Learning English Podcast - March 27, 2025
29:56 Share

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, Jill Robbins brings us the Science and Technology Report. She tells about possible ways Earth may be protected if threatened by an asteroid strike. Though currently chances of such an event are considered low, experts are still developing defensive measures just in case.

Then, South Korean officials are welcoming news about the birth rate in their nation. In 2024, the number of babies born in the country increased for the first time in nine years. The change is reason to celebrate as the country is dealing with serious population problems.

John Russell brings us that story. And we close the show with the lesson of the day. But first, have you ever seen the Goodyear Blimp? The long, rounded aircraft has been a regular sight at major sporting events since 1955.

Here is Ana Mateo with a little history of the famous flyer for today's All About America. The Goodyear Blimp is an airship that is also a traveling advertisement for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The airships are immediately recognizable to most Americans.

For the past 100 years, Goodyear has flown blimps over major sporting events, including the Daytona 500 car race. The blimp has been at every Daytona 500 race since 1962. In 2025, to celebrate the anniversary of the Goodyear blimp, the airships are taking a special tour of big events around the country.

Goodyear operates three 75-meter-long airships called Wingfoot 1, 2, and 3. Wingfoot 1 is based near Akron, Ohio, which is also home to the company's headquarters. Wingfoot 2 is based near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The third airship is based near Los Angeles, California.

Today, there are many camera technologies, such as drones, that have changed aerial photography. However, the blimp continues to provide pictures from the air that are unusual. At the Daytona 500, for example, the airship provides a bird's-eye view of the speedway that cannot be equaled. Fox Sports Director Artie Kempner

spoke to the Associated Press about television coverage of the race. Kempner said, He added that he expected to use aerial pictures from the blimp about 50 times during his coverage.

The Goodyear blimp has been a regular sight at major sporting events since flying above the 1955 Rose Bowl American football game. It became a service vehicle for television coverage, providing shots from high above events. At the same time, it has been a recognizable advertising vehicle for the Goodyear company.

over the years blimps have undergone many changes they have been equipped with improvements to steering camera and safety technology the airship is quieter to ride because the engines and propellers have been repositioned riding on the blimp is not too different from traveling on a small airplane each can carry twelve passengers

and has reclining seats, tables, seatbelts, and a bathroom. The blimp offers a smooth ride, even at its top speed of 117 kilometers per hour. It's an iconic symbol for our nation, a floating piece of Americana, said blimp pilot Jensen Kervern.

She added, despite changes in technology and our environment, people still get so excited to see the blimp. Goodyear representatives say the blimps have covered more than 2,500 events and taken more than 500,000 passengers for rides. President Ronald Reagan might be the most famous passenger.

Already in 2025, the Goodyear fleet has flown over college football games at the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl, professional sports games and golf competitions at Pebble Beach, California. One of the blimps is also expected to appear at the music festival Coachella, at WrestleMania, and at the Academy Awards.

Some people, however, might wonder whether the blimp will survive another 100 years. They point to improving drone technology. And note that the Goodyear blimp crew at Daytona required 20 people. But blimp pilot Kervern is not too worried. She said, there's nothing like it in the world. I'm Ana Mateo.

In 2024, the number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years. The change is welcome news for a country that is dealing with serious population problems.

South Korea's statistics agency said recently that 238,300 babies were born last year, an increase of 8,300 from a year earlier. The agency said the country's fertility rate

The average number of babies born to each woman in her reproductive years was 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 in 2023. The data represents the first time that the yearly number of births has increased since 2015.

Choi Yoon-kyung is an expert with the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education. Choi told the Associated Press that researchers must wait for more data over the next few years to see if increased births were driven by structural changes. Park Hyun-yong is with the government agency Statistics Korea.

Park said the agency believes the rise is partly due to an increase in marriages following postponements of such plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Park said another reason for the increase is that a growing number of people entered their early 30s.

She also noted a government study that shows a small increase in the number of young people hoping to have children after marriage. Official data show South Korea's fertility rate has been the lowest in the developed world in recent years.

In 2022, South Korea was the only country with a fertility rate below 1 among members of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The low fertility rate could threaten South Korea's economic health.

