English in a Minute: Sing a Different Tune

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English in a Minute: Rule of Thumb

What does a thumb have to do with rules? Find out how to use this expression in this week's English in a Minute!

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August 5, 2016

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

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US Women's Basketball Team Aims for More Olympic Gold

  At the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the U.S. women’s basketball team will work to win a sixth gold medal. The U.S. team has won the championship at every summer games since 1996. Both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams are staying on a cruise ship during the games. They hope that will help them avoid possible health and security problems in Rio. The nine-level, 196-cabin Silver Cloud is their floating hotel. Before leaving for Rio, the players gathered around USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo. He told them their team will be a special target at the games.  Not only has the women's team won five gold medals in a row, they also have not lost a single game since the 1992 Olympics. Some players spoke to VOA during their last practice in the U.S. Tamika Catchings explained how the team mentally prepares for the competition. "We just have to know that we have a target on our backs and every single country has been preparing for the past three or four years for this opportunity to play in the Olympics," she said.  "So, for us, we cannot just get comfortable and think we are just going to walk out on the court and automatically win.  We have been preparing the way we always do, focusing on every single game individually, and we will be competitive." Catchings already has three gold medals. But, she is close to the end of her playing career at 37 years old. This Olympics is her chance to win one more gold medal. "I feel great about going. I am excited about representing my country another time, and this is my last time, so I am even more excited," she said. She is not the only player with more than one gold medal. The team has four one-time gold medalists, two two-time gold medalists and three women who brought home four gold medals. Maya Moore won at the 2012 Olympics in London.  She told reporters that the final practice in Houston, Texas helped the team get ready for the games. "We are pushing each other," she said. "If we can do it against each other, we can do it against anyone in the world." The women’s head coach, Geno Auriemma, told VOA he is not wasting time or energy thinking about the possible problems in Rio. They include the Zika virus, polluted water and hotel rooms in disrepair. There is also some political and social unrest and, of course, concern about possible terrorist attacks. "The focus is on winning a gold medal. All the other stuff that's around there, whether we worry about it or not, it is not going to make any better. It is not going to make it go away, so we are just going to deal with it," Auriemma said. Staying on a boat takes care of some of the health concerns. But the team members still need to be careful of mosquitoes when going outside. Getting to the games through heavy traffic is another problem. Player Brittney Griner is the team’s tallest, at just over two meters. She told reporters she feels sure the U.S. Olympic Committee has dealt with all the issues of concern. She is excited about staying with her teammates on a floating hotel. "We are staying on a boat the whole time," she said with a smile. "It will be my first time ... so I am pretty excited for that!"  The women’s first game will be Sunday, August 7. Team USA Women’s Basketball team will play Senegal.   I'm Caty Weaver.   VOA correspondent Greg Flakus wrote this story. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. What is your favorite summer Olympic sport? Let us know in the Comment Section. Or post us a message on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   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 practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done comfortable - adj. not causing any physically unpleasant feelings automatically - adv. happening or done without deliberate thought or effort focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

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Rocky Mountain National Park: Wild and Wonderful

