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cover of episode Learning English Podcast - February 10, 2025

Learning English Podcast - February 10, 2025

2025/2/10
logo of podcast VOA Learning English Podcast - VOA Learning English

VOA Learning English Podcast - VOA Learning English

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A
Ana Mateo
B
Brian Lynn
J
Jill Robbins
M
Mario Ritter Jr.
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Mario Ritter Jr.: 葛底斯堡国家军事公园位于宾夕法尼亚州,周围环境保留了美国内战时期的风貌,具有重要的历史意义。李将军试图通过在北方赢得战役来结束内战,但葛底斯堡战役以南方军队的失败告终。博物馆收藏了大量内战文物,包括士兵的私人笔记本和战场地图,以及展示战役场景的环形全景画。战役结束后,林肯总统在葛底斯堡发表了著名的演说,缅怀在战役中牺牲的士兵,并阐述了自由和民主的价值观。作为一名历史爱好者,我认为葛底斯堡不仅是内战的重要战场,也是美国历史和文化的重要象征,它提醒我们珍惜和平,捍卫自由。

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Chapters
This chapter explores the historical significance of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, its lasting impact, and President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
  • The Battle of Gettysburg was fought between the Union and Confederate armies in 1863.
  • Over 170,000 soldiers fought in the three-day battle, resulting in over 50,000 casualties.
  • The battle is commemorated at the Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War.
  • President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered at a dedication ceremony for a soldiers' burial ground, is one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

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 we have for you on today's program. Mario Ritter, Jr. brings us a story about an important place in U.S. history, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I'll return later with a science story. Then I will bring you words and their stories. Today I talk about power couples. And we finish the program with the lesson of the day.

Jill Robbins and Andrew Smith talk about words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. But first, here is Mario Ritter Jr. The Gettysburg National Military Park is in the small town of Gettysburg in the eastern state of Pennsylvania.

much of the area around gettysburg still looks like it did in the eighteen sixties during the american civil war the town is in the middle of good farmland roads pass through gettysburg that lead to baltimore washington d c and other eastern cities it is hard to believe that two huge armies fought there

one fighting force was the united states army of the potomac commanded by general george meade the other was the confederate army of northern virginia led by general robert e lee lee's troops had moved north into pennsylvania from virginia

lee believed that a southern win of a battle on northern land would force a negotiated settlement of the civil war and mean independence for the confederate states the battle of gettysburg began on july first eighteen sixty three about one hundred seventy thousand soldiers fought for three days

when it ended on july third more than fifty thousand soldiers were dead wounded or missing lee's army lost the battle many visitors start their visit to gettysburg at the gettysburg museum of the civil war the museum has a large collection of civil war objects

the museum has more than one million artifacts from soldiers private notebooks and clothing to maps of the battlefield the museum also houses the gettysburg cyclorama painting this kind of artwork completely surrounds the people looking at it

the painting shows the artist's vision of the final major attack of the battle on july third eighteen sixty three over time it has come to be called pickett's charge george pickett was one of several confederate commanders ordered to make the charge

The Confederate soldiers reached a point close to the northern lines and headquarters. Today, the point is called the High Water Mark. Northern forces then turned the Confederates back. The charge failed. Southern forces would never again reach so far north.

Soon after the battle, people began to visit Gettysburg to try to understand what happened there. One of those visitors on November 19, 1863, was President Abraham Lincoln. He was invited to help dedicate a burial ground for Union soldiers killed in the battle. Lincoln spoke for just two minutes.

But his speech, known as the Gettysburg Address, is one of the most famous pieces of American oratory. I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

In American English, we use many expressions to describe when two people have a lot of similarities or are very close. Here are some examples. If we say two people are joined at the hip, they are nearly always together. If we describe individuals as thick as thieves, it means they are very close.

people considered two peas in a pod have many things in common and we use the term kindred spirits to describe people who often share the same opinions and interests these expressions can represent people who grew closer for different reasons maybe they complemented each other well in certain ways

or maybe their situations brought them together for the purpose of completing something important or meaningful. But today we are going to discuss a very special kind of relationship, one that involves two people who are romantically involved and very successful. People in such relationships can be described as power couples.

There are many examples of famous power couples, including successful movie stars, musicians, and others in the performing arts. But power couples can exist in many other industries and communities as well. And the two people do not have to work in the same industry. If they do, however, that can make them even more powerful.

For example, a well-known architect who builds homes could be partnered with a famous designer who decorates them. Or one person in a power couple may be a music producer, while the other is a famous singer. Even though power couples involve highly successful people, one person could describe their partner as their better half.

