Learning English Podcast - January 29, 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, Mario and I present this week's education tips. Brian Lynn reports about the effects of weather conditions on school attendance around the world. And we close with the lesson of the day from our teachers, Jill Robbins and Andrew Smith.

But first, let me tell you about a recent court ruling on an unusual legal case in America. A court in the American state of Colorado has ruled against an animal rights group seeking the release of five elephants from a zoo.

Lawyers for the group Non-Human Rights Project were seeking to use a legal process designed for prisoners to dispute their imprisonment. A favorable ruling would have permitted the lawyers to dispute the animals' detention at the zoo.

The elephants Missy, Kimba, Lucky, Lulu, and Jambo live at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The Non-Human Rights Project's final goal was to get them moved to an elephant sanctuary.

But the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the legal process the group employed could not be used for the animals. Because an elephant is not a person, the elephants here do not have standing to bring a habeas corpus claim, the court said in the ruling.

A habeas corpus claim usually asks a court for the release of a prisoner who says they are being illegally detained. The decision follows a similar finding by a court in New York in 2022. Non-human rights project also brought that case. The legal action concerned Happy, an elephant at the Bronx Zoo.

The Colorado elephants were born in the wild in Africa. The rights group said the animals have shown signs of brain damage because the zoo is like a prison. It wanted the animals released to one of the two accredited elephant sanctuaries in the United States.

The group said it does not believe the animals would survive in the wild. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo argued that moving the elephants might result in their placement with new animals. The zoo said it could cause them unnecessary stress and would be cruel considering the age of the elephants.

It said the five elephants are not used to being in large groups, and it argued that the elephants do not have the skills or desire to join one, based on observations of the animals. The zoo welcomed the court's ruling, but it also said it was disappointed that there had to be a legal fight over the issue.

The zoo accused the non-human rights project of abusing court systems to raise money. The non-human rights project said the latest ruling perpetuates a clear injustice. It predicted that future courts would reject the idea that only humans have a right to liberty.

As with other social justice movements, early losses are expected, the organization said in a statement. It added that current legal policy has permitted Missy, Kimba, Lucky, Lulu, and Jambo to be relegated to a lifetime of mental and physical suffering. ♪

a united nations report has found that extreme weather interrupted the schooling of at least two hundred forty two million children last year

the weather included severe events such as heat waves cyclones and extreme dryness and flooding the un's children's fund unicef said students in eighty-five nations were affected

unicef said weather related interruptions amounted to one in seven school-aged children across the world being kept out of class at some point during twenty twenty four the report also noted that some countries said that hundreds of their schools were destroyed by weather

Nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa were hit especially hard. But the report said other parts of the world also experienced problems. The report noted that heavy rains and flooding near the end of 2024 disrupted school for more than 900,000 children in Italy.

and in spain thousands of students had their classes cancelled because of severe flooding unicef reported that southern europe experienced deadly floods and parts of asia and africa suffered flooding and cyclones

but heat waves the report noted were the predominant climate hazard shuttering schools last year more than one hundred eighteen million children had their schooling interrupted in april alone the report said those interruptions were linked to heat waves in parts of the middle east and asia

School was interrupted because temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement, The report shows that the world's children today are more vulnerable to extreme weather-related events than in the past.

she added children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded or if schools are washed away around seventy four per cent of the children affected in twenty twenty four were in middle and low-income countries the report said

UNICEF said this demonstrates how climate extremes continue to have a damaging effect on the world's poorest countries. In Pakistan, flooding ruined more than 400 schools in April, and Afghanistan experienced heat waves followed by severe flooding that destroyed more than 110 schools in May.

months of drought in southern africa threatened schooling for millions of children the report added more recently the french territory of mayotte in the indian ocean off africa was left in ruins by cyclone chido in december

Cyclone Chido also destroyed more than 330 schools and three education departments in Mozambique. The UN Children's Agency report stated the world's schools and education systems are largely ill-equipped to deal with the effects of extreme weather. Brian Lynn.

Disabled researchers often face barriers while carrying out their work. So some scientists with disabilities are seeking to increase attention about the problem and come up with workable solutions. Anita Marshall is a geologist with the University of Florida.

