Summit in Riyadh ends with a push to renew Middle East peace efforts launched five years ago. Earlier, a statement by the Saudi king about Iraq caught American officials by surprise.

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

		Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah speaks at the opening of the Arab summit in Riyadh

Arab leaders met this week in Riyadh. The Arab League Summit in the Saudi capital ended with calls for Israel to accept an Arab peace plan from two thousand two.

That plan offers Israel normal relations with the Arab world if it withdraws from land captured during the nineteen sixty-seven Arab-Israeli war. The plan also calls for Israel to reach a settlement with the Palestinians on the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel.

Israel rejected the peace plan in two thousand two. But more recently, Israeli officials have said the plan could be a starting point for negotiations. As the Arab League meetings closed, Israel's Foreign Ministry said it would be willing to hold talks with some Arab nations. However, Israel objects to a demand that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to their homes in what is now Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian people were truly extending the hand of peace toward Israel. The Palestinians have a new unity government. Israel says it will not deal with that government unless it agrees to reject violence, recognize Israel and respect existing peace agreements.

But earlier in the week, Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to begin meeting every two weeks. That agreement came as American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice completed a three-day trip to the Middle East. She said the talks should lead to discussions on a political settlement. But top Israeli officials say that for now, any talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders will involve humanitarian issues.

The two-day summit in Riyadh opened with a speech by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He said Arab League states are more divided now than they have ever been. He also described Iraq as being under an illegal foreign occupation.

That comment caught the State Department in Washington by surprise. A spokesman said the United States was operating in Iraq under United Nations resolutions and with the invitation of the Iraqi government. The United States looks to Saudi Arabia as an important ally in the Middle East. American officials said they would seek to better understand what exactly King Abdullah meant by his statement.

State Department officials, however, welcomed the Arab League's decision to renew its two thousand two Middle East peace plan.

On Thursday, in their final declaration, the Arab leaders warned of the dangers of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. But they also said that all countries have the right to peaceful nuclear energy programs.

Gulf Arab nations generally share American and European concerns about the Iranian nuclear program. Iran is led by Shiite Muslims; the Gulf Arab nations bordering Iran are mostly led by Sunnis.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. Transcripts and audio archives of our reports can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

Doctors say most metastatic cancers are incurable, but treatments can extend patients' lives.

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

The word "metastasize" means to change form, state or position.It is not a word cancer patients want to hear.

Cancer can spread in a body two ways. As a tumor grows it may invade neighboring tissue or organs. Or, cancer can metastasize. This is when cancer cells break away from a first tumor and travel through blood vessels or the lymphatic system. The cells then grow in another part of the body. Not all cancers spread to other parts of the body after they are treated.

However, last month, two well-known Americans announced that their cancers had metastasized.

		John and Elizabeth Edwards on March 22 as they announced that her cancer had returned, in an incurable form

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic Party presidential candidate, John Edwards, said her breast cancer had spread to her bones.

The next week the White House announced that Press Secretary Tony Snow's colon cancer had moved to his liver. The White House noted that the cancer was not in his liver but attached to it.

Missus Edwards' breast cancer was discovered in two thousand four. She was treated for several months with chemotherapy drugs to shrink the tumor. Then doctors removed it. The lumpectomy operation was followed with radiation treatments to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Tony Snow

Doctors removed Mister Snow's cancerous colon in two thousand five. He had chemotherapy for six months.

Most metastatic cancers are incurable. But most also are treatable. Chemotherapy drugs, radiation and other treatments can extend a patient's life.

Life expectancies differ depending on the kind of cancer, the affected organ and other issues. Some research shows that only about twenty-five percent of newly discovered metastatic breast cancer patients live for five years. The average life expectancy for metastatic colon cancer patients is about two years. Doctors say chances are worse for patients whose cancer is not found until after it has already metastasized.

But doctors say they can only guess how long any person may live with metastatic disease. In February, American and Canadian researchers announced a finding that may help in the fight against metastasis. They said the same enzyme that controls the ability of cancer cells to metastasize also controls the process that keeps them stuck tightly together.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. You can read scripts and download audio from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

顶

刚把两段都听了一边。

这种形式真的很好。

谢谢楼主！！！！！