Iraqi Parliament Collapses, Lawmakers Flee Baghdad

Baghdad is in a state of emergency after protestors led by Shi’ite clergyman Muqtada al-Sadr entered the parliament building in the International Zone Saturday, forcing lawmakers to flee. On Sunday morning, the demonstrators gathered in front of the now-empty parliament building and in what is known as the zone’s “Celebration Square.” Later, they announced they would temporarily leave the area. In a statement, Sadr’s office said the decision was made because a major Shi’ite religious observance is taking place. About 60 lawmakers -- most of them from the minority Kurdish and Sunni parties -- flew out of the capital to Irbil and Suleymania, in the northern, self-governing Kurdish part of the country. “It was dangerous for all of us,” one parliament official told VOA. He said some lawmakers were beaten. Usually, only people with special documents are permitted to enter the secure area, which is also known as the Green Zone. A United Nations office and many foreign embassies are in the zone. The parliament official said “at any time, the protesters could attack any embassy, any institution they want, or abuse anybody passing by. It seems al-Sadr wants to keep them inside the (zone) so he can force the government to do what he wants.” The protest took place after weeks of political disputes and increasing instability. Many Iraqis are angry with the government. They want better government services and security and they want corruption to end. The parliament official said “al-Sadr has the power of the people. One speech and he can deliver thousands of people to do what he wants. It is the power of the populace. Al-Sadr is capable of running and leading the anger within each Iraqi person.” Iraqi security forces have stopped anyone from entering the city, and the military is watching closely to see what happens next. I’m Jonathan Evans. Correspondent Sharon Behn reported this story from Irbil, Iraq. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

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Lesson 12: Meet My Family

Summary Anna is feeling homesick. Marsha helps her by listening to her talk about her family.   Speaking In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to ask a friend to talk about a problem. You can also download the Activity Sheet and practice talking about your family. Pronunciation ​In this video, you ​learn about how Americans pronounce the word "aunt" in different parts of the country. Conversation   Anna: Hello! Washington, D.C. has many beautiful parks. In fact, this park reminds me of my home very far away. Marsha: Anna, here's your coffee. Anna: Thanks, Marsha. Marsha: What's wrong? Anna: I'm thinking about my family. I'm feeling homesick. Marsha: Do you want to talk about it? Anna: Sure! I have some photos. Marsha: Yes. Yes, you do! Anna: Photos really help. Anna: This is my mother and this is my father. They are rodeo clowns. Marsha: What do rodeo clowns do? Anna: They make jokes at a rodeo. They make people laugh. Marsha: That-That';s very different. Marsha: Who is that woman in the picture? Anna: That is my Aunt Lavender. She is my mom's sister. She loves gardening and makes spoons. Marsha: She makes spoons? Anna: Of course. Marsha: That, too, is very different. Anna: Oh! This is my Uncle John. He is my father's brother. Marsha: What does Uncle John do? Anna: He's a chicken farmer. And makes guitars. He's awesome, and I'm his favorite niece. Marsha: Who are they? Anna: They are my cousins. They are my Uncle John's daughter and son. Marsha: What do they do? Anna: They raise sheep and make sweaters. Marsha: Yeah, that's not a surprise. Marsha: Thanks for showing me your family photos. Your family is very different. Anna: I do feel better. Thanks for listening. I have many more photos! Marsha: Yeah. Yeah, you do. Anna: Washington, DC is my new home. But I like remembering my old home, too. Anna's Family Tree This is a family tree. Anna tells Marsha about her parents. Her mother and father are rodeo clowns. Her father's parents are from Italy. These grandparents speak Italian. Anna's mother's parents live in California. These grandparents have a farm and raise horses. Anna's mother's sister is Aunt Lavender. She loves gardening. Anna's father has a brother. His name is John. Uncle John makes guitars. Uncle John has a daughter and a son. They are Anna's cousins. They raise sheep. Anna's brother has two children. They are Anna's niece and nephew.   Writing Are you from a big family or a small family? Write to us to tell us about two people in your family. What do they do? What do they make? Send us an email or write about them in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice with a friend.   Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Find Patterns. Learning is easier when you can find and apply patterns. Here is an example. Carlos is learning the names of family members in English. He sees a pattern. Some words change when you talk about the next generation. "Father" changes to "grandfather." When someone is related by marriage, the word "in-law" is used. "Sister" changes to "sister-in-law." Carlos thinks he can use this pattern to help remember the new words in English. How do you find and use patterns in studying English? Write to us in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy.   Listening Quiz Desktop Computer: Click here to go directly to the Listening Quiz. Click on the button below if you are on a mobile device or our mobile site. ______________________________________________________________ New Words clown - n. someone who often does funny things to make people laugh different - adj. not ordinary or common; unusual feel - v. used to describe or ask about someone's physical or mental state garden – v. to work in a garden; to take care of the plants in a garden guitar - n. a musical instrument that is held against the front of your body and that has usually six strings which are played with your fingers or with a pick homesick - adj. sad because you are away from your family and home joke - n. something said or done to cause laughter laugh - v. to show that you are happy or that you think something is funny by smiling and making a sound from your throat make - v. to build, create, or produce (something) by work or effort park -  n. piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise photo (photograph) -  n. a picture made by a camera raise -  v. to keep and take care of (animals or crops) remind - v. to cause (someone) to remember something rodeo - n. an event in which people compete at riding horses and bulls, catching animals with ropes, etc. sheep - n. an animal with a thick woolly coat that  is often raised for meat or for its wool and skin spoon - n. an eating or cooking tool that has a small shallow bowl attached to a handle sweater - n. a warm usually knitted piece of clothing for the upper part of your body Family Relationships aunt - n. the sister of your father or mother or the wife of your uncle brother - n. a boy or man who has one or both of the same     parents as you cousin - n. a child of your uncle or aunt daughter - n. a female child family - n. a group of people who are related to each other father - n. a male parent mother - n. a female parent nephew - n. the son of your brother or sister niece - n. a daughter of your brother or sister sister - n. a girl or woman who has one or both of the same parents as you son - n. a male child uncle - n. the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt   ______________________________________________________________ Free Materials   Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice a conversation about activities.     For Teachers ​ See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Auxiliary do and the verb make Topics: Family members​; family relationships., Learning Strategy: Find and Apply Patterns Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Ask about a problem; varied ways to pronounce "aunt" ______________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

