Learning Words, Donating Rice

Learning Words, Donating Rice
FreeRice.com is an English vocabulary game that aims to fight hunger. Transcript of radio broadcast:
27 April 2008
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Whoever thought learning new words could feel socially responsible? A Web site called FreeRice.com is an English vocabulary game. It explains its purpose like this: "For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger."

The site began in October. It says thirty billion grains of rice have been donated so far. The United Nations World Food Program does not really get rice. The donations are given in the form of money.

Advertisers whose names appear with links at the bottom of the game pay for the rice. Individuals can also become sponsors.

Words are presented with four choices of answers. Players click on the one that best defines the word. If they answer correctly, they get a harder word. If they choose wrong, they get an easier word. Spoken pronunciations are also provided.

Currently, the FreeRice game has fifty-five levels of difficulty. Players rarely get past level forty-eight.

"Does FreeRice make any money from this?" That is one of the frequently asked questions on the site. "No, it does not. FreeRice runs the site at no profit," says the answer.

Internet businessman John Breen created FreeRice. Since October, five hundred seventy metric tons of rice have been donated, enough to feed about a million and a half people for one day.

The game is said to be especially popular with college students and young people who visit social networking sites.

Jennifer Parmelee is a World Food Program spokeswoman in Washington. She says cash donations help the agency to buy food locally and transport it quickly to where it is needed.

For example, with donations from the site, rice for Nepal was recently bought in the area at half the world market price. Bangladesh, Cambodia and Uganda also have received food through FreeRice.

Over the last nine months, though, the cost to secure food aid has increased fifty-five percent. Jennifer Parmelee says this is the biggest crisis the World Food Program has faced in its forty-five year history.

She says creative projects like FreeRice are badly needed right now.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. To learn more about the world food crisis, and to get transcripts and MP3s of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

----------------------------Google Translate

学习换言之，捐赠大米
freerice.com是一个英语词汇游戏，目的是与饥饿作斗争。全文电台广播：
2008年4月27日
这是美国之音特别英语发展报告。
谁思想学习新词可以感觉到对社会负责呢？一个网站，所谓freerice.com是一个英语词汇游戏。它解释，其目的是这样的： “每个字你的权利，我们捐出20粒水稻通过联合国世界粮食计划署，以帮助结束饥饿” 。

该网站10月开始的。它说三百亿粮食水稻已捐赠至今。联合国世界粮食计划署并没有真正得到大米。捐赠给出了在以货币的形式进行。

广告客户的名字出现，与底部的链接游戏支付水稻。个人也可成为共同提案国。

换言之介绍了与4选择的答案。球员按一下就是最好的界定词。如果他们的答案正确，他们得到强硬的字眼。如果他们选择错误的，他们得到了一个更容易字。发言的读音也提供。

目前， freerice游戏已经55多个难度级别。球员很少获得过去的水平48 。

“ freerice作出任何金钱，从这个” ？这是其中的常见问题在网站上。 “不，不会。 freerice运行的网站在没有利润，说： ”答案。

互联网商人约翰布里恩创造freerice 。自10月以来， 570吨大米已捐赠的，足够的饲料约100万和一个半人的一天。

游戏是说，要特别受欢迎的大学生和年轻的人访问社交网站。

珍妮佛parmelee是世界粮食计划署发言人在华盛顿举行。她说，现金捐款，帮助该机构在当地购买食物和运输迅速向有需要的地方。

举例来说，捐款从网站上，赖斯对尼泊尔最近买了在该地区的一半，世界市场价格。孟加拉国，柬埔寨和乌干达也已收到食物通过freerice 。

在过去的九个月，虽然，成本，以确保粮食援助增加了55 ％ 。珍妮佛parmelee说，这是最大的危机，世界粮食计划署已在其面临的四十五年的历史。

她说，创意的项目，如freerice急需的权利。

这是该美国之音特别英语的发展报告，写的小杰苔。若要了解更多关于世界粮食危机，并得到誊本的MP3和我们的报告，去voaspecialenglish.com 。我史蒂夫ember 。