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Not All Carrots Are Orange

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Carrots are grown on and in family gardens throughout the world. Carrots are easy to

raise and easy to harvest. They taste good. And they contain a lot of carotene, which thebody makes into vitamin A.

When people think of carrots, they usually picture in their mind a vegetable that is long, thin

and orange in color. But carrots come in many different and shapes. And not all

carrots are orange.

For example, Paris Market carrots are about five centimeters around. Imperator carrots are

thin and about twenty-five centimeters long. And Belgian White carrots are, as their

suggests, white.

For the best results, carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold for a long

time. The soil also should have no rocks.

To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the soil, loosen it and turn it over. Then, mix in some

plant material or fertilizer.

Weather, soil conditions and age will affect the way carrots taste. Experts say warm days,

cool and a medium soil temperature are the best conditions for growing carrots that

taste great.

Carrots need to develop their full sugar content. This gives them their taste. If they

are harvested too early, they will not have enough sugar. But carrots loose their sweetness if

you wait too long to pull them from the ground.

The best way to judge if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the

the color, the better the taste.

Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter isnot cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way as

during the months.

If the ground does freeze in your part of the world, simply cover your carrot garden with

a layer of leaves or straw. This will prevent the ground from freezing. You can

remove the ground cover and harvest the carrots as they are needed.

Carrots are prepared and eaten many different ways. They are cut in thin pieces and added to

other vegetables. They are cooked by themselves or added to . Or, once they are

washed, they are eaten just as they come out of the .


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And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. For more agricultural advice, along

with transcripts and archives of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com. And our e-mail

address is [email protected]. I'm Steve Ember.

McDonald's Targets Starbucks

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

McDonald's, the fast-food company, is heating up competition with the Starbucks Coffee

Company. McDonald's plans to put bars in its fourteen thousand restaurants in the

United States. Fewer than a thousand now offer specialty coffee drinks like lattes and

cappuccinos.

Just like Starbucks, each coffee bar would have its own barista, the person who makes and

serves the . Company documents reported by the Wall Street Journal said the plan

would add one billion dollars a year in sales.

McDonald's has enjoyed several years of strong growth. The company had almost twenty-two

billion dollars in sales in two thousand six.

Still, the move to compete against Starbucks carries some risk. Some experts say it could slow

down at McDonald's restaurants. And some people who are happy with McDonald's the

way it is now may not like the changes.

As early as two thousand one the company tested McCafes in the United States to sell

specialty coffee at McDonald's restaurants. But the drinks were not available at the drive-

through windows that provide two-thirds of its business. McDonald's thinks its new plan has a

greater chance of success. Starbucks, on the other , has faced slower growth and

increasing competition. Its stock has lost about half its value since last January.

Starbucks has about ten thousand stores in the United States. Its high-priced coffee drinks

have names like Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha and Double Chocolate Chip

Frappuccino. Lately Starbucks has added more foods, including breakfast foods, and put

drive-through in some stores.

This week, the company replaced its chief executive officer, bringing back former C.E.O.

Howard Schultz. He remains chairman of the board. He joined Starbucks in nineteen eighty-

two, when it had just four stores. He is credited with building the Seattle company into an

international success .

But a year ago he warned that its fast growth had led to what he called the watering down of

the Starbucks experience. Some neighborhoods have a Starbucks on every block or two. Now,

Starbucks will speed up its international growth while slowing its expansion in the United

States.


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Millions of people have a taste for Starbucks. But last , McDonald's Premium coffee got

some good press. Testers from Consumer Reports thought it tasted better than Starbucks, and

it cost less.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve

Ember.

Coyotes Eyeing the Sheep? Employ a Guard Llama


(SOUND)

When Americans think of where coyotes live, they probably think of states in the

Southwest like Arizona. But over time, these wild dogs have spread all the way to the EastCoast.

Some farmers have to protect their sheep from coyotes. These guards are llamas.

Llamas are South American animals usually raised in the United States for their fiber or for

show or as . But farmers and ranchers noticed that llamas get along well with sheep.

They also noticed that over , coyotes were killing fewer sheep. So they chose llamas

for guard duty.

