'The Furnished Room,' by O. Henry

We present the short story "The Furnished Room," by O. Henry. The story was originally adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State.   Restless, always moving, forever passing like time itself, are most of the people who live in these old red houses. This is on New York’s West Side. The people are homeless, yet they have a hundred homes. They go from furnished room to furnished room. They are transients, transients forever—transients in living place, transients in heart and mind. They sing the song, “Home, Sweet Home,” but they sing it without feeling what it means. They can carry everything they own in one small box. They know nothing of gardens. To them, flowers and leaves are something to put on a woman’s hat. The houses of this part of the city have had a thousand people living in them. Therefore each house should have a thousand stories to tell. Perhaps most of these stories would not be interesting. But it would be strange if you did not feel, in some of these houses, that you were among people you could not see. The spirits of some who had lived and suffered there must surely remain, though their bodies had gone. One evening a young man appeared, going from one to another of these big old houses, ringing the doorbell. At the twelfth house, he put down the bag he carried. He cleaned the dust from his face. Then he touched the bell. It sounded far, far away, as if it were ringing deep underground. The woman who owned the house came to the door. The young man looked at her. He thought that she was like some fat, colorless, legless thing that had come up from a hole in the ground, hungrily hoping for something, or someone, to eat. He asked if there was a room that he could have for the night. “Come in,” said the woman. Her voice was soft, but for some reason he did not like it. “I have the back room on the third floor. Do you wish to look at it?” The young man followed her up. There was little light in the halls. He could not see where that light came from. The covering on the floor was old and ragged. There were places in the walls made, perhaps, to hold flowering plants. If this were true, the plants had died long before this evening. The air was bad; no flowers could have lived in it for long. “This is the room,” said the woman in her soft, thick voice. “It’s a nice room. Someone is usually living in it. I had some very nice people in it last summer. I had no trouble with them. They paid on time. The water is at the end of the hall. Sprowls and Mooney had the room for three months. You know them? Theater people. The gas is here. You see there is plenty of space to hang your clothes. It’s a room everyone likes. If you don’t take it, someone else will take it soon.” “Do you have many theater people living here?” asked the young man. “They come and go. Many of my people work in the theater. Yes, sir, this is the part of the city where theater people live. They never stay long any place. They live in all the houses near here. They come and they go.” The young man paid for the room for a week. He was going to stay there, he said, and rest. He counted out the money. The room was all ready, she said. He would find everything that he needed. As she moved away he asked his question. He had asked it already a thousand times. It was always there, waiting to be asked again. “A young girl—Eloise Vashner—do you remember her? Has she ever been in this house? She would be singing in the theater, probably. A girl of middle height, thin, with red-gold hair and a small dark spot on her face near her left eye.” “No, I don’t remember the name. Theater people change names as often as they change their rooms. They come and they go. No, I don’t remember that one.” No. Always no. He had asked his question for five months, and the answer was always no. Every day he questioned men who knew theater people. Had she gone to them to ask for work? Every evening he went to the theaters. He went to good theaters and to bad ones. Some were so bad that he was afraid to find her there. Yet he went to them, hoping. He who had loved her best had tried to find her. She had suddenly gone from her home. He was sure that this great city, this island, held her. But everything in the city was moving, restless. What was on top today, was lost at the bottom tomorrow. The furnished room received the young man with a certain warmth. Or it seemed to receive him warmly. It seemed to promise that here he could rest. There was a bed and there were two chairs with ragged covers. Between the two windows there was a looking-glass about twelve inches wide. There were pictures on the walls. The young man sat down in a chair, while the room tried to tell him its history. The words it used were strange, not easy to understand, as if they were words of many distant foreign countries. There was a floor covering of many colors, like an island of flowers in the middle of the room. Dust lay all around it. There was bright wall-paper on the wall. There was a fireplace. On the wall above it, some bright pieces of cloth were hanging. Perhaps they had been put there to add beauty to the room. This they did not do. And the pictures on the walls were pictures the young man had seen a hundred times before in other furnished rooms. Here and there around the room were small objects forgotten by others who had used the room. There were pictures of theater people, something to hold flowers, but nothing valuable. One by one the little signs grew clear. They showed the young man the others who had lived there before him. In front of the looking-glass there was a thin spot in the floor covering. That told him that women had been in the room. Small finger marks on the wall told of children, trying to feel their way to sun and air. A larger spot on the wall made him think of someone, in anger, throwing something there. Across the looking-glass, some person had written the name, “Marie.” It seemed to him that those who had lived in the furnished room had been angry with it, and had done all they could to hurt it. Perhaps their anger had been caused by the room’s brightness and its coldness. For there was no true warmth in the room. There were cuts and holes in the chairs and in the walls. The bed was half broken. The floor cried out as if in pain when it was walked on. People for a time had called this room “home,” and yet they had hurt it. This was a fact not easy to believe. But perhaps it was, strangely, a deep love of home that was the cause. The people who had lived in the room perhaps never knew what a real home was. But they knew that this room was not a home. Therefore their deep anger rose up and made them strike out. The young man in the chair allowed these thoughts to move one by one, softly, through his mind. At the same