Commonly Confused Words: Part Two

  From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. This week, we continue explaining commonly confused words in the English language. Ashley: That reminds me…Adam, do you still have my grammar book that I let you borrow last week? Adam: No, I lied the book down on your desk yesterday. Ashley:  You mean, you laid the book on my desk yesterday. Adam: Lie, lay, laid, lied…what’s the difference?  Ashley: That’s a hard question to answer. Both words have several definitions. But an easy way to remember the difference is this: “Lay” is a transitive verb. That means it requires an object in the sentence. “Lie” is an intransitive verb. That means it does not require an object.  You said you put the book on my desk. “Book” is the object of the sentence, so you need the transitive verb “lay.” Adam: I think I get it now. That seems easy enough. Ashley: Well, the difference between these two words is a little more complex than that. Let’s keep going. Lay and lie Lay means “to put or set something down in a flat position.” The past tense of lay is laid. Sometimes, it is used with the word “down.” For example, “He laid the newspaper down on the table.” Or, “The mother laid the baby down for a nap.” Notice there is an object in each sentence: “newspaper” in the first, and “baby” in the second. The verb lie has several meanings. It can mean “to be in a flat position on a surface,” such as a bed. With this definition, it is also sometimes used with the word “down.” For example, “The doctor told him to lie down on the examination table.” Remember, lie is an intransitive verb. The subject is doing the action, not an object. To make these two words even more confusing, the past tense of lie is lay [L-A-Y]. For example, “Last night, she lay in bed unable to fall asleep.” In this example, even native English speakers might use the past tense of lay, which is laid. Listen to this famous song by Simon and Garfunkel. In this example, they are using the transitive verb lay followed by the direct object me. Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down    present  past  past participle  transitive  Lay The chicken lays eggs.  Laid The workers laid the foundation for new school.  Laid He has already laid his cards on the table.  intransitive  Lie Don’t lie on the grass.  Lay She lay on the bed.  Lain The food had lain on the counter for too long.    Affect and Effect These next commonly confused words sound - and look - almost the same: affect and effect. But the one-letter difference changes a lot. Let’s start with effect [E-F-F-E-C-T]. Effect can act as a noun or, in rare cases, a verb. As a noun, effect means “a change that results when something happens.” For example, “The Chinese economy has an effect on global markets.” Affect [A-F-F-E-C-T] is usually used as a verb. Affect means “to influence.” In other words, affect means “to have an effect” on something or someone. For instance, “The Chinese economy affects global markets.” Affect [A-F-F-E-C-T] can also be a noun -- but it is much less common. As a noun, affect is “an emotion or desire that influences behavior.” As mentioned before, effect can also be used as a verb. Used a verb, effect has a similar meaning to affect. It means “to cause something or make something happen.” For example, “President Obama has tried to effect a change in the country’s health care policy.” Again, effect is rarely used as a verb. If you are confused, just remember this: effect is usually a noun, and affect is usually a verb.    noun  verb    Effect   The law had no effect. a change   The president used his power to effect change. (rare) to cause    Affect   She took the bad news with little affect. (rare) an emotion or desire that influences behavior   The Chinese economy affects global markets. To influence   Than and Then Finally, we have than and then. Than [T-H-A-N] is both a preposition and conjunction. It is used when comparing things. For example, “I am taller than my sister.” Or, “Canada is larger than Mexico.” Then is most often used an adverb. It can mean “at that time.” It can also be used when describing what happens next. For example, “I fed my dog, and then I walked my dog.” You can also use then when describing something that must be true if something else is true. We call this an “if/then statement.” For example, “If it is raining, then the concert will be canceled.” And that’s Everyday Grammar for this week. Join us again next week as we take a look at more examples of commonly confused words! I’m Ashley Thompson. And I’m Adam Brock. Ashley Thompson wrote this article. Adam Brock and Hai Do were the editors.