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Schools in US Don’t Get Same Funding

Education spending in the United States differs from school to school. In the southern state of Mississippi, a school in Brookhaven spends $6,417 per student. Just 100 kilometers west, Natchez spends nearly $3,000 more. Shannon Eubanks is a school principal, or head of school, in Brookhaven, Mississippi. He told VOA “Our kids don’t have a chance.” Less money means students in Brookhaven don’t have a music or arts teacher, Eubanks said. Students must share computers and they ride old buses that should have been removed from service years ago. Eubanks worked hard on a proposal last year to increase money for every Mississippi public school. But Mississippi voters defeated it. “We just have to keep trying,” Eubanks said. Who is paying for the schools? For six months, National Public Radio (NPR) worked on a detailed report about what it calls education’s “money problem.” It reported that even school districts located near each other get very different amounts of money. The reason is that districts get money from a number of places, NPR explained. All states give money for schools, but some states give more than others. Some states give more money to poor school districts than rich districts. The idea is that poorer districts need more help than richer districts. But other states give out money equally to rich and poor districts. The federal government has programs to help poor districts, but the effect is limited. The federal government only pays for about 8 percent of Kindergarten-12th grade public school costs. The largest share comes from local taxes on property. Communities with lots of wealthy people collect more property taxes and, as a result, have more money to spend on schools. The opposite is the case for poor communities. Funding for education across the U.S. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year on school spending for the largest U.S. school districts. In the largest school district, New York City, per student spending is $20,331, the Census Bureau said. That is nearly twice as much as in Los Angeles, California. In Chicago, Illinois, it is $12,284 per student, $8,725 in Miami, Florida, and $8,295 in Houston, Texas. Education Week also researched funding levels for all 50 U.S. states. The differences are large. On average, New York, Alaska, and Wyoming spent more than $17,000 per student in 2013, while California, Oklahoma and Nevada spent about half that amount, Education Week reported. The average for the U.S. as a whole is about $12,000 per student. Here is how the small state of Wyoming came to be on the high end of school spending: The state receives taxes from oil and coal production. In the past, the extra money helped communities with the most production. That changed in the 1990s, when courts ruled all school districts in Wyoming should share in the oil and coal taxes. It led to increased money for all Wyoming public schools, said Kari Eakins of Wyoming Department of Education. The biggest change was reducing class size in early grades. The state now requires no more than 16 students per teacher in grades kindergarten through 3rd grade. Recent cuts in education funding The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities looks at public spending on services such as education. It said the big U.S. recession in 2008 led states to lower spending on education. Falling house prices meant property taxes, which provide the majority of school funding, dropped, too. The recession is over, but funding for schools remains below 2008 levels in most states, the center said. The center said those cuts mean schools will produce fewer “qualified workers” to fill the growing demand for “well educated” workers. How much money a school gets matters, said Eubanks, the Mississippi principal. His school serves 840 students in a rural community -- from kindergarten through 12th grade. Eubanks said, “We have a lot of issues well beyond education problems trying to serve poor students in a poor state.” He added the school is not giving them services “available in districts with more money.” I'm Bruce Albert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English with additional information from NPR and Education Week. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   principal – n. the person in charge of a public school district – n. an area established by a government for official government business  