  Our national parks journey this week takes us to an extreme landscape in Colorado. Around us are clear lakes, aspen and fir trees, and mountain peaks that rise over 4,400 meters. Welcome to Rocky Mountain National Park. The vast Rocky Mountains range extends from the western United States up to Canada. National parks in both countries protect many of the huge peaks. Here in Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park covers about 1,100 square kilometers. Although it is much smaller than other western parks, like Yellowstone, it welcomes almost as many visitors each year. People from around the world come to experience its alpine, or high-mountain, environment. In the spring and summer, wildflowers burst to life and many kinds of butterflies arrive. In the fall, the aspen trees turn bright yellow and orange. In the winter, deep snow blankets the park. Its peaceful alpine lakes freeze over. One of the major sites here is the Continental Divide. The area in the high mountains separates the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean from the rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The Rockies’ huge glaciers form the rivers. Glaciers help tell the natural history of the land. Over millions of years, glaciers carved deep canyons out of rock. Erosion from wind and water formed the mountains’ sharp summits that we see today. Rock at the top of these summits is some of the oldest found on Earth. It was not until 11,000 years ago that humans began living in the area. The Utes tribe settled here - for part of the year - thousands of years ago. Winter was too severe to survive. When the weather warmed, they lived in the green valleys and meadows and near the lakes.   In 1803, the U.S. government gained control of the land we now call Rocky Mountain National Park. It came as part of the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the United States. In the 1840s, American writer Rufus Sage came to the Rockies. He wandered the area from 1841 until 1843, spending time with fur trappers, Native Americans, soldiers and hunters.   His long and detailed account of mountain life was published in 1846. He called it “Scenes in the Rocky Mountains.” Rufus Sage wrote, “Further on were yet higher summits, surmounted by pines and cedars, raising their heads in stately grandeur far above the sweet valleys at their feet. Taken together, the scenery was not only romantic and picturesque, but bewitching in its beauty and repulsive in its deformity.” Beginning in the late 1850s, gold and silver rushes brought huge crowds to the Colorado Rockies. Miners arrived in search of the precious metals. They settled temporary cities. One of the best-known is called Lulu City. It was settled in the late 1870s after miners discovered silver nearby. By 1880, more than 500 miners lived in Lulu City. It had a meat shop, a post office, and many houses and mining companies. Lulu City was short-lived. In just five years, miners left town, seeking other opportunities. Today, some visitors choose to hike to this “ghost town,” where they will find old cabins and remains of buildings. As more and more people came the area, concern for protecting the natural environment grew. In 1909, the nature guide and naturalist Enos Mills began pushing for the creation of a national park here. He first climbed the towering Longs Peak when he was just 15 years old. Longs Peak is the area’s tallest mountain, at 4,346 meters. Mills made the hike 40 more times by himself during his lifetime, and almost 300 times as a mountain guide. Mills gave wrote and gave talks about the Longs Peak area to urge Congress to make it a national park. On January 26, 1915, Mills got his wish. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act to make the area America’s 10th national park. The Denver Post newspaper called Mills the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park.” Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park Today, more than 3 million people visit Rocky Mountain National Park each year. In 2015, it was the third-most visited national park in the country. Many visitors arrive by car. They drive the Trail Ridge Road, which winds through meadows and forests and up the mountains. The road was built during the 1930s, during the Great Depression.  At the time, many of the western national parks were served by the railway. Travelers arrived on trains. But, a railroad never served Rocky Mountain National Park. The National Park Service described it as “always an auto park.” The high number of visitors and vehicles caused concern. In the 1970s, park officials began managing crowds. They started using buses in the park, and created a campsite system in the wild backcountry. Today, conservation efforts continue. Park officials educate visitors and urge them to respect the natural environment.  Rocky Mountain National Park’s scenery, hiking trails, and wildlife attracts huge numbers of visitors. It has over 480 kilometers of hiking trails. They include challenging climbs up some of the tallest mountains and forest hikes that lead to one of the park’s many waterfalls. They also include trails to crystal blue alpine lakes. One leads to Mills Lake, in honor of Enos Mills. The view of Longs Peak from the lakeside is one of the finest views in the whole park. One of the most extreme hikes in the park is the Continental Divide Loop. The 86-kilometer path cuts through glacial valleys and past lakes and waterfalls. It takes most hikers at least six days to complete. Long hikes give visitors a chance to experience Rocky Mountain wildlife. Within the park are hundreds of elk and bighorn sheep, as well as a small moose population. The park's huge number of large animals makes it one of the best places in America for wildlife watching. Butterflies fill the park’s meadows. Some of the most common kinds are the Painted Lady, the Arctic Blue, and the Western Pine Elfin. Butterflies help researchers in the park study the effects of climate change. Scientists and volunteers collected information on butterfly populations from 1995 until 2011. They identified more than 140 butterfly species. Park visitors also come to fish, bike, and go horseback riding.The animals are permitted on most of the park’s hiking trails. You can ride in the park on horseback. You can explore on foot. You can sleep under the stars. You can sit be a clear quiet lake. However you visit Rocky Mountains National Park, you will likely find, in the words of Enos Mills “the paths of peace and a repose that is sweeter than sleep.” I'm Caty Weaver.  And I'm Ashley Thompson.  Ashley Thompson wrote this report with materials from the National Park Service. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   alpine - adj. of or existing in high mountains blanket - v. to cover (something) summit - n. the highest point of a mountain dominate - v. to have control of or power over (someone or something) wander - v. to move around or go to different places usually without having a particular purpose or direction scene - n.  a view or sight that looks like a picture surmounted  - v. ​ to be placed at the top of (something)​ grandeur - n. ​a great and impressive quality​ romantic - adj. making someone think of love​ bewitching - adj. attractive or delightful in a way that seems magical​ repulsive - adj. causing strong dislike or disgust​ opportunity - n. ​a situation in which something can be done ​ towering - adj. very tall​ ghost town - n. ​a town that no longer has any people living in it​ challenging - adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable​ crystal (clear)- adj. perfectly clear​ species - n. ​ a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants​ repose - n. a state of resting or not being active