She recently told the Associated Press, AP, that while she faces some limitations, it does not mean she cannot do her job. Just because you can't do it like someone else doesn't mean you can't do it, she said.

Marshall recently led an outing of disabled researchers to a natural lake in Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest. The group included scientists and students with disabilities related to sight, hearing, and mobility. They visited Lost Lake, which sits along the area's San Andreas Fault.

The fault contains two tectonic plates that can cause earthquakes. The trip was organized by Marshall's group called the International Association for Geoscience Diversity. It aims to demonstrate the difficulties or challenges disabled researchers often face.

other groups also aim to improve access to field and laboratory work so those with disabilities feel welcome and stay taormina lapore is a western michigan university palaeontologist who went on the trip

she told the a p that one problem is that many scientists seem to value a single traditional way of doing their work this makes it more difficult to get changes for disabled researchers on the trip to lost lake everyone got to see the lake even if they could not get there physically

Some attendees saw the surroundings on video taken by a drone. Lepore, who also researches science education, said an important part of the process is for scientists to think about what might help other scientists they work with. It's really about empathy as much as it is about science.

the national science foundation said in twenty twenty one that disabled people make up about three per cent of the science technology engineering and math work force

scientists with disabilities say the low percentage is partly because labs classrooms and field areas are not designed for disabled individuals mark letty used to oversee disability related grants for the national science foundation

he noted that some students and faculty are still told they cannot work in a lab or do research safely the americans with disabilities act of nineteen ninety does set rules for new buildings and labs these include requiring ramps and walkways that can be used by people in wheelchairs

but making changes to older labs can be costly and difficult. Alyssa Paparella is working on her doctorate degree in biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. She founded an online community for disabled scientists.

Paparella said a science building at one of her former schools did not have the needed buttons to open the doors. That's the front door that they're not even able to get in. Letty said researchers with disabilities are invaluable because of their life experiences.

They have to come up with creative ways to get past barriers in their lives, a problem-solving skill that is needed in a lab. Jennifer Piatek is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at Central Connecticut State University.

She uses a wheelchair, but was able to see through drone video. Piatek said it was nice to be part of a community that took her needs into account. You can learn a lot from images and maps, but really you need to get to the space to be in it.

western michigan's lapore is a neurodivergent person with low vision she noted nature is not inherently accessible bushra hosseini works at new york city's american museum of natural history

she told the a p that by going on field trips she learns new ways to support interns and volunteers who visit the museum she said the supportive community of geologists is what keeps her coming back we learn from each other and we help each other

as a doctoral student marshall went on field trips with other students but she often had to wait in the car because the organizers had not thought about her disabilities marshall wants things to be different for the next generation of scientists the whole point of these little day trips is to just plant that seed out there

that there's another way forward, she said. I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. And I'm Katie Weaver. My name is Anna 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. In Washington, D.C., you can get to many places by using the bus or metro train. And a lot of people use bicycles or scooters to get from one place to another. But it can still be useful to have a car. And that's why Ana wants to get her driver's license.

The license gives her legal permission to drive a car. To get the license, she has to take her driving test on a Saturday. In Lesson 21 of the Let's Learn English series, Anna's friend Marcia invites her to a party. The party is on Saturday, so Anna thinks she can't go to it because of her driving test. Let's listen.

Hey, Anna. My friend is having a party on Saturday. Can you come with me? Sorry, I can't come with you. I have to get my driver's license. Will you be busy all day? I don't know. First, I have to take a test on the computer. Then, I have to take a test in the car. But you have to take the test during the day, don't you? Yes.

Luckily, Anna learns that the party is at night. The party is at night. Oh, then I can come with you to the party on Saturday night. Great! I have to help my friend with the party. Can you help me? Sure. That sounds like fun. In a previous lesson of the day, Andrew and I explained how speakers of English change the pronunciation of the verb "can"

when they talk more quickly. Can changes to can. Listen again to Anna and Marcia. In these sentences, they mostly pronounce the verb can with slower speech. The party is at night. Oh, then I can come with you to the party on Saturday night. Great! I have to help my friend with the party. Can you help me? Sure. That sounds like fun.

