How Will Driverless Technology Change Our Lives?

  Almost every day, we hear about a new development in the world of driverless technology. But how will this technology change our lives when cars no longer need humans to drive them? Major automakers are now researching and testing driverless cars. Technology companies like Apple, Google and Uber are also working to bring driverless technology to market.  James Anderson is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is also an expert on driverless transportation. He said the first stage of the technology is already here. The technology allows cars to change lanes, control speed and warn drivers of hazards. “The idea is that drivers first use these, and then become more confident to use the technology more,” he said. “But the risk of that is that research suggests people tend to over rely on the equipment, and may or may not be able to jump back in and take over on short notice.” ​ Setback for driverless technology In May, a driver was killed while using the “Autopilot” feature on a Tesla car. It was the first known U.S. death involving a car operating in self-drive mode. Officials said the crash happened in Florida when a tractor-trailer turned in front of the Tesla Model S. Investigators said it appeared the car’s cameras failed to differentiate between the large white side of the tractor-trailer and the brightly lit sky. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating the accident, as well as the design and performance of Tesla’s Autopilot system. The driver of the truck told the Associated Press the driver of the car was “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” before the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed it found a portable DVD player in the car after the accident. But it could not confirm whether a movie was playing at the time of the crash. Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, expressed condolences for the accident. Tesla said it was the first known death in more than 200 million kilometers driven with its Autopilot system. Autopilot allows the car to steer itself in a lane, change lanes, and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic. Tesla said the system is designed only to assist drivers, who must manually turn it on. The company tells drivers that even when using Autopilot, they need to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times. “Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert,” Tesla said. Despite these dangers, autonomous cars are expected to greatly reduce accidents. Currently, about 90 percent of crashes are caused by human error. James Anderson said the big automakers have pledged to add anti-crash devices on all vehicles within five years. Driverless technology leads to disruption Even though few accidents is good, Anderson said this would cause a lot of economic disruption. “There’s a whole crash economy that is dependent on the regular occurrence of automobile crashes.” He said job losses would come in the insurance industry and in hospitals where crash victims are treated. In addition, other driving-related jobs would be hurt. There are millions of truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, and other driving-related jobs in the U.S. “A lot of those jobs are likely to disappear,” he said. A California company already has plans to sell driverless kits for tractor-trailer trucks. The company, Otto, was started by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski. Just the thought of an 18-wheel truck speeding down the highway fully loaded with cargo makes many drivers nervous. But Levandowski said the technology is very safe. He says the goal is to make trucks drive as much like humans as possible, but with the reliability of machines. How will technology change our lives? Carlo Ratti heads the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lab studies how digital technologies are changing cities and how this will change how people get around in the future. “The most exciting thing about a self-driving car is not really the fact that you don’t need to keep your hands on the steering wheel. For us, the most exciting thing is that it’s going to have a profound impact on mobility in our cities.” Ratti said cars are now only being used about 5 percent of the time. Most of the time they are parked and using up valuable city space. In the future, a self-driving car could give you a ride to work in the morning. But then the same car could be used throughout the day to take other people around the city. This car-sharing model would blur the lines between private and public transportation, Ratti said.   “We could potentially share cars and rides better. That means a city where you could theoretically make everybody’s destination in Washington or New York, or Singapore – a big city or a small city – with 20 percent of the cars we have today.”  He said another major change could be the removal of traffic intersections. “At that point, you could think about autonomous intersections. Intersections where vehicles don’t need to stop at a junction, but they can keep going and simply avoid bumping into each other.” Ratti said he believes driverless technology will lead to more efficient and sustainable transportation. But it will also leave questions about who will truly benefit. “When you think about building a shared infrastructure, the question is, who’s going to charge or bill other people? Who’s going to enact different transportation policies? So it really becomes much more about how we’re going to distribute the benefits of this new transportation system across society.” Another big question is how ready the public is, or will be, to use driverless technology. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania are reporting positive results with self-driving vehicles. Lead researcher, Professor Raj Rajkumar, said it really does not take long for people to trust the car enough to let go of the wheel. “They begin to see that the vehicle is exact, very rational, drives safely, and then they begin to relax,” he said. U.S.-based Local Motors has even used 3-D printing technology to produce self-driving vehicles. It recently introduced a new minibus called “Olli” that can carry up to 12 people. The vehicle allows passengers to call for rides with a mobile app similar to Uber. The company says about 75 percent of the entire vehicle can currently be 3-D printed, and it can be fully assembled in 11 hours. I’m Bryan Lynn. And I'm Anne Ball. Bryan Lynn reported this story for VOA Learning English. Additional information came from the Associated Press and VOANews.com. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Would you trust a self-driving car enough to take a ride? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tractor-trailer – n. large truck with a trailer attached to the back disruption – n. an interruption in normal progress blur – v. to make unclear or confused theoretically – adv. related to something that is possible, but not yet known to be true sustainable – adj. able to be maintained at a certain rate or level rational – adj. based on facts or reason and not emotions or feelings

