Topical News English – Angličtina Youradio Talk

Ekonomický zpravodaj Stephen Evans: The Harvard researchers have now identified a compound called resveratrol in red wine which seems to slow ageing. Their experiments already show that it extends the life of some simple organisms and believe it may also do the same in humans, though more work needs to be done before the link is proven. One of the research team said it may explain why drinking red wine in moderation lowers the incidents of heart disease, so explaining the apparent health of the French, despite their high fat diet. Though even if hopes are borne out, it does not follow that the more red wine you drink, the longer you live. VOCABULARYto slow ageing - zpomalovat stárnutí compound - sloučenina to extend the life - prodlužovat život simple organisms - jednoduché organismy extends the life of your car engine - prodlužuje životnost motoru to prove the link - dokázat spojení incidents of heart disease - případy srdečních onemocnění to drink in moderation - pít střídmě high fat diet - strava bohatá na tuky the more wine you drink, the longer you live - čím víc vína vypijete, tím déle budete žít

Luisa Limová z Pekingu: Amid pomp and ceremony, China launched what was basically a sales pitch for the 2008 Olympics. Together with a Chinese counterpart, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, used a giant golden key to symbolically open what he called the most important market in the world. In his speech, he emphasised the power of the Olympic brand in China's emerging market: "There has never been a marketing combination so powerful and so full of promise." "For many of China's new brands and leading companies, the games will provide a unique global platform for a number of the world's leading companies. The games will open the gates to China as never before." VOCABULARYpomp and ceremony - obřadné oficiální oslavy a sales pitch for the Olympics - reklamní kampaň na rozprodej olympiády sponzorům a Chinese counterpart - čínský protějšek China's emerging market - "vynořující se", rozvíjející se čínský trh full of promise - plný příslibů global platform - celosvětová platforma

Michael Buchanan z USA: President Bush used this speech just days before the second anniversary of the September the eleventh attacks to cast the conflict in Iraq into the broader context of the war on terrorism. He said the United States was helping the long-suffering people of Iraq to build a democratic society because, he went on, everywhere that freedom takes hold, terror will retreat. Mr Bush acknowledged the problems the US has faced. A collection of killers, he said, are trying to force America to leave Iraq early. He vowed they wouldn't succeed. Iraq is now the central front. Enemies of freedom are making a desperate stand there and there they must be defeated. This will take time and require sacrifice yet we will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary, to achieve this essential victory in the war on terror, to promote freedom, and to make our own nation more secure. VOCABULARYthe broader context - širší kontext to vow - slíbit s nádechem přísahy long-suffering - dlouho sužovaný a desperate stand - zoufalý odpor it won't be cheap - nebude to laciné little wonder perhaps - nebude asi překvapením

Barnaby Phillips: Bill Gates, along with his wife Melinda, visited a malaria treatment and research centre north of the Mozambican capital Maputo. Mr. Gates said that malaria is robbing Africa of its people and potential. United Nations officials warn that malaria does not only inflict terrible suffering, it's also damaging Africa's economies. The grant from the Bill Gates Foundation will help to fund the search for a vaccine as well as develop new drugs and new preventative measures to fight the mosquito-borne disease. Malaria and AIDS both kill thousands of African children each day. VOCABULARYmalaria treatment and research centre - centrum pro léčbu a výzkum malárie to inflict terrible suffering - působit strašlivé utrpení to damage - poškozovat grant - grant/dotace foundation - nadace to fund - financovat it's right up there with AIDS - nezadá si s AIDS, je na tom stejně jako to hold back - bránitBill Gates: Over a million children die of malaria every year, and that's getting worse, because of drug resistance. Hundreds of millions of people have malaria preventing them from going to school or going to work, and so this is a disease that's right up there with AIDS in terms of the need to apply science, to apply more resources, to get everyone involved, rich world, developing world, in dealing with something that holds back Africa from reaching its potential.