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How Safe are U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey?

Military and political experts are warning the United States against storing nuclear weapons in Turkey. Those experts say the recent attempt to overthrow Turkey’s government shows one of the risks of deploying American weapons overseas. Jeffrey Lewis is an arms expert with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey in California. He told VOA that the nuclear arms in Turkey are very safe in what he calls the near term. “[But] generally speaking, it is not a good idea to have nuclear weapons in a politically unstable country,” Lewis said. The military-led coup of July 15 failed to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since then, his government has led a campaign against members of the armed forces, judiciary and media. The U.S. military stores B61 nuclear bombs at an airbase in southern Turkey. The bombs are equipped with “Permissive Action Links,” known as PALs. They prevent arming and using the weapons without approval from the top U.S. leadership. The B61 bombs are heavily guarded and kept in underground shelters. Up to 50 of those weapons are believed to be stored at the airbase. But in July, the Turkish commander of the base was arrested after being accused of involvement in the failed coup against the government. Ensuring Security The United States has about 200 B61 bombs in and around Europe, according to Amy Woolf. She studies nuclear weapons policy for the U.S. Congressional Research Service. American bombs in Turkey are mostly in storage, Woolf said. She noted that Turkey does not have aircraft designed to hold nuclear weapons. In addition, Turkey does not let the U.S. permanently deploy such aircraft to the base. Currently, some of the airplanes that pass through the airbase could drop nuclear weapons. But those aircraft are involved in operations against suspected terrorist targets. Woolf said that for NATO member countries, the weapons are there in case “the fundamental security of any of its members” was to be threatened. U.S. defense policy expert Kori Schake told VOA that removing the nuclear arms from Turkey would send the wrong message to America’s allies. “Countries that feel protected by the U.S., [like] Japan, South Korea, Turkey, have not developed nuclear weapons of their own,” Schake said. Without that guarantee, she says, “the risk is that they might develop nuclear weapons of their own.” There is another negative effect of removing the nuclear weapons from Turkey. Without the security of the bombs, Turkey could develop alliances with Russia or even Iran. Time to Move Them? Jeffrey Lewis thinks that Turkey’s president is much more concerned about political opposition than about having nuclear weapons in the country. “It’s not something Erdogan is bringing up,” he said. Hans Kristensen agrees. He directs the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. He says that there would not be any serious political problems if the nuclear weapons left southern Turkey. Kristensen said that because of the political situation in Turkey, it might be time to consider moving the weapons. "You only get so many warnings before something goes terribly wrong, and there are plenty of warnings” in the area now, he said. I’m Jonathan Evans. Sharon Behn reported this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   coup – n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence according – p. as stated, reported, or recorded by fundamental - adj. of or relating to the basic structure or function of something negative - adj. harmful or bad

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English @ the Movies: 'Hold His Feet To The Fire'

Our English @ the Movies phrase is from the movie "All The Way." This film is about American President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King and their work on civil rights. The phrase is "hold his feet to the fire" Listen and find out what it means.

