怎样才能听懂VOA及如何通过VOA真正提高听力
一、采用主动的、积极的听力方法
听力分两种方法练习。一种是消极的、被动的（passive）听力，这是很多同学都采用的方法，就是试图去听懂每一个单词，采用这种听法最后只有两种可能：要不就是每个单词都听懂了，但是不明白句子的意思，要不就是在一个生词上耽搁太长的时间，导致后面的几句都没有听清楚。这实际上是一种效果很差的听力方法。而我给大家推荐的是另一种听力方法，就是主动的、积极的（positive）听力。这种方法就是要注意把握句子的结构，听懂关键词。我们来看这样一个句子：Part of the pressure on lawmakers to put stronger protections in defined-contribution and savings plans comes from retiree-advocacy groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons. 这个句子没有什么生僻的单词，但是如果我们试图去听懂每一个单词，而不去把握句子的结构的话，就不能听懂这句话的意思的。而如果我们找到这个句子的主干：pressure comes from retiree-advocacy groups, 就很容易明白这句话的意思了，因为其他的部分都是修饰成分。
二、要特别注重新闻报道的第一句话
新闻报道的开头第一句话一般是对整个报道的一个概括，这个句子被称为新闻导语(the news lead)。它告诉听众最关心最重要的事实，如事件(what)、时间(when)、地点(where)、人物(who)，原因（why）和方式(how)，即新闻导语包含了我们常说的五个WH和一个H
构成的“新闻六大要素”。新闻导语是整条新闻的高度浓缩形式，听懂了导语，也就知道了新闻的主要内容。当然，由于新闻报道的侧重点不同，有时新闻导语也可能只包含其中几个要素。
例如：BENWEDEMAN: The gates of Guantanamo were open to the media today.这一新闻导语包含了以下几个要素：When：Today，Who：Guantanamo，What：Open to the media。短短的一句话，10个单词就把这篇新闻报道的时间、主角和事件告诉了听众。后面的报道都是围绕这这一事件展开的。
三、扩大词汇量
1、普通词汇。尽管新闻报道所使用的词汇量很大，但是语言的基本词汇是稳定的。如VOA广播中的special English(特别节目)的新闻报告中常用词汇约1 500个，这些词汇的重复率在报道中是很高的，如Foreign Aid, Terroris, Nuclear Energy, Nationa Election等政治性词汇，WTO, finance, share-list等经济类词汇，Space Station, robot, Mars, Clinical等科技词汇，Super Bowl, Olympics, World Cup等体育类词汇。而新闻英语中的特有用语就更具稳定性。若能掌握这些词汇，再加上一些听力技巧，基本听懂新闻报道就不是件难事了。
2、专有词汇。新闻报道是有关世界范围的最新消息，因在报道中常涉及许多人名、地名、国名、公司名称等，如Bush, Afghan, Iran，IBM等。除此之外，新闻报道中还常常出现一些河流、山脉及名胜古迹等专有名词，如Alps，Amazon，Pyramid等，熟悉这些专有名词可使听者更快更准确地了解所听的新闻。
四、掌握一些基本缩略语
由于新闻报道时间的限制，不少机构的名称常采用其缩略(acronym)形式，即由该名称
中数个词的首字母的大写形式组成，如：APEC是The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 亚太经贸合作组织，简称亚太经合组织的缩写形式, UNHCR是United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 联合国难民事务高级专员(办事处)的缩写形式。需要注意的是，大家不仅要了解这些缩略语的确切含义，而且还应知道它们的正确读音。
五、注意数字的不同说法
在新闻报道中经常出现许多数字，大到几十亿，上百亿，小到分数或小数。尤其对一些多位数的数字，要想立刻听准这些数字的确不容易，其主要难点在于位数过多。因此在听多位数的数字时，应对billion(十亿)、million(百万)、thousand(千)、hundred(百)等词尤为重视。同时，要注意一个数字的多种读法，如播音员把两个足球队比赛结果3：0读作Three to nothing而不是读成Three to nought或Three to zero。
六、循序渐进，由易到难
目前，许多国外的电台(如BBC，VOA)的新闻英语报道有特别英语(Special English)和标准英语(Standard English)两种。所谓Special English也叫慢速英语，即新闻播放的语速较慢。就VOA而言，慢速英语每分钟不超过90个单词，而且新闻报道均是由简单易懂的英语缩写的，因此较适合初级阶段的新闻英语训练。然而它毕竟有其局限性，只能作为听力训练的一种手段，而不是新闻英语训练要达到的最终目的。要想过真正通过新闻英语这一关，还必须进行Standard English的训练。Standard English也可称为常速英语，即新闻英语是用正常的语速播送的。就VOA而言，常速英语每分钟为135个单词，而且句法和词汇方面的难度也大些。经过从慢速英语到常速英语相当长一段时间练习后，收听新闻英语的能力一定会有很大提高。