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Republican, Democratic Conventions Could Be Exciting

On July 18th, Republicans begin a four-day meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, to choose their party’s candidate for president. The following week Democrats choose their presidential candidate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These two conventions are likely to get more public attention than any in the past 40 years. Not much doubt about Trump and Clinton Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the likely Democratic nominee. And businessman Donald Trump has enough delegates to win the Republican nomination. An effort by “Never Trump Republicans” to deny him the nomination faces long odds. “I think everybody understands that they lack the kind of support to pull off what they started out to do,” Bruce Ash told CNN. He is a member of the Republican convention rules committee. Pete Hatemi, a political science professor at Penn State University, believes Trump’s trouble winning over the Republican establishment will bring more interest in the Republican convention. And, if as expected the “dump Trump effort fails,” Hatemi said people will watch to see “what kind of speech” he gives. Trump, who is running his first campaign for elected office, generally does not read prepared speeches. He mostly says what he thinks. Trump also uses colorful language and almost always promises to “make America great again.” For the Democratic convention, Hatemi said people will watch to see if Clinton can win over loyal supporters of Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator. Sanders delegate not sure he will support Clinton “I can honestly say that I don’t know if I’ll vote for Hillary Clinton,” said Shane Assadzandi, 27, of West Virginia, and a Sanders delegate. It will be his first national political convention. Assadzandi said he knows he will vote in November and that “it won’t be for Trump.” But he has “doubts” about Clinton’s position on issues important to him, such as campaign finance reform. “I volunteered for Bernie for the better part of a year now,” Assadzandi said. “He really walked the talk and really spoke to our concerns on the issues we care about most.” By “walk the talk,” he means somebody whose beliefs and actions matched his speeches. A strong endorsement from Sanders might persuade him, he said. Sanders confirmed reports he will endorse Clinton before the Democratic convention. 11th convention for Republican delegate In Cleveland, Gary Lavine will attend his 11th Republican convention. Lavine, an attorney in Syracuse, New York, said the Cleveland convention will be among the most important he attended. Trump needs to have a successful convention to win the presidency, he said. “Trump has to persuade people he is a serious candidate,” said Lavine, who supported former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for the Republican nomination. “Trump has to roll out a solid running mate [his vice presidential candidate] and deliver a speech that says he will take care of our nation and government and this isn’t just, well, another casino deal,” Lavine said. Unity is important Coming out of the convention with unity is important for both candidates, said Casey Dominguez, a political science professor at the University of San Diego in California. “History seems to indicate that a divisive convention can hurt the party's standing going into the general election,” Dominguez said. The 1976 Republican and 1980 Democratic conventions were the last to have serious fights for party nominations. At the 1976 Republican convention, Gerald Ford defeated Ronald Reagan for the nomination. But he lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. In 1980, Carter blocked a strong challenge from Ted Kennedy for the Democratic nomination. But he went on to lose the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan. Both candidates have high negatives Ahead of the 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions, a majority of voters have negative views of both Trump and Clinton, said Hatemi of Penn State University. The conventions will give them a chance to improve their standing with voters, he said. Trump drew new criticism last week for praising the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. He said Saddam was a “very bad guy,” but very good at killing terrorists “and this was a good thing.” And the U.S. FBI director criticized Clinton for using a private email server as secretary of state. James Comey, the director, said Clinton and her aides were “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.” But he added, “No charges are appropriate in this case.” What goes on at a political convention? At the conventions, there will be speeches from people saying nice things about their candidate and bad things about the opposing candidate. Trump has said he will try to build excitement with music and unusual speakers, such as sports’ stars and entertainers. “These political conventions play a very important part in our democracy. They build unity and enthusiasm for candidates,” said Lavine, who attended his first Republican convention in 1968. Angela Gialloreto has been to every Democratic convention since 1976, when Jimmy Carter was nominated. “Conventions create enthusiasm and makes me feel so good that someone I believe in is willing to take the presidency and all the challenges that go with it,” she said. “It makes you feel like you really and truly are part of a great country.” I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.   Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English.  Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   establishment -- n. the people in business, government, etc., who have power over the other people in a society endorsement -- n. to say someone supports a person for office or some other contest mate -- n. a person who works alongside someone deliver -- v. to say something in public casino -- n. a building where people gamble sensitive -- adj. needing to be handled in a careful or secret way in order to protect someone or something classified -- adj. kept secret from all but a few people in the government enthusiasm -- n. strong excitement about something