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Highly Contagious Virus Sickens Million, Costs Billion

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Everyone knows about the flu and the common cold. But what about norovirus? If you have never heard of norovirus, you are not alone. Most people haven’t. The fact that people do not know its name does not mean it is rare. The virus is actually very common. Norovirus infects 700 million people each year, mainly in the developed world. This video from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further explains the norovirus. The virus is a very aggressive intestinal illness. It causes nausea, vomiting and the worst diarrhea most people have ever had. It is also a killer. More than 200,000 people a year die from this virus. Medical costs linked to norovirus can be as high as $60 billion dollars a year. These costs include lost productivity at work because of personal illness or caring for a sick child. Because of this high price tag, health experts say norovirus is worth researching. Bruce Lee is a professor of international health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lee and his colleagues estimated the cost of the illness in 233 countries, regions and territories around the world. He says norovirus is responsible for about 50 percent of all stomach and intestinal illnesses in those regions. Lee and other researchers report their estimates in the journal PLoS One. Their calculations are thought to be the first regarding the global impact of norovirus. Lee says that he and his team wanted to quantify -- or put into numbers -- and characterize the impact of the norovirus. "We were interested in quantifying or better characterizing the impact of norovirus because it's something that you've heard of but if you think about it, you're not really sure what the impact, how often does it occur, how widespread is it." In fact, Lee says, the actual number of people who get sick with norovirus may be much greater. Many people, he says, may just think they have a stomach bug when they actually have norovirus. A stomach bug is an informal way to describe something such as a germ that causes intestinal illness. Again, here is Bruce Lee. "So people may suffer with the symptoms and they think, 'well, I've got a stomach bug', quote-unquote, and 'I've got some food poisoning' and they never really report it or get diagnosed." Lee hopes greater awareness will lead to control measures. These measures include washing hands and disinfecting food preparation areas. He adds that there is another important factor to consider: sick workers who still go to work. When a worker is sick, he says, they often feel obligated to still go to work. This is especially true for people in food service jobs who may lose wages if they miss work. Sick people working around food can contaminate, or spread viruses to, many people. Sick workers instead, he says, should be encouraged to stay home. "Many times, people who work in restaurants or the food preparation industry feel obligated to show up to work even though they’re sick, because many folks are on wages and they can't afford to miss a day, even a day. And so, they'll come in sick and then they'll end up contaminating food and spread it to many other people." There is currently no vaccine for norovirus. However, Lee says there are experimental vaccines under development. He says he hopes will one day a vaccine will help contain the spread of the virus. I’m Anna Matteo.   In the Comments Section, practice using the words in this article relating to viruses.  Jessica Berman wrote this for VOA News in Washington, D.C. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   rare – adj. seldom occurring or found intestinal – adj. affecting, occurring, or living in the intestine : of, relating to, or being the intestine quantify – v. to find or calculate the quantity or amount of (something) characterize – v. to describe the character or special qualities of (someone or something) impact – n. to have a strong and often bad effect on (something or someone) widespread – adj. common over a wide area or among many people obligated – v. to make (a person or organization) do something because the law requires it or because it is the right thing to do contaminate – v. to make (something) dangerous, dirty, or impure by adding something harmful or undesirable to it

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US Holocaust Museum Show Inspires Hungarian Art Students

