Learning English Podcast - February 18, 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, hear about the life and useful work of American inventor Thomas Edison. Then, get advice about saying no to improve health and workplace cooperation.

A UN agency wants to provide cancer drugs to children in poor countries. After that, find out why it will cost more to climb the world's highest mountain. We close the show with the lesson of the day. But first... The inventor Thomas Alva Edison had a major effect on the lives of people around the world.

thomas edison is remembered most for the electric light his phonograph and his work with motion pictures edison was born on february eleventh eighteen forty seven in milan ohio he was mostly self-taught his mother taught him reading writing and mathematics he learned from books and he experimented

at the age of ten he experimented with chemicals and electricity he built a telegraph machine and at the age of sixteen he went to work as a telegraph operator he continued his work with electricity making improved telegraph machines and he invented an electrical voting machine

edison earned enough money from his early inventions to start his own company in eighteen seventy one instead of working alone he worked with a group of employees on many different projects at one time

they asked the united states government for patents to protect more than one hundred devices or inventions each year he was an extremely busy man in nineteen thirteen a popular magazine at the time called thomas edison the most useful man in america

he almost never slept more than four or five hours a night he usually worked eighteen hours each day because he enjoyed what he was doing a reporter asked edison in nineteen seventeen which of his many inventions he enjoyed the most he answered the phonograph was really the most interesting

the hardest invention to develop he said was the electric light he said that it was the most difficult and the most important he also invented the modern motion picture film in nineteen twenty eight he received a special medal of honor from the congress of the united states thomas edison died on january sixth nineteen thirty one

People worldwide have had easier and more enjoyable lives because of his inventions. I'm John Russell. From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle Report. People might find it hard to set work limits or say no before taking on too many responsibilities.

but experts say it is important for workers to learn to set such limits or boundaries these limits can be important in helping workers protect their physical and mental health and as with any new skill setting boundaries gets easier with practice

Justin Stewart is a 36-year-old who works as a news show production assistant. He told the Associated Press that, in the past, he had problems setting clear limits in his work life. Stewart explained that when starting his career, he held several jobs.

In addition to his full-time position, he also rented cars at the airport and did sales at a store. He said his life was so busy that he said he would sometimes sleep in his car between jobs. After a time, he had to be hospitalized for extreme tiredness and an infection.

Stewart said that over time, his busy work life finally caught up with him. "While people around me praised my hustle, I eventually paid the price," he added. The doctor looked at me and said, "I don't know what lifestyle you're living, but you're too young to be this stressed. You're going to have to quit something."

As a result, Stewart began trying to set boundaries. He gave up his side jobs after deciding he could live without the extra money. If people from the news show contacted him to work after hours, he told them he was not available and suggested other people who might be able to help.

However, experts say making such changes can be difficult. Many people already have a hard time turning down work requests from both co-workers and managers. For example, it might make some people feel good to be needed or to please others.

But, as with any new skill, setting boundaries can get easier over time. Here are some suggestions from employment experts and workers for effectively setting meaningful work limits. Take control of your time. If your goal is to do less, adding things to your daily plans may seem like a bad idea.

but it can actually provide more control over your time bobby dutton is the founder of event production company g b m six every monday at two p m he plans the task he is most likely to delay finishing and to keep from becoming too busy he even sets his daily activities

like walking his dog and eating lunch. Practice no responses. If workers have a hard time saying no, they can write down what to say beforehand. And it can also help to say it out loud. Kara Hauser is a workplace engagement coach.

She says workers do not always have to explain themselves when turning down a request. They can simply explain they are not available, thank the person for asking, and suggest when they might be available. Amber Krasinski grew up in a working-class environment where saying no to a manager could mean losing pay.

As the founder of marketing company Ivy Hill Strategies, Krasinski worries that she will lose business if she turns down a project. So she often says, not yet, when one more project is too much. That phrase has helped me through a lot of situations, she said. Know yourself.

When asked for help, workers may want to agree immediately. However, when faced with a new work request, it can be better to take time before answering. Use the time to consider such things as workload, energy level, and interest. Isra Nasser is a psychotherapist in New York.