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'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce

Our story today is called, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. " It was written by Ambrose Bierce. The occurrence, or event, in our story takes place during the Civil War of the eighteen sixties between the American states of the north and the states of the south. A group of soldiers is hanging a southern farm owner for trying to stop northern military movements across the Owl Creek Bridge. In the last moments of his life, the southern prisoner dreams he has escaped. And everything that happens in the story is really the images in the prisoner's mind just before he dies. Here is Shep O’Neal with our story. A man stood on a railroad bridge in Alabama looking down into the swift waters of the Owl Creek River below. The man's hands were tied behind his back. There was a rope around his neck. The rope was tied to part of the bridge above him. Three soldiers of the northern army stood near the prisoner, waiting for their captain's orders to hang him. Everybody was ready. The prisoner stood quietly. His eyes were not covered. He looked down and saw the water under the bridge. Now, he closed his eyes. He wanted his last thoughts to be of his wife and children. But, as he tried to think of them, he heard sounds -- again and again. The sounds were soft. But they got louder and louder and started to hurt his ears. The pain was strong. He wanted to shout. But the sounds he heard were just those of the river running swiftly under the bridge. The prisoner quickly opened his eyes and looked at the water. "If I could only free my hands," he thought. "Then I could get the rope off my neck and jump into the river. I could swim under the water and escape the fire of their guns. I could reach the other side of the river and get home through the forest. My house is outside of their military area, and my wife and children are safe there. I would be, too…" While these thoughts raced through the prisoner's mind, the captain gave the soldiers the order to hang him. A soldier quickly obeyed. He made the rope firm around the prisoner's neck. Then he dropped him through a hole in the bridge. As the prisoner fell, everything seemed black and empty. But then he felt a sharp pain in his neck and could not breathe. There were terrible pains running from his neck down through his body, his arms and his legs. He could not think. He could only feel, a feeling of living in a world of pain. Then, suddenly, he heard a noise…something falling into the water. There was a big sound in his ears. Everything around him was cold and dark. Now he could think. He believed the rope had broken and that he was in the river. But the rope was still around his neck, and his hands were tied. He thought: "How funny. How funny to die of hanging at the bottom of a river!" Then he felt his body moving up to the top of the water. The prisoner did not know what he was doing. But his hands reached the rope on his neck and tore it off. Now he felt the most violent pain he had ever known. He wanted to put the rope back on his neck. He tried but could not. His hands beat the water and pushed him up to the top. His head came out of the water. The light of the sun hurt his eyes. His mouth opened, and he swallowed air. It was too much for his lungs. He blew out the air with a scream. Now the prisoner could think more clearly. All his senses had returned. They were even sharper than before. He heard sounds he never heard before -- that no man's ears ever heard -- the flying wings of small insects, the movement of a fish. His eyes saw more than just the trees along the river. They saw every leaf on the trees. And they saw the thin lines in the leaves. And he saw the bridge, with the wall at one end. He saw the soldiers and the captain on the bridge. They shouted, and they pointed at him. They looked like giant monsters. As he looked, he heard gunfire. Something hit the water near his head. Now there was a second shot. He saw one soldier shooting at him. He knew he had to get to the forest and escape. He heard an officer call to the other soldiers to shoot. The prisoner went down into the river, deep, as far as he could. The water made a great noise in his ears, but he heard the shots. As he came up to the top again, he saw the bullets hit the water. Some of them touched his face and hands. One even fell into the top of his shirt. He felt the heat of the bullet on his back. When his head came out of the water for air, he saw that he was farther away from the soldiers. And he began swimming strongly. As he swam, the soldiers fired their rifles. Then they fired their cannon at him. But nothing hit him. Then, suddenly, he could not swim. He was caught in a whirlpool which kept turning him around and around. This was the end, he thought. Then, just as suddenly as it had caught him, the whirlpool lifted him and threw him out of the river. He was on land! He kissed the ground. He looked around him. There was a pink light in the air. The wind seemed to make music as it blew through the trees. He wanted to stay there. But the cannon fired again, and he heard the bullets above his head. He got up and ran into the forest. At last, he found a road toward his house. It was a wide, straight road. Yet it looked like a road that never had any travelers on it. No farms. No houses on its sides, only tall black trees. In the tall black trees, the prisoner heard strange voices. Some of them spoke in words that he could not understand. His neck began to hurt. When he touched it, it felt very large. His eyes hurt so much that he could not close them. His feet moved, but he could not feel the road. As he walked, he was in a kind of sleep. Now, half-awake, half asleep, he found himself at the door of his house. His lovely wife ran to him. Ah, at last. He put his arms about his beautiful wife. And just then, he felt a terrible pain in the back of his neck. All around him there was a great white light and the sound of a cannon. And then…then…darkness and silence. The prisoner was dead. His neck was broken. His body hung at the end of a rope. It kept swinging from side to side. Swinging gently under a hole in Owl Creek Bridge. Download activities to help you understand this story here. Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Have you ever had a dream that you thought was really happening? What do you think happens to a person at the moment they die? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   swift - adj. moving or able to move very fast scream - n. a loud and high cry or sound​ cannon - n. a large gun that shoots heavy metal or stone balls and that was once a common military weapon whirlpool - n. an area of water in a river, stream, etc., that moves very fast in a circle​ ​