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Lesson 20: What Can You Do?

Summary Anna meets her friend Pete in a coffee shop. Pete needs a job. Can Anna help him to find the right job for him? Speaking In this video, you can practice saying the new words and learn how to ask questions when you do not understand someone clearly. Pronunciation This video teaches about the shortened form of cannot and the two ways to pronounce can. Conversation Anna: Hi, there! Washington, D.C. is a great place to work. Many people here work in government and politics. But there are many other jobs. You can work at a hospital; a university. You can work in a coffee shop. Wait a minute, I think I see a friend of mine. Pete? Is that you? Pete: Hi, Anna. Anna: You look different. Your beard … is really big. Pete: You don’t like it, do you? Anna: No, no. You just look … different. (To server) Thank you. So, what’s wrong? You look sad. Pete: I don’t have a job. Anna: Sorry, I can’t hear you. Pete: I do not have a job! Anna: Oh. I’m sorry to hear that, Pete. Pete: I don’t have a skill. Anna: Everyone has a skill. You need to find yours. Pete: I don’t know, Anna. Anna: Pete, I am good at asking questions. Let me ask you some. Pete: Really, Anna? Can you help me? Anna: Yes, I can. Let me help. Pete: Sure, Anna. Maybe you can help. Anna: Can you write code? Pete: Sure, c-o-l-d. How is this going to help? Anna: No, not “cold.” Code; you know, for making phone apps, or websites. You can make tons of money writing code. Pete: Tons of money? But I can’t code. Anna: Next question. Can you drive? Pete: Do you mean drive a race car? It’s really hard to be a race car driver. First, you need a race car ... Anna: No, I mean drive a taxi or drive a bus. Pete: No, I always fall asleep when I drive. Anna: Oh, that’s not good. Next question. Can you teach? You can be a teacher in a school. Pete: No, I cannot teach. Anna: Can you cook? You can be a chef in a restaurant. Pete: No, I can’t code! I can’t teach! I can’t cook! Anna, I can’t do anything. This is sad. I’m gonna write about my feelings in my blog. Anna: You write a blog? Pete: Yeah, I write a blog. Anna: How many followers do you have? Pete: I don’t know … 59,538. Anna: Pete, that's a lot of followers! You can make money writing! Pete: Writing is easy. Everyone can write. Anna: Not everyone can write well. You can be a writer! Pete: I can be a writer. I can be a writer! I can be a writer! Thanks, Anna. Marsha: Hi, Pete. Hi, Anna. Pete: Hi, Marsha. Excuse me, I have to go. Marsha: Where are you going? Pete: I’m going to be a writer! Marsha: Good luck, Pete! (To Anna) He does know that it’s not easy to be a writer, doesn’t he? Anna: There are many different jobs you can have in Washington, D.C. Pete wants to be a writer. I wish him luck. Lots of luck. Until next time! Writing In this lesson, Anna is helping her friend Pete. He needs to find a new job. How do you try to help your friends? Write to us to tell us about the ways you help your friends. Send us an email or write in the Comments section. Use the Activity Sheet to practice talking about jobs and skills.     Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is identify problems​. When we are talking with someone in English it helps to identify problems in understanding and get the information we need to correct the problems.  In the video for this lesson, there are three problems. Here are two of them. 1. Anna identifies one problem. Pete is not talking loud enough. She tells Pete. "Sorry, I can’t hear you." Pete speaks more loudly so she can hear him. 2. Later, Pete does not understand Anna. He asks, "Do you mean drive a race car?" Anna explains that she means to "drive a taxi or drive a bus." Can you find another time in the video when Anna or Pete identifies a problem? 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 ______________________________________________________________ New Words app - n. a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) beard – n. the hair that grows on a man's cheeks and chin blog - n. a Web site on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities, and experiences chef - n. a professional cook who usually is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant code - n. -  a set of instructions for a computer code - v. to change (information) into a set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be read by a computer drive - v. to direct the movement of a vehicle such as a car, truck, or bus easy - adj. not hard to do follower - n. a person who likes and admires (someone or something) very much good luck - expression. used to say that you hope someone will succeed hard - adj. physically or mentally difficult lot(s) or a lot (informal) lots - n. a large amount hospital - n. a place where sick or injured people are given care or treatment and where children are often born school - n.   a place where children go to learn taxi - n.  a car that carries passengers to a place for an amount of money  teacher - n. a person or thing that teaches something university - n.   a school that offers courses leading to a degree and where research is done website - n.  a place on the World Wide Web that contains information about a person, organization, etc., and that usually consists of many Web pages joined by hyperlinks well - adv. -- in a skillful way ______________________________________________________________ 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 writing ordinal numbers.   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: Expressing ability; Can & Can't; Contractions  Topics: Occupations and skills; Helping friends Learning Strategy: Identify Problems​ Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Asking clarification questions; Pronouncing can & can’t ______________________________________________________________ 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. Special request to teachers and English learners: As we show in the Lesson 19 video, Anna is going to have a new children's program. What should she call the program? Let us know in the Comments section or by email. We'll send a special thank you to the person who suggests the best name.

