Learning English Podcast - February 27, 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, Dorothy Gundy tells us about the celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. Later, John Russell and I have a report about air pollution. Most of the world's population is exposed to dirty air.

John and I tell about what experts say people can do to protect themselves. Then Brian Lynn presents the Science and Technology Report. And we close the show with the lesson of the day. But now, here's Dorothy Gundy. Wild celebrations of Mardi Gras come just before the start of Lent.

Lent is the Christian observance leading up to the Easter holiday. It is a serious spiritual time, especially important to Roman Catholics. The name Mardi Gras comes from the French language. It means Fat Tuesday. The day is also called Shrove Tuesday in some places.

Mardi Gras marks the end of the Carnival period, a time of public merrymaking, energetically observed in Europe and South America. During Mardi Gras, huge crowds fill the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the southern part of the United States.

People from all over the country come to eat, drink, and dance. Police watch the crowds carefully. Many parties and parades have already taken place by the time Fat Tuesday arrives. In fact, activities start in January and last for weeks before the Big Tuesday.

Social groups hold parades. Some of the huge floats, or special parade vehicles, carry up to 250 people. Riders on the parade floats wear colorful clothes. Top hats made from bird feathers can stand a meter tall.

Beautiful and sometimes strange masks cover the faces of people on the floats. These people throw cups and necklaces to the crowds of people who watch the parades. Another tradition is to eat king cake. This food, similar to a sweet bread, is served at Mardi Gras parties.

Inside one piece is a small plastic baby. Whoever gets the baby must promise to hold the next party. The French Quarter is the oldest part of the city. It remains the heart of New Orleans. And the French Quarter is where some of the best food comes.

a mix of French and Caribbean influences can be found. In New Orleans, music spills into the streets, not just at Mardi Gras, but throughout the year. New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, but local sounds also include Cajun and Zydeco music.

On Bourbon Street, the music and the crowds seem like a huge celebration that never ends. The most traditional old-time jazz is played at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. I'm Dorothy Gundy. 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. Air quality differs from place to place and day to day.

but about ninety nine per cent of the world's population breathes air at some point that does not meet pollution guidelines set by the world health organization w h o different forms of air pollution kill about seven million people each year the un health agency estimates

but health experts say there are some actions individuals can take to protect themselves even in the world's most polluted cities the first step is to start with the understanding that air is not only polluted when it looks smoky or smoggy said tanushree

she is an air quality expert with the energy policy institute of chicago's india program blue skies can't guarantee you clean air ganguly told the associated press air pollutants often come from people burning things

Examples include fuels as well as clearing operations involving crops or trees. Pollutants can also be released from wildfires. Among the most dangerous particles we can breathe in are called particulate matter. The smallest of these are known as PM2.5.

This is because they are less than 2.5 microns in diameter. These particles can travel deep inside human lungs and are mostly created by burning fuels. Larger particles, known as PM10, are linked to agriculture, roadways, mining, or windblown dust.

Other dangerous pollutants include gases like nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide, which are also produced from burning fuels. This information comes from Anumita Roychaudhuri, an air pollution expert at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi.

The American-based Health Effects Institute says air pollution is the second largest risk factor for early death worldwide, behind blood pressure. Short-term exposure can cause asthma attacks and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke, especially in older people and those with existing medical problems.

long-term exposure can cause serious heart and lung problems that can lead to death a recent study by the un children's agency unicef found that more than five hundred million children in east asia and pacific countries breathe unhealthy air

the pollution is linked to the deaths of one hundred children under age five every day jun kunugi unicef's regional director for east asia said the polluted air limits growth harms lungs and affects thinking abilities every breath matters but for too many children every breath can bring harm she said

Over 6,000 cities in 117 countries now record and follow air quality levels. Many mobile apps include air quality information as well, but it can be difficult to know how bad the air is by looking at these numbers.