time, sounds and smells from other furnished rooms came into his room. He heard someone laughing, laughing in a manner that was neither happy nor pleasant. From other rooms he heard a woman talking too loudly; and he heard people playing games for money; and he heard a woman singing to a baby, and he heard someone weeping. Above him there was music. Doors opened and closed. The trains outside rushed noisily past. Some animal cried out in the night outside. And the young man felt the breath of the house. It had a smell that was more than bad; it seemed cold and sick and old and dying. Then suddenly, as he rested there, the room was filled with the strong, sweet smell of a flower, small and white, named mignonette. The smell came so surely and so strongly that it almost seemed like a living person entering the room. And the man cried aloud: “What, dear?” as if he had been called. He jumped up and turned around. The rich smell was near, and all around him. He opened his arms for it. For a moment he did not know where he was or what he was doing. How could anyone be called by a smell? Surely it must have been a sound. But could a sound have touched him? “She has been in this room,” he cried, and he began to seek some sign of her. He knew that if he found any small thing that had belonged to her, he would know that it was hers. If she had only touched it, he would know it. This smell of flowers that was all around him—she had loved it and had made it her own. Where did it come from? The room had been carelessly cleaned. He found many small things that women had left. Something to hold their hair in place. Something to wear in the hair to make it more beautiful. A piece of cloth that smelled of another flower. A book. Nothing that had been hers. And he began to walk around the room like a dog hunting a wild animal. He looked in corners. He got down on his hands and knees to look at the floor. He wanted something that he could see. He could not realize that she was there beside, around, against, within, above him, near to him, calling him. Then once again he felt the call. Once again he answered loudly: “Yes, dear!” and turned, wild-eyed, to look at nothing. For he could not yet see the form and color and love and reaching arms that were there in the smell of white flowers. Oh, God! Where did the smell of flowers come from? Since when has a smell had a voice to call? So he wondered, and went on seeking. He found many small things, left by many who had used the room. But of her, who may have been there, whose spirit seemed to be there, he found no sign. And then he thought of the owner. He ran from the room, with its smell of flowers, going down and to a door where he could see a light. She came out. He tried to speak quietly. “Will you tell me,” he asked her, “who was in my room before I came here?” “Yes, sir. I can tell you again. It was Sprowls and Mooney, as I said. It was really Mr. and Mrs. Mooney, but she used her own name. Theater people do that.” “Tell me about Mrs. Mooney. What did she look like?” “Black-haired, short and fat. They left here a week ago.” “And before they were here?” “There was a gentleman. Not in the theater business. He didn’t pay. Before him was Mrs. Crowder and her two children. They stayed four months. And before them was old Mr. Doyle. His sons paid for him. He had the room six months. That is a year, and further I do not remember.” He thanked her and went slowly back to his room. The room was dead. The smell of flowers had made it alive, but the smell of flowers was gone. In its place was the smell of the house. His hope was gone. He sat looking at the yellow gaslight. Soon he walked to the bed and took the covers. He began to tear them into pieces. He pushed the pieces into every open space around windows and door. No air, now, would be able to enter the room. When all was as he wished it, he put out the burning gaslight. Then, in the dark, he started the gas again, and he lay down thankfully on the bed. It was Mrs. McCool’s night to go and get them something cold to drink. So she went and came back, and sat with Mrs. Purdy in one of those rooms underground where the women who own these old houses meet and talk. “I have a young man in my third floor back room this evening,” said Mrs. Purdy, taking a drink. “He went up to bed two hours ago.” “Is that true, Mrs. Purdy?” said Mrs. McCool. It was easy to see that she thought this was a fine and surprising thing. “You always find someone to take a room like that. I don’t know how you do it. Did you tell him about it?” “Rooms,” said Mrs. Purdy, in her soft thick voice, “are furnished to be used by those that need them. I did not tell him, Mrs. McCool.” “You are right, Mrs. Purdy. It’s the money we get for the rooms that keeps us alive. You have the real feeling for business. There are many people who wouldn’t take a room like that if they knew. If you told them that someone had died in the bed, and died by their own hand, they wouldn’t enter the room.” “As you say, we have our living to think of,” said Mrs. Purdy. “Yes, it is true. Only one week ago I helped you there in the third floor back room. She was a pretty little girl. And to kill herself with the gas! She had a sweet little face, Mrs. Purdy.” “She would have been called beautiful, as you say,” said Mrs. Purdy, “except for that dark spot she had growing by her left eye. Do fill up your glass again, Mrs. McCool.”   Download activities to help you understand this story here. Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. If a person you loved left you without saying goodbye or telling you where they were going, would you go looking for them? How hard would you try to find them? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   transient(s) – n. a person who does not have a permanent home and who stays in a place for only a short time before going somewhere else garden(s) – n. an area of ground where plants such as flowers or vegetables are grown doorbell – n. a hollow usually cup-shaped metal object that makes a ringing sound when it is hit inside a house or building that is rung usually by pushing a button beside an outside door ragged – adj.  in bad condition especially because of being torn chair(s) – n.  a seat for one person that has a back and usually four legs looking-glass – n. a piece of glass that reflects images wall-paper – n. thick decorative paper used to cover the walls of a room fireplace – n. a specially built place in a room where a fire can be built finger – n. one of the five long parts of the hand that are used for holding things weep(ing) – v. to cry because you are very sad or are feeling some other strong emotion corner(s) – n. the point or area where two lines, edges, or sides of something meet gaslight – n. a device that uses gas as fuel to produce light

