Rio Olympic Games Open This Weekend

Olympic athletes, high-level officials and other people have been arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the opening of the 2016 summer games. The opening ceremony is Friday night, local time, but some events already started. The first medals will be awarded on Saturday. The Rio Olympics officially begin Friday, when the Olympic torch is carried into Maracana Stadium to light the Olympic cauldron. The cauldron will stay lit for over two weeks until the closing ceremony on August 21. During that period, 301 gold medals will be awarded to the winners. At the last summer Olympics, the 2012 London games, the United States won 46 gold medals and 104 medals in all. China was second, with 38 gold medals and a total of 88. Britain finished in third place, with Russia in fourth. One major question this year is: How many medals will Russia win at the Rio games? Just before the Olympics started, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) considered banning every member of Russia’s team because of a doping scandal. Investigators for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of Russian athletes using unapproved substances at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. And the agency accused the Russian government of being involved and covering up the activity. But in the end, the IOC decided not to ban all 387 Russian qualifiers for the Rio games. Many Russian athletes will have a chance to compete. But most of the country’s track and field athletes were banned by the International Association of Athletics Federation. At a meeting in Rio this week, WADA and the IOC criticized each other. WADA officials said the IOC should have banned all the Russian Olympians. The IOC said WADA should have acted faster on the allegations of Russian cheating. More than 10,000 men and women from over 200 nations will compete at Rio de Janeiro. The first medals, in men’s cycling and women’s shooting, will be awarded on Saturday. Chris Froome, who won the Tour de France last month, will be representing Britain. American swimmer Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals ever. He has 22 medals, including 18 golds. He will carry the flag of the United States at the opening ceremony on Friday. Aside from the question of which country will win the most medals, some people are worried about the health of the competitors. Athletes are being careful about the time they spend out of doors because of concerns about the Zika virus. Zika spreads when mosquitos bite human skin. The virus is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which a baby’s head is smaller than the heads of other children of the same age and sex. Olympic organizers say they are not overly concerned about Zika since the games take place during Rio de Janeiro’s winter. Athletes competing in water events, like open-water swimming, rowing and sailing are concerned about polluted water. The Associated Press reports that those athletes run a high risk of getting sick. Water at some of the competition areas is polluted by untreated waste water. It contains bacteria and viruses carried by human waste. While some athletes will wear gloves or other protection, it will be hard for the open-water swimmers to keep water from getting into their mouths. Yet Olympic organizers say athletes will not get sick. April Ross is an American beach volleyball player. She is excited about the chance to compete on the famous Copacabana beach. “I think it’s awesome to be playing on an actual beach,” Ross said. But medical experts have warned that even the sand from coastal areas carries viruses. Ross is one of 292 women on the U.S. Olympic team. The number of women on Team USA (292) is greater than the number of men (263). Some of the strongest and most successful Americans at the games may be women. Swimmer Katie Ledecky is a world record holder in two Olympic events and won the 800-meter freestyle event in London. The USA women’s soccer team has won three gold medals in the past three summer Olympics. The women’s basketball team is trying for its sixth straight gold medal. Women will also be part of the first-ever refugee Olympic team. Ten athletes from countries like South Sudan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia will compete under the Olympic flag. Four of them are women, including Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee now living in Germany. She and her sister swam across the Aegean Sea when the motor on their boat failed late last year. She and the other refugees were rescued and taken to a Greek island. Mardini and her sister settled in Germany last year.     Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Will you follow the Olympic Games? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   dignitary – n. a person who has a high rank or an important position 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 cauldron – n. a large pot doping – n. the illegal use of a drug (such as a steroid) to improve an athlete's performance qualify – v. to have the skills that are required or do the things that are required to become a member of a team or to be allowed in a competition allegation – n. a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal defect – n. a problem or fault that makes someone or something not perfect: such as a : a physical problem that causes something to be less valuable, effective, healthy, etc. athlete – n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength torch – n. a long stick with material at one end that burns brightly

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BeBe Winans: Music, God and Family