Llamas do not need any . Farmers usually place only one with a group of sheep.

Llamas are animals. Two llamas together will not pay attention to the sheep. A lone

llama has no choice.

In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, farmer Leo Tammi has several hundred sheep. His dogs

help him control and protect the of sheep. But the dogs are not always available. So

he uses llamas.

Whenever anything enters the , they know about it. He says their natural interest, and

willingness to face almost anything that comes , is enough to scare away a

animal like a coyote.

Their size also helps. Llamas can weigh as much as one hundred thirty-six kilograms. And they

look something like a small horse -- a funny looking with a lot of fine, soft fur. Llamas

are not vicious animals. However, if they are not around people at a very young age, they will

not like to be touched. In many ways a llama is just as as a sheep. But llamas have a

secret . They spit.

When they get angry, they spit out the contents of their stomachs. The result looks and


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smells .

Llamas really know how to make a statement. In fact, you can find examples of llama sounds

on the Internet -- just remember that llama is spelled with two Ls, L-L-A-M-A. If they sense a

threat, they make an sound. This is what a male sounds like:

(SOUND)

And this is a female alarm call.

(SOUND)

Llamas are New World camelids along with alpacas, vicunas and guanacos. Camelids are

a of animals that also include the camels and dromedaries of Africa and Asia.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. To see a video report about llamas, go

to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

Petroleum: A Short History of Black Gold

1. Petroleum was used in ancient times for making

roads.

cars.

rolls.

2. Petroleum comes from the remains of

ancient times.

plants and animals.

dinosaurs and other animals.

3. Oil can also contain a lot of sulfur.

True.

False.

The author doesn't say.

4. The modern history of oil started in

1800.

1850.

1980.


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5. Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in the US in

1815.

1829.

1859.

6. John D. Rockefeller entered the oil business in

the early 1816.

the early 1860s.

1870.

7. The company Standard Oil was divided into

24 companies.34 companies.

54 companies.

Want to Stay Warm in Winter? Think COLD

1. Frostbite mainly happens on

the legs.

the lips.

the ears.

2. If blood vessels are damaged, people can

suffer an infection.

remove fingers and toes.

suffer hypothermia.

3. In the C.O.L.D. steps, the C stands for

Cover.

Cold.

Caution.

4. Wet clothes and cold weather are a bad mix.

True.

False.



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5. Wearing one layer on top of another is better than a single heavy layer of clothing.

True.

False.


6. Snow can enter through

the legs.

the wrist areas.

the arms.

7. Eating snow is a good idea.

True.False.


Schools Look to Save Money With Four-Day Week

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

As we said last week, American schools are looking for ways to save money on bus

transportation because of high prices. More children may have to walk, their

bikes or find other ways to get to school.

But, as another effect of the high prices, they may not have to go to school as .

Some schools, especially in rural areas, are changing to a four-day week. That means

days instead of the traditional Monday through Friday schedule.

Beginning in the , students in the Maccray school district in Minnesota will be in school

Tuesday through Friday. Each school day will be sixty-five minutes longer.

Superintendent Greg Schmidt says the district expects to save about sixty-five thousand

dollars a year in transportation costs. The district has about seven hundred students living in

an area of nine hundred square kilometers.

State officials have approved the plan for three years. They may change their mind before

then if suffers.

In Custer, South Dakota, students have been going to school Monday through Thursday since

nineteen ninety-five. Superintendent Tim Creal says the change has saved an estimated one

million dollars over just the past eight years.


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But he sees other benefits, too. Students get more instructional time. And activities that used

to with classes are now on non-school days.

He says that in the future, the growth of online classes could make it possible to require even

fewer days in school. High fuel prices are driving college students to take more online classes.

And in some states, high school students can take them, too.

A four-day school week sounds like a great for students and teachers. But working

parents may have to pay for child for that fifth day. In agricultural areas, though, it

can mean an extra day of helping on the family ranch.

In New Mexico, the first school district changed to a four-day week in nineteen seventy-four

because of the Arab oil . Now, seventeen out of eighty-nine districts use it.