另外，同学们还可以先选听一些自己比较感兴趣的话题，比如有的同学喜欢看NBA，可以先准备一些基本的NBA词汇，然后再去听。因为自己本身熟悉的领域比较容易听懂，这样可以增加自己的自信，也可以训练自己的听力方法，适应新闻报道的方式。之后再慢慢涉足一些自己不是很熟悉的领域，比如军事、科技等等，这样就会有一个循序渐进的过程。
七、要密切注意国内外形势的变化
平时应养成多看报纸，常听广播的习惯，这样就可以掌国际、国内的一些阶段性的热门话题及一些有争论的问题。若有可能的话，最好在收听新闻英语之前，先听一下汉语新闻广播。对于当天国际、国内发生的一些大事做到心中有数，然后，再收听外台的新闻英语报道。由于已有了一定背景知识，这些新闻英语报道就容易听懂了。
听懂英语新闻广播必须要有一定的听力理解水平，对于外语初学者来说，应着重提高自己的英语听力基础水平，不要急于收听外台新闻广播，到了中高级阶段开始收听英语新闻广播较为合适。同学们除掌握以上提到的技巧外，还必须多听多练，持之以恒地坚持听下去，只有这样才能最终达到“能听懂VOA、BBC这些外台英语新闻广播”这一目标。
一.Scientists: Rising Sea Levels to Continue Scientists say sea levels are rising and will continue to do so into the future. Coastal communities around the world are already experiencing the impact of rising seas. Many cities and towns are taking steps to deal with this new reality. Photographers have taken pictures to document those efforts. Their photos are part of an exhibit called "Sink or Swim: Designing for a Sea Change." It can be seen at the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, California. There, experts explain the causes of the rising seas and how people are trying to adapt to the changes. Disastrous storms and floods could be a new reality around the world. That is the opinion of oceanographer Jerry Schubel. He is president of the Aquarium of the Pacific. 二.Robots Ready to Work in Restaurants For many years, machines have been doing work that people once did, including some difficult jobs. Search and rescue operations in dangerous environments are often seen as the first areas that will employ high technology robots. But there is another area that may soon take jobs traditionally held by human beings: the restaurant industry. Teams from around the world competed in early June at the DARPA Robotic Challenge Finals in California. A team from South Korea and its robot, called DRC-Hubo, won first place in the competition. The second and third place finishers were from the United States. The robots were required to drive a vehicle, climb up steps and do mechanical work. Such activities are easy for humans to perform, but more difficult for machines. Not all of the competitors were successful. The failures showed how difficult it is to design effective walking machines.