{Music playing, Winans singing} That is the voice of singer and songwriter BeBe Winans. His birth name is Benjamin but he is known to all as “BeBe.” BeBe comes from a large Christian family. His parents, Delores and David Winans, raised seven sons and three daughters. Winans says music, God and family were the foundation of his upbringing. “Growing up in the family I grew up in, evolved around music, it evolved around God and it evolved around family. When we went to church, it was family and it is the main foundation, I think, I’ve had since I’ve left home, since I’ve left Detroit, Michigan.” At the age of 17, BeBe and his 15-year old sister Priscilla, called CeCe, left home for Pineville, North Carolina. They began their professional music careers as background singers on the popular Christian television show “PTL Club.” PTL stood for Praise the Lord.  Winans says the hosts of the show, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, treated him and his sister as family. While there, the siblings recorded their first album, “Lord Lift Us Up,” for PTL Records. In 1987, the Winans left “PTL Club.” That same year they released their first album, “BeBe & CeCe Winans.” The mainstream album gave them their first R & B hit, “I.O.U. Me.” The brother and sister recorded five albums together. In 1995, they decided to seek individual careers.  As a lyricist, BeBe Winans says he always knew he could express his spirituality in any song -- be it gospel or contemporary. “I think what separated me in my writing with others is that I felt that I could talk about what God meant to me in every area of my life...in my relationships, in my family and in my work, in everything, in play, in every aspect of my life. So I was moved by songs that wasn’t in the gospel category all my life. So, ‘Coming Back Home,’ and ‘Love Said Not So’ and ‘Lost Without You’ and ‘In The Meantime,’ you know, all those songs is reflective of my life.” BeBe Winans has several solo albums and six Grammy awards. He also has written and produced hit songs for others. And he is an actor and author. His latest professional undertaking is a musical about his life. Winans and family friend and director Charles Randolph-Wright together wrote “Born for This, The BeBe Winans Story.” The artist says it all began with a phone conversation with the singer-songwriter Roberta Flack.  “The musical started with a phone call. And that was a phone call with Roberta Flack. And we were talking about everything other than the musical, and right in the middle of the conversation she detoured and said, ‘BeBe, when are you going to write that musical about you and your family?’ It’s an American musical, it’s a story, it’s a film after that, and four days later, I’m at a hotel in Montreal. I walk in and I open up my laptop and it was like a faucet came on. And right then and there, I wrote the first draft of what now is 'Born for This.'"  ​ BeBe says “Born for This” explores his and his sister’s personal and musical journey. “It talks about coming of age of two young African Americans being thrust from a childhood up until that point of predominantly a black situation and then thrust into a world that was predominantly a white situation. So we endured racism, we endured a lot of things, but just a culture shock, you know. Different worlds, you know. It talks about finding myself. What’s true about God and what’s not true. What’s philosophy and what’s laws and what’s reality. So, it’s a journey in how music played a very important part in that journey.”     The actors who play BeBe and CeCe Winans in “Born for This” know their subjects pretty well. That is because they are Winans themselves. BeBe is happy about the family connection. “It’s been an absolute joy to see my niece Deborah Joy and my nephew Juan, who are brother and sister, playing a brother and sister who happens to be their uncle and aunt. It’s hard to put in words how I feel when I see them knowing, just like my parents knew, there was some talent that they saw in us, so they nurtured that talent. I saw that talent in Juan and Joy when they were knee high. Now to see them, especially during rehearsals, it was funny to see how they learned a lot more about their aunt and uncle and what we with through when we were their age and even younger. And so, every time I see them on stage, I am just tickled, if I can say that.  ​The musical celebrated its world premiere on April 23 at The Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, it has made its way to Washington, D.C. for performances at the Arena Stage.    I’m Marsha James. Marsha James wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Try this quiz to practice your listening skills and check your understanding. ​Next time on People in America, we speak with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. He is Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ________________________________________________ Words in This Story      foundation – n. something or someone that provides support for something evolve – v. to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex or more advanced state sibling – n. a brother or sister mainstream – adj. belonging to or characteristic of a principal or widely accepted group, movement, style lyricist – n. a great person who writes the words of a song solo – n. done without another person undertaking – n. an important or difficult task or project faucet – n. a device that is used to control the flow of water from a pipe like a faucet coming on – figure of speech -   a thing that happened easily journey – n. an act of traveling from one place to another predominantly – adj. more important or noticeable than other people absolute – adj. complete and total rehearsal – n. an event at which a person or group practices an activity (such as singing or acting) in order to prepare for a public performance tickled – v. to please or amuse someone or something

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PIA - Dr. Anthony Fauci - TEASER I

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BeBe Winans: Music, God and Family

