Learning English Podcast - March 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, John Russell tells about the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane on our All About America series. After that, I chat with John about several terms in the story.

From discussing words to sights beyond words, we hear about the Grand Canyon on our National Park series. Then, the lesson of the day. Find out about the difference between Barrow and Lenn. But first... Wilbur and Orville Wright are the American inventors who made a small engine-powered flying machine.

they proved that flight without the aid of gas-filled balloons was possible wilbur wright was born in eighteen sixty seven near melville ind his brother orville was born four years later in dayton ohio as they grew up the wright brothers experimented with mechanical things

Later, the Wright brothers began to design their own flying machine. They used ideas they had developed from earlier experiments with a toy helicopter, kites, the printing machine, and bicycles. Soon they needed a place to test their ideas about flight.

the best place with the best wind conditions seemed to be a piece of sandy land in north carolina along the coast of the atlantic ocean it was called kill devil hill near the town of kiddie hawk the wright brothers did many tests with gliders at kiddie hawk

with these tests they learned how to solve many problems by the autumn of nineteen o three wilbur and orville had designed and built an airplane powered by a gasoline engine the plane had wings twelve meters across it weighed about three hundred forty kilograms including the pilot

on december seventeenth nineteen o three they made the world's first flight in a machine that was heavier than air and powered by an engine orville flew the plane thirty-six meters he was in the air for twelve seconds the two brothers made three more flights that day four other men watched the wright brothers first flights

one of the men took pictures few newspapers however noted the event it was almost five years before the wright brothers became famous in nineteen o eight wilbur went to france he gave demonstration flights at heights of ninety metres

A French company agreed to begin making the Wright brothers' flying machine. Orville made successful flights in the United States at the time Wilbur was in France. The United States War Department agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane. Wilbur and Orville suddenly became world heroes, but the brothers were not seeking fame.

they returned to dayton where they continued to improve their airplanes they taught many others how to fly wilbur wright died of typhoid fever in nineteen twelve orville wright continued designing and inventing until he died many years later in nineteen forty eight

Today, the Wright Brothers' first airplane is in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Visitors to the museum can look at the Wright Brothers' small plane. Then they can walk to another area and see space vehicles and a rock collected from the moon.

The world has changed a lot since Wilbur and Orville Wright began the modern age of flight over 100 years ago. I'm John Russell. You are listening to the VOA Learning English Podcast. We just heard John Russell tell a short history of the Wright brothers and their development of the airplane.

We have John here with us to talk a little more about the language of our report. Thanks for joining me, John. Hi, Mario. Thanks for having me on the show. John, I think our listeners will notice how we talk about early airplanes. Our report uses the term "flying machine."

can you explain a little about why we use that term i'm fairly sure most native english speakers do not call a passenger jet a flying machine that's a good point mario flying machine is a term specifically used for early powered aircraft

While I haven't done too much research on it, it is likely that people at the time called airplanes flying machines. We can compare that term to another in the story: glider. A glider has no engine, so gliders were not traditionally called flying machines.

Our word airplane became popular in America where it replaced an earlier word, which is now disused. The Wright brothers themselves called their machine a flyer. Early stories about it simply called it a machine that flies. But you will often come across the term flying machine when current writers are discussing early aircraft.

I think that will help our listeners get a better understanding of how a simple term like "flying machine" can have a complex story. Thanks, John. Thanks for having me on the show. See you next time. VOA Learning English has launched a new program for children. It is called Let's Learn English with Anna.

The new course aims to teach children American English through asking and answering questions and experiencing fun situations. For more information, visit our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. Our national parks journey continues this week with one of the most popular and beautiful places in America.

Grand Canyon National Park in the state of Arizona. The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of the largest canyons on Earth. It stretches for 450 kilometers. Parts of the canyon are more than 30 kilometers wide and 1 kilometer deep. Many writers have tried to describe the wonder of the Grand Canyon

They use words like mysterious, overpowering, and strange, but it is not possible to put human meaning to such a place. The Grand Canyon truly is beyond words.

Is this your first time at the Grand Canyon? Yes. And what do you think? Do you have a few words to describe it? Beautiful. Amazing. What do you think of the Grand Canyon? Very huge and very colorful. Do you have some words to describe what you're seeing? Amazing. It's so amazing. When I see it at first look,

The canyons of America's Southwest are deep, ancient openings in the earth. They look as if they formed as the earth split apart. In reality, rivers formed these canyons. Forty million years ago, the Colorado River began cutting through the area around the present-day Grand Canyon.

