Learning English Podcast - January 14, 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, Ana Mateo presents the Health and Lifestyle Report. Do you have some New Year's resolutions? Ana tells about some tricks to help you stick to those goals. We also have a report from John Russell. And we close the show with the lesson of the day.

But first, this story from Jill Robbins. Leibov Rashid is a 22-year-old Pakistani student in a special training program in the city of Lahore. The program, called Women on Wheels, or WOW, teaches women how to operate two-wheelers or motorcycles. Rashid hopes her life will change after she learns how to ride a motorcycle.

Although the program is seven years old, it is still rare to see women ride motorcycles. In the Islamic Nation, it is more common to see women driving cars or riding in the back of two wheelers operated by a male relative. The WOW program is offered free by the Lahore Traffic Police. I hope this will change my life.

because i am dependent on my brother to pick me up and drop me to college rashid said on her first day at wow she said she wants to buy a motorcycle to go to college adding that before there were no women drivers in her family now everybody is convinced that women should be independent in their movement to schools jobs and markets she said

Bushra Iqbal Hussein is a social activist and director of Safe Childhood. Hussein said, "Women driving two-wheelers has been a cultural and religious taboo." But, she said, "More women are now changing the culture, like they did in the 1980s, with regular cars, to reduce their dependence on men to move around." The WOW program has been in operation since 2017.

But it has become increasingly popular in recent months as car prices have greatly increased and motorcycles offer a less costly choice. The cheapest four-wheel vehicle in Pakistan costs about $8,265 compared to about $1,345 for a Chinese-made two-wheeler.

The average yearly income per person in Pakistan is $1,696. Sohail Mudassir is a traffic official in Lahore. He said the WOW program has trained at least 6,600 women, and Rashid's group was the 86th since it started. Female trainer Humera Rafakat added, Young women are quick learners because they are enthusiastic and take risks.

One of them, Hani Arasa, is a 23-year-old who is working toward a doctorate in criminology. She said learning to ride a two-wheeler gave her a deep sense of achievement and empowerment. It was like breaking a glass ceiling, she said. Shumaila Shafiq is a 36-year-old mother of three and a part-time clothing designer.

She said she has been riding her husband's motorcycle to the market and other places after training in the program. Shafiq has also designed a short-length abaya for Muslim women to wear while operating a motorcycle. She said the long abaya is dangerous because it may get caught in the wheels of the motorcycle. I'm Jill Robbins.

A century ago, iodine deficiency affected children across much of the United States. The problem mostly disappeared during the 1900s after iodine was added to common foods, but doctors are now seeing higher iodine deficiency rates.

The rises are blamed on dietary changes and new food manufacturing methods. Iodine is an element found in seawater and in some soils, mostly in coastal areas. A French chemist accidentally discovered the substance in 1811. Iodine's name comes from a Greek word meaning violet-colored.

Later in the 1800s, scientists began to understand that people need iodine to control their metabolism and stay healthy. The element is also important for a child's brain development. One sign of iodine deficiency is an increase in size or swelling of the neck.

this growth in the neck is known as a goiter it can appear when the thyroid gland grows to make up for too little iodine to produce hormones that control certain body processes in the early nineteen hundreds goiters were commonly seen in children in some parts of the united states

some of the children showed other symptoms in addition to goiters these included being smaller or experiencing deafness in the past public health experts realized they could not solve the iodine deficiency problem by feeding everyone seaweed and seafood but they learned iodine can be included with table salt

this form of salt known as iodized salt first became available in nineteen twenty four by the nineteen fifties more than seventy per cent of u s households used iodized table salt bread and some other foods also had iodine as a result iodine deficiency in the u s became rare

but diets have changed over the years processed foods now make up a large part of the american diet although these foods contain a lot of salt it is not iodized leading bread makers also no longer add iodine

and for people who do salt their food it is popular now to use kosher salt himalayan rock salt or other products that do not contain iodine people have forgotten why there's iodine in salt said dr elizabeth pierce of boston medical center

she is a leader in the iodine global network a non-governmental agency working to end conditions linked to iodine deficiency pierce noted there had been a reported fifty per cent drop in u s iodine levels studied during the nineteen seventies through the nineteen nineties

while most americans are getting enough iodine through diet doctors worry this is not the case for women and children the two groups most likely to be hurt by iodine deficiency

the american academy of pediatrics and other medical groups advise that all pregnant and breastfeeding women get one hundred fifty micrograms of iodine each day in the last fifteen years or so u s researchers have increasingly reported seeing mild iodine deficiency in pregnant women

A Michigan State University study of about 460 pregnant women found about 25% of them were not getting enough. That study's lead writer, Jean Kerver, noted that many vitamins for pregnant women do not contain iodine.