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Australian Team Moves Into Athlete’s Village

When the Australian athletes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arrived last weekend for the Olympic Games, they got a surprise. The team’s housing in the athlete’s village was not ready. Some of the hallways were dark, electrical wiring had not been covered, the toilets did not work and sinks were blocked. But, after four days at a hotel, the Australian athletes finally moved in on Wednesday. Olympic organizers agreed that some buildings were not ready for occupancy after some disagreements between representatives of the Australian Olympic team and the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo Paes is Rio’s mayor. Earlier this week, he said that the Australian athletes might feel more comfortable if he placed a kangaroo at the door. But by mid-week, the city and the Australian team were on better terms. Kitty Chiller is the head of the Australian Olympic delegation. She said the athletes’ village is one of the best she has seen. She also said that the athletes may face other issues with the housing in the village, but “it is just a matter of dealing with them as best we can, in good humor.” Chiller and members of the Australian team met with Mayor Paes on Wednesday. She brought him a small kangaroo toy. He presented the Australians with a ceremonial key to the city. Paes apologized for his comment about the kangaroo. He told a Brazilian television broadcaster it was “a bad joke.” He also said that he would be cheering for Australia at the Olympic Games, along with Brazil’s team. ABC, Australia’s public broadcaster, reported that the Australian athletes even took the mayor’s advice. They placed both a stuffed animal kangaroo and an emu by their front door. An emu is a large bird that cannot fly. It is only found in Australia. Argentina has also expressed concern about the housing for its athletes. But the Rio Olympic organizers said that 630 people are working all day and all night so the village will be ready for the athletes. The opening ceremony is August 5. But, some soccer games begin earlier, on August 3. Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, said there are always small problems that must be solved just before the games begin. “We always had confidence in Brazil, in the Brazilians, that it will be a fantastic Olympic Games,” he said. I’m Dan Friedell.   Aline Barros wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you think the problems with the athlete’s village are over? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sink – n. a wide bowl that has a faucet for water and a drain at the bottom and is usually positioned in a counter or on a pedestal fantastic – adj. extremely good

