Learning English Podcast - December 30, 2024
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Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America. I'm Brian Lynn. I'm Ana Mateo. This program is made for English learners, so we speak a bit slower and we use words and sentences especially written for people learning English.

Here are the stories on today's program. Growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers is a popular activity around the world. Today, Jill Robbins talks about taking care of an overgrown garden. My co-host, Brian Lynn, will talk about the top technology news from 2024.

I will return with expressions for the new year in this week's Words and Their Stories. We will finish our show with the lesson of the day. Andrew Smith and Jill Robbins will discuss how to use word stress in spoken English. But first, here is Jill Robbins with a story on gardening.

What is the best way to repair an overgrown garden? Garden expert for the Associated Press, Jessica Damiano, believes she knows the answer. Here are some of her suggestions for making big improvements. Planning in the autumn and winter months can help you see something more beautiful next winter. First, take a notebook with you and walk around the garden. Look carefully at each part.

Try to decide which plants can be saved, which to throw away, and which ones require attention. Make a list as soon as you can. Dead plants, weeds, and invasive plants should be first to go. If the weather permits, dig them out, removing as much of their root systems as possible. Otherwise, wait until spring to do this before planting.

Next, remove and give away healthy plants that you do not want. Online groups and neighborhood web pages are places to find people to receive the plants. Many people will even be willing to do the digging if it means getting a free plant. If the garden is full of plants, shrubs, trees, and vines that have grown wild, you might need to use a chainsaw or heavy machine.

If there are a lot of weeds or if you want to create new garden beds, you can cover the existing vegetation rather than dig it up. Decide the size and shape of the area you want to make into a new bed. Cover that area with cardboard or lots of newspaper. Put about 7 centimeters of compost and 5 centimeters of mulch on top of it.

you can start in the autumn and leave it there over the winter until planting time in the spring when it is time to plant cut holes in the cardboard or paper big enough for the roots of your plants the covering over the ground will keep most weeds from growing some weeds may break through and require pulling or more cardboard damiano said

Healthy or overgrown or unproductive deciduous shrubs can be brought back to life by pruning. Deciduous means that the plants lose their leaves during the winter season. The best time to prune many plants is when their branches are bare in late winter. Choosing a pruning method will require weighing appearance against the time it will take to recover.

The fastest and most severe method would be to cut the whole plant down just above ground level. Although extreme, many shrubs can deal with this form of pruning and will bounce back stronger. If keeping the plant looking normal is important, prune each branch or stem individually at uneven heights. It is also possible to cut back one-third of the plant's branches each year for three years.

That method would have the least severe effect, but requires the most patience. Evergreen trees and shrubs should only undergo light pruning, such as the shortening of individual branches. Take care to avoid pruning too much or creating holes in evergreen plants and trees. With the exception of yews, they do not regrow from such damage. Now that you have taken care of pruning, turn your attention to the soil.

Test the soil's pH, or its acidity level. Do this to make sure the soil is good for the plants you plan to add. Test kits are available at local garden stores and online. In the United States, a cooperative extension service might provide soil testing and soil amendment advice for a small cost.

Cooperative Extension Services are part of a Department of Agriculture system that includes some universities. It aims to help farmers and people interested in plants. If the soil is hard, break it up with a machine or hand tools. Finally, spread 5 to 7 centimeters of compost over the area. As it breaks down, nutrients will work their way into the soil.

After completing these steps, it will be time to plant your new garden. Choose new trees, shrubs, or perennials that will not grow wildly. Dig holes as deep as their roots, but two times as wide, and space them out to their expected full-grown sizes. Native plants are good because they need little added water or special care. Plant ground cover.

short, spreading plants, to cover the ground and keep weeds from growing and the soil from drying out. It might take one or two years, but a step-by-step approach will make gardening a joy again. And perhaps best of all, you will see something beautiful when you look outside from your home. I'm Jill Robbins.

Throughout 2024, we saw further development of artificial intelligence, AI systems, and new legal action brought against technology companies. Here is a look back at some of the biggest tech stories we covered in 2024.

During the year, companies continued developing and deploying new AI tools. Among these were a new set of AI offerings announced by American software company Microsoft.

Officials explained the new tools included personal agents designed to help users complete business activities with little or no human involvement.

Microsoft says it designed the agents to expand on so-called chatbots, AI tools that work by themselves to produce human-level writing or discussions. The company said it expects a full release of the agents sometime in 2025.

