Learning English Podcast - January 16, 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.

Coming up on the show, Brian Lynn brings us the Science and Technology Report. He tells about some of the products featured at CES, the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada. We also hear stories from Andrew Smith and John Russell. We close the show with the lesson of the day.

Now, here's Andrew Smith. Greenland is the world's largest island and a self-governed territory of Denmark. About 57,000 people live there, mainly along its coasts. Most of Greenland lies north of the Arctic Circle under thick sheets of ice.

The island plays a large part in the weather experienced by billions of people every day and in climate changes around the planet, experts say. American President-elect Donald Trump is expressing interest in buying Greenland from Denmark.

he said something similar during his first term in office as well the united states has a large military base on the island geologists say greenland has huge amounts of oil and natural gas below the ice and valuable elements known as rare earth minerals

Rare earth minerals are needed in communication technologies, including phones. Most of these resources are trapped under Greenland's ice. However, warming temperatures in recent years have increased melting on the island. As more ice melts, some of these resources may become easier to reach.

Jeff DeBelko is a security and environment professor at Ohio University. He thinks other countries are becoming interested in Greenland because China is currently the supplier of more than half of the world's rare earth minerals.

From 1992 to 2020, Greenland lost an average of 169 billion metric tons of ice each year, with losses reaching 444 billion metric tons in 2019. Mark Cerise is director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.

He told the Associated Press that melting from Greenland will be a central issue through the 21st century. That is because melting ice adds to rising sea levels. Cerise noted that the amount of melting will likely increase in the future.

Greenland also serves as the engine for an important ocean current that influences Earth's climate in many ways, including storm activity. The current is called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC.

the current is slowing down because more fresh water from greenland's melting ice is entering the ocean cerise said a shutdown of the current could lead to long-term freezes in europe and parts of north america if this global current system were to slow substantially or even collapse

As we know it has done in the past, normal temperature and precipitation patterns around the globe would change drastically, said climate scientist Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center, a nonprofit based in the American state of Massachusetts.

she added that the changes would have very damaging effects on farming and ecosystems as more ice melts greenland is also changing color from the white of ice to the blue and green of water and land these darker colors hold more heat from the sun and can increase the speed of warming

Greenland lies in between northern Canada, northern Europe, and Russia. That area may become more valuable to countries if melting in the Arctic Ocean continues to increase and more ships pass through the area. I'm Andrew Smith.

A spacecraft recently sent back some of the best close-up pictures yet of the planet Mercury's North Pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer went as close as 295 kilometers above Mercury's night side before passing directly over the planet's North Pole.

The European Space Agency released images that show craters with deep shadows on our solar system's smallest planet. ESA noted that the edges or rims of the craters called Prokofiev, Kandinsky, Tolkien, and Gortimer create permanent shadows.

as a result these unlit craters are some of the coldest places in the solar system even though mercury is the closest planet to the sun cameras also took images of neighbouring volcanic plains known as borealis

ESA noted that these are Mercury's largest expanse of smooth plains and were formed by the widespread eruption of lava 3.7 billion years ago. Also appearing in the images released by ESA is Mercury's largest impact crater, the Caloris Basin, which covers more than 1,500 kilometers.

This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018. The recent move put the spacecraft on a path to enter orbit around Mercury late next year. The spacecraft holds two orbiters, one from Europe and the other from Japan, that will circle the planet's poles.

in a statement on its website asa noted that mercury a small dry planet is the least explored planet of the inner solar system learning more about mercury will shed light on the history of the entire solar system

The spacecraft is named for the late Giuseppe "Pepe" Colombo, an Italian mathematician. Colombo played a part in NASA's Mariner 10 mission to Mercury in the 1970s and, 20 years later, in the Italian Space Agency's special satellite project that flew on the US Space Shuttle. I'm John Russell.

At this year's CES show in Las Vegas, Nevada, crowds from around the world came to see the latest products built with artificial intelligence, AI. CES is produced by the Virginia-based Consumer Technology Association.

it presents the latest electronic product offerings or features targeting consumers more than one hundred thirty eight thousand people attended the event which ended last weekend more than four thousand companies presented products at c e s twenty twenty five

here is a look at some of the top products shown at this year's twenty twenty five show c e s is historically an event at which large electronics manufacturers introduced their latest and greatest televisions this year was no different

South Korean TV makers LG and Samsung both announced new smart models with built-in AI tools. Others, including Japan's Panasonic and China's Hisense and TCL, also released TV models with new AI tools.