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English @ the Movies: 'Watch Their Back'

Our English @ the Movies phrase this week is from the movie "Captain America: Civil War." This movie is about the superheros known at The Avengers. The phrase is "watch their back." Does it mean someone is in danger? Listen and find out.

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1300 UTC Newscast from July 29

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m Steve Karesh reporting. In Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president on Thursday night. “…And so my friends, it is with humility, determination and boundless confidence in America’s promise that I accept your nomination for president of the United States…" Clinton is the first woman ever nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. She won the nomination after defeating her principal rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, in a state-by-state process of primary and caucus votes.  Despite Sanders giving his endorsement in his own speech at the convention this week, one of her challenges is to appeal to the group of his supporters who say they won't vote for her.  Clinton's principal challenger in the general election is Republican nominee Donald Trump. She attacked and mocked him in her speech... “If you dare imagine, imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis, a man you can bait with a Tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons…” Reaction to Clinton's speech has been predictably partisan. Michelle Obama said she was inspired by the address, while the Trump campaign called it detached from reality. While in Poland on Friday, Pope Francis silently walked beneath a notorious sign at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. More than a million people, most of them Jews, were killed at the camp by Nazis during World War II. Later, he met individually with elderly survivors of the camp. Afterwards, he placed a large white candle at the Death Wall where prisoners were executed. Francis is the third consecutive pope to visit Auschwitz in southern Poland. From Washington, this is VOA.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Clinton Calls for Unity to Face Challenges

Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the presidential nomination at the Democratic Party National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She spoke to the cheering crowd about the need to unite to deal with the nation’s challenges. "It truly is up to us.  We have to decide whether we will all work together so we can all rise together." Clinton is the first woman to receive a major party nominee for president in the United States. The 68-year-old Clinton won the nomination after defeating her main opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders declared his support for Clinton in an earlier speech at the convention. Now she faces the challenge of gaining similar support from his supporters before the November election. In her acceptance speech, Clinton praised Sanders for his campaign, its appeal to young people and its call for economic and social justice. "I want you to know I've heard you," Clinton said. "Your cause is our cause." Clinton's main opponent in the general election is Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. Both candidates suffer from negative perceptions among voters, as many public opinion studies have shown during the past year. Those same studies show about 30 percent of voters view Clinton as untrustworthy. However, one Gallup poll found her to be the country's most admired woman. Clinton said Thursday that Trump wants Americans to fear the future and each other. She criticized Trump's proposals including one to build a wall along the Mexico-US border and another to ban Muslims from entering the country. "We will not build a wall. Instead, we will build an economy where everyone who wants a good job can get one. And we'll build a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants who are already contributing to our economy. We, we will not ban a religion, we will work with all Americans and our allies to fight and defeat terrorism." Clinton called on Americans to consider Donald Trump’s “temperament.” “He loses his cool at the slightest provocation. When he's gotten a tough question from a reporter. When he's challenged in a debate. When he sees a protestor at a rally. Imagine, if you dare, imagine, imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.” Chelsea Clinton introduced the Democratic Party nominee. She described her mother as “driven by compassion, by faith, by kindness, a fierce sense of justice and a heart full of love.” The crowd also heard from Khizr Khan, an American Muslim whose son was killed in U.S. military service. “Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with their future,” Khan said. “Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.” Trump and his campaign have described the Democratic Party convention speakers as painting too pretty a picture of the state of the nation. "I've been watching these speeches at night, and boy am I getting hit," Trump said at an event Thursday in Iowa. "I am getting hit and they don't mean it and there's a lot of lies being told," he said. Voters will make their choice on November 8. The new president will take office on January 20, 2017. I’m Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page.​ ______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story challenge – n. a difficult task or problem: something that is hard to do perception – n. the way you think about or understand someone or something poll – n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something admire – v. to feel respect or approval for (someone or something) temperament – n. the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal provocation – n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to begin to do something bait – v. to try to make (someone) angry by using criticism or insults  