In September, technology company Apple announced it was launching several new iPhones equipped with special chips to support AI operations. Apple chief Tim Cook said the new models had been designed for Apple intelligence from the ground up.

We reported in October about an effort by researchers to use AI to improve existing weather prediction models. One system works by combining past weather predictions with modern methods to provide the most complete picture of weather and climate data.

In California, three legislative measures were enacted to ban the use of AI tools to create false images and videos during election campaigns. One main goal was to fight deepfakes.

These are pieces of video or audio created to make it appear that people in it are saying or doing things they never said or did. Deep fakes were used in several world election campaigns in 2024.

In May, an international gathering of major AI developers and top government officials in Seoul agreed on measures that aim to ensure that AI systems are safely built and deployed.

Attendees from 16 different technology companies signed a promise to develop AI technology in ways that limit possible public harms. About one year ago, an American jury found that Google's App Store operates as an illegal monopoly.

Then, in August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google had violated trade laws by operating its search engine as a monopoly. The ruling accused Google of paying smartphone makers to ensure that its search engine was set as the default system on new devices.

As part of the case, the U.S. government proposed in November a series of measures to limit Google from anti-competition business activities. Google criticized the court's ruling as an example of government overreach. U.S. officials have long warned that TikTok presents national security concerns.

Earlier this month, video sharing service TikTok asked a U.S. appeals court to block a law requiring its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest itself of TikTok or face a U.S. ban.

The request came after the same court had upheld a law forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19th or face the ban. Lawyers for ByteDance and TikTok are seeking to have the U.S. Supreme Court rule on the case.

In May, U.S.-based Aurora Innovation said it was preparing to launch a series of driverless trucks to transport goods on a major public highway. Company officials said it planned to begin the service in Texas with 20 tractor-trailers transporting goods between Dallas and Houston.

The company hopes to expand the service to thousands of tractor-trailers within three to four years. In October, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, announced it had issued final rules for operating air taxis. It also set training and approval requirements for pilots.

The FAA said air taxis belong to a kind of aircraft known as Advanced Air Mobility, AAM, flyers. They generally operate on their own on electrical power with vertical takeoff and landing abilities.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said such aircraft represent the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years. He added that the new rules are meant to mark the beginning of possible widespread AAM operations across the U.S. in the future. I'm Brian Lynn.

And now, words and their stories from VOA Learning English. During a new year, many of us decide to try something new. With a new year's resolution, we resolve to do something we have not done in the past. Sometimes these things are risk-free, like eating healthier food or getting more exercise.

Sometimes we decide to learn a new skill, like a language or a musical instrument. Again, these things are not risky, nor do they have bad consequences. If you do not learn how to play the guitar, nothing bad will happen, probably.

However, sometimes we need to shake up our lives and do something different that does have consequences. That means there are risks if things do not work out. Such a change could involve moving to a new city, starting a new job, or ending a relationship. These new things do have a level of risk. Things could go wrong.

On the other hand, things could go very right. So for these situations, we introduce two expressions that encourage you to take a chance. The first expression is "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." This means that without doing something risky or difficult, a bad situation will not improve. You could also sum it up this way:

If you try something risky, you could fail. But if you do not try at all, you will surely fail. The word venture can be both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to proceed in a dangerous or risky plan. As a noun, it means an action that involves chance, risk, or danger.

For example, starting a new restaurant is a risky business venture these days, and venturing into an unknown area could be dangerous. A friend of mine wanted to learn how to drive a stunt car and then move to Los Angeles to become a stunt car driver. A stunt car is a vehicle used in the movies to perform crashes and wild driving.

There are not many women in this profession. So I told her that her decision involved lots of risk. She said to me, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Our second expression is fortune favors the bold. Fortune usually means wealth or fame, but it can also mean being in a good situation. And if you are bold, you are brave.

So this expression means that people who are brave and take chances help themselves. Their bold, brave actions put them in a good place. When using this expression, keep this in mind. The person who finds a fortune has done something to get it. It just doesn't happen to them by chance. So if someone happens to win a lot of money in a lottery...

You wouldn't use the expression, Fortune favors the bold. However, let's say you quit your job and move to a new city. That is a bold decision, but you are sure that it will be good for you. In the new city, you find your dream job. It might even pay more money than your old job. Here you could definitely say, Fortune favors the bold.