To help people better understand air quality levels, many countries have established an Air Quality Index, or AQI. Larger numbers on this index mean worse air. Different countries have different air quality standards.

For example, India's daily PM2.5 limit is more than 1.5 times higher than in Thailand and 4 times higher than WHO standards.

for individuals experts say the goal should be to limit exposure when air quality is bad by staying indoors or wearing a mask this is not always possible though danny jarum is with the world resources institute

he told the a p there are many people who live or work outside and can't really afford to stay indoors people also need to watch indoor air pollution that can be caused by common household activities like cooking or burning incense

While air purifiers can help reduce indoor air pollution, experts say they do have limitations. The devices work by pulling air from a room and then pushing it through a filter that traps pollutants. The filtered air is then sent back into the room.

air purifiers work best when used in small spaces and when people are near by this is because they can only clean a certain amount of air said rajasekhar balasubramanian of the national university of singapore he added if we have a tiny air purifier in a large room it won't be effective i'm john russell

And I'm Katie Weaver. Japanese automaker Toyota says it is building a research center in a city-like setting to test robotics, artificial intelligence, AI, and autonomous vehicle technologies.

toyota recently announced it had completed the first part or phase of the center called woven city it sits near the southern japanese city of susono company officials recently showed off the latest progress to reporters from the associated press

daisuke toyoda is an executive for toyoda who is helping lead the project he told the ap that the center was not designed to be a smart city however it aims to carry out technology research and development and be a test course for mobility

the company said woven city would serve as a living laboratory it aims to test technology systems to support future changes in the movement of people goods information and energy

Toyota said the center is meant to be a place where researchers and technology company officials can come together and share ideas. It will also seek to establish a community with a shared desire to co-create, develop, and refine new technology products and services.

woven city was built on the grounds of a closed toyota automobile factory the automaker said the project's first phase covers about forty seven thousand square meters when completed it will spread out over two hundred ninety four thousand square meters

building operations on woven city began in twenty twenty one all the buildings are connected by underground passageways among planned testing activities will include self-driving vehicles making waste pickups and completing deliveries around the area

testing operations will center on how people living in cities can best interact with changing technologies currently no one lives in woven city when it opens officials plan on having about one hundred people living there they will be called weavers

these are workers employed by toyota and its partner companies making other products when ap reporters visited the area japanese coffee maker ucc was serving hot drinks from a self-driving bus the bus was parked in an area surrounded by still empty housing

Toyota has supported electric vehicle technology in the past. However, the company is currently involved in a push for hydrogen, the energy choice in Woven City. Keisuke Konishi is an automobile expert at Japan's Quick Corporate Valuation Research Center.

he told the ap toyota has plans to expand into self-driving vehicle services to compete with google's waymo and other large companies conishi noted the company has the money for such development even if it means building up a completely new business

toyota has the money to do all that he said toyota officials have said they do not expect woven city to make money at least not for the first few years several other futuristic developments have been planned in other areas of the world over the years

They have included efforts in Toronto, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco, California. But those projects are either still being developed or have been cancelled. Brian Lynn. My name is Ana Mateo. My name is Andrew Smith. And my name is 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. This series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, DC. In another lesson of the day, we started to look at lesson 37 of the series. In lesson 37,

Ana starts talking to a man who is visiting Washington, D.C. The man lives in a rural area and does not feel comfortable in the city. Soon, Ana and the man start talking about whether they prefer to live in the city or the country. And in this situation, the word "country" just means a rural area. Let's listen to their conversation. Thank you. Thank you.

- Okay, you seem nervous. - Well, this is my first visit to Washington, D.C. I'm from a small town in the country. I feel a little lost. - I'm from the country too, and I understand. When I first came here, I felt lost all the time. - So, do you like living in the country or in the city?

I like to live in the city. Why? The city is exciting. It has more culture than the country. There are many museums and restaurants. Every night there's theater and music. And there are more jobs. That is why I'm here. Well, I agree. There is more culture in the city. And there might be more jobs.