This is a way to complement their other half in the relationship. For example, one might say during a meeting with a friend, "Hello, how are you?" And more importantly, "How is your better half?" Now let's hear two friends use some of these expressions. Oh, hey! I'm not used to seeing you alone. Where's your sidekick? Huh? Who are you talking about? Ben.

You guys have been joined at the hip for weeks. Looks like you're thick as thieves. Well, the project is pretty important for the company, so we're putting in a lot of hours. Are you becoming kindred spirits from working so much together? No. It's just keeping us both very busy. Busy trying to become the new power couple in the office? What are you talking about?

We're not thick as thieves or kindred spirits, and we're definitely not a power couple. We are just working hard on the same project. And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Ana Mateo.

A new study suggests an asteroid strike on the moon billions of years ago left two huge valleys about the size of Earth's Grand Canyon.

Researchers from the United States and Britain said their research shows the two steep valleys or canyons likely formed in less than 10 minutes. They noted the crash or impact happened near the South Pole on the far side of the moon.

That is the side of the moon which always faces away from Earth. The area is known as the Schrödinger Impact Basin. The speed of the incoming object, which the team said might have been a comet, was estimated to be around 55,000 kilometers per hour.

the strike likely happened about three point eight billion years ago the researchers used data collected by a spacecraft operated by the american space agency nasa

That vehicle, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has been capturing Luna data since entering orbit around the Moon in June 2009. One main goal of the orbiter's mission was to create a highly detailed, three-dimensional or 3D map of the Moon.

The data has been used by NASA to learn more about lunar resources and to plan for future missions. The agency noted that the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter had already collected as much data as all other planetary missions combined.

The team studying the canyons used the orbiter's map data to simulate the path of the incoming object as well as material that was displaced by the crash. The scientists recently published a study describing their results in Nature Communications.

The group's simulations suggested the space rock passed over the South Pole before hitting. It then created a huge basin and launched rocky materials at speeds up to one kilometer per second. The researchers said material was sent flying and struck the lunar surface like missiles.

This resulted in the creation of the canyons. The team said the canyons appear comparable in size to the Grand Canyon in the U.S. state of Arizona. The study's lead writer was David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.

He told the Associated Press that findings suggest the asteroid strike was a very violent geologic process. Kring and his team estimated the asteroid was 25 kilometers across.

They estimated that the energy needed to create the two canyons would have been more than 130 times greater than the power of all the world's current nuclear weapons. Kring said most of the rock and debris was thrown in a direction away from the South Pole.

that finding is good news for nasa which plans to land astronauts in that area in the future kring noted it should improve the exploration possibilities of future astronauts

Because debris from the Schrödinger impact was jettisoned away from the lunar south pole, ancient rocks in the polar region will be at or close to the surface, Kring told Reuters news agency. This should make it easier for future American astronauts to collect them.

NASA's future lunar exploration plans are known as the agency's Artemis program. The program aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The agency's current plan is to send astronauts on a trip around the moon next year. That would be followed a year or so later by a landing attempt on the lunar surface. The researchers said older rocks in the area can help scientists gain a better understanding of the moon's past history.

They could also help answer questions about the formation of Earth. Kring noted it is currently not clear whether the two huge canyons are permanently shadowed like some of the craters at the moon's south pole. That is something that we're clearly going to be re-examining, he said. 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. The series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C.,

What do those two sounds you heard have in common? Today's lesson is about some fun and, we hope, interesting ways English connects words, spelling, and sounds. Or maybe about the ways their spellings don't seem to connect to sounds, since English spelling can be difficult. But don't worry, this is not going to be a spelling lesson.

Think of it more like a sound lesson. We'll have more to say about that phrase, a sound lesson, a little later. But now let's join Ana in Lesson 26 of the series. As we explained in another podcast lesson, Ana is playing a game on her phone. It's a scavenger hunt where she tries to learn more about U.S. history. Let's join her.

When you find an American symbol, you win points and a fun fact about a U.S. president. Yay! I found Uncle Sam and I won 40 points. What is the fun fact? Franklin Roosevelt was the first to fly in a plane as president. I didn't know that. This is a really beautiful memorial. This is the Lincoln Memorial. Where is the symbol?

I found it! The Statue of Liberty. Please give me my fun fact. Abraham Lincoln was a great wrestler. I didn't know that. Lincoln wanted freedom for all people. So, the Statue of Liberty works well. And I won 20 points. Time to find the next symbol. You heard the word "symbol" three times in that exchange.

When you find an American symbol, you win points and a fun fact about a U.S. president. This is the Lincoln Memorial. Where is the symbol? And I won 20 points. Time to find the next symbol.