  At first look, the black-and-white photograph seems sweet and innocent. The image was taken in 1929 in Bremen, Germany. Nine neighborhood boys stand together. They are smiling as they look at the camera. But, the photograph is the start of a dark story that is part of a new exhibit. The show, called “Some Were Neighbors,” is at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Many years after that photograph was taken, and after the end of World War II, one of the men in that old photo put it in the mail. He sent it and a letter to another man in the photo, seen standing with a bicycle. The man with a bicycle was Jewish. During World War II, Nazis murdered his mother. Later, he became a rabbi. In the letter, the other man explained that he had worked as a Nazi guard at Germany’s Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. But, he wrote, he “never touched a Jew.” The rabbi wrote back to the sender of the letter. He said, “What I wanted to hear...was how he felt about his job. Did he think that killing Jews was the proper thing to do?” He never got an answer. The questions the rabbi asked the guard are central to the “Some Were Neighbors” exhibit. Millions of ordinary people saw the crimes of the Holocaust. They saw the crimes take place in city squares, in stores and schools, in the countryside and other places. The Nazis found people all across Europe who willing to take part in their crimes. “Some Were Neighbors” explores what moves people to behave certain ways in difficult situations. The exhibit challenges viewers to understand a dark period of history. It also examines the importance of social responsibility. Zsuzsanna Kozák runs the Visual World Foundation in Budapest, Hungary. The non-profit organization works to support peace through video and media literacy. Last year, Kozák and other educators gathered at the U.S. museum for an international conference on Holocaust education. The museum organized the conference with UNESCO. The conference brought together teams from 10 countries that have limited educational material on the Holocaust and other genocides. Those countries were Hungary, India, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, South Korea, Rwanda and Turkey. Each country’s team left with a project plan. Kozák and the team from Hungary used the “Some Were Neighbors” exhibit to create a traveling student art project. The project centered on the Holocaust. But, it aims to create a discussion about current tensions in their country, including a large new border fence that blocked migrants from entering Hungary. The anti-discrimination project is called “Your Decision.” Kozák’s team worked with educators from six Hungarian schools. The students were from the very young to college age. The students explored ideas of tolerance – or accepting difference. Each group studied pieces of the “Some Were Neighbors” exhibit, such as a film clip of a Holocaust-era public shaming, or the Bremen neighborhood boys’ photo. Each group was asked to make art communicating the ideas they had studied. The students’ works were displayed at an exhibit last week in Budapest at the Canadian embassy. Teenagers from a Jewish school in Budapest made a three-dimensional copy of the Bremen neighborhood boys’ photograph. They separated the man who received the letter and another boy from the rest of the group. Zsuzsanna Kozák was born in 1974. She recalled not learning much about World War II history in school. “There is such a cultural silence,” she said. Peter Fredlake directs the Holocaust museum’s teacher education program. He said the “Some Were Neighbors” exhibit tries to change people’s understanding of what the Holocaust was. The Hungarian student art project, he said, “pushes back against the Holocaust narrative Hungarians hear today, one that ignores personal responsibility and claims victimhood.” Fredlake said that since the international conference, the other nine countries’ teams have also been exploring new ways for talking about genocide. The Hungarian students’ art project will be on display at the six participating schools starting in May. It will then move on to sites like the International Jewish Youth Camp in Hungary and to a gallery in Austria. Kozák said she hopes the art project will be seen in many places, for many years, because intolerance “is a universal challenge.” I'm Ashley Thompson. Carol Guensburg reported this story for VOA News. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story rabbi - n. a person who is trained to make decisions about what is lawful in Judaism​ proper - adj. correct according to social or moral rules ordinary - adj. not unusual, different, or special challenge - v. to test the ability, skill, or strength of (someone or something) literacy - n. knowledge that relates to a specified subject tolerance - n. willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own narrative - n. a story that is told or written genocide - n. the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group gallery - n. a room or building in which people look at paintings, sculptures, etc.

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April 27, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Baby Eagles in Washington, DC Get Their Names

