Learning English Podcast - February 06, 2025
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Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America. I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

On today's program, Jill Robbins reports on a new satellite Japan has put into orbit to improve navigation. Katie returns to tell us about India's efforts to increase its tiger population. Brian Lynn has a story about a new supersonic aircraft on the Technology Report. Then, the lesson of the day. But first,

Japan's space agency says it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new H-3 rocket. The latest launch on February 2 took place as the country aims to develop a more precise positioning system. The H-3 rocket carrying the Michibiki-6 satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center

on a southwestern Japanese island. Makoto Arita oversees the H-3 project for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA. Arita said, "Everything went smoothly and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket, as planned, about 29 minutes after liftoff."

Officials said it should reach its target orbit around the Earth in the middle of February. Japan's current system is called the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, or QZSS. It started operating in 2018 and has four satellites that serve a regional navigation system. The Michibiki 6 will be the fifth satellite in the network.

Michibiki's signals are used to supplement the American satellite system called the Global Positioning System, or GPS. It will also improve positioning data for smartphones, car navigation, navigation at sea, and drones. Japan plans to launch two more navigation satellites to have a seven-satellite system by March 2026.

The Japan Science and Technology Agency hopes that will create a more precise global positioning ability without depending on foreign services, including GPS. By the late 2030s, Japan plans to have an 11-satellite network. Sunday's launch was the fourth successful flight in a row for the H-3 system.

The first attempt to launch last year failed, and the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload. Japan considers the ability to regularly put satellites into orbit as important to its space program and national security. It has been developing two new leading rockets. One is the large H-3 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The other is a much smaller Epsilon system

with the aerospace unit of ihi corporation japan hopes to meet the needs of companies for space launch services and improve its position in the growing satellite launch market i'm jill robbins a recent study says india has doubled its tiger population in twelve years

Researchers said the gain came from efforts to protect the big cats from hunters and to protect against the loss of tiger habitat and prey, among other things.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority said the number of tigers grew from an estimated 1,706 in 2010 to around 3,682 in 2022.

Those numbers mean India is home to about 75% of the total tiger population. The research shows that a reduction in conflict between humans and wildlife also played a part in the population growth.

The study credited efforts to improve economic conditions for communities near tiger habitats. The researchers said the growth in the tiger population also led to improvements in local economies through increased ecotourism. The study appears in the publication Science.

It said India's success demonstrates that wildlife protection can help both biodiversity and nearby communities. The common belief is that human densities preclude an increase in tiger populations, said Yadvendra Dev Jhala.

Jhalla is a scientist at Bengaluru-based Indian National Academy of Sciences and was the study's lead writer. What the research shows is that it's not the human density, but the attitude of people which matters more. Wildlife conservationists and ecologists welcomed the study.

But they said making the source data available to a larger group of scientists would aid tigers and other wildlife in India. The study was based on data collected by Indian government-supported organizations. Arjun Gopalaswamy is an ecologist who knows how to measure wildlife populations.

He said that estimates from India's official tiger observation program have been undependable. He said some of the numbers in the study are much higher than past estimates of tiger populations from the same datasets.

But he added that the study's findings seem to have corrected a data problem noted repeatedly by scientists since 2011 related to tiger population size and their range. The study said tigers disappeared in some areas.

These included habitats that were not near national parks or other protected areas, and areas of increased development, increased human use of forest resources, and areas with armed conflict.

"Without community support and participation and community benefits, conservation is not possible in our country," said Jalla. "That means local people need to see good results from their efforts to save tigers." Tigers are spread across about 138,200 square kilometers of India.

But just 25% of the area is rich in tiger prey and is protected. Another 45% of tiger habitat is shared with about 60 million people, the study said. Jhalla said strong wildlife protection legislation is the backbone of tiger conservation in India.

Habitat is not a constraint, it's the quality of the habitat which is a constraint, he said. Wildlife biologist Ravi Chellam, who did not take part in the study, praised the tiger conservation efforts as promising.

But he said such efforts need to be extended to other wild animals to better care for the whole ecosystem in India. Chellam said several kinds of Indian wildlife are on the edge and need more attention. I'm Katie Weaver.