如何用voa学习 最佳实践一：用VOA Special English 练听力 网站上提供的VOA Special English 节目文本是配有MP3声音的，声音文件由美国本土资深专业播音员录制，如果想有效提高自己的英语听力，VOA Special English 节目资料将是非常好的听力练习素材。而最快最有效的提高英语听力的方法就是做听写，怎么听呢？下面分几个层次介绍听写的方法。 （一）初级英语水平学生（相当于高中英语水平）做听写的方法 1、下载一个5 分钟的report 到电脑里（包括下载report的MP3录音和文本），准备好一本英汉词典或电子词典 2、认真阅读report文本一至两遍，遇到不懂的单词请立即查词典。 3、将文本放在一边，开始听report的MP3录音，并将听到的写下来，就是做听写练习。一直循环播放，尽可能的将自己能听写出来的，全部写出来。 4、将自己的听写稿和原稿对照，找出没有听写出来的词句，并标上记号，这些没有听出来的词句可能很简单，但事实是你没有听写出来，这些就是你听力的盲点，所以要特别留意。
5、再反复地听report的MP3录音，这次不用纸笔听写，而是在脑袋里做听写，就是指当你听到一句的时候，脑袋里把这一句给拼出来，确保听清每一个词句，并留意你在听写时没有写出来的词句的发音。 6、第二天再听上面的report的MP3录音，并采用上面第5点所用的听法。第四天再听上面的report的MP3录音，等到第七天再听几篇，仍采用上面第5点所用的听法。为什么要反复地听？因为我们之所以听不懂，是因为听的太少了。反复听的目的在于强化，让你形成一种听力条件反射，就是让你拥有一听到某些词句就能立即条件反射式地在脑袋里写出来你所听到的词句。 练习听力有点像练习电脑打字里的盲打，花时间多做练习自然就会盲打，如果只是想着如何学习盲打而不加以练习，那你永远也学不会盲打。 （二）中级英语水平学生（相当于低年级英语专业，非英语专业大学本科，硕士水平）做听写的方法 基本方法与初级英语水平学生采用的方法类似，选择听写材料时先初听一遍，如果已经真真正正能完全听懂，说明这篇对你来讲太容易了，请换一遍难点的，采用上述方法的1、3、4、5、6条的顺序做听写练习。 最佳实践二：用VOA Special English 训练出纯正英语发音和表达 当你在听中文学得还不错的外国人讲中文时，经常觉得听上去很别扭，因为他的
1．Three university students in Santiago,Chile have developed a phant-powerd device to charge their mobile phones.The three engineering students got the idea for the device while sitting in their school’s courtyard.Their invention is a small biological circuit they call E-Kaia.It captures the energy plants produce during photosynthesis.Aphant uses only a small part of the energy produced by that process,The rest goes into the soil.E-Kaia collects that energy.The device plugs into the ground and then into a mobile phone.The E-Kaia solved two problems for the engineering studnts,They needed an idea for a class project.They also needed an outlet to plug in their phones.One of the student inventors,CamilaRupcich,says the device charges the energy released from the plant into low-level power to charge phones.The E-Kaia is able to fully recharge a mobile phone in less than two hours.I’m Jonathan Evans. 2．University of Washington researchers say they used a laser to turn hot water into cool water. Five engineers from the university are the first in the 50-year history of the laser to refrigerate liquids under normal conditions with light beams. The group used a simple approach to the experiment. Lasers are known for producing hot temperatures. The University of Washington says they “essentially ran the laser phenomenon in reverse.” The discovery has a future in the computer and medical fields. Computer interiors could be cooled by lasers. In a medical laboratory, individual cells could be cooled to see how they react. “Few people have thought about how they could use this technology to solve problems because using lasers to refrigerate liquids hasn’t been possible before,” said researcher Peter Pauzauskie.The cool laser concept can also be used in manufacturing, telecommunications or national defense.The group has an interest in hearing from businesses or scientists who may have every day applications for the cool laser. The findings were published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. I’m Marsha James. 3．The United States is marking the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. U.S. officials and many other Americans attended observances Friday to remember those killed and their loved ones. Nearly 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001 when hijackers used four passenger airplanes to carry out suicide attacks in the United States. In addition to the victims, the 19 hijackers also were killed. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his group claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. forces killed him in a surprise raid on his hiding place in Pakistan four years ago. Friday morning, President Barack Obama, his wife and White House workers observed a public moment of silence in Washington. They gathered on the White House grounds at 8:46. That was the exact time when a hijacked airplane struck the World Trade Center. In New York, families of the victims gathered for a ringing of bells and reading of the names of those killed in the terrorist attacks. Moments of silence were held at 8:46 and 9:03 in the morning, when a second hijacked plane also hit the World Trade Center. Near Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials attended an observance at the Pentagon, the home of the Defense Department. They joined in remembering those killed when a hijacked airplane hit the Pentagon, killing 184 people. Earlier Friday, a large American flag was hung down the side of the Pentagon, where the passenger jet hit. There also was a moment of silence at 10:03 a.m. That was the time when a fourth hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania. All 44 people on the plane were killed. Many Americans believe the hijackers had planned to attack a target in the nation’s
VOA等英语广播听力心得范文 许多学英语的人都希望收听VOA，BBC等英语新闻广播，想以此来提高听力和口语水平，但不少人认为听英语新闻广播比较困难。从这几年的中等以上英语听力考试来看，都涉及到测试英语新闻广播的内容。从教学上来说，许多大专院校的英语系的听力课都增加了听英语新闻报道的内容。那么怎样才能基本上听懂外台的英语新闻报道呢?我们认为，除了多听以外，还必须掌握英语新闻报道的特点和一些收听技巧。 (1)掌握新闻报道的结构新闻报道往往采用“倒金字塔体”。 所谓“倒金字塔体”，也称为倒途法，即按新闻事实重要性的程度由要点到细节逐步扩展，安排全文。把最重要的事实置于全文的第一个句子中，这个句子被称为新闻导语(the news lead)。它告知听众最关心最重要的事实，如事件(what)、时间(when)、地点(where)、人物(who)，以及原因和方式(why，how，即新闻导语包含了我们常说的五个WH和一个H构成的“新闻六大要素”。新闻导语是整条新闻的高度浓缩形式，听懂了导语，也就听懂了新闻的主要内容。当然，由于新闻报道的侧重点不同，有时新闻导语也可能只包含其中几个要素。 例如： Oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will bold an emergency meeting Friday to discuss. 这一新闻导语包含了以下几个要素： What：An emergency meeting vail be held When：Friday Who：Oil Ministers Of the Organization of Petroleum Ex—poring Countries (2)扩大词汇量，熟记新闻报道中的常用词汇 ①普通词汇。尽管新闻报道所使用的词汇量很大，但是语言的基本词汇是稳定的。如VOA广播中的special English(特别节目)的新闻报告中常用词汇约1 500个，这的重复率在报道中是很高的，如cease-fire，presidential eleation等政治性词汇，financebankinggroup等经济词汇以aceshuttle，robot等科技词汇。而新闻英语中的特有用语就更具稳定性。若能掌握这些词汇，再加上一些听力技巧，基本听懂新闻报道就不是件难事了。 ②专有词汇。新闻报道是有关世界范围的最新消息，因在报道中常涉及许多人名、地名、国名。除此之外，新闻报道中还常常出现一些河流、山脉及名胜古迹等专有名词熟悉这些专有名词可使听者更快更准确地了解所听的新闻。 (3)掌握一定数量的缩略语(acronym) 由于新闻报道时间的限制，不少机构的名称常采用其缩略形式，即由该名称中数个词的首字母的大写形式组成，如：PLO是thePalestineLiberationOrganization的缩写形式。需要注意的是，听者不仅要了解这些缩略语的确切含义，而且还应知道它们的正确读音。 (4)掌握数字的不同读法 在新闻报道中经常出现许多数字，大到几十亿，上百亿，小到分数或小数。尤其对一些多位数的数字，要想立刻听准这些数字的确不容易，其主要难点在于位数过多。因此在听多位数的数字时，应对billion(十亿)、million(百万)、thousand(千)、hundred(百)等词尤为重视。同时，要注意一个数字的多种读法，如播音员把两个足球队比赛结果2：0读作two to nothing 而不是读成two to nought或two to zero． (5)掌握循序渐进，从慢到快的原则 目前，许多外台(如BBC，VOA)的新闻英语报道有特别英语(Special English)和标准英语(Standard English)两种。所谓Special English也可称为慢速英语，即新闻播放的语速较慢。就VOA而言，慢速英语每分钟不超过90个单词，而且新闻报道均是由简单易懂的英语缩写的，因此较适合初级阶段的新闻英语训练。然而它毕竟有其局限性，只能作为听力训练的一种手
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture(农业的）Report. Climate change has caused a rise in sea levels. This has increased the amount of salt in fresh water used on coastal farms. As a result farmers are increasingly unable to use fields close to the sea. Scientists call this process "salinization（盐渍化）." The term（术语）comes from the word "saline" （生理盐水）-- which means a mixture of salt and water. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says salinization is reducing the world's irrigated lands by 1 to 2 percent every year. Irrigation is the process of supplying land with fresh water from other areas. As saline water cannot be used for irrigation, a farm in Netherlands has managed to grow healthy and tasty vegetables in soil irrigated with salt water. But a farmer in the Netherlands is now using a mixture of sea and fresh water to grow healthy and tasty vegetables.