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One Minute of Exercise May Be All You Need

There is good news for people who think they do not have time to exercise. A group of researchers from a university in Canada recently published a study that says short bursts of high-intensity exercise are good for you. In fact, this kind of exercise is just as good as spending up to an hour riding a bike or running steadily. The research team followed 27 men who were not very active for 12 weeks. They divided the men into three groups. One group did short, intense workouts on a bicycle three times a week. Another group rode a bicycle for about 50 minutes, three times a week. A third group did nothing. The researchers found something they did not expect. The group that exercised for only 10 minutes each session was just as healthy after 12 weeks as the group that exercised for 50 minutes each session. That is because of the way the researchers organized the workouts. Each group started with a two-minute warm-up and finished with a three-minute cool-down. But in-between, the high-intensity group sprinted for 20 seconds, followed by a two-minute recovery period. They did three sprints for a total of 10 minutes of exercise. This kind of exercise is known as interval training. The lead author of the study says interval training is both time efficient and effective. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report from VOANews.com. Mario Ritter was the editor. Can you find 12 minutes in your busy schedule for exercise? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   burst – n. a short period of producing or doing something that begins suddenly session – n. a period of time that is used to do a particular activity interval – n. a period of time between events efficient – adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy  

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Turkey Expands Media Crackdown

  Journalists attempting to work in Turkey are facing new pressures as the government enforces a ban on insulting the president. American reporter David Lepeska was denied entry to Turkey on Monday. He told followers on social media that he was stopped at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and immediately put on a flight to Chicago. Last Sunday, Turkish police detained Dutch journalist Ebru Umar at her home in the town of Kusadasi. Her detention resulted from a series of tweets on social media. In those messages, she repeated parts of her recent story about Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She was later released, but told not to leave the country.  Erdogan has enforced the rarely-used law that makes it illegal to insult the president. Since his election in 2014, the government has brought charges against nearly 2,000 people. Many are reporters or work for media companies. Sevgi Akarcesme is a Turkish journalist. To avoid legal action, she said, most people simply say or write ‘the Palace’ -- meaning the offices of the president. She said she has been in court not only for her tweets, but for a comment left, without her knowledge, under one of the tweets. She received a suspended jail sentence. Akarcesme was the editor of the English language newspaper Today’s Zaman. The courts seized the paper last month on suspicion of supporting terrorism. Laws against terrorism have been used against two of the country’s most famous journalists. Can Dundar and Erdem Gul are with the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet. They were charged with publishing a story critical of the Turkish state. The article accuses the Turkish government of secretly giving weapons to Syrian rebels. The collapse of the ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is seen as one reason for the government’s campaign against journalists.  The government argues the country is facing an unprecedented threat from the PKK and the self-declared Islamic State militant group. On Thursday, a Turkish court sentenced two journalists to two years in prison for inciting “public hatred.” But the journalists were found not guilty of “insulting religious values.” The charges were announced after the two reproduced a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad. The picture first appeared in the French weekly Charlie Hebdo. Concern about media freedom continues to grow among Turkey’s allies, including the United States. The State Department, the European Parliament and Council of Europe voiced their concern about legal pressure against the media in Turkey. I’m John Russell.   Dorian Jones wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted his 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   journalist – n. a person who collects, writes, and edits news stories for newspapers, magazines, television or radio tweet – n. a message sent using social media unprecedented – adj. never done or known before cartoon – n. a simple image showing its subjects in a humorous way

