น รายการวิทยุ, บทความให้อ่าน, ห้องสอนแกรมม่า และอื่นๆน่ะ เรียกว่า ทุกอย่าง  ให้อ่าน ให้ฟัง และฝึกคิดตาม และอื่นๆน่ะ ส่วนใหญ่จะเหมาะกับผู้หัดเริ่มเรียนนะ ก็ลองตามไปเรียนดู http://topicstock.pantip.com/library/topicstock/2012/03/K11863960/K11863960.html *โน๊ต รู้สึกว่าเพจค้าจะปรับเปลี่ยนหน้าตาและเนื้อหาละนะ ถ้าว่างๆเราจะมารีวิวใหม่ แต่เนื้อหาหลักๆก็เหมือนเดิมแหละ เข้าไปดูได้ http://learningenglish.voanews.com/section/activities/2384.html 2. วอยซ์ ออฟ อเมริกาแบบยากขึ้น ดูในกระทู้ที่ 1 จ้า ตั้งแต่ คห*19 ลงไป http://topicstock.pantip.com/library/topicstock/2012/04/K11962956/K11962956.html 3. วอยซ์ ออฟ อเมริกาแบบยาวๆ 30 นาทีจ้ะ  เป็นรายการวิทยุของวีโอเอจ้ะ  (บางทีมันก็ไม่ถึง 30 นาทีนะ ประมาณ 9 - 30 นาทีน่ะ) เป็นสไกป์ทอล์ก สไกป์เข้ามาคุยกันในรายการวิทยุของวีโอเอจ้ะ VOA LearningEnglish on Skype talk 4. อันนี้ถ้าอยากฟังยาวๆๆๆๆ แบบมีคน(นาทีฟ) มาอ่านหนังสือภาษาอังกฤษให้ฟังทั้งเล่ม หลายๆเล่ม เข้าไปอ่านรีวิวก่อน + ลิงค์เข้า ที่นี่ แนะนำเว็บอ่านหนังสือภาษาอังกฤษดีๆให้ฟัง http://www.pantip.com/cafe/library/topic/K12050823/K12050823.html    หมดแล้วจ้ะ ลาไปก่อนอีกสัปดาห์นึงแล้วจ้า สวัสดีจ้า จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 18 ส.ค. 55 08:56:02

ความคิดเห็นที่ 10 week 17 จากคุณ : lovelypriest เขียนเมื่อ : 24 ส.ค. 55 21:02:26