The Lake Arthur School District has just one hundred sixty students. Lake Arthur used a four-

day for twelve years. But a few years ago it went back to five days.

Michael Grossman heads the district. He says two studies there failed to show any real

educational using the four-day week. And he says not much instruction was taking

place during the last hour of school, because teachers and students were too .

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve

Ember.

'Summer Work/Travel' Brings Many Students to US


This week, we answer a question from a student in Odessa, Ukraine. Marushka wants to know

about a program that lets foreign students work in the United States during their summer

.

The program is called Summer Work/Travel. The State Department administers it for full-

time or university students who speak English well.

Students come on a J-one exchange visa. They can work for up to four during their

school break. They generally work in service jobs in stores, resorts, , restaurants and

amusement parks. But summer internships are also permitted.

"Summer" in this case means summer in the student's country. Those from south of the

equator come to the United States during the northern .


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Students cannot work as housekeepers in private or be involved in patient care. And

they are supposed to be paid the same as Americans.

Congress created this popular program under a nineteen sixty-one law, the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act. Last year, one hundred fifty thousand students came

to the United States this way.

Students can do the Summer Work/Travel program than once.

Sally Lawrence heads the State Department office responsible for the program. She says

students should begin to gather information a year before they want to .

More than fifty organizations are approved to act as sponsors. Sally Lawrence advises students

to avoid unapproved groups offering , and to research a few different sponsors.

Sponsors must confirm the English language ability of students and make sure they are

currently in school. But sponsors do not all charge the same for their services.

Another difference: some sponsors arrange employment and housing for students they

leave home. Others permit students to find their own jobs they arrive.

Sally Lawrence says the first thing to do is to find the of sponsors on the Web page for

J visa exchange programs.

The address is a little long, but here it is: exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges. Click

on Designated Sponsor List, then choose Summer Work/Travel under Category Description.

For more information about the program, go to the main page and click on Private Sector

Programs.

To make it easier, we'll post a link at voaspecialenglish.com. And that's the VOA Special

English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.

Among Vitamins, D Seems Short for 'Does a Lot'

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Vitamin D helps bones and grow strong and healthy. Low levels of vitamin D can lead

to problems such as rickets, a deformity mainly found in . Osteoporosis, the thinning

of bone, is a common problem as people, especially women, get older.

But more and more research is suggesting that vitamin D might also help many

diseases.


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The easiest way to get vitamin D is from . The sun's ultraviolet rays react with skin

cells to produce vitamin D. But many people worry about getting skin cancer and skin damage

from the . As a result they cover their skin or wear sunblock or stay out of the

sun.Also, darker skinned people produce less vitamin D than lighter skinned .

Production also decreases in older people and those living in northern that get less

sunlight.

Not many foods naturally contain vitamin D. Foods high in this vitamin include oily fish such

as salmon, and mackerel, and fish liver oils.

Boston University researchers reported last year that farmed salmon had only about one-

fourth as much vitamin D as wild salmon.

Small amounts of D are found in beef liver, and egg yolks. And some people take

dietary supplements containing the vitamin. But most of the vitamin D in the American diet

comes from foods with D added, like .

In nineteen ninety-seven, the United States Institute of Medicine established levels for how

much vitamin D healthy people need. It set the daily amount at two hundred international

units from birth through age fifty. It set the level at four hundred I.U.s through age seventy,

and six hundred for age seventy-one and over.

But some groups say these amounts are not enough. They are hoping that the new

research findings will lead to new recommendations.

Research in the last several years has shown that levels of vitamin D may increase the

risk of heart attacks in men and deaths from some cancers. Other studies have shown that

people with rheumatic diseases often have low levels of vitamin D.

More doctors are now having their tested for their vitamin D levels. But as research

continues, some experts worry that if people take too much vitamin D, it might act as a

. Also, skin doctors warn people to be careful with sun exposure because of the risk of skincancer.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

Farming Techniques That Will Feed a Family

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that poor countries will spend up to one

hundred seventy billion dollars this year to import . This is an increase of forty percent


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from last year. The United Nations agency says the rising price of food over the past year is a

serious problem because most hungry people also live in .