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North Korea Continues to Test Long-Range Missiles

South Korean and U.S. military officials say North Korea carried out a ballistic missile test early Wednesday. U.S. officials say two missiles were launched. One was successful. The other missile reportedly exploded immediately after launch. The test is the fourth such missile launch in recent weeks, although North Korea faces strong international restrictions linked to the activity. The United Nations, South Korea and the U.S. have placed economic and trade sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear and missile programs. In addition, the U.S. has placed sanctions on North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Il, for human rights abuses. The launch Wednesday took place from the country’s western Hwanghae province. One missile traveled about 1,000 kilometers to the east before landing close to or in Japanese waters. Japanese Prime Minister called the launch a “grave threat” to his country’s security. Japan’s defense ministry said the missile fell into the sea inside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The United States condemned the launch as a possible threat to U.S. interests in the area Wednesday. State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen said, “We remain prepared to work with our allies and partners around the world to respond to further DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) provocations, as well as to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said he was “deeply troubled” by the test. A UN spokesman urged North Korea “to reverse its course and return to the process of sincere dialogue.” The launch comes after South Korea and the United States announced the deployment of a U.S.-made missile defense system known as THAAD. North Korea is said to be seeking to develop a warhead small enough to be placed on a ballistic missile. South Korean defense officials say North Korea does not have the technical ability to do this yet. The latest missile tests also come as the U.S. and South Korea prepare to hold additional military exercises in the area this month. North Korea denounced the training as provocative and preparation for an invasion. I’m Mario Ritter.   This story is based on reports from VOA's Joshua Fatzick and Victor Beattie. Mario Ritter adapted their reports for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ballistic missile – adj. a kind of missile able to travel long distances before returning to earth sanctions – n. actions, usually economic or trade penalties, placed on a country to cause it to follow international law grave – adj. very serious exclusive – adj. available to only one person or group provocations – n. acts meant to cause tension sincere – adj. honest, to show true feelings dialogue – n. discussion, talk between two or more people

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America's Roadside Attractions: Weird and Worth a Stop

Road trips have been popular with Americans for almost as long as their love of cars. But when gasoline prices are high, people abandon the highway. This summer, gasoline prices have fallen. And, more Americans are taking road trips once again. The American Automobile Association say more than half of Americans are driving on highways this vacation season. Wherever they might travel, there is much to see along the way. The U.S. is well known for its so-called roadside attractions. Roadside attractions are generally found near highways. They are usually free and are often huge representations of ordinary things. They are also often a bit weird. What is that? No one knows exactly how many roadside attractions there are in the United States. Not everyone agrees on what makes something a roadside attraction. June Julien is with the Steuben County Indiana Visitor’s Bureau. She says the website Roadside America lists about 15,000 such attractions. “Well, some of the reasons to go to roadside attractions would be you’ve been in the car for hours, the children are antsy, the pets need some attention, and you can get out, you can stretch your legs, you can have a little bonding time with your family on something and you’re looking at something that’s different, you don't see it every day.” Each state has hundreds of roadside attractions. Some are as simple as the meeting of three states in the middle of a lonely dirt road. A small sign marks the place where you can stand in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio at the same time. Others are huge, and can be seen for kilometers. The Smiley Face water tower in Indiana is one of more than 30 “smiling” water towers across the country. Stretch and rest your mind Zack Dunaway is on a 12-hour road trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to Michigan. He is creating his own attractions along the way by taking selfies at every state line rest stop. “We’ve stopped several times to stretch your legs and rest your mind from the road.” Mike Swartz is from Toledo, Ohio. He says stopping at roadside attractions is a great way to teach his children. “Kids get see different a lot of different parts of the United States, put the screens down and get to talk to your mom and dad. Older kids probably don’t like that as much, but the younger kids -- it’s important for them to learn.” Roadside attractions gained popularity after World War II, when soldiers returned home. The men had seen the world and were excited to explore their own country. “As the highway system began to be developed, people started to travel. And this was before the advent of fast food restaurants. And there just weren’t a lot of places to pull off. And areas started to say ‘hey, we want these people off the roads, we want them in our areas spending money,’ and they started to maybe build things that would attract people.” The bigger the better Restaurants and stores tried all sorts of tricks to appeal to travelers, including bright, big paintings on building walls and wild statues. Calling something the ‘world’s largest’ of its kind is a common title. These objects include the largest ball of twine, the largest rocking chair, and the largest tire. Not all roadside attractions are manmade. Kokomo, Indiana, is home to the World’s Largest Bull. Old Ben died in 1910, and is now stuffed and under glass. He weighed 2140 kilograms and was almost 2 meters tall. There are also the strange sites, like trees with shoes hanging from their branches.  A twisted house in the shape of an arrow brings in visitors too. In Huntington, Indiana, there is an outhouse collection open to the public. As strange as these things are, Julien believes that roadside attractions do more than give travelers a break and bring money to the local communities. “The more you travel, the wider your worldview is and the easier it will be for all of us in the long run to get along.” I’m Ashley Thompson.    Caty Weaver wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Are there similar (and strange!) exhibits along roads where you live? Tell us about them in the Comments Section below or post a message on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   abandon – v. to stop doing or having (something) : to give up (something) completely​ highway – n. a main road that connects cities, towns, etc.​ attraction – n.something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do​ weird – adj. unusual or strange​ selfie ­– n. a picture that you take of yourself especially by using the camera on your smartphone​ kids – n. a son or daughter​ screen – n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text ​ advent – n. the time when something begins or arrives: the first appearance of something​ outhouse – n. a small outdoor building that is used as a toilet​