She suggests that workers pay attention to the activities and interactions that leave them feeling tired or stressed. Those kinds of events can be put on a "no" list to be dealt with later. Technology can help. Experts say that just because mobile devices can keep people connected to work all the time,

they do not have to interfere with a person's non-working life. For example, Nasser said she found herself checking email far too often on weekends. So, during weekends, she moved the Gmail app from her iPhone's homepage to the second page. This extra step helped her avoid checking her email.

Experts also suggest using an email signature as another tool to manage expectations. This tool can include more than just your name and contact information. You can also use it to let others know your working hours or upcoming vacation plans. And that's the Health and Lifestyle Report. I'm Ana Mateo. And I'm Andrew Smith.

The World Health Organization has launched a new service or platform to provide free cancer medicines to thousands of children in less wealthy nations. The WHO defines these as low- and middle-income countries. The first medicines were to be provided to Mongolia and Uzbekistan.

The next shipments would go to Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia. As part of the project's testing, or pilot period, the WHO said, the drug treatments are expected to reach around 5,000 children with cancer this year across at least 30 hospitals in the six countries.

countries in the pilot phase will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality assured childhood cancer medicines at no cost the un health agency said in a statement the who said childhood cancer survival rates in low and middle income countries were often below thirty per cent

that compares to survival rates of around eighty per cent in wealthy nations the agency's director general pedros adenam gabrielsis said in a statement for too long children with cancer have lacked access to life-saving medicines he added that the new platform aims to bring health and hope to children around the world

el salvador moldova senegal ghana pakistan and sri lanka are expected to join the program very soon the platform hopes to reach fifty countries in the next five to seven years providing medicines for up to one hundred twenty thousand children

The WHO estimates about 400,000 children worldwide develop cancer every year. Most of the children live in places with limited resources. The agency says about 70% of children in those settings die for several reasons.

these include the use of low quality medicines an inability to get correct treatments or problems with the supply of treatments the plan to establish the platform was first announced in december twenty twenty one

it is a cooperative deal between the who and st jude children's research hospital in memphis tennessee in the united states the u s non-profit treatment and research organization provided two hundred million dollars for its launch the who said

The WHO called the financial commitment "the largest ever made for childhood cancer medicines worldwide." It added that the cost-free service would continue beyond the pilot phase. The platform is working on developing its sustainability, or ability to continue to provide the service, over the longer term.

andre elbawi is with the who's cancer control program he told reporters the program seeks to widen the platform and bring additional partners on board

this marks the beginning of a global movement to provide children with cancer the medicines that they need regardless of where they live or their ability to pay said he added that the issue of children with cancer was getting more attention in wealthier countries

childhood cancer is increasingly a leading cause of death for middle and high-income countries so governments are increasingly paying attention ilbawi said i'm john russell the government of nepal has increased the cost of a permit to climb mount everest by about one-third

Officials say the price increase aims to help reduce pollution and increase safety on the world's highest mountain. The director of Nepal's tourism department is Narayan Prasad Regmi. He told the French news agency AFP,

the cost for a permit in the popular spring climbing season will increase from $11,000 to $15,000. Regmi noted the price had remained the same for about 10 years, so the government decided it was time to make a change.

The costs, or fees, for climbing during less popular and more difficult times of year, such as during winter or the summer monsoon rains, have also increased. This includes an increase from $5,500 to $7,500 during the autumn climbing season.

Thousands of climbers come to Nepal each year. The country is home to 8 of 14 of the world's tallest mountains over 8,000 meters. Everest is 8,849 meters tall and sits on the border between Nepal and China.

Foreign climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars on their efforts to climb Everest. More than 400 people bought climbing permits for Everest last year. This brought in around $4 million to the government. Nepal uses the money to remove waste from the mountain and to finance search and rescue operations.

some mountain climbing companies worry the higher price could lower the number of climbers wanting to climb everest from the nepalese side the companies warn that some climbers might decide to climb everest through china some climbers might shift to tibet where the facilities are much better said mingma g

he runs the imagine nepal mountaineering company and says nepal must use the money to improve conditions our government just increases the royalty but doesn't do much it needs to also provide support to the climbers and guides he added

Some groups have criticized Nepal for permitting too many climbers on Everest while not doing enough to keep the mountain clean. I'm Andrew Smith. 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. Today we're going to talk about a sport some call America's sport. That's because in Lesson 31, Ana is trying to go to a baseball game.

