Learning English Podcast - February 04, 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, Ana Mateo tells about chorus waves, where they come from, and why space scientists are interested in them. Then, John Russell reports on a gift of thousands of kilograms of live fish received by a food bank in New York. On the Health Report, Andrew Smith talks about a new treatment for high blood pressure.

Finally, learn the ins and outs of food trucks on Lesson of the Day. But first, here is Ana Mateo. International researchers recently released a study on bursts of energy in an unexpected area of space. Scientists call the energetic activity chorus waves.

because they are said to move at the same frequency as sounds humans can hear. When the energy is turned into audio signals, the waves sound like birds chirping. Researchers have known about chorus waves in space for many years, but the latest research has found the waves exist 100,000 kilometers from Earth.

Chorus waves have never before been measured at such a big distance from a planet. In an email, study writer Chengming Liu from Beihang University in Beijing wrote, They are one of the strongest and most significant waves in space. Allison Janes is a space physicist at the University of Iowa.

who was not involved with the study. Speaking about the recent study, Jaynes said, "That opens up a lot of new questions about the physics that could be possible in this area." The new found chorus waves were detected in an area where Earth's magnetic field is stretched out. Scientists said they did not expect to find the waves there.

The discovery raises new questions about how the chirping waves form. Jaynes added, "We definitely need to find more of these events." Scientists still are not sure how the waves develop, but they think Earth's magnetic field may have something to do with it. For many years, radio antennas have picked up chorus waves.

This includes receivers at an Antarctica research station in the 1960s, and NASA's two Van Allen probes heard the chirping sounds from Earth's radiation belts at a closer distance than the newest observations.

The latest chorus waves were picked up by NASA's magnetospheric multi-scale satellites. They were launched in 2015 to explore the Earth and the Sun's magnetic fields. Chorus waves have also been found near other planets, including Jupiter and Saturn. The waves can produce high-energy electrons.

That means they can threaten satellite communications. The researchers said their findings suggest that chorus waves might be found everywhere in the magnetic fields of planets. The study was released on January 22nd in the scientific publication Nature. I'm Ana Mateo.

a new york food bank was offered a large donation of fresh fish last month but the gift came with a complication local coho a new york salmon farm that was closing wanted to give eighteen thousand one hundred kilograms of coho salmon to the food bank of central new york

the high quality protein could feed thousands of families however the gift fish were still alive and swimming in the farm's large tanks the organization needed to find a way to remove about thirteen thousand salmon from the tanks and later process them into food

and the food aid group needed to do all this quickly before the business closed permanently at the end of january thanks to many volunteers the group was able to empty the tanks in time place the fish in cold storage and transport them to a processor brian mcmanus is the food bank's chief operations officer

he said that the short amount of time to complete the operation made activities difficult but he said i knew that we had the will i knew we had the expertise food waste has been a big problem around the world for years

more than one-third of the food produced in the united states is never eaten and much of it ends up in landfills christina hudson kohler was among the volunteers who got into the water to collect the fish and put them into the cold storage containers it's a little bit different kohler said during a break

in the past my volunteer work with the food bank has been sorting carrots or peppers local coho was a new company that had been developing a sustainable salmon farming system the system employed recirculated water

the company had been supplying coho salmon to buyers including restaurants with the goal of building farms across the country but company officials said they could not raise enough money from investors to grow and become profitable so they decided to close the business adam kramarsek was the salmon farm's manager

he said the company did not want the fish to go to waste so it sought a way to donate them kramarczyk said of the effort it's lemonade out of lemons the expression means to create good from a bad situation the donation is expected to provide more than twenty-six thousand servings of hard to source protein for the hungry

protein animal protein is very very desirable we know that people need it for nourishment and it's difficult to get and so this is going to make a very large impact said mcmanus the food bank chief i don't anticipate this being here very long he added we've had salmon before but not like this i'm john russell

Michael Garrity had dangerously high blood pressure for many years, and the medicines that doctors gave him could not control it. But a new treatment targeting some nerves on his kidneys has helped the 62-year-old Garrity have normal blood pressure for the first time in years.

When some nerves from the kidneys send more signals than is normal, dangerously high blood pressure can result. The new treatment uses ultrasound, or high-frequency sound waves, to reduce the signals the nerves send. My blood pressure would spike and I'd run out of breath and feel tired,

And that doesn't happen anymore, said Garrity, who lives in the American state of Massachusetts. Garrity still takes medicine, but at lower amounts. He said he is very happy with the results of his treatment. About half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure.