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Homeless Children in India Publish Newspaper

A group of homeless children in the Indian capital of New Delhi publish a  newspaper telling about their own lives. It is called Balaknama, which means “children’s voice.” It is written and edited by children up to 19 years old. About 10,000 people read it. The children write about poverty, child labor, underage marriages, sexual abuse and drugs. A homeless girl named Shanno helps edit the paper. “When reports arrive and the team sits down to select the story, lots of fights break out. They argue: ‘This story will have more impact than that story.’ So there’s a lot of debates before the final selection goes to print.” The newspaper has 70 reporters in several states and 14 in the capital. All of the reporters, editors and managers are homeless children. Jyoti Kumari is one of the reporters. “I used to beg, do drugs and sometimes go rag picking. Then I learned about Balaknama and began to work for it. First, I was a junior reporter, then a reporter and now I’m all set to become the editor.” Many of their parents are jobless and cannot read or write. The children now earn money, and many of them attend classes online that may help them find a job. The newspaper is published every month. It has eight pages. In 2002, when it began operations, the newspaper was published four times a year. It has changed the lives of many of the children who publish it, and hopes to improve the lives of thousands of others. Non-governmental organizations and charity groups support the newspaper. Sanjay Gupta leads a group that helps the children and gives money to the newspaper. “They feel very empowered and encouraged when people appreciate them, and when they talk to the authorities with the confidence, and also before the media. I think this is a really powerful tool to empower them.” The newspaper costs about three cents. That is less than the price of a small cup of tea in India. But the small cost gives the children hope that they will someday have a home and a job. I’m Jonathan Evans.   VOA Correspondent Zlatica Hoke reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do 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   edit – v. to prepare (something written) to be published or used; to make changes, correct mistakes, etc. in (something written) break out – expression begin goes to print – expression is printed; is published beg – v. to ask people for money or food rag picking – v. picking up rags or other pieces of cloth, or waste material from the streets or garbage dumps to earn money

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Some Birds as Smart as Apes

Using the term “bird brain” is one way to insult another person’s intelligence. That is because a bird’s brain is small. So, anyone with such a bird-sized brain was thought to be not that intelligent. But calling someone a bird brain might not be as insulting as it once was. That finding comes from a study of the mental abilities of birds. Two European scientists reported that at least two kinds of birds -- crows and parrots -- can think logically. A crow or parrot can recognize itself when the bird sees its image in a mirror. The scientists say crows and parrots also can feel empathy. In other words, they are able to understand and share the experiences and emotions of other birds. According to researchers, these abilities are “as sophisticated and diverse as those of apes." However, the brains of birds and those of apes are different. The brain of a bird does not have a neocortex. The neocortex controls thinking and remembering -- one’s cognitive skills. A bird brain is also much smaller than the brain of a monkey or other ape. So how can birds perform as well as mammals in some activities? Researchers in Germany suggest that different methods of complex thinking developed independently in birds and mammals. The researchers found that the brains of birds and mammals do have different structures. But there are also similarities in the brain architecture. The brains of both creatures have what is called a pre-frontal structure that controls similar high-level functions. The researchers propose a separate path of development for the similarities. The reason: both species faced the same challenges for survival. The researchers noted that neither a multilayered cortex nor a big brain is required for complex mental skills. They reported their findings in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences. I’m Anna Matteo.   VOA’s Faith Lapidus reported on this story. Anna Matteo adapted her story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   logically – adv.  of or relating to the formal processes used in thinking and reasoning mirror – n. a piece of glass that reflects images empathy – n. the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions : the ability to share someone else's feelings sophisticated – adj. highly developed and complex diverse – adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other neocortex – n. the large 6-layered dorsal region of the cerebral cortex that is unique to mammals; broadly :  the mammalian cerebral cortex cognitive – adj. of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities (such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering) architecture – n. formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious act challenge – n. a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do multilayered – adj. having or involving three or more layers or levels

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From Shakespeare’s Pen to Our Mouths

