隨著社會的不斷進步，經濟的飛速發展，21世紀跨入了一個信息時代。各種信息傳媒手 段越來越多，信息量越來越大，傳播速度也越來越快。21世紀的大學生視野開闊，思維活 躍，關注生活，尤其關注國內外新近發生的各個方麵的重大事件，包括政治、科技、教育、軍 事、體育等諸方麵內容。所以把英語新聞引入英語課堂，不僅能拓寬學生的知識麵，全麵提 高學生英語語言的實際運用能力，而且有助於調動學生的英語學習積極性，提高學生的綜合 素質。現在國際上比較權威的英語新聞媒介主要有：VOA, BBC, CRI等。下麵我們主要介紹 VOA( the Voice of America)和 BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)廣播電台。
一、美國之音新聞介紹
美國之音（VOA)的英語節目，按播音速度可分為兩種：一種叫作Special English(特別英 語），一種是Standard English(標準英語）。
特別英語新聞
Special English又叫“慢速英語” ,是VOA電台專為全世界非英語國家初學英語的聽眾安 排的一種簡易、規範的英語廣播節目。該節目創始於20世紀50年代末期，是VOA電台的專 家們研究如何與世界各地的英語學習者進行交流的產物。40多年來，VOA電台為了辦好 Special English節目，進行了大量的調查研究工作，對播音速度、內容及用詞範圍都作了具體 規定。Special English的三條標準是：①它是一種由美國人最常用的1500個基本單詞為主體 構成的美國英語；②它用簡短、明晰的句子廣播；③它以每分鍾90個單詞的速度，即2/3的 Standard English速度進行廣播。因此，Special English既能為英語學習者提供信息，又充分體 現了英語本身的風格特色，從而成為VOA電台獨具特色，擁有大量聽眾的節目。
Special English的節目可分為兩大類：①新聞節目；②專題節目。新聞節目每次長約10 分鍾，大都播出10條左右新聞，近1000個單詞，每條新聞多為一分鍾。但偶爾也有長達兩 分鍾的要聞。除頭條新聞外，每條新聞都由一個電頭引導，這樣顯得結構分明，條理清晰。 在節目結束之前，播音員常常用三四句話重播其中3條新聞的提要，以加深聽眾對要聞的印 象。新聞中70%左右的內容與同時整點播出的Standard English新聞相同，這樣對於英語愛 好者能有一個溫習並逐步提高的過程。專題節目（Feature Programs), 一般安排在新聞節目之 後，或之前播出。這主要取決於專題節目的時間。5分鍾左右的專題節目主要有：Science Report, Agriculture Report, Words and Their Stories。15 分鍾的專題節目共有 7 個不同的小專 題，以星期為單位循環，每天分4次重複播出一個專題，但星期日和星期六的兩個專題每晚 隻播3遍，每次節目約15分鍾，繼每次5分鍾的專題節目之後播出。這7個節目報道美國及 世界其他國家的政治經濟、科學文化、曆史地理、自然風情、名人軼事、風俗習慣、音樂文藝、日常生活以及答聽眾問等。它們風格各異，又融知識性、趣味性、科學性、通俗性於一 體，是提高大學生英語聽力，拓寬知識麵的好節目。下麵是新聞實例介紹：
例一：
ECONOMICS REPORT—Wal-Mart Tops the Fortune 500 List for the Fourth Year
Mario Ritter Broadcast ： Friday，April 22，2005
I’m Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Economics Report.
Each year the business magazine Fortune publishes a list of the five hundred largest American companies. The new Fortune five hundred list has come out. And, for the fourth year, Wal-Mart is at the top. Wal-Mart stores sell general goods at low prices. The company had sales of almost two hundred ninety thousand million dollars last year. Wal-Mart is first on the Fortune five hundred list by revenue, or the total amount of money received. The oil company Exxon Mobil is second. But, for the second year, Exxon Mobil is first in profits among American companies. Wal-Mart is listed eighth in profits. Exxon Mobil recorded a profit of more than twenty-five thousand million dollars last year. That was an increase of almost eighteen percent over the year before. General Motors is third on the Fortune list of top companies by revenue, followed by Ford Motor Company and General Electric. Two other oil companies are sixth and seventh on the list. Like Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco and Conoco Phillips both gained from high oil prices. Citigroup is eighth on the Fortune five hundred list by revenue.
As in two thousand three, the financial services company was second in profits last year, behind Exxon Mobil. Ninth on the list by revenue is the insurance company American International Group. A. I. G. is followed by I. B. M.，International Business Machines. In two thousand three I. B. M. was ninth and A. I. G. was tenth. The yearly Fortune lists contain only companies that release their financial information to the public. So far we have talked about leaders in revenues and profits. But Fortune also lists companies by assets. Assets are anything of value that a company or individual owns, including property, savings and investments. The top three companies by assets are all banks. Citigroup tops the list of American asset holders. It has assets of about one and one-half million million dollars. J. P. Morgan Chase & Company and Bank of America are the next two on the list. Just as in two thousand three, the largest American companies had record sales last year. The oil and mining industries did very well. But the airline industry suffered big losses because of high fuel prices and strong competition. Price competition also meant heavy losses for some telecommunications companies.
This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter. I’m Gwen Outen.
Date Last Modified on Friday, April 22, 2005 By UNSV
例二：
THE MAKING OF A NATION—The American Civil War： Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Frank Beardsley Broadcast： Thursday, April 21，2005
In November, eighteen sixty-three, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was to make a speech opening a military cemetery there. Five months earlier, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had marched his army up from Virginia to invade the north. The Union Army of the Potomac went after him. They met at Gettysburg in the bloodiest battle of America’s Civil War. Ｉ’m Frank Oliver. Today, Kay Gallant and I tell the story of Abraham Lincoln’s speech—his Gettysburg Address.