Richard Black: Even at the Kyoto Protocol's inception in nineteen ninety-seven, there were indications that some nations saw it more as a trade opportunity than an environmental agreement. Last-minute revisions were made allowing rich countries to keep their own emissions high, instead paying poorer nations to reduce theirs. The country which would end up paying most, it was thought, was the United States, while Russia would be the main beneficiary. Now the US has withdrawn; and with it has gone Russia's main hope of making money from the treaty. In recent days Russian officials have said they won't ratify Kyoto without guarantees of income. VOCABULARYa trade opportunity - obchodní příležitost last-minute - na poslední chvíli to end up - dopadnout to waver - váhat to exert pressure on - tlačit na

Louise Limová z Číny: These comments are a sign that Chinese ambitions in space go far beyond a manned space flight. A top defence official, Wang Shuquan, said China will conduct tests for a future lunar landing and the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper has described the next milestone after the manned space flight as sending a satellite to orbit the moon. In the past Chinese officials have even talked of the possibility of establishing a base on the moon. A successful launch will spark an outpouring of national pride, boosting the credibility of the Communist party. Failure however would be a huge loss of face. VOCABULARYmilestone - milník manned space flight - let kosmické lodi s posádkou to go far beyond - sahat mnohem dál to conduct tests - provádět testy a lunar landing - přistání na měsíci to orbit the moon - obíhat měsíc a base on the moon - základna na měsíci a successful launch - úspěšné vypuštění kosmické lodi national pride - národní hrdost loss of face - ztráta tváře, sebedůvěry, důstojnosti

Ian Pannel: Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim were brought to the US from Egypt a year ago to prepare for this complex and high-risk operation. Though they have separate brains, the two year olds shared an intricate web of blood vessels. After months of preparation, doctors in Dallas spent hours separating them and carrying out restorative surgery. So far all has gone to plan. When their father was told that he now has two boys, he fainted on the spot. Their mother, like much of the team, was in tears. Although the procedure appears to have been a success, much remains to be done. The boys will now be taken to an intensive care unit where they will remain in a drug-induced coma for up to five days to prevent brain damage. They will then need months of therapy and additional reconstructive surgery in the coming years to help them recover. VOCABULARYcomplex - komplexní, složitý an intricate web of blood vessels - spletitá cévní síť an intricate web of lies - spleť lží he fainted on the spot - na místě omdlel an intensive care unit - jednotka intenzivní péče a drug-induced coma - uměle navozené bezvědomí surgery - operace

Peter Lang z Thajska: Washington's very public moves on North Korea have overshadowed this meeting of APEC leaders, with security, and not trade, very much at the top of the agenda. South Korea's national security advisor, Dr Ra Jong-Yil, said he was not surprised that the issue of North Korea was dominating discussions and he was very encouraged by the latest American ideas on trying to end the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. He stressed that the Americans had given no detail of what he called the security assurances that could be offered to the north. No one, he said, was privy to the actual wording or the means of implementing any security guarantee. Dr Ra said such details would have to be worked out by all six countries involved in efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis, including North Korea itself. He hoped such talks could take place by the end of the year. But for now, he said, positive progress was being made. VOCABULARYto overshadow - zatlačit něco do pozadí, zastínit APEC - Rada pro hospodářskou spolupráci Asie a Tichomoří at the top of the agenda - první na pořadu dne dominate - dominovat national security advisor - poradce pro otázky národní bezpečnosti to be privy to - být do něčeho zasvěcený actual wording - přesné znění security guarantee - bezpečnostní záruka to work out - vypracovat by the end of the year - koncem roku

Roberta Nisbet z Los Angeles: Underneath the layer of thick smoke now covering all of southern California, thousands of fire fighters are still struggling to contain ten separate blazes. Over a quarter of a million acres and six hundred and fifty homes have been destroyed in what the outgoing governor, Gray Davis, is calling the worst fires in California for a decade. He's asked President Bush to declare the area a disaster zone to free up federal funds. The fires have taken hold because of drought and an infestation of bark beetle, which has left millions of dead trees. VOCABULARYblaze - ničivý požár firefighter - hasič contain - zkrotit, zvládnout, dostat pod kontrolu a quarter of a million acres - 1000 km čtverečních drought - velké sucho to declare the area a disaster zone - vyhlásit v oblasti stav ohrožení

Tim Johnston ze Sumatry: The flash flood hit early on Monday morning after a night of heavy rain swelled the river Boharok in northern Sumatra. The flood brought down telephone lines in the area and local authorities are still trying to establish the true scale of the tragedy and the nationalities of those involved. Fatal floods and landslides are a regular feature of the wet season in Indonesia, but they are becoming more common and more deadly as population pressure and illegal logging strip the land of the cover, which used to absorb much of the rains. VOCABULARYflash flood - blesková záplava to bring down - strhnout local authorities - místní úřady fatal - ničivý (osudný) landslide - sesuv půdy illegal logging - ilegální kácení stromů, mýcení pralesa