  This is What’s Trending Today: Freedom and Liberty are not just important ideas in the United States. They are the names of two baby bald eagles in Washington, D.C. The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. The birds are not actually bald, as the name suggests. They have white feathers covering their head. The D.C. Eagle Cam launched in February. Since then, people from 100 countries have watched the website’s live stream of the birds over 35-million times. The names, Freedom and Liberty, were chosen after 30,000 suggestions were posted on social media. One person said he voted for the names Stars and Stripes.   Bald Eagle Cam viewers have seen the babies break open their eggs and grow under the care and supervision of their parents. The adults are named Mr. President and The First Lady. The baby eagles are about six weeks old. They were named at a ceremony earlier this week in the U.S. National Arboretum. The babies are expected to leave their home, high on a Tulip Poplar tree, sometime in June, when they will be about 12 weeks old. The American Eagle Foundation helped to set up the webcam last winter. Students from two universities set up the cameras and connected electrical cables to batteries that are powered by the sun’s energy. The president of the foundation says he hopes the eaglets will grow up, find a partner and return to set up their own nest. He hopes they will raise their babies in Washington, D.C. On social media, people have been posting comments about the baby birds since they were born. One person said her father watches the eaglets every day. Another said, “So awesome to watch them close-up and live!” Many people said they were “obsessed” with watching the baby eagles. And That’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Bruce Alpert.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Have you seen the baby eagles yet? What do you think of them? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   awesome – adj. causing feelings of fear and wonder : causing feelings of awe obsess– v. to be the only person or thing that someone thinks or talks about arboretum – n. a place where trees and plants are grown in order to be studied or seen by the public bald – adj. having no hair or very little hair on the head  

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iPhone Sales Fall, Ending Apple's Record Growth

How long have you had your Apple iPhone or computer? If you have not replaced that product in the last two or three years, you may be part of the reason for Apple’s falling sales numbers. Apple is the world’s most valuable company. Its yearly growth trend started in the early 2000s, with exciting new computers and a portable music player known as the iPod. The company continued to grow, with the introduction of the iPhone smartphone. Then, it introduced the iPad tablet.  Sales of Apple products grew every year for 51 straight quarters. That all changed on Tuesday, when the company reported a drop in sales. Sales for the first quarter of 2016 dropped 13 percent. Sales dropped to $50.6 billion from $58 billion during the same quarter in 2015. The news caused Apple’s stock to drop, too. The company’s shares were down by about 8 percent in after-hours trading. Slow growth in China Some experts say the struggling Chinese economy may be to blame for Apple’s weaker sales. The company’s report shows sales were down in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong by a combined 26 percent. In the past, Apple was able to depend on sales growth in those markets. Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook, says the smartphone market is not growing because of the slowing economies in some countries. But other experts say Apple is no longer regularly producing exciting products. People who bought new Apple laptops or smartphones in the last two or three years do not feel like they need to buy the latest products. Rob Pegoraro is a technology writer for USA Today and Yahoo. He says he still likes to use the Apple products he owns but, there is nothing “revolutionary” right now. “You got a lot of people upgrading to the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus. The 6s and the 6s Plus, they’re better, but as the names would suggest, they’re not exactly revolutionary. Normal people don’t buy new phones every year. “ Apple still makes a lot of money Pegoraro also says that Apple did not really have a bad quarter. The company still makes a lot of money from the products it sells. It is just not growing anymore. “Their gross margin was 39.4 percent compared to 40.8 percent. I struggle to think of how many other industries or companies could pull down those kind of profit margins for over a decade straight.” Pegoraro says there is not much more room for improvement in the products Apple makes. For example, the company could create an iPhone with a battery that lasts five days. “That would be amazing, but you’re running into the laws of physics there,” Pegoraro says. The Associated Press news agency reports that there are still parts of Apple’s business that are growing. For example, there are 500 million iPhones in use. Those phones need cloud storage, apps and music. That part of the company is worth $6 billion per quarter now, and that is an increase of 20 percent over the same period last year. There are also concerns that the Apple Watch, which came out a year ago, did not have better sales. But the watch actually sold more than twice as many units in its first year compared to the first iPhone in 2007. Right now people can only guess what is next for Apple. Some think the company will make an electric car. It is building a new headquarters that has been described as a spaceship or flying saucer by some observers. Pegoraro warns to not underestimate Apple just because of this small drop in sales. “This company, their problem is they made a lot of money, just not more money than they made the last quarter. You know, if that’s failure, then I should only hope to be just as much of a disaster!” I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you own an Apple product? Are you planning to replace it soon? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   units – n. an individual item of one of the products that a company makes and sells margin – n. an extra amount of something (such as time or space) that can be used if it is needed decade – n. a period of 10 years revolutionary – adj. causing or relating to a great or complete change content – adj. pleased and satisfied : not needing more regularly – adv. on a consistent basis, very often