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July 28, 2016

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

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Clinton’s Long Path to the Democratic Nomination

  After losing the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton said, "Although we were not able to shatter that highest and hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you it has 18 million cracks in it." Eight years later, Clinton received the Democratic Party’s nomination at their convention in Philadelphia. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is now looking to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling to become president of the United States. Her main opposition is businessman Donald Trump, a first-time candidate for political office. Trump won over 16 other candidates to win the Republican nomination. The general election will be held on November 8 this year. Unexpected challenge on the way to the nomination Hillary Rodham Clinton was expected to win the Democratic nomination easily when she announced her candidacy on April 12, 2015. Many well-known Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, chose not to run against Clinton. Clinton, however, faced an unexpectedly strong challenge. The senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, attracted many supporters during the Democratic primaries. Tens of thousands turned out to hear Sanders’ messages of income inequality, making college tuition free and regulating big businesses. At the same time, Clinton had to answer questions from Congress about her role as secretary of state during the attack in Benghazi. Four Americans, including a U.S. ambassador, were killed in the 2012 attack in Libya. The committee who examined the case said the U.S. government did not provide enough security to protect the diplomatic post. But it did not hold Clinton responsible for the failure. However, during the hearing about Benghazi, it was found that Clinton had used a private email server to conduct official business as secretary of state. Clinton, like many other government officials, was required to use a government server for work communication. Faced with a series of investigations, including one from the FBI, Clinton said using the private server was a mistake. The FBI found no evidence that Clinton intentionally used the private server to send or receive classified documents. But the FBI director criticized Clinton for being “extremely careless” in handling the information. Clinton’s background Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago. Her father, Hugh Rodham, was a successful owner of a small business selling drapes. Her mother, Dorothy, was abandoned as a child and sent to live with relatives. Clinton frequently says her mother’s experience as a child inspired her to “fight for the needs of children everywhere.” After high school, Clinton attended Wellesley College, an all-women’s school in Massachusetts. Then she went to Yale Law School in Connecticut, where she met her future husband, Bill. The two classmates moved to the southern state of Arkansas and got married in 1975. Their child, a daughter named Chelsea, was born in 1980. Bill Clinton was elected attorney general and eventually became governor of Arkansas. As the state’s first lady, Hillary Clinton served on several committees on education, children and families. She also worked as a partner for the private Rose Law Firm. During Bill Clinton’s campaign for president in 1992, critics questioned his wife’s decision to continue working while serving as the first lady of Arkansas. Hillary Clinton replied, “I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life." As first lady of the United States, Clinton remained active in politics. She is well known for leading a failed effort to establish universal health care. A similar program was later established under President Obama. In 1998, Bill Clinton faced impeachment for charges related to a sex scandal with a White House intern. But the U.S. Senate did not convict him. Bill Clinton remained in office. Hillary Clinton wrote in her autobiography, Living History, that she was “heartbroken” over her husband’s actions and considered leaving the marriage. She added, "The most difficult decisions I have made in my life were to stay married to Bill and to run for the Senate from New York....” In 2000, Clinton became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of New York. Six years later, Clinton launched her own campaign for the presidency. That time she lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, a junior senator. Clinton then joined the Obama administration as his secretary of state. In her career, Clinton has addressed many issues, including rebuilding New York after the September 11 terrorist attacks, negotiating with Iran, and providing better health care benefits to people who serve the public. But she is best known for improving the lives of children and women. 
In 1995, she declared at a U.N. World Conference of women, “human rights are women’s rights.” Earlier this year, after clinching the Democratic nomination in her second run for the presidency, Clinton reflected on her mother, Dorothy Rodham, during a victory speech in Brooklyn. “I wish she could see what a wonderful mother Chelsea has become and could meet our beautiful granddaughter, Charlotte, and, of course, I wish she could see her daughter become the Democratic Party’s nominee.”   Hai Do wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   shatter – v. to break suddenly into many small pieces glass ceiling – n. an unfair system or set of attitudes that prevents some people (such as women or people of a certain race) from getting the most powerful jobs convention – n. a large meeting of people who come to a place for usually several days to talk about their shared work or other interests or to make decisions as a group intentionally – adv. done in a way that is planned or intended drapes – n. long heavy curtains intern – n. a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience clinching – n. making certain the winning of (something)

