Learning English Podcast - January 01, 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, Katie Weaver tells about atomic bomb survivors in Japan who support nuclear disarmament. Andrew Smith and I present a shorter version of a story about early Americans. We welcome the new year with advice on setting learning goals. Then, the lesson of the day. But first...

Survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki said receiving a Nobel Peace Prize has given them new energy to campaign for nuclear disarmament. Next August will be the 80th anniversary of the two atomic bombings that ended World War II in 1945.

Torumi Tanaka survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. He said, I felt like I needed to work even harder on what I had done so far. Tanaka is 92 years old. He spoke at a press conference in Tokyo on December 24 after returning from Oslo, Norway.

That is where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors Organization, earlier in the month. Tanaka is chair of the organization. He noted that next year is an important point in history, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

I believe it is important to focus on the next 10 years and strengthen the movement moving forward, he added. I would like to lead a big movement of testimonials. Tanaka is a retired materials engineering professor. He said he wants Japan to take the leadership in nuclear disarmament.

What else is there for Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, to do other than leading the nuclear disarmament? Tanaka said he will ask Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba about the issue when they are expected to meet in January. Ishiba supports nuclear deterrence.

the policy of preventing an attack by having powerful military weapons. Japan is protected under the U.S. nuclear policy. Japan also has not signed the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

All other countries that are believed to have nuclear weapons, including the United States, have also not signed the UN Treaty. However, atomic bomb survivors have repeatedly requested the Japanese government to sign the treaty.

Michiko Kodama survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which took place three days before the Nagasaki blast. She said she felt the Nobel Prize and the congratulatory messages were rewards after years of hardship, discrimination, and fear of health effects from radiation.

But she wants more people to know the real effects of nuclear weapons. Kodama was seven years old in August 1945. She said that in 10 years, the survivors of the bombings will no longer be able to tell the reality of the atomic bombing.

She said, I want to keep telling our stories as long as we live. Nihon Hidankyo has been described as a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors. They have worked for nearly 70 years to continue the taboo around the use of nuclear weapons.

However, the weapons have grown in power and number since being used for the first and only time in warfare by the United States on Japan to end the Second World War. The U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima is believed to have killed 140,000 people.

The bombing of Nagasaki is estimated to have killed another 70,000 people. Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender to the United States on August 15th.

That brought an end to the conflict between the two countries that began with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, December 7, 1941. I'm Katie Weaver. A sloth is a furry animal that lives mainly in South and Central America.

It moves very slowly and spends most of its time in trees. But thousands of years ago, their ancestors were huge. Giant sloths could weigh up to 3.6 metric tons and lived on the ground. For many years, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas were

quickly killed off these giant ground sloths along with many other huge animals those include mastodons saber-toothed cats and dire wolves

But research in recent years suggests that humans might have arrived in the Americas thousands of years earlier than scientists had once believed. New findings suggest that humans lived with the big animals for thousands of years.

Daniel Odess is an archaeologist at White Sands National Park in the American state of New Mexico. There was this idea that humans arrived and killed everything off very quickly, what's called Pleistocene overkill, he said.

But new discoveries suggest that humans were existing alongside these animals for at least 10,000 years without making them go extinct. Santa Helena is a place in central Brazil where archaeologists are looking for the remains of ancient animals and humans.

there scientists have found bones of giant sloths however the bones look like humans used them and changed them mirian pacheco is a researcher in a laboratory at the university of sao paulo pacheco recently showed the associated press a small round sloth fossil

she noted that the fossil is smooth and there is a very small hole near one edge she said it looks like humans changed the bone on purpose she added that researchers think the bone was probably used as jewelry the animal bones from santa elena are about twenty seven thousand years old

that is older than scientists had thought possible some had believed that humans only arrived in the americas eleven thousand years ago researchers at first wondered if humans had been working with ancient fossils but pacheco's research strongly suggests that ancient people were carving fresh bones

shortly after the animals died pacheco studied chemical changes that take place when a bone becomes a fossil she said the bone had been carved before the fossilization process pacheco's team also ruled out natural processes

Clovis is a place in New Mexico where archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s found objects dated to between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago. Until more recent years, Clovis objects, or artifacts, were among the oldest known in the Americas.