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Nepal Quake: Slowly Rebuilding One Year Later

  One year after a deadly earthquake struck Nepal, the prime minister announced the country is rebuilding some of the damaged heritage sites. They include temples, monuments and a UNESCO heritage site. On April 25, 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed 9,000 people and damaged hundreds of historic structures. Nepali officials have said fully rebuilding the country’s architectural heritage and the 600,000 homes destroyed by the quake will take years. But this week Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli announced the government will start.   Monday the prime minister offered prayers at an ancient Buddhist temple, one of the hundreds of structures damaged by the quake. Memorial services for those who died were held Sunday. Protesters also demonstrated against the slow speed of the recovery efforts in the South Asian country. In a White House statement, National Security Council spokesperson Ned Prince expressed condolences for the lives lost in the quake. He also acknowledged that "much of the hard work of rebuilding Nepal still lies ahead." "We are humbled by those who risked their lives to save others, including the six United States Marines who perished in Nepal while providing relief to Nepalis in need," he said. Other nations are also sending money to help the rebuilding efforts. Monday, the New York-based World Monuments Fund announced donations totaling $1 million for five historic sites. But, while international donors have promised $4.1 billion towards Nepal's recovery, only $1.3 billion has reached the country. Critics blame the government for taking months to set up the National Reconstruction Authority. The slow movement to rebuild has left many people living in sub-standard temporary shelters. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that four million people are still in these temporary homes. The homeless have been promised about $2,000 in aid. However, only several hundred people have received the first $500 installment. Mike Bruce is a spokesman for the non-governmental group Plan International. He spoke to VOA via Skype from Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu. Bruce said the Nepali government has not been slow to rebuild – it has simply faced challenges in the past year. Bruce added that homes and heritage sites were not the only things destroyed by the powerful quake. He said over 30,000 classrooms were damaged or destroyed. Plan International aims to rebuild 20 schools and repair 16,000 of those classrooms. Bruce said the classrooms will be both accessible to those injured in the quake, and better able to withstand any future quakes. According to reports by VOA's Tibetan Service, Tibetan villages along Nepal's border, which were also destroyed by that same quake, have yet to be rebuilt. Many of an estimated 100,000 displaced Tibetans remain without homes to return to. Last week, Tibet Radio, a Chinese official Tibetan language news service, said a senior official recently visited the displaced Tibetans. He told them that quake reconstruction is a top priority in 2016. It is not clear whether the construction will focus on rebuilding damaged homes or simply moving displaced Tibetans into new towns, as Beijing has done before. I’m Anne Ball.   Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English from several VOA News stories. Kelly J. Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on Facebook. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   heritage – n. traditions, achievements, buildings, beliefs that are part of a group or nation architectural – adj. to describe method or style of a building, how it is built condolences –n. expression of sympathy when someone dies sub-standard – adj. below what is considered good installment – n. one in a series of payments until something is paid for

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Apps to Help Students Do Their Best Work