Everyone has to bring something or do something. You can bring food or you can perform. Really? I can perform? You can. Can you? Yes. I can recite poetry.

Did you notice that the more Anna wanted to emphasize or make her meaning clear, the slower she said the word can? Oh, then I can come with you to the party on Saturday night. Speaking a little faster, the pronunciation starts to change. Really? I can perform? And a little later, Marcia says...

Anna, maybe you can just bring food. And if Jill quickly tells me that she can help me tomorrow, it sounds like this: I can do it tomorrow. Now, we're going to show another example of how we change vowel sounds and reduce words. Reducing means we make words shorter and faster.

This next example uses the two words "have to." When Anna and Marcia say those two words quickly, the sound changes. First, listen to the slower speech. Sorry, I can't come with you. I have to get my driver's license. Will you be busy all day?

I don't know. First, I have to take a test on the computer. Then, I have to take a test in the car. But you have to take the test during the day, don't you? Now, listen to the faster speech. First, you'll hear Marcia, then Anna. Now, I have to go shopping for food. I have to help Marcia shop.

Now, listen to Jill and me say "have to" in a short conversation. So, Jill, what are you doing later this afternoon? I have to look at the comments on our YouTube channel. How about you? Well, I have to do a lot of things. I have to check my camera. I have to review some notes for a story.

I have to go to the grocery store. I have to... What else do I have to do? Oh, I have to clean up some things and I have to get ready for tomorrow. Whoa, do you really have to do all that? Can't you wait and do some of it tomorrow? I guess I don't have to get it all done, but I'd rather do it sooner. I'd rather means that you prefer to do something or be something. So, Jill, would you rather be a hammer or a nail?

Well, I don't think I would want to be either, but if I had to choose, I would be a hammer. But I'd rather be a bird than a hammer. Me too. We're going to talk more about the phrase, I'd rather, in another Lesson of the Day. I'm Jill Robbins, and you're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. Now, let's go back to Lesson 21.

Listen to these two sentences and see if you can identify or name the subject and verb of each sentence. Everyone has to bring something or do something. Nobody recites poetry at parties. Did you hear the subject and verb? In the first example, they were the words "everyone has" and in the second one, they were the words "nobody recites."

Recites means to say something aloud, usually from memory, like a poem, speech, or the words to a song. There's something interesting about the subjects of those sentences. In fact, the words are so special that everyone studies them in English class. Andrew, when you think of everyone, do you think of one or more than one person? Well, of course, I think of more than one.

Yeah, you're thinking of lots of people. But here is why the word everyone is special. Listen to the example again. Everyone has to bring something or do something. Marcia says everyone has. Everyone means more than one person, but the verb has agrees with a singular subject. So that's how the word is special. The word nobody follows the same rule.

We can think about more than one person when we say nobody, but the verb agrees with a singular subject. Listen. Nobody recites poetry at parties. Here are some more words that can refer to more than one person or thing, but that take a verb that agrees with a singular subject. The words are everywhere.

everyone, nobody, somebody, someone, everybody, anybody, and anyone. In English-speaking countries, everybody learns the grammar rule for those words in school. But not everyone remembers them. And some people may not feel it sounds natural to follow that rule with the word "every." Here is a sentence you can use to help you remember the rule.

Every window needs washing. And here's some words from a song. Everybody loves somebody sometime. Ah, yes, I know that song. Are you going to sing that, Jill? Yeah. Everybody loves somebody sometime. Sounds good to me. Thanks. But there's a famous recording of that song by Dean Martin that sounds a lot better. Well, Jill, what's the plan for our next lesson of the day?

I'm still working on that, but you just said something that gives me an idea. In lesson 22 of Let's Learn English, Anna is planning her new show for children. Her producer, Amelia, asks her about it. Let's listen. So Anna, what's the plan for the show? When we say, what's the plan for, that's just another way of saying, what will happen? Or, what are we going to do?

And we say, what's the plan for when we are doing something together with another person or persons? Tune in for our next podcast when we listen in on Anna making plans with her producer, Amelia. 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 Mario Vaz.