As a result, doctors suggest that pregnant or breastfeeding women check labels to make sure the vitamins or supplements they take have iodine. Some studies have linked even mild iodine deficiency to a lower score on an intelligence test known as an intelligence quotient test.

but experts say there has not yet been enough research to establish exactly how the u s population is being affected by iodine deficiency

dr monica serrano gonzalez of brown university said she and other doctors had seen five cases of iodine deficiency in children visiting a local health center in providence rhode island were concerned this may be increasing especially in patients with restricted diets

Serrano-Gonzalez called for increasing publicity about the problem in order to prevent it from getting worse. She said, this needs to be on people's radar. I'm John Russell. From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle Report.

As the new year begins, some people see an opportunity for change and improvement. Experts say January can be a good time to think about self-improvement. Many people make resolutions. But these promises we make to ourselves require effort to become part of our daily lives. They are meant to last a long time.

Studies have shown that up to 70% of people who make New Year's resolutions quit their plans within months. Recently, experts gave advice on keeping New Year's resolutions to the Associated Press. Start small. It is difficult to make big changes.

Behavioral health experts suggest breaking big goals into smaller targets. For example, if your goal is to improve your health, you could start with small changes. For some meals, you could trade unhealthy foods for healthy ones, or you could exercise for 10 minutes each day.

Once you start reaching smaller goals, the bigger one might not seem so daunting. Be realistic. Psychologist Lynn Bufka suggests being realistic about resolutions. She is with the American Psychological Association, based in Washington, D.C.,

It's quite daunting to say that you want to lose 50 pounds and thus will never eat dessert again, she said. It might be more helpful to say you're only going to have dessert on the weekends and for special occasions. Mindset change. Think about what your resolution is helping you to achieve. Do not think about what you are giving up.

This can be a powerful way to change your mindset. Bufka said that thinking positively about your end goal and the benefits of your changed behavior can increase your motivation or drive to succeed. Bufka gave this example.

If I put money in a jar for what I would have spent on chocolate every day, that starts to add up, she explained. Make specific goals. A study of New Year's resolutions published in 2020 found that people who pay attention to specific goals are more successful than those simply trying to give up bad habits.

In a group of more than 1,000 people, scientists found the most popular resolutions involved exercise, weight loss, and eating habits. Other resolutions had to do with self-improvement, personal finance, and ways to take care of mental health and to reduce stress.

Among the 55% of people who said they had kept their resolutions after one year, nearly 60% of them had made resolutions involving goals. This is compared with 47% who chose to avoid behaviors. Involve other people. Involving others in your efforts might also help.

Other people can offer support and hold you accountable. When we are held accountable, we are responsible for our actions. Someone who decides to start exercising more, for example, might join a running group or sign up for a gym class with friends. This can also make exercising more fun. Use technology.

Experts also suggest using planners to help you keep your resolutions. For example, you can plan your activities for a specific period every morning or evening, use reminders and timers on your smartphone, and use group texts for group activities. Be kind to yourself. Changing our behavior is difficult.

so do not expect perfection there will be times when it feels impossible to keep your resolution and you will want to give up a great resolution might be i will be less judgmental with myself said tamara russell of the british psychological society research shows that the more we develop self-compassion

the more compassionate we can become towards others review and make changes to better keep resolutions russell suggests reviewing each week ask yourself what has worked what has not she said study your own behavior like a scientist russell added that we should not be afraid to change our resolutions

Choose the right time. The last piece of advice might be the most important. If January 1st feels like a bad time to create a new resolution, make the changes when it makes sense for you. Russell said it makes no sense at all to make resolutions connected to the calendar year.

Winter is usually a time of rest for much of the natural world. She said that spring is the season of growth and renewal. So depending on your life's situation, spring might be a better time for most people to make changes. And that's the health and lifestyle report. I'm Ana Mateo. My name is Ana Mateo.

And my name is Jill Robbins. And I'm Andrew Smith. You're listening to 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. The series shows Ana Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. In a recent Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast, Jill and I talked about people-watching.

It's something Anna enjoys doing on her lunch break at work. Here's Anna in lesson 15 of the series. People from all over the world come to Washington, D.C.

When I'm at work, I love eating lunch outside. I like to watch people walking by. They all look very different. Today, my friend Ashley is eating lunch with me. Ashley, today the weather is beautiful, isn't it? Yes, it is. Ooh, we have to return to work. No, we have time. Let's people watch a little more. Okay.