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Ivory Coast Taekwondo Champions Head to Rio

  African countries may be best-known for their track and field success at the Olympics. But interest in Asian martial arts has grown on the continent. African nations are sending 50 athletes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in events such as taekwondo and judo. Three of those athletes represent Ivory Coast. A Korean Taekwondo expert introduced the exercise to Ivory Coast in the 1960s. It is now a popular after-school activity for children. Ivorian Taekwondo competitor Ruth Gbagbi will be making her second Olympics appearance. She also competed in the 2012 London Games but lost both her matches. She is 22 and competes in the 67-kilogram division. Mamina Koné and Cheick Cissé are the other two Ivorian taekwondo competitors at this year’s games. It will be their first Olympic experience. Taekwondo became an Olympic sport in 2000. Only three Africans have won medals in the event. Ivory Coast has one medal in its Olympic history.  Ivorian runner Gabriel Tiacoh took home a silver medal in 1984 for his second place finish in the men’s 400-meter event. All three of the taekwondo athletes from Ivory Coast won medals in recent African competitions. The director of the Ivory Coast team says the three athletes are on the same level as the best in the world. The competitors say they are setting an example for the next generation of Ivorian athletes. Moussa Berthé is 13. He has been doing taekwondo for five years. He says he learned “discipline, respect, dignity and wisdom” from his teachers. Berthé will be watching the national team compete in Rio. "They are examples to follow because they are champions, and they come from Ivory Coast so it encourages us to continue taekwondo," he said. The taekwondo competition begins in Rio on August 17. I’m Dan Friedell.   Emilie Iob wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. How do you think the African athletes will do at the Olympics? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   martial arts – n. any one of several forms of fighting and self-defense (such as karate and judo) that are widely practiced as sports medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement wisdom – n. knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life discipline – n. a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders dignity – n. a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control division – n. a group of teams or athletes in a section of a competition match – n. a contest between two athletes or teams  

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Everyday Grammar: Apostrophes

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Making Bamboo a Common Building Material