  Application software for computers or mobile devices can do a lot of things for students of all ages. Apps can help students get better organized, study for tests and prepare research papers. In other words, they can help the user do his or her very best work. Apps can help any users, even those who are not students, get more organized and improve their work. Whether or not you are a student, here are some apps worth considering. Quizlet Quizlet is a study aid app. It is filled with flash cards on many subjects to study. Use the cards that come with the app or create your own. Quizlet has links to subjects like: Arts & Literature Languages & Vocabulary Math & Science History & Geography Standardized Tests Professional & Careers The app has a mix of text, images and audio recordings, including pronunciation of words in different languages. Quizlet has games to play and tests to take. Cards are available on the app even when you are not connected to the Internet. Quizlet is available as a free app from Apple’s iTunes store. Quizlet for iPhone and iPad Quizlet for Android devices You can learn more at the Quizlet website. EasyBib Sometimes the most difficult part of writing a research paper is creating the bibliography. A bibliography lists all of the publications and other sources used in your research. Getting just the right citations to appear in the correct format can be difficult and take a lot of time. The EasyBib app can make creating a bibliography easier. The app can help organize the information and find citations for books, websites and more. EasyBib users can simply scan the barcode on a book with a mobile phone camera to get the information they need. You can also search for documentation in the app if the book is unavailable at the time. The app offers over 7,000 different citation formats, including the commonly used Modern Language Association, or MLA, style. Users can change the way in which the information is organized and stored within the app. Users can email information from EasyBib to others or to send it to a home computer. You can sign up for an account at the EasyBib website. EasyBib is free, but users have to pay for its premium features. EasyBib for iPhone and iPad EasyBib for Android devices Free Graphing Calculator An app called the Free Graphing Calculator is useful for students of mathematics or other subjects that require serious graphing. This free app gives the student more power to create lines and design images than many other calculator apps. The Free Graphing Calculator lets the user create up to four graphs at once, and lets users resize the graphs for the best views. You can change measurements within the image easily using the app. The mathematics and science guide within the app can explain some important math or science ideas. The Free Graphing Calculator is free. Users can pay to remove the advertising. Free Graphing Calculator for iPhone and iPad Free Graphing Calculator for Android Todoist The Todoist app can help even the most organized person with day-to-day activities. With this app, individuals can create a list of everything they need to do, and set a target date or time for when each activity is to be completed. Users can use different colors to create groupings for school, home and work. The app can provide reminders, even when you are not connected to the Internet. The app can also send reminders to a smart watch. This video shows how Todoist can be used: The app and most programs on Todoist are free. But some features are available at a cost. You can find out more from the Todoist website. Todoist is available for: Todoist for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch Todoist for Android devices Evernote Evernote is an app designed to help organize notes. Users can add images, links and more within the notes. Notes can be created from websites and tags can be added to help search your notes later. Notes can be available using Evernote on both computers and mobile devices. The Evernote app is free. Users have to pay for addition features. You can learn more at the Evernote website. Evernote for iPhone and iPad Evernote for Android devices PomoDone Everyone wants to be more productive. The Pomodoro technique is one way to make the most out of your time. Pomodoro suggests that an individual works in time blocks, and plans for short breaks during the work day. The PomoDone app can help divide time into blocks for work and for breaks. The app on the computer helps keep track of time blocks for each activity. The app will say when it is time to take a break and when it is time to get back to work. PomoDone can work with other apps, such as Evernote and Todoist, and help the user keep track of one’s activities over long periods of time. The app is available for computers from the PomoDone website. The app is free. Paid premium features are available.   Google Drive Google Drive is a cloud storage service where users can store and back up their files, including documents and photographs. With Google Drive, users can open their files from a home computer or mobile device. Each user gets 15 GB of free space to store and back up files. With a recent update to Google Drive, users can choose which files to back up so they do not fill up their computers with all of their files on Google Drive. The service lets the user share files, both as an email attachment and as a link. The user can also access those files when not connected to the Internet. This video will get you started with Google Drive: You can sign up at the Google Drive website. Google Drive for Android devices Google Drive for iPhone and iPad Sunrise Calendar Sunrise Calendar from Microsoft can work as a stand-alone calendar and connect with other online calendars to organize day-to-day events. The Sunrise calendar can connect with Evernote, Facebook, Todoist, and other services. Sunrise app is available free for: Sunrise for Android devices Sunrise app for iPhone and iPad   Note that Microsoft has said that the Sunrise app will be discontinued in the future, but many of the features of the Sunrise calendar are being added to its Outlook apps. Infographic Look at this infographic for more about these educational apps:                                                                                 I’m ___________.   Carolyn Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Do you use apps to help you be a better student? Have you used any of these apps? Which apps are your favorite apps for students? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   app - n. a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) flash card - n. a card that has words, numbers, or pictures on it and that is used to help students learn about a subject pronunciation - n. the way in which a word or name is pronounced bibliography - n. a list of the books, magazines, articles, etc., that are mentioned in a text citation - n. a line or short section taken from a piece of writing or a speech format - n. the form, design, or arrangement of something (such as a book, magazine, or television or radio program) reminder - n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something feature - n. an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc. technique - n. a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill calendar - n. a document, chart, etc., that shows the days, weeks, and months of a year​ * Infographic used with permission of Study Medicine Europe.