A humanitarian organization based in Washington, D.C. has a new anti-hunger project.

Women for Women International is teaching poor women in Sudan and Rwanda a new food

production system called commercial integrated farming. The women are trained to grow

that not only feed their families, but also earn them a profit.

Pat Morris is program director at Women for Women International. The group launched its

commercial integrated farming program in Rwanda. Female farmers receive information

about what kind of seeds to use, how to farm without and when to harvest. The

program also provides business skills training. Mizz Morris says women being trained in

Rwanda could more than triple the amount of money they earn from farming.

With integrated farming, the women animals and different crops on one piece of

land. Animal waste provides fertilizer. Some of the crops can be used as animal feed. In

Rwanda, the women have been able to grow traditional crops like and sorghum grain

along side higher-value crops, such as . A hectare of farmland in Rwanda used to earn

about four hundred twenty dollars a year. But a family using integrated farming techniques on

the same piece of land can earn as much as three thousand five hundred dollars a year.

Women for Women International works with local community partners to design and carry out

its integrated farming program. Grace Fisiy is an agricultural business expert working in

Rwanda and Sudan. She says the local in both countries have helped educate people

about farming.

Women for Women International plans to train at least three thousand women in Sudan and

Rwanda. Mizz Fisiy hopes the program will to other countries as well.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can learn

about the efforts of other groups working in developing countries at voaspecialenglish.com.

Food Safety After a Flood


People can get if they eat food touched by floodwaters. Floodwater may contain

human and animal wastes, and other pollutants like agricultural and industrial chemicals.

After a flood, throw away anything not stored in a waterproof container if there was a chance

of contact. That is the advice of food safety specialists at the United States Agriculture

Department.

Food containers that are not waterproof, they say, include those with screw caps, snap lids,


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pull tops and crimped caps. Also throw away of juice, or baby formula if they

have come into contact with floodwater.

The Minnesota Department of Health says to throw away anything in soft packaging. And the

Extension Service at North Dakota State University says not to save plastic of foodeven if boxes and containers inside the bags appear dry.

Also, do not eat fresh produce from the garden if it has come in contact with floodwater. To

be safe, have the soil tested.

The Extension Service also says to throw away screw-topped or crimp-topped jars and

even if they have never been opened.

Glass jars and bottles of home-canned foods should be thrown out as well. Experts say the

containers cannot be effectively cleaned after a flood.

Throw away damaged metal or hard containers. Do not use cans that are

swollen or leaking, or that are rusted or crushed.

But experts say that some unopened, undamaged all-metal cans can be saved. First, remove

any . The paper may contain dirt and germs from the floodwater. Wash the cans with

soap and water, and brush or wipe away dirt. Use hot water and water that is for

drinking if they are available.

Next, place the cans again in water and heat the water to one hundred degrees Celsius. Boil

the cans for two .

Another way to disinfect them is in a freshly made solution of chlorine bleach. Use one

tablespoon of unscented liquid bleach for every four liters of . Use drinking water or

the cleanest, clearest water available. Place the cans in the solution for fifteen minutes.

Once cans are clean, let them air-dry for at least one before opening or storing them.

Relabel them with a marking pen to list their contents and any dates when they are best used

by. Experts advise using the cans as soon as possible.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Bob

Doughty.

Australia Aims for Cleaner CoalTopic: A demonstration project will seek to develop new technology to burn coal in pureoxygen and capture carbon dioxide underground. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA

Escucha el audio y completa los recuadros.

Click aqu para escuchar
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Australia wants to show that existing stations can be refitted to burn coal in a much

cleaner way. A demonstration project will seek to develop new technology over the next four

years that makes it easier to capture carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the main gas that

many scientists say helps cause warming.

In traditional coal-fired power stations, the coal is burned in air in a big furnace and the

carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. In the new system, the coal is burned in pure

oxygen instead of . The captured carbon dioxide gas is then made into a liquid and

buried deep underground. The process is called geo-sequestration. The operators of the

project in the northern state of Queensland say it is the first of its kind in the .

Australian and Japanese companies are supporting the project, and the Australian

government is paying for part of it.