Bamboo is one of the world’s most useful plants. For thousands of years bamboo has been used in many different ways -- from food to medicine to clothing and, in small ways, as a building material. However, bamboo is not often used as a building material in the developed world. It is not made according to officially set measurements, or standards. It simply grows in the ground. A professor at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania is trying to change that. The professor and his students are testing the strength of bamboo. They are testing its radial load, or how much pressure or weight it can take before breaking. That pressure was too much. Kent Harries is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Harries says that testing methods for bamboo need to be the same for all. They need to be standardized. Building codes everywhere require strict standardization of tests for all materials, such as timber or concrete. But tests for bamboo have not been standardized. Standardizing test methods for bamboo will help to bring the plant into common use, or the mainstream. It will also give engineers and builders around the world a dependable standard – or as Harries says, a testing method they can hang their hat on. "If we standardize it, if we provide essentially documentation, test methods which the engineers can hang their hat on, we bring the material into the mainstream." Why is bamboo a great building material? Harries sees bamboo as a great building material. First, it is strong. The strength of at least three species of bamboo is similar to steel. Besides its strength, Harries says that bamboo has other features that make it a great building material. He says it is resilient, meaning it keeps its shape and strength even under pressure. "It's a remarkably strong material, remarkably resilient. It's optimized to be very tall. Obviously bamboo material, something like this, might grow 20 meters and it supports its own weight, and, of course, it also supports huge wind loads ..." Bamboo also grows quickly. Bamboo that is suitable for construction needs much less resources than wood. The harvest cycle of bamboo is about 3 years. Softwoods such as cedar, pine and spruce have a harvest cycle of about 10 years. And hardwoods that come from flowering plants such as oak, maple and walnut need more than 30 years. Harries says bamboo poles could be joined together into columns for building floors and roofs. In many countries they are already used for wall panel structures. Bamboo might have a bad reputation Bamboo is widely used as food for panda bears. It is also used for furniture or man-made building products such as flooring and window covers, or blinds. However, bamboo is not used much outside its native growing area. This is mostly because of its round shape. But there are other reasons too. Bamboo, it seems, has an image problem. People think – or have the mentality – that bamboo is a low quality building material. "It is viewed in much of the world as well, bamboo is for poor people, and so there's that mentality that we're trying to get over." I’m Anne Ball.   George Putic reported this story from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Adam Brock 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   standard – n. a fixed official unit of measurement radial load -  adj. pressure or weight  that weighs on an object from a right angle standardized – adj. to change (things) so that they are similar and consistent and agree with rules about what is proper and acceptable hang (your) hat on – idiomatic phrase a skill or trait or whatever that you use or rely on mainstream – adj. the thoughts, beliefs, and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people resilient – adj. able to return to an original shape after being pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc. optimize – v. to make (something) as good or as effective as possible harvest cycle – n. the annual cycle of activities related to the growth and harvest of a crop. These activities include loosening the soil, seeding, special watering, moving plants when they grow bigger, and harvesting, among others. image – n. the idea that people have about someone or something mentality – n. a particular way of thinking  

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Freudian Slip and Other Types of Psychobabble

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories! Each week, we tell about and explain sayings in American English. Today is it different types of psychobabble. Psychobabble is a fairly new word in the English language. For about 40 years, people have been using psychobabble to describe the language of popular psychotherapy. Psychotherapists are specialists in treating mental or emotional disorders. They talk with patients about their problems instead of using medicine or drugs. Psychobabble can be used in areas other than the world of psychotherapy. Often these words find their way into everyday language. Sigmund Freud is said to be the father of psychoanalysis. He opened up new ways of thinking about the mind. Freud and his work on unconscious, suppressed desires also led to several new expressions. Among these is the saying “a Freudian slip.” A Freudian slip is something people say accidentally that shows their true feelings. We also call this a slip of the tongue. Freud explored the feelings that people keep buried deep inside themselves. They fail to recognize they are keeping their feelings hidden. Those feelings are bottled up inside the individual, Freud said. And sometimes these bottled up feelings come out in uncontrolled ways. Here is an example. In 2004, Condoleezza Rice served as National Security Advisor to the president of the United States, George W. Bush. She was unmarried at the time and there were reports that she spent much of her time with the president and his wife Laura. At a dinner party one night, Rice was talking with a group of people. She reportedly said, “As I was telling my husb—as I was telling President Bush …” Some reporters wrote that Rice’s Freudian slip might have shown how she really felt about Bush. Sigmund Freud also defined parts of the human mind. In Freud’s thinking, a mind is divided into three parts. The ego is the part of the mind that senses and reacts to changes in the real world. The superego is the part that relates to ideas about what is right and wrong and to feelings of guilt. The id is the part of our unconscious minds that relates to one’s basic needs and desires. Of these three parts, it is the ego that is used in common expressions. If someone is said to be on an ego trip, they are only thinking of themselves. We also use this expression as a verb, saying that someone is ego tripping. To stroke someone’s ego is to praise them in order to get what you want. For example, if your supervisor is difficult to work with, just stroke his ego. Tell him he has the best ideas and that you are learning a lot from him!     If this boss is egocentric, all those nice comments just might work. Egocentrics are people who care too much for themselves and not enough about others. Egomania is the state of being egocentric. You could say an egomaniac lives in the state of egomania. However, an alter ego is the exact opposite of an ordinary personality. In literature, one of the most famous examples of an alter ego appears in the book "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson.                             This story became so famous that the saying "Jekyll and Hyde” now means a person who is different in moral character from one situation to the next. For example, you could say, “She has a real Jekyll and Hyde personality. One minute, she’s nice and quiet. The next she is shouting at people and insulting them.” Other personality types have made it out of the doctor’s office and into American English. Take a Type A personality, for example. A Type A is said to be aggressive and very competitive. Researchers started using this expression in the 1950s when they explored the connection between Type A personalities, stress and heart disease. In the 1970s, the term Type A found its way into everyday language. Type As are often described as overachievers, goal-oriented and driven. Such individuals have a hard time waiting in lines, taking it easy and getting away from work. Their main concern is their career. This may sound bad. But Type A people are actually highly effective in the workplace. And perhaps people who are a little Type A are also good at learning English. I’m Anna Matteo. ((But I don't care it's all psychobabble rap to me, Psychobabble, oh, psychobabble...))   Do you have an example of a Freudian slip? Is there someone in your life with an ego problem? Let us know in the Comments Section. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is The Alan Parson’s Project singing “Psychobabble.” __________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   bottled up  – idiomatic expression. control and refrain from showing insult – v. to do or say something that is offensive to someone; to do or say something that shows a lack of respect for someone overachiever – adj. someone who has much more success than is normal or expected especially at a young age goal-oriented – adj. works hard to reach good results in the work that they have been given