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Study: Brazilians Support Snap Presidential Election

A public opinion study shows six out of 10 Brazilians say a “snap” election could settle the country’s political crisis.  The study showed 62 percent of Brazilians want President Dilma Rousseff and Vice President Michel Temer to resign so a new election can be held. Rousseff is facing an impeachment process at a time when the Brazilian economy is in a recession. The country also has been dealing with a corruption crisis involving Petrobras, the state-operated oil company. But the Brazilian Congress would have to pass a constitutional amendment to have an early election. The next election is supposed to take place in 2018. The study found that only 25 percent of Brazilians want Rousseff to continue as president. Eight percent said a Temer government could fix the crisis. Researchers carried out the survey between April 14 and 18. They spoke with 2,022 Brazilians in 142 areas. Researchers asked them about possible future leaders. Almost 40 percent expressed support for environmentalist Marina Silva. Another 32 percent said they liked Aecio Neves as a possible leader. Neves was Rousseff’s opponent in the presidential election of 2014.  Opposition to Rousseff has increased in recent months. Some people accuse her of illegally covering up government budget deficits in 2014. She denies the accusations. Talk about Rousseff's possible impeachment has been a major subject in Brazilian media. The country is trying to recover from its worst recession in many years. In addition, Brazil has been attempting to stop the Zika virus, and prepare for the 2016 Olympic in Rio de Janeiro. The games open in less than four months. The lower house of Brazil’s parliament supported the effort to impeach Rousseff.The Senate is expected to vote on the issue early next month. The opposition needs only a simple majority to suspend her and open a trial. The process could take as long as six months. I’m Jonathan Evans.   VOA News reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Let us know what you think. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.  ___________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   snap - adj. done or made suddenly or without careful thought​ impeach - v. to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office​  

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US Urges Vietnam to Release Political Prisoners