VOA等英语广播的听力技巧有哪些 VOA等英语广播的听力技巧有哪些 例如： OilministersoftheOrganizationofPetroleumExportingCountri eswillboldanemergencymeetingFridaytodiscuss What：Anemergencymeetingvailbeheld When：Friday Who：OilMinistersOftheOrganizationofPetroleumEx—poringCountries (2)扩大词汇量，熟记新闻报道中的常用词汇 ①普通词汇。尽管新闻报道所使用的词汇量很大，但是语言的基本词汇是稳定的。如VOA广播中的specialEnglish(特别节目)的新 闻报告中常用词汇约1500个，这的重复率在报道中是很高的，如cease-fire，presidentialeleation等政治性词汇，financebankinggroup等经济词汇以aceshuttle，robot等科技词汇。而新闻英语中的特有用语就更具稳定性。若能掌握这些词汇， 再加上一些听力技巧，基本听懂新闻报道就不是件难事了。 ②专有词汇。新闻报道是有关世界范围的最新消息，因在报道中常涉及许多人名、地名、国名。除此之外，新闻报道中还常常出现 一些河流、山脉及名胜古迹等专有名词熟悉这些专有名词可使听者 更快更准确地了解所听的新 (3)掌握一定数量的缩略语(acronym) 由于新闻报道时间的限制，不少机构的名称常采用其缩略形式，即由该名称中数个词的首字母的大写形式组成，如：PLO是thePalestineLiberationOrganization的缩写形式。需要注意的是，
1. Foods and Health This is the VOA Special English Health Report. Experts say the food people eat greatly affects their health. They say that some foods are especially good for preventing disease. Many foods contain substances that protect against tissue damage. One of these is tomatoes. The substance lycopene is released when tomatoes are cooked. Lycopene helps reduce the risk of developing cancer in the digestive system, which processes food. The dark green vegetable spinach contains folic acid that prevents problems in developing fetuses. It also lowers blood levels of homocysteine. High homocysteine levels have been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Another vegetable, broccoli, can help protect against cancers of the breast, colon and stomach. Oats help lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease. They also may improve the levels of sugar in the blood. This reduces the chance of developing the disease, diabetes. Fish that contain omega three fatty acids help prevent blockages in the arteries. Omega three also lowers bad cholesterol and may protect brain cells from diseases like Alzheimer's. Fish that provide a lot of omega three acids are salmon, herring, mackerel and bluefish. Garlic may help protect the heart by reducing cholesterol and making the blood less sticky. Health experts also suggest cooking with olive oil because it also has been shown to help prevent cancer and heart disease. Studies show that drinking green tea may help prevent cancer of the liver and stomach. Green tea also slows the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Blueberries have been shown to help protect against heart disease and cancer. They can also help prevent some infections by preventing the bacteria from attacking the bladder. Experts say the skins of red grapes contain substances that increase the good kind of cholesterol in the blood. To get this protection, you can drink red wine... but not more than a few glasses a week. Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous! Eating too much chocolate can increase weight. But recent studies have shown that substances in chocolate can help prevent heart attacks and cancer. They have also shown that chocolate is not as bad for the teeth as had been thought. The experts say the best chocolate to eat is the dark kind because it contains the most healthful substances. This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. 2. Study of Cousins Who Marry This is the VOA Special English Health Report. Sometimes people who are first cousins get married. Two people are first cousins if their mothers are sisters, or their fathers are brothers, or one's mother and the other's father are brother and sister. American researchers now say it is
2016年6月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语练习题（第二十二套） 2016年6月大学英语四级听力VOA慢速英语练习题（第二十二套） Apps to Help Students Do Their Best Work Evernote Application software for computers or mobile devices can do a lot of things for students of all ages. Apps?can help students get better organized, study for tests and prepare research papers. In other words, they can help the user do his or her very best work. Apps can help any users, even those who are not students, get more organized and improve their work. Whether or not you are a student, here are some apps worth considering. Quizlet Quizlet is a study aid app. It is filled with?flash cards?on many subjects to study. Use the cards that come with the app or create your own. Quizlet has links to subjects like: Arts & Literature Languages & Vocabulary Math & Science History & Geography Standardized Tests Professional & Careers The app has a mix of text, images and audio recordings, includingpronunciation?of words in different languages. Quizlet has games to play and tests to take. Cards are available on the app even when you are not connected to the Internet. Quizlet is available as a free app from Apple’s iTunes store. Quizlet for iPhone and iPad Quizlet for Android devices You can learn more at the Quizlet website. EasyBib Sometimes the most difficult part of writing a research paper is creating thebibliography. A bibliography lists all of the publications and other sources used in your research. Getting just the right?citations?to appear in the correct?format?can be difficult and take a lot of time. The EasyBib app can make creating a bibliography easier. The app can help organize the information and find citations for books, websites and more. EasyBib users can simply?scan?the barcode on a book with a mobile phone camera to get the information they need. You can also search for documentation in the app if the book is unavailable at the time. The app offers over 7,000 different citation formats, including the commonly used Modern Language Association, or MLA, style. Users can change the way in which the information is organized and stored within the app. Users can email information from EasyBib to others or to send it to a home