The river carried dirt and pieces of stone that slowly ate away at the surrounding rock. It left a pathway of enormous rock openings. At the same time, forces deep within the earth pushed up the surrounding land. Rain, snow, ice, wind, and plant roots rubbed away at the top of this new canyon.

Below, the river continued to uncover more and more levels of ancient rock. Some of the exposed rocks along the Grand Canyon's walls are nearly 2 billion years old. They are among the oldest rocks on Earth, with many levels of granite, schist, limestone, and sandstone.

The Grand Canyon measures 2,500 meters from the canyon floor to its highest point. Because of its size, the weather at the top of the canyon is often much different from the bottom. On some winter days, for example, you may find cold winds and snow at the top.

But at the bottom of the canyon, you may find warm winds and flowers. The Grand Canyon is home to some 2,000 plant species. Some of these species can only be found in the park. The park is also home to more than 370 species of birds, 90 kinds of mammals, and 40 kinds of reptiles.

Many of the birds spend their whole lives in the Grand Canyon. Other species depend on the Grand Canyon for food and shelter during large migrations. The Grand Canyon was named a Globally Important Bird Area in 2014 because of the role it plays in protecting many species of birds.

Native Americans occupied the Grand Canyon 3,000 years ago.

bones, hair, feathers, and the remains of plants have been found in deep, dry caves high in the rock walls. The Hopi, Paiute, Navajo, and other Native American tribes have all been in the area for at least 700 years.

In 1869, American John Wesley Powell explored the Grand Canyon. He recorded much of what we know today about the area. Powell and his group traveled in four boats along the Colorado River. He and his group of explorers knew very little about getting over the fast, rocky waters of the Colorado River.

In many places, boats could be turned over by giant waves. Soon after they started their journey, Powell's group lost some of its food and equipment. Three members decided to leave the group. As they walked up and out of the Grand Canyon, they were killed by Native Americans.

The rest of Powell's group survived the journey. Starved and tired, Powell and his group reached the end of the canyon. They had traveled by boat down the Colorado for more than three months. John Wesley Powell's reports and maps from the trip greatly increased interest in the Grand Canyon.

But visitors did not begin to go there in large numbers until 1901. That year, a railway was built that reached the area. Five million people visit the Grand Canyon every year. The first sight of the canyon can leave visitors speechless.

Depending on the time of day, the sun lights up the rock walls in red, orange and golden colors. The bright colors are the result of minerals in the rock. Their appearance changes endlessly with the light, the time of year and the weather. At sunset, the canyon walls display fiery red and gold hues.

Then they take on softer colors of blue, purple, and green. Most visitors walk along paths part way down the canyon. It takes several hours to walk to the bottom and even longer to climb back up. Some visitors choose to ride mules to the bottom of the canyon. Mules are strong, sturdy animals that look similar to horses.

Visitors can also explore the Grand Canyon in other ways. Hundreds of thousands of people see the canyon by air each year. They pay a helicopter or airplane pilot to fly them above and around the canyon. Thousands of people every year choose to explore the Grand Canyon by boat from the Colorado River. These trips last one to three weeks.

Most people who come to the Grand Canyon National Park visit an area known as the South Rim. That area has shuttle buses that take visitors to overlooks. Fewer people see the canyon from the North Rim.

The North Rim is less than 20 kilometers across the canyon from the South Rim, but visitors must drive more than 350 kilometers by car from the South Rim to access the North Rim. Visitors can also see the Grand Canyon from a huge glass walkway called the Skywalk.

The Skywalk is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in the western part of the canyon. The Hualapai Indians built it to increase tourism at the reservation. It opened in 2007. The Skywalk extends more than 20 meters from the canyon's rim.

It is suspended more than 1,200 meters above the bottom of the canyon and is shaped like a giant horseshoe. Many call the skywalk an engineering wonder, but others have criticized the skywalk and its development. They say it reduces the enjoyment of nature in the Grand Canyon.

For visitors hoping to get a view of the entire Grand Canyon, they will have to travel well beyond the state of Arizona. The only place to see the entire canyon at once is from outer space. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Jonathan Evans. Hello, 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 video series, Let's Learn English. This series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C.

In Lesson 46, Anna discovers she has a little problem when she sees her friend, Marsha. Listen and see if you can guess what the problem is. Have a nice day at work, Marsha. You too, Anna. Oh, wait. I have pen and paper I can borrow. Of course. We are meeting at this restaurant tonight. What is happening tonight? Today is my birthday. We are celebrating at 7:00 p.m. tonight. Did you forget

Sorry, Marsha. I gotta go. See you later! Don't forget! Tonight! 7 p.m.! Listeners, do you know what the problem is? Anna gets worried and then leaves quickly when she learns that it is Marsha's birthday. So, the problem is Anna has forgotten Marsha's birthday. Next, we see Anna at her desk at work.