The United States government is urging Vietnam to release all political prisoners and end its poor treatment of civil society activists.  US officials made the appeals before President Barack Obama’s first visit to Vietnam. He will travel there in May. A State Department official noted “the promotion of human rights remains a crucial part of U.S. foreign policy and is a key aspect of our ongoing dialogue within the U.S.-Vietnam comprehensive partnership.” On Monday, the two nations held their 20th in a series of meetings, known as the Human Rights Dialogue. The talks took place in Washington, D.C. The State Department said the two sides talked about a number of human rights issues during the meeting. These included the importance of continued progress on legal reform efforts, the rule of law, freedom of expression and assembly, and religious freedom. They also talked about labor rights, disability rights, and cooperation between the two countries. The U.S. government told Vietnamese officials that it is concerned about Nguyen Van Dai, a human rights lawyer who was arrested in December, 2015. He was detained as he was preparing to meet with representatives of the European Union. The EU officials were in Hanoi for talks with Vietnamese officials about human rights. In December, the State Department urged Vietnamese officials to make sure their actions were in agreement with international treaties. It also called on Vietnam to “release unconditionally all prisoners of conscience.” U.S. officials are also worried about blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh, also known as Anh Ba Sam. He was sentenced to five years in prison for what Vietnamese officials called “abusing rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state.” The State Department noted several concerns about Vietnam in its 2015 Country Report for Human Rights Practices. These problems included “severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights; limits on citizens’ civil liberties; and failing to protect citizens’ rights to due process, including protection against arbitrary detention.” Vietnamese newspapers and television stations face press and media restrictions. But U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the country’s human rights policies have improved. He said Vietnam has promised to make sure its laws give the same protections as international human rights laws and treaties. During a recent visit to Hanoi, Blinken noted that Vietnam had approved the Convention against Torture and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He also said that Vietnam was giving permission for independent trade unions to be created “for the first time in modern history.” And he noted that the Vietnamese government is taking steps to talk with religious and civil leaders as it writes a new law on religious freedom. The United States hopes the law will protect the rights of people of different faiths. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA’s Nike Chang reported this story from The State Department. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   promotion – n. the activity of helping something to happen, develop or increase crucial – adj. extremely important dialogue – n. (formal) a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement comprehensive – adj. including many, most or all things prisoner of conscience – n. someone who is held in prison because of his or her political or religious beliefs blogger – n. a person who writes about personal opinions, activities and experiences on a website. infringe – v. to wrongly limit or restrict (something, such as another person’s rights) due process – n. the official and proper way of doing things in a legal case; the rule that a legal case must be done in a way that protects the rights of all the people involved arbitrary detention – n. the jailing of a person without concern for what is fair or right

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Clinton, Trump Win Big, Look Toward November

  Five northeastern U.S. states held primary elections on Tuesday -- Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Voters there expressed their choices for their party’s candidate for president. Donald Trump, a billionaire businessman, won a majority of votes for the Republican Party in all five states. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, won a majority for the Democratic Party in four states. The two candidates are close to claiming their parties’ nominations for president. The other major challengers for the nominations -- Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Ted Cruz, and former governor John Kasich -- said their campaigns will continue. The state primary elections influence the number of delegates who will support the candidates at the party conventions this summer. Clinton and Trump have both built large leads in delegate counts. On the Democratic Party side, Clinton has a total of 2,141 delegates. A candidate needs 2,383 to claim the Democratic Party nomination. Her challenger, Bernie Sanders, told the Associated Press he has a “very narrow path and we are going to have to win some big victories.” The race for the Republican Party nomination has Trump with 950 delegates. Cruz and Kasich are trying to stop Trump from reaching the 1,237 delegate total for victory. If Trump cannot reach that total, the Republican nominee for president could be decided at the GOP convention. Exit polls taken Tuesday show division in the Republican Party, according to an Associated Press report. Only about 40 percent of GOP voters in Pennsylvania said they are excited about Trump being president. In the same poll, close to 60 percent said this year’s Republican Party primary campaign has damaged the party. Many polls have asked respondents whom they would choose in a contest between Trump and Clinton. Polls in the last month show Clinton winning by close to nine percent, according to a VOA news article. But Trump says he welcomes the opportunity to oppose Clinton in the general election in November. “When I'm one-on-one with Hillary she will be, as I said, easier to take down, much easier to beat than many of the people I've already beaten," Trump told supporters Tuesday. The candidates now are campaigning in the state of Indiana. The Indiana primary will be held May 3.  I’m Pete Musto.   Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English and VOANews.com. VOA’s Chris Hannas and the Associated Press contributed to the story. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. Who do you think would win in America’s general election in November? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   billionaire – n. a rich person who has at least a billion dollars Democratic Party – n. a political party in the United States that is usually considered more liberal primary elections – n. elections in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election Republican Party – n. a political party in the United States that is usually considered more conservative GOP – n. nickname of the Republican Party; stands for Grand Old Party exit poll  – n. a method of predicting the result of an election by asking people questions as they leave the place where they voted

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