A symbol is a shape, object, sign, in short, any visual thing that represents an idea. We use symbols all the time, such as the plus sign in mathematics to represent addition. And we use symbols to represent many, many kinds of ideas. In the scavenger hunt game,

Anna and Dan are looking for a very important symbol in American history and culture. It's so important that it's worth 100 points in their game. Here's Dan and Anna in Lesson 25 of the series. 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. Ah, yes, the bald eagle.

It is a large bird that hunts small animals and fish. When it is older, the feathers on its head turn white. That's why they call it bald, which means having no hair on your head. Oh, like me. Yeah, kind of. But let's not digress or move away from the main idea of our lesson. Many Americans see the bald eagle as symbolizing freedom and strength.

"Symbolize" is the verb form of the noun "symbol" and "symbolic" is the adjective. And that sound you heard earlier? Well, that's the sound a bald eagle makes. But what about that other sound? That's the sound of a symbol. Hey wait, are you trying to confuse our listeners? Haha, a little bit, but here's the idea.

The bald eagle is a symbol. That's spelled S-Y-M-B-O-L. But there is also an object used in music called a symbol. That's spelled C-Y-M-B-A-L. Two words that make exactly the same sound in English are called homophones.

And there are many of them. Here are a few examples. Cell, spelled C-E-L-L, like the cells in your body or like a cell phone. And sell, S-E-L-L. That means to take money for something. And we have flour, spelled F-L-O-U-R, which we use for making bread. And flour,

F-L-O-W-E-R, the colorful blooms on plants such as a rose, daisy, or sunflower. Jill, why do you think English has so many homophones? It's because English developed as a combination of different languages. As a result, it mixed the spelling system of the languages, which is why we have several ways of spelling the same sound.

That makes it interesting, but also difficult for people learning English. That's true. There are spelling rules for English that a learner can follow, but there are also a lot of words that break the rules. And, of course, many English words have letters that are not pronounced at all. We call these silent letters. ♪

And now, the silent letters. Actually, we're going to talk about only one silent letter today. But let's get there by listening to Anna in Lesson 26 of the Let's Learn English series. When you find an American symbol, you win points and a fun fact about a U.S. president. Hey, I found Uncle Sam and I won 40 points.

What is the fun fact? Franklin Roosevelt was the first to fly in a plane as president. I didn't know that. This is a really beautiful memorial. This is the Lincoln Memorial. Where is the symbol? I found it! The Statue of Liberty. Please give me my fun fact. Abraham Lincoln was a great wrestler. And how do we spell that last word you just heard?

Wrestler, it sounds like the letter R. The word has the letter R, but it has a silent letter before it. Listeners, what letter do you think that is? Here's a hint. You can write someone an email. How do you spell that verb I just said? The verb write. That's right. Oh, I mean, that's correct. You spell it W-R-I-T-E.

And wrestler is spelled W-R-E-S-T-L-E-R. Wrestling is a sport where you try to hold your opponent onto the ground. Here are three pairs of words that are homophones, and where one of the words in each pair begins with the silent W.

When you hear each pair, see if you can think of the two words that match the sound but are spelled differently. Ready? Listen. Write. Write. Rest. Rest. Wrote. Wrote. You already know what it means to write your name, but write, R-I-T-E, means a traditional or religious ceremony.

You know what it means to rest when you are tired. But rest, W-R-E-S-T, means to grab something or take something from somebody else, often with some difficulty. Yesterday, Jill wrote her name. But wrote, R-O-T-E, is doing or learning something just by repeating it over and over without thinking much or understanding much about it.

we usually put the preposition "by" before the noun "wrote." Right. And that's R-I-G-H-T. For example, we can say the student studied only by rote. There's the sound of that American symbol again, which brings us back to the phrase "a sound lesson." The word "sound" is most commonly used as a noun.

But we can also use the word as an adjective with a different meaning. If something is sound, that means it is done correctly. The adjective "sound" can also describe a building or structure that is strong and without important defects.

So, we hope this lesson of the day has been a sound lesson for you. And since we've talked a lot about sounds, if we use the noun, we can call today's lesson a lesson in sound. Now, let's see if Anna and Dan found the bald eagle.

Let's listen to more of Lesson 26. This game is a lot of fun. What's your name? Dan. What's yours? Anna. Like Americana. Yeah, I guess so. Did you find any symbols? Yes, I found three and I won 120 points. Me too, but did you find the bald eagle? No, did you?

No. First one to find it wins. Hey, Anna, look out for that tree. I learned a lot about presidents with this game, but I ought to be more careful. Till next time. Until next time means it's also time for us to go. Keep listening and reading for homophones in English. And remember that you can learn more on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com.

You 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 all the time we have for today's show. Thanks for listening.

And don't forget to join us again tomorrow when we will have more stories from around the world aimed at helping you learn English. I'm Ana Mateo. And I'm Brian Lynn.