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. For the start of 2023, I wish you and yours health and wealth. Until next time, I'm Ana Mateo. My name is Ana Mateo. And my name is Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins. In this part of the Learning English Broadcast,

You will hear us explain and help you do more with the language from our series, Let's Learn English. The series shows Anna in her work and life in Washington, D.C. Let's hear the rest of Anna's introduction. I am from a small town. It is nice, but there is no good job for me.

Goodbye, small town. And hello, Washington, D.C. I want to learn about Washington. You want to learn English. Let's learn together. Let's learn English. At the beginning of the series, Anna and the people she meets use short sentences and say each word clearly.

As the series continues, the sentences get longer and more advanced. However, there are things you can learn from the first lessons in the series, even if you are not a beginner. For example, you can learn how to use word stress. Isn't that right, Jill? That is right. Jill, you did pronounce that sentence just the way I wanted you to.

Because today, we are listening for the ways native speakers make sure that the things they say are clear. To do that, we simply say a word a bit louder and longer. This is what we call word stress. Let's listen to Anna meet Pete in Lesson 1 of Let's Learn English.

Hi. Are you Anna? Yes. Hi there. Are you Pete? I am Pete. Normally, we simply say I'm instead of I am when we introduce ourselves. Like when I said earlier, I'm Jill Robbins. That's right. But sometimes we will say I am instead of I'm when we want to be very clear.

In the video, this is the first time Pete meets Anna. And to make it clear to beginners of English, he says, "I am." So, should people learning to speak English always say "I am" instead of "I'm"? No!

In fact, I'm is much more common. But the idea is that we can choose to separate words and put stress on them to show that they are important and to make things very easy to understand. For example, if I ask Jill if it's fun to teach English, she can say, It is fun to teach.

You can hear that "It is fun to teach" sounds a little stronger than "It's fun to teach." Now, let's listen to another Let's Learn English example of this stress on small words. In lesson 5, Anna and her friend Marcia are visiting a friend's house. Anna thinks the kitchen is beautiful, and Marcia agrees.

Listen to how Marcia makes it clear. Marcia, I am in the kitchen. It is a beautiful kitchen. It is beautiful. Marcia makes the word is longer and louder. It is beautiful. And I noticed that Ana stressed the word beautiful. It is a beautiful kitchen.

So, we can stress long words or short words. Many times, the short words are forms of the verb be. For example, the three words am, is, are. Let's hear another example. This one from lesson 7. It is Anna's first day at work, and she is excited to meet people.

See if you can notice where Anna adds stress when she speaks. Are you excited? Yes, I am excited. Hi there. I'm Anna. Hi, Anna. I'm Anne. Nice to meet you. What are you doing? Um, I'm writing. You are writing. Did you hear the stress on the verb be when Anna said am and are? I did hear it.

Let's play those sentences again for our listeners. Yes, I am excited. You are writing. I hope our listeners can hear how we add the stress to these words. And Jill, you just used stress to make it clear to me. That's true. I did use stress. Instead of saying I heard it, I said I did hear it.

Grammatically, Jill did not have to use the word did because she was not asking a question, nor was she making a statement negative. But native speakers sometimes add the words do or did simply to make their meaning stronger or clearer. Can you give our listeners another example? Sure. Instead of just saying, I like to watch football...

I can say, "I do like to watch football." By adding the word "do," I'm simply making my statement a little bit stronger and trying to make it very clear that my statement is, in fact, true. That means you are adding a little emphasis to your statement. That's right.

Emphasis means extra importance that we add to a statement, activity, or idea. Emphasis is spelled E-M-P-H-A-S-I-S. Emphasis is the noun form. The verb form is emphasize. It means to add importance or show that something is important. That's right.

But if you don't want to say the word emphasize, you can just use the phrasal verb draw one's attention to something. Like we want to draw our listeners' attention to the Let's Learn English series of lessons on VOA Learning English. Exactly. Well, Jill, I think we've emphasized everything we wanted our listeners to learn today. Do you agree?

I do agree. That's great. You're very agreeable today. I'm just trying to help everyone learn about word stress. I think you've been very helpful, and I'm sure our listeners will agree. Be sure to listen next time for more lessons on the Learning English broadcast. I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins.

And that's all the time we have for today's show. We hope you enjoyed Learning English with news from around the world. And join us again tomorrow for another VOA Learning English program. Thanks for listening. I'm Brian Lynn. And I'm Ana Mateo.