Korean manufacturer LG said its latest models are equipped with AI technologies designed to autonomously improve picture brightness, sharpness, and sound quality. The AI improvements are powered by the company's own A11 processor technology.

LG also announced new updates for its Magic Remote Device controller, saying new AI tools were added to provide more detailed search and interactive possibilities with users. Samsung introduced a system called Samsung Vision AI for its line of OLED and QLED TV models.

the company said the ai tools are meant to turn the tvs into more intelligent assistive devices and to help simplify and enrich everyday living for its users

One example is a feature that permits users to click on different screen elements to receive immediate information about what they see. The company said another tool makes it possible to activate live language translations on screen.

several companies at ces introduced robotic transport vehicles designed to travel over many kinds of surfaces or terrain one model was built by kubota a japanese maker of farm and building equipment

the company demonstrated how the katr four-wheeled robot uses hydraulics to control the vehicle's four legs independently this design seeks to keep the robot secure and level even when working on hills or in rocky areas

Kubata says the vehicle, which is able to carry loads up to 240 kilograms, is small enough to be transported in most pickup trucks. Chinese developer Unitree Robotics showed off a dog-like robot model called Go2.

The robot was designed with a series of cameras, sensors and AI tools. The company says this permits GoTo to make smooth movements and automatically follow its owner. It is able to carry small loads on its back and can also be used in security operations involving businesses or individuals.

demonstrations at ces showed goto doing tricks like standing on two legs dancing and giving high-fives to visitors the company produces several other dog-like models as well as humanoid robots the latest flying car designs are also a yearly favorite at ces

but this year chinese automaker x pung took its presentation a step further by introducing a combination truck and flying vehicle the company calls the system a land aircraft carrier it includes a large transport van with enough space to transport a vertical landing flying vehicle inside

the idea is for users to be able to launch the flying vehicle from anywhere the van can go the flying car is fully autonomous and can carry two people at a time

Chinese media reported the company, which also offers several traditional vehicles on its website, plans to sell the combination for about $300,000. Xpeng said it will aim to increase production for all its vehicles in the coming year.

california based aptera motors demonstrated a new electronic vehicle model with a built-in charging system the company explains on its website that the vehicle has solar panels on its surface to capture energy from the sun

when charged this way aptera claims the car can travel up to sixty four kilometers in a single day without being plugged in to a power source on a full charge the company says the vehicle can travel up to six hundred forty kilometers

japanese drink producer kieran holdings introduced a new product that aims to strengthen or enhance the taste of salt in food products without increasing the amount of salt the spoon-shaped device uses electricity to increase saltiness

the company says the tool which can be taken anywhere sends a weak electric current through the top of the device to food french electric sports equipment maker sq motors presented an all-terrain electric board that can move on roads and snow the company calls its invention the stern board

it is a three-wheeled board with an electric motor in the back first designed to be an electric skateboard a version was developed to move on snow the powered boards have reached speeds of more than sixty kilometers per hour in tests but the snow versions are not designed for speed

They seek to provide users with the ability to go up hills or move long distances over level land. Brian Lynn. My name is Ana Mateo. And my name is Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. You're listening to 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's lesson has three parts. First, you will hear and repeat a few informal expressions Ana uses that are very common in American English. Next, you will hear Andrew and me having a native speaker conversation.

Third, you'll get to practice hearing and listening to phrases that begin with the word "what." We have a lot to do in today's lesson, so let's get started. Here's Anna in lesson 19 when she learns that she is going to make a new TV show. I have a new assignment for you. Your skills are perfect for a new show. Children's show. A children's show.

That is awesome! When do I start? You start next month. Start thinking of ideas for the show. I have tons of ideas. I can show children what it's like in outer space. "Tons of" is an informal way of saying "a lot of."

A ton, in the units of weight used in the United States, is 2,000 pounds, which is about 907 kilograms. So that's why a ton of, or tons of, means a lot, or very many. Anna has a lot of imagination, so she has tons of ideas.

I have tons of ideas. And there are tons of things we can talk about based on the Let's Learn English series from VOA Learning English. Here's some more examples with the expression tons of. So, Andrew, I'm going to Charlotte, North Carolina next weekend for a work meeting, but I haven't had time to plan my trip and I don't really know what to do.