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Ugandan Company Demonstrates Solar-Powered Bus

The new Kayoola bus operates on solar power. It seats 35 people and has solar energy panels on top that collect energy from the sun.

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Free Trade an Important Issue in US Elections

An international free trade agreement has become an important issue in the American presidential election. The agreement appears to be a big issue in what political watchers consider “swing states.” These are states that move from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, or back the other way, from one election to the next. The trade agreement is called TPP, short for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Officials from 12 countries negotiated the treaty. Those countries control 40 percent of the world economy. Supporters of the TPP believe it would increase trade among the 12 nations. They believe this would increase the world’s economic growth. Opponents believe it would mostly help large companies and send jobs to countries where wages are low. Both Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, oppose the trade agreement. Senator Bernie Sanders, who sought to become the Democrat’s presidential nominee, also opposes the TPP. Last week, Sanders’ supporters said the agreement is an example of the way government policies have ignored American workers. His supporters demonstrated against the TPP at the Democratic Party’s national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Guy Anthony is a retired machinist and labor union organizer from Pennsylvania. He calls the agreement “an absolute disaster. It’s bad for working people,” he said. Anthony was a delegate to the convention. Pennsylvania is on the eastern edge of what is often called the Rust Belt, a region where manufacturing is especially important to the economy. The Rust Belt has lost many jobs to factories in other countries. Voters in many of the states could play an important role in deciding the presidential election in November. For the last 20 years, most people in Rust Belt states have voted for Democratic candidates. In 2012, five of the states -- Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa -- voted for President Barack Obama, a Democrat. But this year, in part because of his strong opposition to the TPP and other trade agreements, many people in the Rust Belt are supporting Donald Trump. Public opinion surveys show Trump has almost as much support throughout the Rust Belt as Hillary Clinton. In some states he has more. If Trump wins some or all of the states, he could become the next president. One of the most important swing states in the Rust Belt is Ohio. Dennis Kucinich was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state. He is a Democrat and a former presidential candidate. He has opposed free trade agreements for many years. He told VOA that the agreements are among the reasons voters in the state support Trump. He said workers have been “sold out by both political parties.” “Trade agreements have cost this country millions of jobs, lowered the standard of living, knocked down wages, cut benefits and reduced pensions,” he said. Voters in the Rust Belt may also be supporting Trump because of Clinton’s support for earlier trade agreements. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. Some experts have blamed the agreement for a loss of jobs. Some observers believe if Hillary Clinton becomes president, she will change her opposition to the TPP. They note that when she was secretary of state, she helped write the agreement. Then, when she began running for president, she announced her opposition to it. Susan Hall is a Sanders delegate from Pennsylvania. “I’m pretty confident she’ll flip her position back on it if she becomes president,” Hall said. Clinton representatives say she will not change her position. They note that the TPP does not meet her demands for protecting American workers. But Trump believes Clinton is only temporarily opposed to the deal. “We all know (what) is going to happen if she” wins the presidency, he told reporters last week. But even though many politicians and reporters are talking about the TPP, surveys show that many Americans do not even know what it is. Earlier this year, one study showed 72 percent of Americans either had not heard of the agreement or had not heard much about it. Charley Ballard teaches economics and organizes opinion surveys at Michigan State University. “I’ll bet if we asked a sample of people what the TPP is, a lot would say, ‘toilet paper something,’” he said. Before the election, many Americans did not know what the TPP was. Ballard said “I think it probably still isn’t well-known,” even when it is being discussed during the campaign. Gary Hawley of Wisconsin was a delegate to the Democratic convention. He is a retired carpenter and union member. He says many people in his state may not believe the TPP is an important issue. “I don’t think people know enough about the TPP, and you’ve got to know about something before you can agree or disagree with it,” he said. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA’s William Gallo reported this story from Philadelphia. It was adapted for Learning English by Christopher Jones-Cruise. 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   swing state – n. a US state in which the Democratic and Republican candidates both have a good chance of winning (also called “battleground state”) region – n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way sold out – phrasal verb to do something that does not agree with your beliefs, values, etc., especially in order to make money standard of living – n. the amount of wealth, comfort and possessions that a person or group has knocked down – adj. informal reduced; lowered benefit – n. something extra (such as vacation time or health insurance) that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their regular pay pension – n. an amount of money that a company or the government pays to a person who is old or sick and no longer works confident – adj. certain that something will happen or that something is true flip – v. to change; to return to a previous position, opinion or belief sample – n. a group of people or things that are taken from a larger group and studied, tested, or questioned to get information