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Chinese Rocket Lights Up Night Sky in Western US

  This is what’s Trending Today… People in the western United States could not believe their eyes Wednesday night when, high in the sky, a bright streak of light appeared. Many people took photographs or made videos of the mysterious object in the sky. Within minutes, some posted their videos on social media. ​ The strange fireball streaks were seen in parts of Nevada, Utah and California.   Some people thought it was a meteor shower. After all, the Delta Aquarids meteor shower can be seen in many areas in the night sky this week. ​ But, as the U.S. Strategic Command confirmed, these bursts of light were not from small rocks traveling through outer space. They came from a Chinese rocket re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. A spokeswoman for the Strategic Command told the Associated Press that remains of the Chinese Chang-Zheng (C-Z) 7 rocket re-entered the atmosphere at around 9:36 p.m., California time. The CZ-7 was part of China’s new generation of rockets, experts say. The rocket was launched June 25. It was huge, weighing over 5 tons. One Twitter user commenting about the event Wednesday night was Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell. He said it was rare for such large objects to re-enter the atmosphere.     But the CZ-7 is not the biggest object to re-enter in 2016, he noted. Part of a Russian rocket that came down over Vietnam in January was even larger. Experts say the Chinese rocket does not present a danger to people on the ground. And that’s What’s Trending Today. Ashley Thompson adapted this report from the Associated Press, with additional reporting. George Grow was the editor.  _______________________________________________________ Words in This Story   streak - n. a long, thin mark that is a different color from its background​ meteor shower - n. a large number of rocks or metal pieces that burn and glow brightly in the sky as they falls from outer space into the Earth's atmosphere astronomer - n. a person who studies the stars, planets, and other objects in outer space

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UN: World Temperatures Rising Faster Than Predicted