The country, Asia's fourth largest economy, could face labor shortages and greater spending on public assistance programs. South Korea's central and local governments have been increasingly offering several support programs to those who give birth to children.

But experts say that it will be difficult to solve the country's population problems. Many young people say they do not want to have babies. Their reasons include costly housing, low levels of upward social movement, the high costs of raising and educating children, and a culture that requires women to do more of the child care.

Park said that the fertility rate will likely stay on an upward movement at least for another year. But observers say it remains to be seen whether the rate will go back down as post-pandemic marriages even out. The country's population structure will also change, with a drop in the number of people in their early 30s.

Some experts argue that the government should pay more attention to supporting young couples who want to have babies. There are still people with solid wills to have a family and babies. When we help them realize their hopes, our fertility rate won't suffer a steep, 45-degree drop, Che said. I'm John Russell.

Astronomers following asteroid activity in space estimate there is a very small chance an object large enough to destroy a whole city could strike Earth in 2032. But space agency officials say even if such an asteroid keeps heading on a path toward Earth, the world is now much better equipped to defend itself against such a threat.

The American space agency NASA recently estimated there was a 3.1% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 would hit Earth on December 22, 2032. That is the highest probability predicted for such a large space rock in modern times. Richard Meusel is head of the European Space Agency, or ESA,

planetary defense office while recognizing the risk the asteroid could present he told the french news agency afp people should not panic over such predictions astronomers have noted that the more data they gather the odds of a direct asteroid hit are expected to keep rising over time however scientists say at a certain point the odds will likely drop down to zero

Meusel said he thinks it is important to remember that even in the unlikely event the probability keeps rising to 100%, the world is not defenseless. Here are some methods currently being considered as defensive measures to keep humanity safe in case there is a real threat. Only one planetary defense method has been tried against an asteroid.

In 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test sent a spacecraft into the 160-meter-wide Dimorphos asteroid. The effort successfully changed the asteroid's orbit around a larger space rock. Bruce Betts is chief scientist for the non-profit Planetary Society.

He told AFP that space agencies could hit the 2024 YR4 asteroid with several spacecrafts, observing how each one changed the path. The asteroid, discovered in December, is estimated to be 40 to 90 meters wide, about half the size of Dimorphos.

You have to take care not to overdo it, Weissel warned. He said this is because if a spacecraft only partially destroys an asteroid, it could send smaller pieces of the space rock heading toward Earth. A separate idea would involve sending a large spacecraft to fly alongside a threatening asteroid. The spacecraft would not touch the asteroid, but would use its gravitational force to pull it away from Earth.

Moisel said another non-contact plan would put a spacecraft near the asteroid to eject a continuous flow of atoms to push the asteroid off course. Scientists have also considered painting one side of the asteroid white. They believe this could increase the light the object reflects to make it slowly change course. One idea is to use a nuclear weapon against the threatening asteroid. In laboratory tests,

Researchers found that X-rays from a nuclear blast could move a rock. But this is considered more of a plan for kilometers-wide asteroids, like the one that killed off the dinosaurs. And this method also carries the risk that a nuclear explosion could send additional pieces of the asteroid falling toward Earth. A similar method, but one considered less dangerous, would involve shooting laser beams from a spacecraft.

to destroy the side of an asteroid in an effort to push it away from earth moisel said that if all else fails at least the world will have a good idea where a threatening asteroid would strike since astronomers believe most asteroids would at most threaten to destroy one city efforts could be organized to get people out of an area before a strike seven and a half years is a long time to prepare moisel added

He also noted that even with the rising odds involving 2024 YR4, there is still about a 97% chance the asteroid will miss Earth. I'm Jill Robbins. 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. Hello, my name is Ana Mateo. My name is Andrew Smith. And I'm Faith Perlow.

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. This series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. In a recent podcast, we talked about Lesson 44 of the series.

where Anna says she's fighting with herself about whether to buy junk food or healthy food. I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, I only want to eat junk food. But I know I should eat healthy food. So I fight with myself. One side says, "You should eat healthy food." The other side says, "But I want to eat junk food."

In today's lesson, we are going to teach vocabulary you can use to talk more about this subject. Let's start with this idea that Anna is fighting with herself. We call this an internal conflict because it's a conflict within one's self.