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Singer Matisyahu Surprises Street Musician in Hawaii

  This is What’s Trending Today: The American singer and songwriter Matisyahu is from New York City. On a recent trip to Hawaii for a show, he found a street musician who was singing his song “One Day.” Matisyahu is Jewish and was once a Hasidic Jew. Men who are Hasidic Jews wear simple black and white clothing. They also let hair grow on their face. As a result, Hasidic men have beards. But in recent years, Matisyahu cut off his beard, and colored his dark hair blond. He also started wearing more colorful clothing. So today Matisyahu does not stand out as much in a crowd. The street musician did not realize the songwriter was standing nearby when he started playing “One Day.” Music producer Stu Brooks, who plays guitar, was with Matisyahu at the time. He recorded the performance on his phone camera and posted it to Facebook. The video has over 1 million views since July 31. Matisyahu joins in with the street musician during the performance and seems to be enjoying the sing-along. “There’ll be no more wars, and our children will play,” are some of the words Matisyahu sings in between drinking sips of coffee. One person who commented on the video said “…this is beyond amazing. So happy to live on a planet where that moment is possible.” Another wrote in, asking “what are the chances?” At the end of the performance, Matisyahu asks the street musician if he knows who wrote the song. The man answers “Matis.” And then Matisyahu points to himself. The street performer does not recognize him at first, but then says “you look a little different!” The two men laugh and shake hands. It turns out the singer’s name is Clint Alama, and Matisyahu invited him to a show later that night. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Have you ever had a moment like this? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   blond – adj. of a yellow or very light brown color sip – v. to drink (a liquid) slowly by taking only small amounts into your mouth amazing – adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement  

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August 3, 2016

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

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VOA English Newscast: 1600 UTC, August 3, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m Ira Mellman reporting. A crash landing closes one of the world's busiest airports for hours… The Dubai Media Office now says departure and arrival operations at Dubai International Airport have resumed after several hours of delays caused by the crash landing of an Emirates airline flight. The carrier says no fatalities were reported among the 300 people on board the flight that was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram Wednesday afternoon. "We do not have yet all the information. Thankfully, there was (were) no fatalities among our passengers and crew. Our first priority, in this case, that will be of our passengers and crew and answer the queries from all the families…” That was Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed al Maktoum, the airline’s chairman. We have just received word that the Emirates airline CEO says a firefighter was killed while responding to the airliner crash landing in Dubai. Emirates predicted there would be an eight-hour delay at operations across the network, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers during the busy summer vacation season. The Dubai Media Office said flights resumed at the airport a little before 7 o’clock there, their time. Russia denies claims from Syrian rebels and human rights groups that it was behind a reported chlorine gas attack Tuesday in the same area where a Russian helicopter was shot down a day before, according to a Russian state media report. The TASS news agency reports Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "It is very hard to react to such information releases. It is is not always clear what they are based on, what their sources are." This is VOA News.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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