  The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization says the first half of this year has been the hottest in recorded history. Scientists say that shows temperatures are rising faster than they expected. The UN agency warned last week that if temperatures continue rising, 2016 will be hottest year ever recorded. The agency reported that June was the 14th consecutive month of record high heat for land and oceans. It was also the 378th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average. David Carlson is with the World Meteorological Organization’s climate research program. “What we’ve seen so far for the first six months of 2016 is really quite alarming.” UN climate experts say the record heat this year suggests that the Earth can warm up faster than expected in a much shorter time. Carlson notes that the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere -- which includes Alaska, Canada and Russia -- has had unusually warm temperatures. “I think we're very uncomfortable at how much this surprised us, which might be just a little more cautious way of saying ‘fearful about what happens next.’ If we got this much surprise this year, how many more surprises are ahead of us?” Scientists say carbon dioxide emissions -- which they believe are responsible for rising temperatures -- have also reached new highs. Doug Parr is the chief scientist at the environmental group Greenpeace. “What the WMO (scientists) are showing is that temperature is going up along with the increases in carbon dioxide. There’s really no doubt that these global warming gases are causing the kind of changes that we're seeing in increased temperatures, threats to the Arctic and threats to the Greenland ice sheet and so on. So there's really no time to waste in getting on and doing something about it.” Representatives of 200 governments will meet in November in Morocco to start enforcing the Paris Agreement. The agreement limits climate change to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The goal will not be easy to reach. Segolene Royal is the French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. “We have this moral obligation between the Paris Agreement (reached in December), the 22nd of April signing, and now the November meeting to ensure that at least 55 countries, representing 55 percent of world emissions of greenhouse gases, ratify the Paris agreement.” Some scientists warn that even if that goal is reached in November, it may be too little too late. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the 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   meteorology – n. a science that deals with the atmosphere and with weather consecutive – adj. following one after the other in a series : following each other without interruption alarming – adj. causing (someone) to feel a sense of danger; causing worry or fright uncomfortable – adj. causing a feeling of being embarrassed or uneasy cautious – adj. careful about avoiding danger or risk emission – n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source doubt – n. a feeling of being uncertain or unsure about something ice sheet – n. a very large and thick area of ice that covers a region  

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Congo's Small Miners Fill Hole Left by Big Businesses

  As large mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo are eliminating jobs, government officials are expanding the role of small miners. Officials are permitting member-owned groups to mine 10 square kilometer plots of land that belong to the state-owned mining company.   The government usually does not permit this kind of small-scale mining. But it is trying to maintain the country’s economy as commodity prices drop. Government officials are also trying to put the country in a good position if the price of cobalt rises. Cobalt is used to make batteries for electric vehicles. Its value is expected to rise 45 percent in the next four years. About half the world’s supply of cobalt is in the DRC. Chinese buyers Yet poor local workers say that foreign buyers are the ones who are making most of the money. They accuse businessmen from China and Lebanon of dominating the market. The workers say the businessmen artificially reduce prices and adjust their instruments to make the ore appear less valuable. At one market, miners and traders said almost all of the 140 businesses that buy ore are Chinese. A man named Louis is one of the buyers there. He is Chinese. When he heard the miners’ complaints, he said, “Those who are happy with the price sell the product. Those who aren’t, leave.” Dangerous conditions Some workers in the DRC hope the member-owned groups will improve the situation for local diggers and traders. Alain Chinois, who is Congolese, leads a cooperative with 34 members. Under his plan, diggers will earn 60 percent of the income from the mine. Cooperative members share the rest. He expects this arrangement to result in better working conditions, equipment, and access to capital. For example, he says his group can request a loan from a bank. But, he acknowledges, foreign buyers with money to invest will continue to have a major influence. Stany, 42, is a miner in southeastern Congo. He is a father of five children. He left a job on a farm nearly 10 years ago to go to work in the copper mines of the Congo. The mine where Stany works includes member-owned cooperatives. But research by Amnesty in 2013 still documented deadly accidents and mistreatment of workers. “I do this because there is nothing else. If something else came along, I would do it,” Stany said. Others express the same idea. Despite the problems with small-scale mining, few people in the DRC see better alternatives to it in the near future. I’m John Russell.   This story was adapted from a report from Reuters. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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   commodity – n. something that is bought and sold cobalt – n. a hard, shiny, silver-white metal that is often mixed with other metals copper – n. a reddish-brown metal that allows heat and electricity to pass through it easily battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine to supply it with power ore – n. rocks, earth, etc., from which a valuable metal can be taken cooperative – n. a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or the people who use its services