It increases the risk for heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and possibly dementia. Many people do not know they have high blood pressure until something goes wrong. Know your blood pressure. Know the numbers, said Dr. Randy Zussman of Massachusetts General Hospital. He treats difficult cases.

He also said people who think they are healthy should still have their blood pressure measured once a year or more. Only a small percentage of people with high blood pressure control the condition well. That might mean there is a need for new treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the new ultrasound treatment about a year ago.

Some hospitals are offering the treatment, but only for patients who might be likely to have good results. Blood pressure is measured using two values. One value is called systolic pressure. It is the force blood puts on the walls of arteries as it is pumped out of the heart.

The second value is called diastolic pressure. That number measures pressure in blood vessels between heartbeats. The Associated Press reports that normal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80. However, blood pressure naturally changes throughout the day.

it is higher when a person is physically active or experiences tension but when it stays higher than e g one hundred thirty over eighty or higher it might mean the heart is working too hard

Instead of drugs, doctors advise lifestyle changes as the first step to reduce blood pressure. Changes can include losing weight, getting regular exercise, eating more fruits and vegetables, limiting salt and alcohol, and taking steps to deal with tension or stress in a healthy way.

However, if blood pressure reaches 140 over 90, taking medicine becomes necessary. Zussman said most patients need two or three drugs, sometimes more, along with healthier living. The high blood pressure Garrity has struggled with resists treatment with drugs.

He tried taking four to six drugs as well as eating healthy food and exercising. Still, his blood pressure regularly reached 150 over 100 or higher. Dr. Joseph Gerasich is a heart specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He performed Garrity's operation.

He said doctors pass a small tube through blood vessels to reach the kidneys. Then they direct ultrasound through kidney arteries targeting the nerves. The operation takes about one hour. The treatment is not a cure and it does not help all patients.

But Garasich said several studies show on average an 8 to 10 point drop in blood pressure. This small decrease can still help some patients. Others, like Garrity, see bigger drops. This can help reduce the number of medications patients must take.

Studies connected to the new ultrasound treatment have only lasted a few years. That means doctors do not yet know if the nerves will grow back.

The American Heart Association says people with high blood pressure and their doctors should have thoughtful and informed discussions to decide who might be the right patients to try the treatment. I'm Andrew Smith. 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. My name is Anna Mateo. And my name is Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith.

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. We talked about Lesson 22 in our recent podcast. Today, we'll take a closer look at Lesson 23. Ana and her co-workers are going out for lunch together.

They work in an area where there are not many restaurants. So, people come with special trucks to the area at lunchtime. Yes, we call these food trucks. And it's a fun way to explore different foods from all over the world. Washington, D.C. is an international city, so you can find foods from many cultures there.

Since Anna came from a small town, she is not familiar with the food trucks in this lesson. Washington, D.C. has great food from all over the world. Today I'm having lunch with my boss. Ms. Weaver says we're going on a trip around the world, but she knows I only have an hour for lunch. Silly woman! Hi, Anna.

Hi, Jonathan. Hey, we are meeting Ms. Weaver for lunch at noon, aren't we? Yes. What time is it now? 11.50. 11.50. We have to go. So, where is this World Food Restaurant? We are not eating at a restaurant. Where are we eating? We are eating at... Food trucks!

I remember my first experience with food trucks. I was impressed that I could get Mexican food in a park. In other parts of the world, you might hear the term street food when people talk about buying food from a vendor, a seller, that is, who sets up a small table on the sidewalk or side of the street and cooks simple, delicious dishes for the people who are walking by.

Back to our story. Ms. Weaver wants to treat Anna and Jonathan to lunch. That means she is paying for the food. So she gives them each some money and tells them to find something to buy from one of the trucks. And of course, Anna thinks it's an awesome idea. Food trucks? Awesome! What's a food truck? These are food trucks.

Okay, Jonathan. You will buy the first dish. Here is $10. Surprise us! Okay. I'll be back in 15 minutes. What country do I want to visit? Anna, you pick the second country. Here is $10. I want chicken. The food truck over there has great chicken. Awesome!

After you buy your food, meet me here. Do you enjoy eating at food trucks, Jill? I used to when we worked downtown every day. Especially they had pho, the Vietnamese soup. It was so good. But now they don't come near the office. There are some near the museums, but they mostly sell ice cream and American food like hamburgers and fries.