I forgot Marsha's birthday and I don't get my paycheck until next week. I know. I'll make her a gift. I'll just have to borrow a couple of things. Amelia, may I borrow your stapler? Sure. I can lend you my stapler, Anna. But please return it. It's my favorite stapler.

When you watch the video, you will see that Amelia keeps her stapler, an office tool for connecting pieces of paper, in a special box. Amelia acts like her stapler is a very valuable item, like a piece of expensive jewelry or a special family photo. Well, some people really do like their office supplies. That's true. Now let's look at the language Anna and Amelia use.

They use two very useful verbs, but these verbs sometimes cause confusion for people learning English. The verbs are borrow and lend. Anna needs to borrow Amelia's stapler. That means she wants to use Amelia's stapler and then give it back to her. Amelia gives Anna the stapler to use, but she expects Anna to return it to her.

When you let someone use something, but expect them to return it back to you, you lend it to them. And don't forget to use the correct prepositions. We borrow from someone and we lend to someone. Remember, the borrower receives the item and the lender shares or moans the item. Notice that Anna says, Amelia, may I borrow your stapler?

The expression "May I" is the polite way to ask when we want to borrow something. Next in the Lesson 46 video, Anna collects more office supplies. She collects paper clips, small pieces of paper, tape, elastic rubber bands, and more. And she borrows scissors used for cutting from Jonathan. What do you think she's going to make with all of those things? Let's listen.

Happy birthday, Marsha. - Anna, I love birthday gifts. - Interesting.

What is it? Well, I know you love hats and you need office supplies. So this is your own office supply hat. Wow! That is a lot of office supplies. Many people loaned or shared their supplies with me. Some people really love their office supplies. It has paper, pens,

pens, tape, erasers, rubber bands, binder clips, paper clips, and a light. What is the balloon for? The balloon will help your friends find you. Let's try it. You get a seat in the restaurant. I will find you. Sometimes all the money in the world can't buy the perfect gift. Till next time.

It's true. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones we make ourselves. Anna has made Marcia a unique hat that's spelled U-N-I-Q-U-E and means that it is very special and not like any others. In English, we call a unique item a one of a kind, meaning there are no others that are the same as it.

Yes, and this certainly is a one-of-a-kind hat. Anna took a small round container and connected all the office supplies to it. So now Marsha can walk around with a hat of office supplies. And a red balloon on top too. There's always something silly going on with Anna.

But when we listen to Anna talk about office supplies, we can hear a very common aspect of American pronunciation. She uses many words that end in the letter R, such as paper, rubber, eraser, and binder. And on the Learning English website, in Lesson 46 of Let's Learn English, you can find a pronunciation video that explains this. Let's listen to it.

In this lesson, you hear Anna using many words that end in the letter R. It has paper, pens, tape, erasers, rubber bands,

binder clips, paper clips, and a light. One difference between British and American English is the sound of "er" at the end of a word. In American English, that sound is a strong "er," as in "stapler." In British English, the sound is closer to "a," "stapler." It has paper, pens, tape,

erasers, rubber bands, binder clips, paper clips, and a light. Now that Anna has made her special hat, she needs to return the scissors to Jonathan and the stapler to Amelia. Yes, and she especially needs to give Amelia her stapler back. I think Amelia would be very upset if that didn't happen. You know, this reminds me of an expression that I learned when I was in Japan.

It was, "Only a fool loans a neighbor his scissors." Well, you know, that reminds me. There is a famous expression in English... Wait, is that by the famous British playwright William Shakespeare? Yes, and I think you know what I'm about to say. I think I do. In Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet, a man is saying goodbye to his son.

and he gives his son some advice. And one of the things he says is, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry." That's some fancy English. But what it means is if you lend someone money, you might not get it back.

And so you might lose your friendship with the person who borrowed your money. And if you borrow too much money, then you might not keep your house or family in good financial condition. And that's because you will owe too much money. Hmm. I guess that is good advice. But, um, Jill, I was going to ask you, do you have $20 I could borrow to take a taxi home? I forgot my wallet today. Okay.

Well, I feel pretty good about our friendship. So for today, at least, I'm going to go against Shakespeare's advice and be a lender. I'm glad you are a lender bee, and I shall give thy money back to thee. Now you're just using fancy English for the fun of it. Don't worry, I trust you. Well, listeners, we trust that you enjoyed this lesson of the day on the Learning English Podcast. Thanks for listening.

Remember that you can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Thanks again for listening. 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. And I'm...