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Asian Countries Worry About Protectionism

  Asian countries are increasingly concerned that popular anger in the U.S. and Europe might hurt their exports and lead to a global economic slowdown. Voters in industrialized countries are frustrated with job losses in industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing. Many blame the losses on globalization and free trade policies. These were reportedly major issues in the British vote to leave the European Union. They also have been energetically discussed in the U.S. presidential election. Some experts are calling these concerns protectionism, or seeking to protect or block off a country’s market from foreign businesses. Frederic Neumann co-directs Asian economics research for HSBC Bank in Hong Kong. He said, “Rising protectionism could throw sand in the wheels of the global trading system and so start to gum it up.” Effects of Britain’s vote on world markets had results The vote in Britain resulted in wild changes in financial markets around the world. Major East Asian countries were no exception. They reacted with short-term economic measures meant to stabilize their markets because of the June 23 vote. South Korea ordered an increase in government spending. China let the value of its currency fall. And Japan has said it is considering taking measures if the value of the Japanese yen continues to rise. However, reaction in Asia to the heated disputes over trade in the West, especially in the U.S., has been somewhat muted.  Peter Drysdale heads the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy. He said anxiety in Asia is eased by the perception that a more thoughtful discussion will develop over time. “The rhetoric coming out of the political campaign in the United States of course does disturb policy leaders elsewhere in the world including Asia,” Drysdale said. Both parties voice opposition to free trade deals U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has attacked free trade agreements (FTA) during his campaign. He called for renegotiating or withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, with Canada and Mexico. He also said he opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). That trade agreement includes the United States and 11 other Pacific countries. Trump has criticized trade deals, but he is not alone. The Democratic Party presumptive nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, also voiced opposition to the TPP during her campaign. She has, however, supported free trade agreements in the past.  She spoke in support of the NAFTA deal as first lady of the U.S. with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. He signed the agreement into law in 1993. Clinton also supported the TPP when she was President Barack Obama’s secretary of state.  As a presidential candidate, however, she said the final version was not good for American workers. Some experts see her change in position as, at least party, a reaction to her opponent in the primary elections Bernie Sanders. He has been outspoken in his opposition to trade deals. However, President Obama is hopeful that the U.S. Senate will approve the TPP after Congressional elections in November. Economists said Asian countries could take further measures to open up their economies and increase investment in Western countries. Drysdale said this could ease anti-trade anger in the West. He added that is already happening to some extent. “Investors in India and China and elsewhere in the region are looking to put plants and investment into industrial countries and the United States in particular,” he said. Frederic Neumann of HSBC said American companies do complain of complex regulations blocking market access to Korea although an agreement is in place. Officials in Seoul say South Korea has a trade surplus of about $10 billion with the U.S.  But, they note that South Korean companies invest more in America than U.S. companies invest in Korea. Last week, Republican candidate Trump took specific aim at the U.S. free trade agreement with South Korea. He said the deal doubled the U.S. trade deficit with its East Asian ally and lost nearly 100,000 American jobs. I’m Mario Ritter. Brian Padden reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sentiment –n. feelings or an attitude held by a large number of people muted –adj. not strong, limited perception –n. an opinion, a way of seeing things rhetoric –n. public speech meant to persuade others to do or support something disturb –v. to throw into confusion, to worry or upset