Besides, there's no place to sit near most of the food trucks. That reminds me of what one of my cousins said. He said that food trucks would be nicer if they had some tables and chairs and refills on drinks. But then they'd be restaurants. The other thing I don't like about food trucks is how noisy they are. They have to run a generator, a machine to make electricity,

for cooking and keeping the food warm or cold. It's already loud, and then they sometimes play loud music, too. That's true, but you have to trade off the noise for the convenience of being able to buy your meal quickly and cheaply. I don't know. They may be handy, but I still prefer a quiet restaurant or one with tables outside so you can enjoy nice weather. Then there's the problem of the trucks running out of food.

In our lesson, both Jonathan and Ana have to change their orders because the food trucks have sold the meals they want. Excuse me, I'll have the shrimp. Oh, you're out of shrimp? Okay, I'll have the beef then. I want the chicken dish. We're out of chicken. You're out of chicken? Yep. I'll try another food truck. Thanks. You're welcome.

I noticed they said "out of" quickly, so it almost sounds like one word: "outa." Jill, do you know any expressions with that pronunciation? Yeah. When we leave a place, like when we're going home from our place of work, we might say, "I'm outa here!" Notice that Jill used the word "handy" to talk about something that is convenient.

And another thing that's convenient is how you can buy your food from a food truck with cash, a credit card, and now maybe with your phone. Let's hear how Jonathan returns part of the money Ms. Weaver gave him. Okay, here's your change. The dish cost $7, so here is $1.

to $3 back from your 10. I noticed two things there. He says, here's your change, which means the money not needed for the cost of the food. And then he counts out the bills as he hands them to Ms. Weaver. I think all of our listeners understand how we talk about our dollar bills, our paper money. But maybe it would be good to review what U.S. coins are.

Sure. There are four coins in regular use nowadays. Those are the penny, which is one cent, the nickel, five cents, and the quarter, which is 25 cents. People sometimes run into a half dollar, which is 50 cents, or a dollar coin, which is a dollar or 100 cents. Jill, whose picture is on each coin?

Well, I'm not sure. Let me try. A penny is Abraham Lincoln, of course. On the nickel, it's Thomas Jefferson. Who's on the quarter now? Aren't there different ones for each state these days? The backs of those coins are different now. There is one for each state, but the front is still our first president, George Washington. And here's a fun fact.

In 2022, they made him face the opposite direction. He had always been facing to the left, but now he's facing to the right. Hmm, I'm not sure about the political meaning of that, but here's another fun fact about U.S. coins. One of my distant cousins was a model for the Walking Liberty Half Dollar. She was a neighbor of the artist. That's a cool family story.

Speaking of who is on the coins, we left out a very important historic figure. Do you remember who is on the dollar coin? Since 2000, it's been Sacagawea, a Native American woman who guided Lewis and Clark across the West to the Pacific Ocean. I love those coins because they look like gold.

At a family camp I used to go to, one of the men would always give the children a dollar coin to use for ice cream on the 4th of July. Speaking of ice cream, in our lesson it's time for dessert, something sweet to eat. Listen carefully to how Ms. Weaver asks Anna what she wants to do with the remaining money. Well, we still have $8. What do you want now? We can buy dessert.

I'll buy dessert. In Washington, D.C., you can travel around the world with food trucks, and it does not cost a lot. Ms. Weaver said, what do you want? Instead of, what do you want? Isn't that pretty informal? Yes, but remember, they are eating lunch on the street. It's a pretty informal situation. Hey, Andrew, can we do another chant with what we learned today? Sure. Yeah, let's do that.

And listeners, you can practice some of the things we talked about today by repeating after us. Food trucks, food trucks, handy noisy food trucks. Get some lunch, get a snack, and then you will be right back. What do you want? I'll have fish. Sorry, we're out of that. What do you want? I'll have chicken. Sorry, we're out of that. What do you want? Okay, then I'll have shrimp. You got it.

Food trucks. Travel the world with food trucks. Pay with cash or card. You can even pay by phone. And it doesn't cost a lot. Now we have an assignment for you. We'd like to know your answer to our questions. Does your town have a special street food? How do you like to eat it? You can send your answer in an email to us on learningenglish at voanews.com.

Or, if you're watching this podcast on YouTube, put your answer in the comments. We'll read some of your answers in an upcoming podcast. That's all for the lesson of the day today. You can learn more on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

And thanks for listening to the lesson of the day on the Learning English podcast. I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins. Now I'm going to stop and get some ice cream at that food truck on the corner. 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 Mark.