An experimental aircraft developed by a private American company broke the sound barrier during a recent flight test. California-based Boom Supersonic built the plane, named XB-1.

the company said the aircraft reached a speed of mach one point o five during a test on january twenty eighth the test flight operated from the mojave air and space port in mojave california any speed greater than mach one point o breaks the sound barrier and is considered supersonic

the american space agency nasa explains that at sea level the speed of sound is estimated to be about one thousand two hundred thirty six kilometers per hour

In a statement, Boom Supersonic said the XB-1 demonstrator aircraft climbed to more than 35,000 feet before reaching Mach 1.0. It recorded the speed within 11 minutes of taking off. The company also released a video feed of the supersonic test flight.

the company said in a press release historically supersonic aircraft have been the work of nation states developed by militaries and governments but the latest flight made the xb-1 the world's first independently developed supersonic jet to break the sound barrier boom supersonic said

The company's founder and chief executive officer, Blake Scholl, said XB-1's supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived.

Boom Supersonic launched in 2014 with the goal of making high-speed travel mainstream and enabling a new world of human connection. With that in mind, the company has been working to develop a supersonic passenger airliner called Overture. The aircraft would carry up to 80 passengers.

Boom Supersonic is one of several American companies seeking to develop supersonic flight vehicles. NASA is also working on a supersonic aircraft in partnership with a U.S. contractor. The last time supersonic travel was available to passengers was 2003.

that is the year the concord the world's first supersonic passenger jet aircraft stopped service britain and france jointly operated the concord

But the joint operation between British Airways and Air France suffered several business difficulties that led to the decision to stop flying the supersonic planes. Some of the difficulties were linked to publicity about a deadly Concorde crash in 2000.

that incident involved an air france airliner crashing shortly after taking off from paris the crash claimed a total of one hundred thirteen lives

Boom Supersonic says its planned Overture airliner will be designed to transport passengers from the U.S. East Coast across the Atlantic to Europe in about three and a half hours. The flight with normal passenger jets takes about eight hours.

amy merino spowert is the president and chief executive officer at the national aeronautic association she told the associated press the latest supersonic test flight suggests the future of aviation is here and now

Spowert added, not only is there hope for faster and better commercial flight, but Boom proves that it can be done sustainably. Boom Supersonic has said its planned supersonic airliner will be designed to run on up to 100% sustainable aircraft fuel.

such sustainable fuels are made from non-petroleum products such as food waste or other biomass materials both xb one and overture are made mostly from a carbon based composite material to provide a strong lightweight structure the company said

NASA's supersonic aircraft, built together with Lockheed Martin, is called X-59. It is also an experimental plane that is seeking to test the level of noise produced by supersonic travel. Currently, supersonic flights are banned over land because of the loud noise they produce.

nasa has explained it plans to carry out testing this year of the x fifty nine aircraft which has been designed and engineered to operate at lower noise levels than other supersonic aircraft

The tests to take place at supersonic test centers in California are designed to prove the quiet supersonic technology works as designed. NASA said that after that testing is done, the agency plans to begin community reaction studies beginning in 2026.

these will involve flying the x fifty nine over several cities and then asking people on the ground to share their thoughts on the level of noise they heard nasa has said the x fifty nine which measures thirty meters long and nine meters wide is expected to fly at one point four times the speed of sound

That is about 1,500 kilometers per hour. Brian Lynn. My name is Ana Mateo. My name is Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins. You're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. Welcome to the part of the show where we help you do more with our series, Let's Learn English.

This series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. Being in Washington helps Ana learn about U.S. history. There are many memorials and monuments in the city that connect to important people and events in the country's past. As we mentioned in a previous lesson of the day, a memorial is something that pays respect to the memory of the lives of people who have died.

and a monument is a large structure, usually made out of stone, built to remind people of a famous person or a famous historical event. Lessons 25 and 26 of this series show Anna learning about U.S. history at the monuments and memorials.

Near the Lincoln Memorial, a man who is interested in U.S. history runs into Anna by accident. Let's listen. Hello from Washington, D.C. This city has many monuments and memorials. Today, I am visiting the ones built in memory of our presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. I want to learn more about them.

Hey! Watch out! Sorry, I did not see you. You were not looking. You should be more careful. I know I should be more careful, but this game is really fun. What kind of game? What kind of game do you think the man who bumped into Anna is playing? A video game? Let's find out. What kind of game? You have to find things that aren't really there.