Scientists say there was a large decrease in the number of large animals at that time. Researchers continue to disagree about the timing of humans' first arrival in the Americas. But if they did arrive earlier than once thought,

Several scientists now believe that it is possible that they did not immediately kill off the giant animals living in the Americas. I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

Learning a new language is a long, difficult process. This process can become easier if you set goals. Goals help guide language learners and give them reasons to continue studying a language. However, if you set unreasonable goals, then you will probably become discouraged.

Many English learners set difficult, even unreasonable goals. For example, here at VOA Learning English, we often read emails with comments like "My goal is to sound like a native speaker" or "My goal is to lose my accent." The problem with the goal of sounding like a native speaker is that it is not a reasonable goal for many people.

When English learners begin studying English after a certain age, they are not able to sound exactly like a native English speaker. That is the opinion of Ellie Hinkle, a professor at Seattle Pacific University. She says that people who have not reached puberty still have enough muscle and brain plasticity to allow their brain to control their mouth muscles.

Puberty is the period of life when a child becomes an adult. After your physical growth has stopped, the brain loses some of its ability to change the way it controls the muscles of the mouth. This is what results in an accent, according to Hinkle. In other words, having an accent is a natural part of the aging process of the brain.

Just because you might not sound like a native speaker does not mean that you should give up trying to improve your pronunciation. And just because you have an accent does not mean that your language skills are poor. Hinkle suggested that English learners should not be too disheartened about their accents. So there is really no connection between the quality of one's language and the accent.

She adds that there are even benefits to having an accent. Heli Hinkle is a native Russian speaker, but she works as a professor in a "Teaching English as a Second Language" program. She believes her accent helps her when she is teaching students. So I teach MA TESOL courses. So my students think that I really, really, really know what I'm talking about.

accent goes a great deal toward that. Another teacher says sounding like a native speaker is not necessary. Marla Yoshida is a teaching English as a foreign language teacher at the University of California, Irvine.

She says that improving your pronunciation is definitely possible if you choose a reasonable goal. You can reach a stage where your pronunciation is easy for people to understand, where it never causes a problem. You go into Starbucks and say your name and they understand. You know, you give your order and they understand. So that's a reasonable goal, being understood easily.

where sounding like a native speaker is wonderful if you can do it. It's not necessary. So, what can English learners do to improve their pronunciation? Marla Yoshida says that, like when you decide to diet, you are more likely to have success if you set reasonable goals.

She suggests working on specific areas of pronunciation that you can improve, instead of trying to sound like a native speaker. Work consciously, if you're an adult, to change the way you pronounce. It's kind of like a diet. So if you set a more reasonable goal, then the diet might succeed. In the same way, pronunciation, if you...

have a more reasonable goal. Like, okay, first I have trouble with the R and L sound, so first I'm going to try those. And then when I'm feeling pretty comfortable with those, I'll move on to some other sound that causes problems. It takes time, but it is possible. Yoshida added that English learners should understand that improving their pronunciation can take a long time.

She said that learners should not be tricked by people who claim to be able to help people get rid of their accents. It's good to realize that it's not a fast process. Everyone has been speaking their native language for years and years and years. And it's hard to change. Habits of how you move your mouth are really hard to change. And so don't expect miracles.

Sometimes people see advertisements from software or courses that say, "Get rid of your accent in only five lessons," or something. It's not going to happen. There are no miracles. So, what can you do? Start by setting a reasonable goal. Choose one or two sounds that are difficult for you to pronounce. Then, work to improve these sounds.

When you have improved, study other sounds. Progress might be slow for you, but don't give up. I'm John Russell. You're listening to 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.,

Today, we're going to start by listening to a few little words and sounds Americans typically use at the beginning of sentences. Mm-hmm. That's right. Which one should we do first? Let's do that! You just said it. Oh, yeah, I did. And we can hear it in Lesson 8 of the Let's Learn English series.

Anna goes to the recording studio in her workplace to apologize to her co-worker, Jonathan. See if you can hear Jonathan say that little word, um. Hi, Jonathan. Are you busy? Yes, I'm busy. When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show. Right. Sorry about yesterday. No worries. May I see the studio? Maybe another time. Right now, I am busy. Okay.

Sure. Okay. Bye. Bye. I noticed Jonathan said, um, after Anna asked him a question. That's right. We usually say, um, to show that we are thinking about an answer. We also use it, like Jonathan did, to help us say no in a nice, polite way.