Now, time for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. William Shakespeare is probably the most famous English-language writer ever. Historians think Shakespeare was born on April 23 in 1564. They believe he died exactly 52 years later, on the same day! But historians and the rest of us actually know very little about the personal life of Shakespeare. Some researchers even suggest that he did not write all the plays that are credited to him. But, let us put all the mystery aside. What we do know is this: the language of Shakespeare is alive and well in modern, everyday English. Even if an English-speaker knows nothing about Shakespeare, they will surely know some of his expressions. And I am not talking about sayings like “to be or not to be” or “wherefore art thou Romeo.” Most people know those lines come from Shakespeare. The playwright invented many more words and expressions that we continue to use every day. Perhaps this is best explained as a theatrical production. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” Let's pretend two friends are in a crowded theater. They are waiting for a performance of Shakespeare to begin. One is a Shakespeare buff who knows a lot about the playwright. The other person thinks he knows very little about Shakespeare. But he may know more than he thinks. Before the curtain rises,  let's listen to their conversation. A: What took you so long? The play is starting soon. B: I wanted to buy something to eat, but that turned out to be a wild-goose chase. This theater does not have any food! A: I thought you went home. B: Why would I leave? A: Because you do not like Shakespeare. B: It’s not that I don’t like Shakespeare. I just don’t know Shakespeare. A: I suspect you know more than you think. B: What do you mean? A: Well, the term “wild goose chase” comes from Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet.” Years ago, it meant a kind of horse race. But now, it means a hopeless search for something you cannot find. B: Well, I wish you would have told me that this theater doesn’t serve food before my wild-goose chase. I’m so hungry! A friend has been staying with me for the past month and he’s eating me out of house and home! There's nothing left in my house to eat. A: That is another expression from Shakespeare! It comes from the play “Henry IV.” B: What expression, “I’m hungry!”? A: No! To eat someone out of house and home. It means that someone eats all the food in your house, like you’re friend. In Shakespeare’s play, Mistress Quickly says to the king, “He hath eaten me out of house and home; he hath put all my substance into that fat belly of his … !” B: That is exactly what is happening … just like in Henry IV! A: So, why has your friend been staying with you for so long? B: He says he got into a little trouble with the law and needs to lie low for a while. A: Staying out of sight until trouble passes is great advice! In fact, Shakespeare wrote that advice for Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing. The exact words were, “If he could right himself with quarreling, some of us would lie low.” B: When you start talking Shakespeare I really get lost. It’s all Greek to me. I just cannot understand any of it. A: Well, you must understand a little because you use his expressions all the time. “It’s Greek to me” is from the play Julius Caesar! And it’s a one way to tell someone you don’t have a clue what’s going on.  B: I have to say I am a little jealous that you know so much about Shakespeare. And I’m not one to fall victim to the green-eyed monster. A: Guess what? B: Don’t tell me? That expression is also from Shakespeare? I thought it came from the fact that feeling bitter kind of makes you feel sick. And sick people often look green. A: You are right. Before Shakespeare’s time, the color green was most commonly linked with bad health. In his play Othello, Shakespeare turned the idea of being sick with a disease into a condition -- being sick with jealousy. B: You know there are many other playwrights out there. Shakespeare is not the be-all and end-all of English writers. A: No one ever said he was the most important person in the English-speaking world. But now that you said it -- be-all and end-all is my favorite Shakespeare expression. And it comes from my favorite play, “Macbeth.” As Macbeth is preparing to kill the King, he says, “That but this blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all.” B: I really didn’t know that Shakespeare was such an influence on the way we speak today. I just thought he was for old college professors and people who do nothing but go to the theater. A: Hey! B: Seriously, it is fun to find out that so many of his words and expressions are still used today. A: Did you know, he even invented the knock-knock joke. B: Really?! A: Knock, knock! B: Who’s there? A: Orange. B: Orange who? A: Orange (Aren’t) glad I didn’t quote Shakespeare again? B: Yes. Yes, I am. Now be quiet. The play is about to start and I don’t want to miss a word. We hope you enjoyed this special Words and Their Stories celebrating the writer William Shakespeare. Have fun using the Shakespearean expressions that you heard today. I'm Anna Matteo.   Do have a favorite Shakespeare play? Have you ever heard of these Shakespearean expressions? Let us know in the Comments Section! Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   buff – n. a person who is very interested in something and who knows a lot about it wild-goose chase – n. a foolish and hopeless pursuit of something unattainable. eat out of house and home – idiomatic expression : to eat everything that someone has in the house lie low – phrase keep out of sight; avoid detection or attention It’s all Greek to me. – idiom : used to mean that you do not understand something jealousy – n. an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has green-eyed monster – n. jealousy thought of as a monster that bites or attacks people be-all and end-all  – n. the most important part of something or the reason for something