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Sasha Obama Has a Summer Job

  This is What’s Trending Today: No summer beach vacation in the northeast U.S. state of Massachusetts is complete without an order of fried clams at a seaside restaurant. People enjoy eating the shellfish, which are dipped in a mixture made from flour, water and spices and then cooked in hot oil. One restaurant known for its seafood is Nancy’s, on Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard is a small island off the coast of Massachusetts.​  U.S. President Barack Obama and his family like to visit Martha’s Vineyard in the summer. The Obama family often eats at Nancy’s during their vacations.   It seems that one Obama has even started working at Nancy’s this summer. The Boston Herald newspaper first reported that Sasha Obama, the president’s younger daughter, has a job there. She is 15 years old. The story says Sasha Obama is helping the restaurant get ready for its lunch service each day. She is also bringing customers their food orders at a take-out window.  She works for about four hours. Her last day is Saturday, when the rest of the Obama family arrives for vacation. One of the other workers at the restaurant said Sasha started working earlier in the week. She has been using her full name, Natasha, while on the job. Many people followed the story on social media. “Sasha Obama” became a trending Twitter topic. One person wrote on Twitter:  “Keeping it real.”  ​ Another added “#RESPECT.”  ​ But, a third person tweeted that someone else who really needs the money should have the job. He said Sasha Obama was only working because people would like the story.  The president’s daughter does have a security team looking out for her. But they have been waiting in a large car nearby while she works.   And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What was your most memorable summer job? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   beach – n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake restaurant – n. a place where you can buy and eat a meal clam – n. a type of shellfish that lives in sand or mud, has a light-colored shell with two parts, and is eaten both cooked and raw

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TESLA GIGAFACTORY_hq

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1300 UTC Newscast in English

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m Michael Brown reporting. U.S. President Barack Obama says the fight to defeat the Islamic State has to be waged beyond the battlefield. Mr. Obama briefed reporters on the campaign against the militant group after meeting with his top military and national security advisors. “ISIL (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) has not had a major, successful offensive operation in either Syria or Iraq in a full year. Even ISIL’s leaders know they are going to keep losing. In their message to followers, they are increasingly acknowledging that they may lose Mosul and Raqqa, and ISIL is right. They will lose them.” Mr. Obama's meeting came as the U.S. launches more air strikes in and around an Islamic State stronghold in Libya. The U.S. military says the operation in Libya will probably last weeks, rather than months. Gunmen fired on a busy marketplace in northeastern India Friday, killing at least 12 people. Officials say 15 others were wounded in the attack in the Assam area. Authorities say one gunman was killed, and security forces are searching for other suspects. U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen is denouncing the arrest warrant issued by Turkey, accusing him of masterminding the failed coup in Turkey last month. Gulen said, in a statement, the arrest warrant from the Turkish court changes nothing about his status or views. The Turkish government has said Gulen, a former ally of President Erdogan, orchestrated the coup by renegade officers in the military and has called on the U.S. to extradite him to Turkey. Ankara, however, has not filed a formal extradition paper. And, people in Russia are welcoming news that dozens of the country’s athletes will be allowed to participate in this summer’s Olympics. The International Olympic Committee reached the decision to admit more than 270 Russian athletes amid a scandal involving state-sponsored doping by Russia. This is VOA News. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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