But the country has more nature. It's peaceful and beautiful. There are more trees and mountains. The air is clean. You can go hiking and camping. The city is not beautiful.

It's noisy and dirty. I disagree. I think all the different buildings are beautiful. And I like to watch all the different people. That's another thing that is different. People in the country are friendly. They always say hello. Here, no one says hello.

I think city people are rude. Well, I agree. Country people are friendly. But I don't think city people are rude. I think they're just busy. That's a good point. Anna and the man disagree because they have different preferences, which means things they prefer or like more.

And I think it's important to notice that even though they disagree about some things, they are not really arguing or fighting about their preferences. True. They are not being disagreeable. Disagreeable is an adjective we can use to describe people behaving in a negative or rude way. Unpleasant is another adjective we can use to describe this.

Like, we can say that a way in which a person is talking is disagreeable or unpleasant. And with Anna and the man, we can say that they are acting agreeably. We know that might sound strange to our listeners. Anna and the man disagree, but they are acting agreeably. That means they are speaking nicely to each other. That's right. Just like the adjective disagreeable,

The adjective agreeable can describe a person. If someone is agreeable, they are pleasant and try to please other people. So, listeners, see if you understand this sentence: They are agreeably disagreeing. That means they are disagreeing in a nice way. Remember, it's fine to disagree. There's no problem with that. But try not to be disagreeable when you disagree.

I'm Jill Robbins, and you're listening to the Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. In their conversation, Anna and the man do agree about some things. That's right. They do find some common ground. They agree that there are more jobs in the city and that people from the country are friendly. To find common ground means to find things that you agree about, even when you disagree about other things.

Now, let's listen to the rest of Lesson 37 and find out what else they might agree on. Well, I agree. Country people are friendly. But I don't think city people are rude. I think they're just busy. That's a good point. Look at me. I live in the city and I said hello to you. But you are from the country. I have an idea.

Let's say hello to people. To many people. What? Why? Well, if we say hello, then they will say hello to other people. And they will say hello to more people. That's a great idea. I'm glad you found my bag. Come on. Let's go say hello to people.

We don't have to agree with people. They have their opinions. We have ours. And as we like to say, you can always agree to disagree. Until next time. In the city, saying hello to all the people who walk past you on the street is not normal behavior. But then again, Ana does not always behave normally. No, she doesn't.

When Anna and the man go up to lots of people in the city and say hello, they are breaking a cultural norm. As you can hear, the word "norm" sounds similar to the word "normal." A cultural norm is a behavior, attitude, or belief that is commonly shared within a certain culture.

For example, in the United States, it is a cultural norm to apologize if you are late for a meeting. Another cultural norm is for men and women to shake hands when they meet at a business meeting. We can say that people break cultural norms when they show behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs not commonly shared within a culture. And we use the verb "adhere"

spelled A-D-H-E-R-E plus the preposition "to" to talk about following the usual or normal behaviors within a culture. For example, we might say in an important business or government meeting, people usually adhere to cultural norms. In a physical sense, the verb "adhere" means to stick to something.

For example, glue adheres to most surfaces. Social norms means the same thing as cultural norms. That's a good point. Now, let's review some of the vocabulary from today's lesson of the day. We have the adjectives agreeable and disagreeable to describe either good or bad behaviors or conditions. And we have the adverb form of those words,

agreeably and disagreeably. And we have the words pleasant and unpleasant, which also describe good and bad. Then there's the expression find common ground. And next we talk about cultural or social norms and the expressions break cultural norms and adhere to cultural norms. Now here's something for our listeners to do.

Write to us and tell us what you think is an important cultural norm in your own culture. We might discuss what you tell us in a future Lesson of the Day. And you can email that to [email protected]. Remember, you can find us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

You can also find all the episodes of Let's Learn English on our website at learningenglish.voanews.com. And thanks for listening. I'm Dr. Jill. 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