Anna enjoys noticing the differences and similarities between the people she sees walk by. Her friend Kiana likes to watch people too, and joins her. The weather is beautiful, and people watching is fun. I love people watching too. Well, have a seat. It is fun to see how people are different or the same. It is. For example, Anna, you are tall, but Ashley and I are short.

And Kiana, you and Ashley have brown eyes. I have blue eyes. You two have black skin and I have dark skin. Ashley, you have straight hair. Kiana and I have curly hair. You have very curly hair, Anna. These differences between people are easy to see. We can say that the differences are obvious, which means easy to see or understand. But other differences are more subtle.

That's spelled S-U-B-T-L-E. But we do not pronounce the letter B in the word. Subtle describes something that is not immediately obvious or easy to notice. As we were saying in a previous podcast, if you know a culture really well, then you might be able to notice subtle differences within that culture.

Like, an American might be able to make a better guess about where a person is from in the U.S. or about their socioeconomic status based on the person's clothes or accent or maybe some other small details than a person who is not from the U.S. True, the American might notice more small differences.

But we still have to be careful not to judge other people too quickly. For example, a rich person and a poor person might wear almost the same kind of informal clothes, like jeans and a t-shirt. Yep, that's right. I remember when I was working in a store, our manager reminded us that you can never be sure which customers have a lot of money.

A millionaire can look just the same as somebody who has almost no money. You're listening to Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. Andrew, I noticed you're using some more advanced vocabulary today. Let's explain the term "socioeconomic." It generally refers to the combination of the amount of money you make, your education, and certain kinds of power you have.

So, if you have a lot of education plus a high income plus a high position in business or government, your socioeconomic status is high. Status can refer to the importance and respect you have in your group or in society, such as your level within a hierarchy.

That's another advanced but useful word, hierarchy. That's spelled H-I-E-R-A-R-C-H-Y. A hierarchy is a system of organizing people into different levels of importance or power. The military is probably the best example. There is a clear hierarchy from the generals at the top to the ordinary soldiers at the bottom.

with different levels of officers in between. Let's review the vocabulary we've explained. The words are obvious, subtle, socioeconomic, and hierarchy. Obvious and subtle have opposite meanings. And socioeconomic status can refer to one's position in the hierarchy of a society.

Jill, a minute ago you said that we have to be careful not to judge other people too quickly. I certainly agree. And that reminds me of another word we started to talk about in a previous Learning English podcast. You mean the word stereotype? I do. Could you explain a bit about this word? Sure. A stereotype is a kind of oversimplified generalization about a group of people.

based on a fixed image or idea about that group. And when you say "fixed," you mean "unchanging." Yes, stereotypes don't allow for much change. They assume that a group of people always have the same characteristics. And that's just one way they oversimplify or overgeneralize. So, for example, if I said something like,

Italians love to eat pasta, listen to opera, and watch soccer. That would be an obvious example of stereotyping. Right, because while it's true that a lot of Italians do like soccer or eat pasta, there's probably millions of people in Italy who do not like to eat pasta or watch soccer.

Just like a lot of Americans do not like to eat hamburgers and hot dogs. After all, there are about 300 million people in the U.S. With that many people and people coming from all over the world to live in the U.S., there's quite a bit of cultural variety.

And this topic reminds me, there's an interesting talk our listeners can watch and listen to online by the writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's called The Danger of a Single Story. Adichie grew up in Nigeria, and she talks about how people in Western countries can have stereotypes about people from Africa.

and how she herself sometimes oversimplified other groups of people. So, if we only have a single story or a stereotype about other people, that means we are missing the complexity of individuals and the diversity within their culture. Jill, where can people find Adichie's talk online? The website is TED.com, and that's spelled T-E-D.

There are a lot of talks there, and they're often called TED Talks. You can search for the danger of a single story on the website, and you can also read a transcript of what she says. I've just found it on my computer. Wow! It says her talk has been viewed over 34 million times.

Well, I thought it was interesting, and I guess a lot of other people do, too. Well, Jill, we've gone from Anna, people-watching at her lunch break, to an inspiring talk by a writer from Nigeria. It's interesting how one thing leads to another. And how one word can lead to another. Let's repeat a few key vocabulary words from today's podcast. Good idea. I'll say one, then you say one. Okay.

Obvious Subtle Socioeconomic Status Hierarchy Stereotype Fixed And how about inspiring? You said Adichie's talk on TED.com was inspiring. That's right, I did. And inspiring means it gives you a strong, positive feeling and perhaps makes you want to do something good.

And we certainly hope our listeners are inspired to learn more with the series Let's Learn English and with the lesson of the day on the Learning English podcast. Thanks for listening. 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