Problem: 7 January, 2014 A new report says more and more international students are attending colleges and universities in the United States. It also notes a large increase in the number of international students from China. These findings are from the latest Open Doors Report. The report documents the record number of international students in the United States during 2012, 2013 school year. It says more than seven hundred sixty-four thousand four-hundred such students were attending American colleges and universities during the last two years. That represents an increase of almost six percent than one year earlier. On the other hand, the number of Americans studying overseas increased by one percent, which reached nineteen thousand this year. The report says one hundred ninety-four thousand students at American colleges and universities were from China .That is an increase of more than twenty-three percent over the year before. Peggy Blumenthal, an expert of international education, described the effect of the increase in Chinesestudents. "Now they have been coming for some time. But this year was the highest level ever." She says many Chinese families are able to pay for the highest-quality education for their children. The children mainly choose to study in America. "We know many of them have enough income to be able to afford to send them anywhere in the world if they want to go. And for the most part, looking around the world, Chinese students still prefer to come to the United States as their choice." Chinese students are not the only ones who want to attend American colleges and universities. After China, India sends the second largest number of students to the United States for higher education. India has about one hundred thousand students in American schools. South Korea is third with about seventy-two thousand students. Why do so many foreign students study in the United States? Peggy Blumenthal provides one reason. "The advantage America has is that we have a huge system and a very perfect system. So there are over four thousand universities and colleges in the United States. Among them are some top ones in the world, and what that tells us is there is still a lot of room to host international students. Foreign students represent less than four percent of the total student population in American higher education. And from Learning English, that's the VOA Special English Education Report. I'm Bob Doughty. Thanks for listening.
1. international students are doing what ?
2. where ?
3. when did the report come out ?
4. what year ?
5. was this a new report ?
6. The report documents the record number of what ?
7. where ?
8. what school year ?
9. how many students ?
10. was it a decreace ?
11. who described the effect of the increase in Chinesestudents?
12. what is she ?
13. of what ?
14. who sends sends the second largest number of students ?
15. who is 1st ?
Answer: 1. attending colleges and universities
2. United States
3. 7 January
4. 2014
5. yes
6. international students
7. United States
8. 2012, 2013 s
9. seven hundred sixty-four thousand four-hundred
10. no
11. Peggy Blumenthal,
12. an expert
13. international education
14. India
15. China

Q: Since I was a child, I called my father my Kong, after King Kong. I believed that he was just as strong as the giant ape . As he faced death, _ .

Two months after he passed away, my sister called to ask if I would like to go see Lisa Williams, a well-known witch . I was familiar with Lisa from her show on Lifetime, and since I was eager to get a sign from my father, I agreed to go.

I took my father's gold watch and listened as Lisa helped audience members communicate with their loved ones. "I have a grandfather-like figure with me and he is speaking about his granddaughter Jilly," she announced. The audience was quiet; no one raised a hand. I nudged my sister and whispered to her that this was Dad ,for my third child and my father had a deep bond(,) and he called her Jilly.

Although I sensed his presence, I wasn't confident enough to raise my hand. I needed something a bit more concrete, something undoubted.

"This man is letting me know he had cancer," she continued. I nudged my sister harder and assured her this was our father. Lisa went on to say that this person died in June (my father had died June 8th). There was swelling of the legs.

"Important information," she called out. My heart beat fast . I jumped up when she asked, "Who is holding his watch?" I waved the watch in the air.

"He wishes you congratulations." My fourth child was born three weeks after my father died. I was in shock and could not believe I was getting a chance to hear from him, yet I knew our bond was strong enough that he could come to the world. She banged on her chest like an ape and apologized, saying, "I don't know why but he wants me to do this like Tarzan." It didn't resonate with me until my sister called out "King Kong!" I was convinced. No way could this woman have ever known a detail unless Dad was communicating through her.

Each bit of information she gave us was just as meaningful. She ended our session by informing us that he would send us coins. The very next day I found six coins in various places; they seemed to have come out of nowhere. Even in death he is my Kong, and he remains important in my life.

Answer the following questions:
1. How did I call my dad?
A: 1. my Kong

Problem: Why do 33% of the households in the USA have cats? And how do you explain why there are 16 million more pet cats than dogs? Yes, kittens are adorable .Yes, they can grow up to be good mousers and are very entertaining to watch.And yes, cats are independent and don't require as much care as dogs.But research shows cats can also be caretakers for us and our families, improve our health and teach us and our children to be kinder, gentler souls.

Theodora Wesselman is 94 and has lived the past two years with her elderly cat, Cleo, at TigerPlace, a retirement community in Columbia, Mo.Their enduring friendship is a classic example of how humans and animals can become family and look out for each other.

Wesselman visits other residents, and her children stop by, but Cleo is her best friend, she says.They've been together nearly 21 years.

"She sleeps on her own pillow right beside mine," Wesselman says."In the morning, she pecks on my cheek to wake me up.It's really sweet.I pet her, tell her I love her and take her to the kitchen to prepare her food."

Research shows that being able to care for a pet improves our morale (;), helps validate us and encourages us to take care of ourselves, says Rebecca Johnson, director of the University of Missouri's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction.The body of research is leading more retirement communities and universities _ .
1. What do one-third of houses in the US have?
2. What can they teach?
3. What can they raise?
4. What can they catch?
5. How many more domestic cats are there than dogs?
6. Where does Theodora Wesselman live?
7. What type of residence is that?
8. How long has she lived there?
9. How long has she lived with her pet?
10. What's her morning routine?
Answer:
1. cats
2. to be kinder
3. morale
4. mice
5. 16 million
6. TigerPlace
7. a retirement community
8. two years
9. unknown
10. Cleo pecks her on the cheek to wake her up. Theodora pets her, tells her she loves her, and then takes her to the kitchen for food.