Ah, so that's why Lesson 31 is called Take Me Out to the Ball Game. I'm sure you know that song, Andrew. For our listeners, it's a song that they sing at the baseball parks during a short break in the play. People are encouraged to get up and stretch their legs while they sing the song. Take me out to the ball game. Take me out to the park.

I think one reason they started that is because baseball games can be long, sometimes three hours or longer. You're probably right, Andrew. But things have changed. They decided to use a new rule called the pitch timer. It makes the players move into place quickly and throw the ball or hit the ball within the set time. The games are now about a half hour shorter. That's good news.

Maybe I will go see a baseball game then. Let's see what Anna is doing in Lesson 31. Hi there, sports fans! Baseball is America's sport. Today, I am going to Nationals Park. It is home to Washington, D.C.'s baseball team, the Washington Nationals. Hi, Jonathan! Hi, Anna!

Where are you going? I am taking a bus to a national baseball game. Don't take the bus. A taxi is faster than a bus. Oh, good idea. You know, I love baseball. That's great. Have fun. Anna says goodbye to Jonathan, but then runs into another friend on the street, Ashley.

And she gives her some advice about getting to the ballpark. Remember, Jonathan told Anna, Don't take the bus. A taxi is faster than a bus. But Ashley doesn't think that is such a good idea.

Hi, Ashley. Where are you going? I am going to see a Nationals baseball game. What time is the game? Seven o'clock. Do you have a ticket? No, not yet. Anna, you should go a lot earlier than seven o'clock. That is why I'm taking a taxi. Taxi! Anna, Anna, that is not a good idea. A bicycle is faster than a taxi.

Traffic is always a problem in Washington, D.C., but you learn some ways to get around, even when the streets are crowded. Ashley is telling Anna that she should go by bicycle to the ballpark. That is a good idea. Bikes can ride around a line of cars. But I'm not sure Anna has a bike. I don't think she does. And she tells Ashley...

Oh, Ashley. Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. A car is faster than your bicycle. That's why Ashley tells her: In DC traffic, sometimes a bicycle is faster than a car. Did you notice her pronunciation there, Jill? I think this is another one of those reduced forms we always find in natural speech.

Yep, it is. Let's listen to how to pronounce host John Russell explain in our pronunciation practice video. When English speakers use comparative adjectives, they sometimes do not pronounce the word 'van' clearly. Ashley says: In DC traffic, sometimes a bicycle is faster than a car. So, you may hear someone say:

The metro is faster than a taxi. There, you hear a reduced vowel, the schwa, /ə/, instead of the sound /æ/. Listen. Than, then. You know, we could give some examples with some other adjectives to compare ways to get to the baseball park. Oh, like riding a bicycle is cheaper than taking the metro. And

Taking the metro is cheaper than taking a taxi. Notice also, we use the verb "take" with both taxi and metro, but we say "ride" with bike. And of course we use "drive" if we are driving a car. In Lesson 31, Ashley tries to lend Anna her bike. She soon learns that Anna can't ride a bike. Let's listen to that part.

In DC traffic, sometimes a bicycle is faster than a car. And right now, there is a lot of traffic. Good point. But I don't have a bicycle. Okay, Anna. You can use my bicycle. Thanks! I really want to learn how to ride one! Whoa! What do you mean, learn how to ride a bike? Oh, Anna! Anna! Oh, Anna!

Well, it looks like Anna is going to have to find another way to get to the game. Let's finish the lesson and see how she gets there. Anna, the metro is faster than a taxi and a bicycle. You ought to take the metro. It's that way. Good idea. Okay. See you later. Bye.

The metro was a lot faster than a bus, taxi, or bike. Now, I'm at National Park. This might be a good chance for our listeners to practice their pronunciation by talking about two means or two ways of transportation in their own town or city.

Pick a place you want to go and tell us about the different ways you can get there. Send us an email at [email protected] or write your comment on our YouTube video. And remember that there are dozens of episodes of the Let's Learn English series you can watch to help you learn English.

And don't forget, on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com, each episode of the Let's Learn English series comes with a lesson plan you can download to help you learn more or even teach English to others. Thanks for listening to the lesson of the day on 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...