Geoff Wilson is the mines and energy minister in Queensland. He says the new system will

sharply the amount of carbon released from the coal-fired process and make it easier

to store.

The International Energy Agency has said that clean coal technology could help reduce the

release of greenhouse by one-fourth. But a spokeswoman for the environmental group

Friends of the Earth says the technology has very limited promise to cut emissions in the short

term.

Critics say the technology is unproven. And they say it will not guarantee that Australia will

be able to reduce emissions in the . Australia releases more greenhouse gases per

person than almost any other country in the world. Its emissions come mainly from coal

burned for electricity.

On November fifteenth, thousands of Australians in Sydney, Melbourne and other

joined a yearly protest called "Walk Against Warming." They called for renewable energy.

Scientists warn that the Australian continent could suffer more severe periods, floods

and storms as a result of climate change.


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For years the government refused to the Kyoto treaty limiting greenhouse gas

emissions. But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed the protocol as his first act in office

following his election last year. He has made action on climate change an important part of

his environment .

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report. Transcripts and MP3s of our reports

are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

Finding Uses for Marginal LandsTopic: Farmers can try planting grasses and forage crops for their animals. Trees are anotherpossibility. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA




We have a question from Jonah Ojowu in Benue State, Nigeria, about a subject we have

discussed in the past. Jonah is a postgraduate student in soil and management at the

University of Agriculture in Makurdi. He would like information about the management of

marginal lands. "Marginal" lands might have quality soil. Or they might be on a hillside

that rises sharply. Or they might be in an area that gets limited rainfall. In any case, they are

the last to be under good conditions and the first to be avoided under bad

conditions.

But there are uses for marginal lands. Most often they are used as grasslands for cattle,

or goats. A farmer might use native grasses or non-native seed. Either way, it is important

to establish good ground cover to avoid the loss of soil through erosion.

Forage crops like clover and alfalfa could be planted. These members of the legume family

provide high protein food for grazing animals. They also improve the of the soil.

Most plants use up nitrogen. Legumes put nitrogen back into the soil. Forage crops also

reduce erosion of the soil.

But using marginal land for grazing is not as simple as it might sound. Cattle can damage
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forage crops by eating down to the . Also, their weight crushes the soil. That can make

the ground too hard for growing.

A way to reduce the damage from overgrazing is to move animals from one field to another.

Experts say rotational grazing like this is extremely important for marginal land. We will talk

more about rotational grazing next week.

Another use for marginal land is for tree crops. Trees help support the soil. They reduce the

damaging effects of and rain. And they can provide grazing animals with shade from

the sun.

Studies have shown that the white pine and loblolly pine are two kinds of trees that grow well

on marginal land. They grow and provide good quality wood. Another kind to consider

is the poplar. And there are slower-growing trees like the black walnut that provide a nut

crop as well as wood.

Marginal lands need care. Failing to take that care might only make a bad situation worse.

But good planning can a marginal resource into a highly productive one.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Mario Ritter. Archives are at

voaspecialenglish.com, where you can also contact us with questions that we might be able to

answer on our program. I'm Steve Ember.

Got Milk? How to Make YogurtTopic: Directions for making your own at home. Also, Italy moves to rescue its king ofcheeses. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA




Yogurt is a healthy that can be made at home. One way to make it is to first buy some

yogurt from a store or purchase dry yogurt culture. Add two spoonfuls of the yogurt to

two cups of milk. This will be the starter for your own yogurt. A cup in the United States is

two hundred forty milliliters.
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When making yogurt, it is very important to have clean equipment, clean and good

temperature control.

Pour eight cups of milk into a large cooking . Heat the milk to eighty-five degrees

Celsius. Then cool the milk quickly to forty-three degrees. To do this, you can put the cooking

pot in cool water.

Keep the yogurt at forty-three degrees and add one-half cup of the starter. The remaining

starter can be kept for later use. If you want a yogurt, you can also add one-third of a

cup of dry milk.

Cover the pot and keep it at a temperature of forty to forty-five degrees Celsius for four to

six . After that, your homemade yogurt is ready. It can be left at room temperature

for up to twelve hours if you like a stronger taste.