Oh, don't worry about that. There's tons to do. There are more than one really good art museums downtown. There are major sports teams. There's an NBA basketball team, an NFL football team, soccer teams. There's a very good symphony orchestra and a lot of good restaurants. You will have plenty to do. Yeah, I'm sure I will. Hey, I meant to ask you.

Could you help me move my office furniture if you're not too busy? Yeah, no problem. I've got tons of time. Speaking of the office, do you have any paperclips? Oh, I've got tons of them. Take all you want. Andrew, pretty soon our listeners will have tons of examples. That's true. I think they probably get the idea. But they should remember that tons of is a little bit informal.

And it is used more in speaking than in formal writing. That's true. So how about teaching another informal expression? Well, how about, how about? Yeah, we can do that. Here's Anna and Jeannie in Lesson 14. Anna needs some clothes to wear, and a genie appears and tries to help.

Tonight, I am going to the theater with my friends, but I don't know what clothes to wear. Maybe this magazine can help. Her clothes are beautiful. I really want a friend like her to help me. Who are you? I'm Jeannie.

You want help? I am here to help you find the right clothes. Awesome! How about jeans and a t-shirt? No! Jeans and a t-shirt are too casual. How about something more formal? Sure! When Ana says "how about," she means:

What if we try this? Awesome! How about jeans and a t-shirt? And when we speak quickly, we sometimes drop the /ə/ sound from "about" and just say "bout." So it sounds like this: How about this? Or how about that? How about we listen to Anna one more time? Can you put on a jacket? Why not? I love the jacket!

I think we can find tons of examples of people saying, "How about?" I'm sure we can. But how about we do something else? There's something Ana says at the end of Lesson 19 that we could talk about for our native speaker conversation. Let's listen. I have tons of ideas. I can show children what it's like in outer space.

Great! In the deep, dark ocean. Those are great ideas, Anna. Please, go think of more at your desk. Yes. What other things can I show them? Mount Everest. Everyone has different skills. You have skills. I have skills. The important thing is to know what you are good at. Until next time. I think Anna has some useful advice.

It is important to know what you're good at. Yeah, for example, last week I realized that I'm good at catering. You know, like setting up food and tables for a party. It's probably something I learned from watching my mother. Let's move on to our third topic for today. Phrases that start with the word "what." Grammatically, these are called noun clauses, but you don't have to worry about the name.

Just listen to the word order. You hear the word "what," then you hear a subject followed by a verb. Here's Anna again in lesson 19, excited that she's going to have a new TV show. The noun clause is at the end. A children's show. That is awesome! When do I start? You start next month.

Start thinking of ideas for the show. I have tons of ideas. I can show children what it's like in outer space. When she says "what it's like," you hear the word "what" plus the subject "it" plus the verb "is" using the contraction form "its." So normally when we ask a question with words such as "what" or "where,"

The verb comes before the subject, like when we say "What is your name?" But if we put the "what" or "where" inside a sentence or statement, the subject and verb change places, like this: I want to know what your name is. The words "what your name is" are the object of the verb "know."

So, their job in the sentence is to function like a noun instead of a question. So, that's why the word order is not like a question with "what." It can be tricky to reverse the subject and verb order correctly. But don't worry, we're going to give you tons of examples. I can show children what it's like in outer space. And how about these examples?

I can show you what I want. I can show you what I need. I can tell you what I think. I can tell you what I see. You can show me what you want. You can show me what you need. You can tell me what you think. You can tell me what you see. I can tell you what to do. I can tell you where to go. You can? Yes, I can. Go ahead. Tell me some more.

I can tell you what time it is. I can tell you what the weather is. I can tell you what my cat likes to eat. I can tell you where my cat likes to sleep. I can tell you what it's like to watch the moon and stars at night. I can tell you what I want. I can tell you what I need. But I can't tell you what to do because that's really up to you. You know, I think that's true. You can't tell me what to do, but you can give me some good advice.

Well, here's some advice for our listeners. Practice repeating the sentences you hear on this lesson of the day and use the Let's Learn English series to find many more examples of things you can learn to say. That is some good advice. We hope you've enjoyed today's lesson of the day on the Learning English podcast. I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins.

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.