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Grab Onto Phrasal Verbs

Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English. Today we look at a very common verb form in English – phrasal verbs. There are over 5,000 verbs that fall in this category. Do you know how to use them? In this episode, we will introduce this type of verb and help you understand how and why English speakers use them. In future episodes, we will give more information about the different kinds of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs in history Our story begins back when other languages - French and Old Norse - began to influence Middle English. That period started with the invasion of the British Isles in 1066 by William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy. There were small particles, or prefixes, placed before verbs in Middle English to change their meaning. One that we still use is for as in forlorn. The word lorn in Old English meant lost. Adding the prefix for created forlorn, meaning to be lonely or sad. As time went by, these prefixes started to disappear. Some reappeared as adverbs, separate words that came after the verb. William Shakespeare, who wrote many plays between 1589 and 1613, is a well-known writer of the time. His works, written in Early Middle English, include over 5,744 phrasal verbs. Formal language and phrasal verbs In Modern English, we use phrasal verbs more often in informal language. The reason for that practice goes back to the time when French influenced English. English speakers thought that French words, or words of Latin origin, were polite or cultured. When you want to speak more formally, you can use a single word of Latin or French origin instead of most phrasal verbs. For example, the phrasal verb look over can be replaced by review. As English learners know well, daily conversation in English is almost never formal. So feel free to use phrasal verbs when you speak English in everyday settings. Another general fact about phrasal verbs is that British English uses different ones from American English. At one time, British English speakers used phrasal verbs much less often than American English speakers. Now, the Oxford English Dictionary lists many phrasal verbs in common use in British English. The structure of phrasal verbs Let’s start with the basic structure of phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a verb and a preposition or adverb or both. An example is in this sentence:        “I looked up my cousin’s phone number.” The verb is look, and up is the adverb. The phrasal verb look up means “to research” or “search for”. Some phrasal verbs allow an object to separate the phrase.        “I didn’t know the number so I had to look it up.” Here, the pronoun it stands for the object, number. Other phrasal verbs have to stay together. You can say you care for someone with the phrasal verb look after as in:        “I looked after Andy’s dog while he was on vacation.” But you cannot say, “I looked his dog after while he was on vacation.” The first two kinds of phrasal verbs we looked at have two words. The next kind has three words. For example,        “I put up with the noise of my neighbor’s party because I knew it was his   birthday.” Here, the phrasal verb put up with means tolerate. The verb put is followed by the particle up and the prepositional phrase with + object (the noise). These phrasal verbs must have direct objects. We cannot say, “I put up because I knew it was his birthday.” Let’s look at some examples.        “Carrie asked me to help out with the cooking.” Here, we can substitute a single verb, assist, for the phrasal verb help out. However, we need to keep the preposition with when we paraphrase the sentence, as in:        “Carrie asked me to assist with the cooking.” Another three-part phrasal verb is look up to. It means admire. We can say,        “She looks up to her sister.” Here, sister is the direct object. We cannot move sister to any other place in the sentence, as in “She looks her sister up to.” How to identify a phrasal verb Learners may be confused because there are combinations of verbs and prepositions that look like phrasal verbs. How do you tell the difference? A regular verb + preposition combination has two meanings. Take the sentence,        “I looked up at the sky.” Here look means view and up means in a higher direction. On the other hand, a phrasal verb has a single meaning. We saw look up earlier, meaning “research.” Another test is whether you can move the object. You cannot say, “I looked the sky up,” with the meaning “I gazed upwards at the sky.” So if you want to test whether a combination of words is a phrasal verb, ask these questions:        Can I substitute a single word for a two-word phrase?               The answer should be “yes.”        Can I remove the direct object in a three-word phrase?               The answer should be “no.” In the next Everyday Grammar, we will take a closer look at phrasal verbs that can separate from the adverb. Listen for such a phrasal verb in this song by Beatles. Hint: it means to “solve” our problems. Try to see it my way Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong While you see it your way There's a chance that we may fall apart before too long We can work it out We can work it out For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I’m Jill Robbins.   Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   prefix - grammar. a letter or group of letters that is added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning adverb – grammar. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree informal – adj. (of language) relaxed in tone; not suited for serious or official speech and writing preposition – grammar. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object object - grammar. a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or completes the meaning of a preposition tolerate – v. to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done Now it’s your turn. Write a sentence that uses a phrasal verb in the Comments section. ​

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