You can add , nuts, honey or spices.

Yogurt can be made with milk from or other animals including goats, sheep, water

buffalo and camels. It can be spelled y-o-g-u-r-t or y-o-g-h-u-r-t. More information on yogurt

making can be found at Web sites such as practicalanswers.org.

Now, from yogurt, we move on to another ancient and related food -- cheese.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is the king of Italy's cheeses. People worldwide use it on and

other foods. The traditional Italian cheese is produced on several hundred around the

northern city of Parma.

Cheese makers age it for at least twelve months in large rounds called wheels.

Parmigiano-Reggiano producers say now they are struggling with the financial crisis. Sales of

the cheese and a lower-priced , Grana Padano, are down in Italy. Prices for producers

have dropped. And low-priced copies are on the .

Now comes a rescue plan for the industry. Italy's government has made available enough


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money to buy two hundred thousand wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Charitable organizations

then will give the cheese -- more than sixty million dollars' worth -- to people.

Teens, Television, and Depression

Topic: A new study looks at the relationship between media use and mental health, but doesnot answer a big question. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA



This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to

develop depression as young adults. But the extent to which TV may or may not be to blame

is a question that the study leaves unanswered.

The researchers used a national long-term of adolescent health to investigate the

relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four

thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in nineteen ninety-five.

As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many of television or videos

they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer and

listened to the radio.

Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that

was spent watching TV.

Seven years later, in two thousand two, more than seven percent of the young people had

signs of depression. The average at that time was twenty-one.

Brian Primack at the University of Pittsburgh medical school was the lead author of the new

study. He says every hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the

chances of developing signs of depression.

The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such

as movies, video games or radio. But the study did find that young men were more likely than

young women to develop depression given the same of media use.
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Doctor Primack says the study did not explore if watching TV depression. But one

possibility, he says, is that it may take time away from activities that could help prevent

depression, like and socializing. It might also interfere with , he says, and that

could have an influence.

The study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

In December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help

lead to happy . Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who

describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The

study found that happy people are more likely to be active, to read, attend religious

services and to vote.

Making a Solar Water HeaterTopic: Directions for a system that can heat seventy liters of water to sixty degrees Celsius.Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA




Solar water heaters are devices that use energy from the sun to heat water. Solar water

heating is used around the world.

The solar water heater described here is based on a design developed some years ago in

Afghanistan. Since then, it has been built and used in many countries. It can heat seventy

liters of water to sixty degrees Celsius. It can do this between and noon on a clear

day with an average outside temperature of thirty-two degrees Celsius.

There are two parts to the solar water heater. One part is made of a of metal painted

black. This metal surface, placed in contact with the water, will heat the water. Black-

painted surfaces that receive the sun's heat become hotter than surfaces of any other color.

The black metal plate is called a . There are several kinds of metal sheets that can be

used for the collector. Metal sheets that have raised sections will work very well. These
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corrugated sheets often are used to make the roofs of houses.

Once the water is heated, it is kept hot with material called insulation. This allows the water

to stay for a long time.

The second part of the solar water heater holds the water for the system. This storage

can be a container that holds about one hundred liters. Two rubber pipes are attached to

the water storage tank. One pipe lets water flow into the system. The other lets water flow

out.

When the water heater is working correctly, water will flow from the storage to the

collector and back again. You can use the hot water at the top of the tank for washing and

cleaning. You can change the flow of water so that the temperature is hot or warm as

desired.

This solar water heater is easy to build and . It will last about two years before the

rubber pipes need to be replaced.

There is also something else you will need to make the solar water heater work -- the sun. As

you might expect, the heater will heat water only on days.

You can get more information about projects like solar water heaters from

EnterpriseWorks/VITA. This nonprofit group works to fights poverty in many countries. The

Web site is enterpriseworks.org. Choose the link for News & Resources, then click on

Publications.

Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com.

Rural Areas of Kenya Get Connected to the WebTopic: A solar-powered system, designed by young engineers in the U.S., brings the Internetto communities by satellite. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA



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Some engineers from the United States have brought the Internet to several areas of

rural Kenya.