How can you find things that aren't really there? They're in your phone. See? I see. It's like a scavenger hunt. That's right. I don't have time for games. I want to learn about U.S. presidents. Then you should play this game. When you find an American symbol, you win points and a fun fact about a U.S. president. I have time for this game.

To play this game, people use their phones to find information. To find the information, they must go to several places in the city. When they reach a particular place, for example, a memorial or monument, the phone will show them the information they want to find about U.S. history.

How can you find things that aren't really there? They're in your phone. See? I see. It's like a scavenger hunt. That's right. We call this kind of game, where you go to several places to find things that are hidden, a scavenger hunt. It can be a lot of fun to play. And in nature, there are animals that are scavengers, such as vultures.

These large birds eat animals that have died or been killed by other animals. And the verb scavenge, that's spelled S-C-A-V-E-N-G-E, means to look for or collect things that have been left or that are not wanted. We have another newer expression in English,

to describe an activity where people scavenge in large garbage containers called dumpsters. We call this dumpster diving. That's right. I have never been dumpster diving, but I have heard about that. Now, let's listen again to what Anna says when the man bumps into her.

Hey, watch out. Sorry, I did not see you. You were not looking. You should be more careful. I know I should be more careful, but this game is really fun. Both Anna and the man use the modal should. It is common to use the modal should to give advice or suggest that something is a good thing to do.

The tone of voice we use with the word should gives the advice a positive feeling, a neutral feeling, or a negative feeling of disapproval. Let's listen to three examples. You were not looking. You should be more careful. I know I should be more careful. Then you should play this game. Did you hear how each example had a different feeling or effect?

The last example had a more positive feeling of encouragement. Then you should play this game. The first example expressed disapproval. You should be more careful. And the next example had a neutral tone. Not too positive and not too negative. I know I should be more careful. Remember that there's another way we use the modal should.

We use it to express what we think will likely happen. Listen to this example: The bus should be here in about 10 minutes. The modal "supposed to" also shares the same two meanings as "should." We use it to suggest correct behavior, or we use it to express what we think will likely happen. These two examples show the difference. You're supposed to wash your hands before you cook.

The train is supposed to arrive at 3.30. You might hear people saying something different when they speak quickly. The train was supposed to arrive at 3.30, but it didn't. Here, a two-syllable word, supposed, becomes more like one syllable, supposed. I'm Andrew Smith, and you're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast.

On our website, you can download a lesson plan for Let's Learn English Lesson 25. It includes a game and other ways you can practice giving advice with the modal should. The lesson plan also includes a glossary of vocabulary from the show as well as a quiz. And remember that you can download a lesson plan for every episode of Let's Learn English.

Jill, there's one more modal we ought to mention from Lesson 25. Yes, there is. We ought to mention the modal ought to. Just like should and supposed to, ought to can suggest behavior or express the idea that something is likely to happen. Listen to this example from Lesson 25 and see how the speaker uses the modal ought to.

What symbol are you looking for now? I am looking for the bald eagle. That is 100 points. It should be near the Washington Monument. This game is awesome. You ought to buy the app right now. It's called Catch Americana. Got it. Catch Americana. Thanks. You can hear that the speaker makes a suggestion by using the modal ought to.

Because he is not speaking very quickly, he pronounces it like this. You ought to buy the app right now. You can hear him pronounce the letter T. But as we have explained in many previous episodes, remember that the pronunciation changes when we talk faster. "Ought to" changes to "oughta."

For example, listen to this short exchange between Jill and me. Have you been to the new spy museum downtown? No, have you? Yeah, it's great. You ought to go. Oughta. That makes me think of a line from a song by the American musician Billy Joel, where he says, you oughta know by now. Well, Andrew, I think we ought to bring this lesson of the day to a close. But first, let's ask our listeners a question.

What game do you play on your phone? Write to us at learningenglishatvoanews.com or answer in the comments on YouTube. We should also tell our listeners that they can learn more on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. They can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Thanks for listening to the Learning English Podcast. I'm Jill Robbins.

And I'm Andrew Smith. And that's our show for today. But join us again tomorrow to keep learning English on The Voice of America. I'm Katie Weaver. And I'm