Our listeners can hear this explained again with more examples by using the Pronunciation Practice video in Lesson 8 of Let's Learn English. Each lesson in Let's Learn English Level 1 has a Pronunciation Practice video. You can find it on our website below the main video and the Speaking Practice video.

Let's hear the first part of that practice video. Hesitation noises. When Americans want more time to think about what they are saying, they often use a hesitation noise, like "uh" or "um." Listen to Jonathan when he is talking to Anna.

He does not want Anna to see what he is doing in the studio. May I see the studio? Maybe another time. Right now, I am busy. Now you try it. Use um to make more time to answer a question. What is 1,012 and 536?

Um, it's 1,548. The mathematics problem was a good example of when we typically say, um. And remember, you can learn more by going to the Learning English website and using the Let's Learn English lessons. That's right. I'm Jill Robbins, and you're listening to the Learning English podcast. ♪

Lesson 8 also shows how people answer Anna when she apologizes. Anna says sorry many times.

In fact, Americans often say they are sorry for bothering someone even when it is for only small mistakes or problems. And they accept apologies by saying, "It's okay," or "No problem." And "No worries,"

is also a popular way to accept an apology. That's right. It is an expression we often think of in connection with Australian speakers of English. You might hear a movie character called Crocodile Dundee say, "No worries," might. We also use "no worries" in emails to show that we do not want the other person to worry. Let's hear Anna apologize again.

This time to both Jonathan and her co-worker Amelia. Listen for how Jonathan and Amelia answer with no worries and it's okay. Hi, Jonathan. Are you busy? Yes, I'm busy. When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show. Right. Sorry about yesterday. No worries. May I see the studio? Maybe another time. Right now, I am busy.

Sure. Okay. Bye. Bye. Hi, Amelia. Are you busy? I'm a little busy. I want to say I'm sorry for yesterday. It's okay, Anna. Well, I am sorry. It's okay, Anna. Come by this afternoon. Okay. There's another small word at the beginning of sentences that our listeners can learn to use. Oh? What's that? You just said it. Oh.

I did. Okay, I admit I said that on purpose because we want our listeners to hear the different tone of voice we use with this little word, O. But instead of listening to me, let's listen to Anna. In lesson nine, Anna wants to check the weather in Washington, D.C. She wants to know if it will be warm or cold.

Listen carefully. She says, oh, two times, right at the beginning and near the end. Oh, hi, everyone. Here in Washington, D.C., the weather changes often. One day is cold and windy, but the next day is warm and sunny. So every day I check the forecast. Hello, phone. What is today's temperature? Today it is 18 degrees.

18 degrees? That is cold. 18 degrees Celsius. Oh, Celsius. That is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That's warm. Yeah, it is warm. The first time she says, oh, it's very fast. She says, oh, hi, everyone.

The "O" shows that she is a little surprised because in the video she is reading a book and then notices that the camera is filming her. The way she says "O" also gives an informal tone to her speaking. The second time she says "O" shows that she was wrong about the temperature.

When we notice that we made a mistake or believed something that was not true, we say, oh. And we can say, oh, in a few different ways to show this. If we are wrong about a small detail that's not too important, we usually say the word quickly and with a lower tone of voice like, oh, okay, I get it.

And then, if the mistake is a little bigger, the sound usually gets longer, like this, "oh". And if we make a really big mistake, we usually make it sound much longer, like this, "oh". That's right. You're listening to the Learning English Podcast. I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins. Andrew, we have explained how to use "oh" when we are wrong or make a mistake.

But maybe we should explain what we say when we get a big surprise. That's a good idea. Um, here's an example. Jill, what would you say if I told you that I got married this past weekend? You got married? Oh my gosh! Okay, I have to be honest. I did not get married. But you gave a good example.

When you heard a big surprise, you said, "Oh my gosh!" And gosh is spelled G-O-S-H. And many people will say, "Oh my God!" to show that they are very surprised or excited. However, some people try not to say God in that way because of their religious beliefs. So they will say gosh instead.

Gee, when you think about it, there are a lot of small words we say at the beginning of sentences. Yep, there sure are. And I think our listeners can understand that yep means the same thing as yes. That's right. It's just an informal way of saying yes. Well, Jill, before we go, is there anything else you'd like to tell our listeners?

We forgot to tell them about the two little words we use to end a conversation. And what are those? Bye-bye. That's right. Bye-bye. Thanks for listening to the Learning English Podcast. And see you next time. 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...