Their idea was to connect the communities to the Web by satellite. But there was a problem.

The areas are not even connected to Kenya's electric power supply. The answer: solar

. Energy from the sun powers the satellite dishes and computers that link the areas with the

world outside.

Kelly Moran, Joan Ervin and Trisha Donajkowski spent ten days in Kenya in November. The

women recently earned master's degrees in space systems engineering from the University of

Michigan.

Another engineer, Drew Heckathorn, did not go to Africa but worked on parts of the .

Kelly Moran says there was excitement when the team would arrive to connect communities

to the Internet. People would sometimes run alongside the car carrying the engineers to

them. And local residents would offer to help the team build the Internet stations.

People now have access to educational, medical and all kinds of other information. Farmers,

for example, can easily find weather, crop and information online.

The project began back at the college of engineering in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in two thousand

seven. That was when twenty-five students in a taught by Thomas Zurbuchen first

talked about the idea.

The goal was to test whether Internet stations could be set up, how much they would cost,

and how long they could operate. But the engineers also had to consider others things -- like

social . Students from the public health and business schools offered advice.

The young engineers also had to design the equipment to survive the heat in Africa. Professor

Zurbuchen praises his former students for "making something work in a different climate far

away from home."

Google paid for the final design of the equipment. The company is also supporting the costs of


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the satellite bandwidth needed for the . Google has invested in a new company that

wants to put up a system of satellites over Africa. The availability of more satellites would

reduce the costs.

Just five percent of Africans have Internet connections. The International Telecommunication

Union says one-third of Kenyans have mobile . But mobile phones may or may not work

well with the Internet.

Home Gardening: What to Do About LeadTopic: The first step is to test soil to see if there is a danger. Transcript of radio broadcast.Source: VOA




Soil naturally contains harmless amounts of lead, along with other metals. Because of

pollution, however, the amounts are higher the closer you get to cities and towns. But

experts say this should not stop gardeners from growing if they take safety measures.

David Johnson is a chemistry professor in the State University of New York's College of

Environmental Science and Forestry. He explains that lead can enter the from leaded

paint and leaded fuel and from industry.

And once lead gets into the soil, it stays a long . It remains an environmental threat

especially to children. Lead can harm mental and physical development even in babies before

they are born.

If a test finds that soil has too much lead, you might be advised to remove the soil or cover it

with sod grass. Different have different levels that they consider acceptable.

Carl Rosen of the University of Minnesota Extension notes that concerns about lead have

increased now that more people are planting gardens. But Professor Rosen says plants

generally do not much lead. He says there is likely more risk from lead dust on plants

or from playing in the soil than from the plant itself.
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Still, some plants do absorb more than others. Experts say good choices for the garden

include , peppers, beans and okra. Among the plants that can absorb more

contaminants, they say, are root crops, leafy vegetables and . If you grow carrots, for

example, you might want to peel them. Dirt may be harder to remove from some crops than

from others. But all produce should be washed.

Gardens should be planted away from roads and structures, especially old buildings. Home

gardeners should plant away from the foundation of their . And lead amounts can be

especially high near industrial areas and waste dumps.

Soil should also be tested for its pH level, a measure of the acid and alkaline balance. Experts

say the ability to take up lead is when the pH level is above six and a half. Adding

organic material such as compost to soil can also make lead less available to plants.

Some people attempt a process called phytoremediation. They try to remove lead from soil

by growing certain plants that collect it. But Professor Rosen says the process is and

may not work.

Going Digital: The Future of College Textbooks?

Topic: Sales of e-textbooks are expected to grow in the coming years. But experts say thepopularity may be limited until more books are interactive. Second of two parts. Transcript ofradio broadcast. Source: VOA




The average college student in America spent an estimated seven dollars on textbooks

last year. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars insales of textbooks and course materials.

Association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now represent just two to

three percent of . But he says that is expected to reach ten to fifteen percent by two

thousand twelve.

Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. E-

textbooks can cost half the of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access

after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device, so they

are not to share.
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So what do students think of e-textbooks? Administrators at Northwest Missouri State

University wanted to find out. Earlier this year they tested them with five hundred students

in twenty .