By VOA 22 July, 2015 From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. International students and workers must take a standardized test of English to move into higher levels of education and employment. There are three popular tests that universities or employers can use. They are the Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL, the Test of English for International Communication, TOEIC, and the International English Language Testing System, IELTS. In most cases, the choice is clear. A student applying to a school learns which test the program requires. However, some programs or universities will accept scores from any of the international tests of English. Then, a student may choose which test to take. The TOEIC tests workplace communication The Educational Testing Service, ETS, in Princeton, New Jersey, develops and administers both the TOEFL and the TOEIC. It says the TOEIC measures the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment. A TOEFL preparation class The TOEIC test started in the 1970s. The Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry asked ETS to develop a test for corporations to use. They wanted to know if non-native English speakers could carry out business in English. The TOEIC is based on English used in the workplace. But the test does not require knowledge of special business words. The questions come from real situations like attending a company meeting. Organizations sometimes use the TOEIC to measure progress in English training programs. They also use it to consider people for placement at the right level in language programs. ETS says that 14,000 organizations in 150 countries use the TOEIC. The TOEFL tests English used in the classroom There are several versions of the TOEFL. Students take the Internet-based TOEFL, or TOEFL IBT, on a computer. Many U.S. universities require the TOEFL IBT for international student admissions. Another TOEFL is the paper-based TOEFL, or TOEFL ITP. It is part of ETS's institutional testing program. TOEFL ITP is used within institutions for the purpose of placement or to evaluate progress of students. It is not accepted for entrance to universities.
VOA News The study compared the mental health of college students to that of non-students the same age. About half of Americans age eighteen to twenty-four attend college. The information used in the study came from five thousand college-age men and women. They were questioned for a national survey between two thousand one and two thousand two. About two thousand of them were college students. The questioners were not doctors but trained interviewers. The questions were based on symptoms listed in a book widely used by doctors to identify mental disorders. The researchers found that twenty percent of college students abused alcohol -- the most common disorder in that group. Personality disorders, like obsessive compulsive disorder, came next. The study says almost eighteen percent of college students appeared to have a personality disorder. That was true of about twenty-two percent of those not in college. The college students were also less likely to have a drug-use disorder, nicotine dependence or bipolar disorder. And they were less likely to have used tobacco. But their risk of alcohol disorders was greater. The National Institutes of Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention helped pay for the study. Over all, the study found that almost half of all the college-age individuals showed signs of at least one psychiatric disorder. The researchers say this age group may be especially sensitive to disorders because of the great pressures of entering adulthood. Yet they say only one–fourth sought treatment. Joseph Glenmullen is a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School who believes that psychiatric medications are overused. He told the Bloomberg news agency that the finding of a psychiatric disorder in about half of those studied "seems extraordinarily high." He says it may represent what he called "a watering down of the diagnostic criteria such that they capture more people with milder symptoms.'' What he is saying is that more people may be told they have a mental disorder because the definitions have been widened. And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. I'm Steve Ember.