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Market for Illegally-Made Goods Reaches $460 Billion

  A new report says as much as $461 billion was spent on counterfeit and pirated goods around the world in 2013, and that trade continues to grow. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the report on April 18. The OECD studies economic information to help governments develop economic policies. Counterfeit goods are illegally-made copies of products. They are made and sold without the permission of the owner. Intellectual property rights, such as copyrights and patents, are forms of ownership that can be difficult to enforce in international trade. Counterfeit goods can travel through many countries before they reach the place where they are sold. A study by the OECD found that international trade in counterfeit goods is rising. The group says the amount of money earned from this illegal activity may be larger than the illegal drug trade. It warns that the sales of pirated products may even finance terrorists and criminal groups. The study found that trade in fake and pirated goods has grown to about 2.5 percent of the world’s imported products — up from 1.9 percent in 2008. The Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, Doug Frantz, says counterfeit goods are the biggest single provider of money to the world's underground economy. He said that sales of such products provided some of the financing for the terror attacks at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.  Frantz also said that counterfeiting creates products that endanger lives. He said examples include "auto parts that fail, pharmaceuticals that make people sick, toys that harm children, baby formula that provides no nourishment and medical instruments that deliver false readings.” Products from the United States, Italy, France, Japan, and Germany are the ones most often copied. Twenty percent of the illegal goods seized are copies of American-made products. Among OECD member nations, the United States is most affected, the study found. China, it says, is by far the largest source of faked goods. However, Chinese-made products are increasingly being copied, too.  The report says that all countries that create new, innovative products depend on the protection of intellectual property rights. It adds that OECD countries are hit most by counterfeiting. Thirty-four nations in Asia, Europe, and North and South America are OECD members. I’m Mario Ritter. Jim Randle reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Stories   counterfeit – adj. to make an exact copy of a something, such as a product, to trick people into buying it or believing it is real copyright – n. the legal right to reproduce, publish or make things such as books or music recordings for a certain amount of time fund – v. to provide money for patents – n. a document that gives the holder the right to make or sell a product for a specific period of time underground – adj. in or into a place that is hidden or secret source – n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed

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English in a Minute: Moving Target

Are Jonathan and Anna talking about shooting a bow and arrow? Find out what "moving target" means in this week's English in a Minute!

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'Lemonade' Flavors Beyonce's Tour Opening

  Beyonce opened her Formation World Tour to a full house on April 27 in Miami, Florida. The pop superstar started the show with songs from her album "Lemonade,'' released just a few days earlier. The album release also came with a special television program starring Beyonce on the cable station HBO. Much of “Lemonade” appears to be tied to Beyonce's life. Lyrics like, "Are you cheating on me?'' raised questions of whether her famous husband, Jay Z, had been involved with another woman.   Beyonce came onto the stage wearing black leather and a big country-western hat. Her performance included huge red lights and fireworks. Images of an electrical storm played on a screen behind her during one emotional song.    During the concert, Beyonce did not talk about her husband except for a quick “thank you” at the end. She also said little about her new album, except that her favorite song from it is "All Night.'' It begins with the line, "I've found the truth beneath your lies.'' She also did a quick cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams.'' And she sang her song “Halo” in memory of the pop star Prince, who died last week. She thanked him for his “beautiful music” and told the crowd, “He's an artist that inspired all of us.''   Later, images of Jay Z holding the couple's newborn child played as she sang. Wednesday's show also included a video from Jay Z’s grandmother on her 90th birthday. In the video, she said she turned life's lemons into lemonade.   Beyonce’s album is expected to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in its first week. Billboard magazine says it is likely headed to the number-one place on its weekly Top 200 list of album sales. Both Beyonce and her husband have appeared in photographs this week in which they are not wearing their wedding rings. But it is not clear if that means anything. Beyonce’s messages have seemed somewhat mixed. She did thank Jay Z with a song at the concert, saying “I want to dedicate this song to my beautiful husband. I love you so much.” Of course, “Lemonade” can be both sweet and sour. I’m Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver adapted this story from an Associated Press article, with additional reporting. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   full house - expression a theater or concert hall that is filled with spectators lyrics - n. the words of a song stage - n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand​ cover - n. a recording or performance of a song that was previously recorded by someone else​ inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create​

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