Or we can just say that a person feels conflicted. And notice the different pronunciation between the noun "conflict" and the adjective "conflicted." We stress the first syllable in the noun "conflict," and we stress the second syllable in the adjective "conflicted." And we can also use the expression "torn between" to describe an internal conflict.

Anna is torn between buying junk food and buying healthy food. And notice how Andrew used a verb with -ing after the word "between." We can be torn between two choices or torn between doing two things. So, Faith, here's a question for you. When you feel torn between two choices, how do you decide what to do?

Well, I listen to my gut, my tummy. When you listen to your gut, you listen to your instincts or your inner thoughts, right? So that's what I do. I listen to my inner thoughts. I listen to my gut. And usually my first instinct is the right one.

I think that is a good idea because you're listening to your feelings and your feelings will usually give you a good answer. You can also listen to your stomach when you're hungry. Yes, which is what is happening now. Anna is torn between two things because she is tempted to buy junk food, even though she knows healthy food is better.

The verb tempt means to try to get someone to choose something. And sometimes that thing might not be very good for you. And the noun form of this word is temptation. So, Faith, is there any kind of junk food that you are tempted to buy when you go to the store? You have a lot of questions for me today, Andrew. I'm always tempted to buy chips.

I have a love for crunchy and salty things, hence my love of popcorn. But sometimes I want something even saltier, like potato chips or tortilla chips. How about you? Oh, yes, I'm tempted to buy some junk food or some snack food. For me, I think it's more on the sweet side. I'm tempted to buy muffins, which are like little cakes.

and, um, donuts and cookies. You get the idea. And even though I do get tempted to buy donuts, I'm pretty good about not buying them. But they do taste good. True. And they are a part of Anna's internal conflict. Let's listen. I smell fresh bread. I love the smells of a bakery.

Let's buy a fresh loaf of whole wheat organic bread. You don't have to buy bread. Buy some donuts, Anna. You mustn't buy donuts.

Exactly. You know, you are really no fun at all. And you must think having high cholesterol is fun. Everyone likes donuts. That is why you don't have friends. And that is why your cholesterol is so high. My cholesterol is none of your business.

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I am sick and tired of the both of you! Notice that the word smell can be both a verb and a noun. I smell fresh bread. I love the smells of a bakery. Andrew, now I get to ask you a question. What food do you love the smell of? Ooh, I love the smell of lots of things.

I also love the smell of baking bread, of baking chicken, of curry sauce, and of flavored coffee. Lots of things. Oh, and I love the smell of fresh donuts too. Me too. Me too. We should explain that donuts are round sweet breads and cakes with a little hole in them shaped like a wheel.

or without holes and filled with cream or something sweet. But what about donuts and cholesterol? I think having high cholesterol is fun! Everyone likes donuts. That is why you don't have friends! And that is why your cholesterol is so high! That's more technical. Cholesterol is similar to fat and is made in an organ in the body called the liver. Your body needs cholesterol,

But some doctors think too much of it can cause heart problems. I have one more food question. Ana's healthy voice wants her to buy organic bread. What does organic mean? In the United States, organic means food that has been grown without using chemicals to kill insects or harmful plants. Many people think organic food is healthier.

But it is usually more expensive. So that means they might feel torn between saving money and buying something they think is healthier. Exactly. Both are tempting. We have one more expression to talk about today. Anna's internal conflict becomes so bad that she finally says, Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I am sick and tired of the both of you!

If you are sick and tired of something, that means you really dislike it and don't want to experience it anymore. We often use this expression to describe behavior or the way other people act that we don't like. And notice the preposition "of" at the end of the expression. Anna is sick and tired of the two voices in her head.

And because of is a preposition, we can again use a verb with ing after it. Right. Like I can say I'm sick and tired of listening to that person complain. Or I'm sick and tired of arguing with you. But Faith, I hope you're not sick and tired of speaking with me. I could never be sick and tired of speaking with you, Andrew. You're so fun to talk with.

Oh, well, that's very nice. Thank you. That makes me feel good. And we hope you've enjoyed the lesson of the day on the Learning English podcast. Remember that you can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. And thanks for listening. I'm Faith Perlow. 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