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Small Dinosaur Suffered from Jaw Tumor

  For the first time ever, scientists have discovered a tumor in the remains of a dinosaur. Researchers at the University of Southampton in England found the deformed jaw of a dinosaur. The smaller-than-normal dwarf dinosaur is called a hadrosaur. It is a duck-billed dinosaur. The hadrosaur lived nearly 67 to 69 million years ago. It was found in what is called the “Valley of the Dinosaurs.” That valley is in the Transylvania area of western Romania. Dr. Zoltan Csiki-Sava was involved in finding the diseased hadrosaur. To investigate the tumor, her team was invited to Micro-CT scan the jawbone. “The tumor in this dinosaur had not developed to its full extent at the moment it died,” the doctor said. “[The tumor] could have indirectly contributed to its early demise.” Kate Acheson is a PhD student researcher at the University of Southampton. She said the duck-billed dinosaurs were at higher risk for tumors than other dinosaurs. The tumor is known as an ameloblastoma. That is a benign non-cancerous tumor that is found in the jaws of human and other animals. Researchers say the dinosaur likely did not suffer any pain during the early stages of the tumor. The dinosaur died before being fully grown. Researchers are not sure if the tumor caused the death of the hadrosaur. I’m Anne Ball.   The staff at VOA News wrote this story. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Adam Brock 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   tumor – n. a mass of tissue found in or on the body that is made up of abnormal cells dinosaur – n. one of many reptiles that lived on earth millions of years ago duck-billed – adj. have a projecting jaw, or beak, like a duck deformed – adj. not having the normal or expected shape especially because of a problem in the way something has developed or grown hadrosaur – n. a planting-eating dinosaur with jaws flattened like the bill of a duck dwarf – adj. smaller than normal size demise – n. an end of life ameloblastoma – n. a rare, benign tumor appearing in the lower jaw benign – adj. not causing death or serious injury; without cancer  

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Doctors in Uganda Are Only a Click Away

  Social media is filling a big demand in Uganda for individuals who have medical questions or need health care. The African nation has just one doctor for every 25,000 people. It is especially hard for those in rural areas to get care. A 24-hour medical hotline was set up to help meet their needs. The service uses social media to let Ugandans speak directly with certified doctors and pharmacists. People can make telephone calls to the office of the Medical Concierge Group in Kampala. But most use free messaging services like WhatsApp instead to contact the office’s trained specialists. The use of social media helps the group keep costs low and offer the hotline service for free. The hotline’s call center receives about 50,000 questions a month. Dr. Yvette Wibabara works there. She says the questions often relate to local health outreach programs. “Certain seasons they publicize about health topics, menstruation, immunization. So depending on what’s going on with the UNICEF publications, that’s what they get here most. The other platform we have is incoming and outgoing calls. [telephone rings] Here we go.” The man on this call had a question about his wife. He is worried she suffers from a medical complication after giving birth. Sometimes the call center brings in specialists to discuss health issues. On the day a VOA reporter went, a Ugandan cancer specialist was using Twitter to answer questions. Workers at the center spend a lot of time correcting common health myths, such as that vaccinations are dangerous.  Dr. John Mark Bwanika said the hotline also gives people the chance to raise questions they would be too embarrassed to ask their local health provider. “The questions are quite varied and straight out. But a lot of the questions, especially from the young people, are on sexual reproductive health issues. Things like, how do I use a condom? Where do I get testing for HIV? Where do I get post-abortion care?” Bwanika said another reason many people use the hotline is to find the nearest care provider. The Medical Concierge Group keeps records of doctors and specialists throughout the country. The hotline plans to expand its service in Uganda to other African countries.  I’m Bryan Lynn. Lizabeth Paulat reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Would you use social media apps to connect with a doctor? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hotline – n. a service available to the public for offering information certified – adj. officially recognized for meeting certain set standards complication – n. a disease or condition that happens in addition to another disease myth – n. an idea or story that is believed by many people, but is not true  embarrassed – adj. feeling or showing shame or awkwardness  

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English in a Minute: A Fish Out of Water

Have you ever felt like a "fish out of water?" Find out what this common expression means in this week's English in a Minute!

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