The university is unusual. It not only provides laptop computers to all seven thousand of its

full-time . It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them

to save . The school aims to save even more by moving to e-textbooks.

The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy.

They liked the idea of carrying lighter . And fifty-six percent said they were better

able to find information.

But most found that using e-textbooks did not their study habits. And sixty percentfelt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all, almost half the students said

they still liked physical textbooks .

But the survey found that cost could be a big influence. Fifty-five percent said they would

choose e-textbooks if using them meant their textbook fee would not increase.

Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest

Missouri State. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e-textbooks now

available because the majority are not .

He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video, activities, and

other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now, most

of the books are just words on a .

Study Finds More Trees on Farms Than Was Thought

Topic: Researchers using satellite imagery found that nearly half of the world's farmland hasat least 10 percent tree cover. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA




Farmers, especially in developing countries, are often criticized for down forests. But

a new study suggests that many farmers recognize the value in keeping trees.

Researchers using images found at least ten percent tree cover on more than one
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billion hectares of farmland. That is almost half the farmland in the world.

The World Agroforestry Center in Kenya led the study. The findings were reported last week

in Nairobi at the second World Congress of Agroforestry.

Earlier estimates were much lower but . The authors of the new study say it may still

underestimate the true extent worldwide.

The study found the most tree cover in South America. Next comes Africa south of the

Sahara, followed by Southeast Asia. North Africa and West Asia have the least.

The study found that climate conditions could not explain the amount of tree cover in

different areas. Nor could the size of nearby populations, meaning people and trees can live

together.

There are areas with few trees but also few people, and areas with many trees and many

people. The findings suggest that things like land rights, or government policies can

influence tree planting and protection.

Dennis Garrity heads the World Agroforestry Center. He says farmers are acting on their own

to and plant trees. The problem, he says, is that policy makers and planners have

been slow to recognize this and to support such efforts.

The satellite images may not show what the farmers are using the trees for, but trees provide

nuts, , wood and other products. They provide windbreaks and shade from the sun.

They also help prevent soil loss and protect water supplies. Even under drought conditions,

trees can often provide food and a way to earn until the next growing season.

The important thing, says one expert, is to find the right tree for the right place for the right

use.

Some trees act as natural fertilizers. They take nitrogen out of the air and put it in the soil.

Scientists at the Agroforestry Center say the use of fertilizer trees can the need for

chemical nitrogen by up to three-fourths. And they say it can double or triple crop


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production.

Trees also capture carbon dioxide, a gas linked to climate change.

Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. She says the

study shows that trees are to agricultural production everywhere.

In the US, the New Look of Gas ExplorationTopic: Some see gas shale development as a way to fight global warming and reduce the needfor oil. But low prices and a danger of water pollution could hurt an industry led by small tomedium companies. Transcript of radio broadcast. Source: VOA



This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun,

wind and . But it also leads to a fossil fuel. Natural gas is considered the cleanest of

the fossil fuels, the fuels created by plant and animal remains over millions of years.

Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal. The gas is mainly methane. It produces

half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels. So it may help cut the of carbon gases

linked to climate change.

Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas. The United States is sixth.

Over the years, big oil and gas companies much of the easily reached supplies of gas

in America. They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects. As these supplies

were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries.

But now the industry is taking a new look. Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in

shale rock two to three thousand meters underground. They drill down to the shale, then go

sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock.

This causes the to break, or fracture, releasing the gas. Huge fields of gas shale are

believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states.
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Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by to medium sized companies.

Eric Potter is a program director in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas

at Austin.

ERIC POTTER: "The types of opportunities that are left for natural gas exploration in the U.S.

have changed. So it's a different class of resource -- not as to develop, and not even

recognized as something worth pursuing, say, twenty years ago."

He says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves.

But hydraulic fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the of groundwater

pollution. This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water

Act. Some in Congress want to end that exemption from the law.

Natural gas provides Americans with about one-fourth of their energy. And, unlike oil, most of

it is produced in America. Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when

were high. But prices are down sharply now because the recession cut demand for energy.

So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the new gas shale reserves will

affect the .

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