Texas Teenager Rocks the Blues On New Album

  Ally Venable could be the next big thing in American blues rock. That praise comes from old-time blues musicians and music lovers in Texas. Venable has the stage presence of a long-time performer, they note. But she is only 17 years old.  Musician Rock Romano has only good things to say about her.  "You can just tell that she loves what she is doing and just radiates that from the stage…”  Romano produced Venable's new album, "No Glass Shoes." Most of the songs were recorded at his Red Shack Recording Studio in Houston. Romano has been playing music and singing in the city since the 1960’s. Recently, he joined Ally Venable when she performed locally. He said he enjoyed jamming with the young guitarist.  "I told her jokingly afterwards, ‘We need to call this band 1771, because she just turned 17, and I just turned 71!’"  Venable plays guitar with a skill that usually comes from many years of training. But she started playing when she was around 11 or 12 years old. Her model when performing is the late singer and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. She says Bonnie Raitt is another influence. Venable performs one of Raitt's songs on “No Glass Shoes.”  But most of the songs on the new album are Venable originals. She likes to write her own songs. "I try to write what goes on in my life so that other people, other teenagers, and anybody can relate to it, because we all go through the same things, like troubles and struggles."  Ally Venable appears to be at ease when performing. All her attention is directed at the music.  "I really don't look at anything when I'm playing. I just get into the zone, where you just play and you don't think about anything else."  Venable enjoys performing for audiences that include children.  "I love to find little kids and I'll play for them. I will let them play my guitar just so they can experience that as a little kid."  Ally Venable is in her final year of high school in the small east Texas town of Kilgore. But she is spending many weekends performing away from home.  And her shows are not limited to Texas. Venable’s been travelling to states as far away as New Jersey and Florida, and making more fans along the way. I’m Pete Musto. VOA Correspondent Greg Flakus reported on this story. Caty Weaver adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Share your thoughts in the Comments Section or post a message on Facebook page.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story stage - n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand​ jamming - v. to play music informally together without preparation​ original - n.  a work composed firsthand​ zone - n. an area that is different from other areas in a particular way​  

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Nobel Prize Winners Studied Agreements Affecting Everyone

Two professors at American universities have won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. They were honored for their work on business agreements that affect billions of people worldwide: contracts. “The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Richsbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2016 to Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom for their contributions to contract theory.” Goran Hansson, the Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the prize Monday. Oliver Hart is a professor at Harvard University. Bengt Holmstrom is at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or M.I.T. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the prize was awarded for work on the theory of contracts. These agreements affect almost every part of modern life. Contracts are everywhere Insurance, loans, buying agreements, employment, property rights, political constitutions and marriage are all kinds of contracts. Hart and Holmstrom developed a theory for understanding how contracts work. Their research has been used to design contracts. It relates to contracts in private markets and in public policy. Contracts are agreements between a principal and an agent. One example of this relationship is the one between an employer and an employee. The leader of a company and its shareholders also have a contractual agreement. Hart and Holmstrom’s work raised questions about tying the pay of high-level officials to a company’s current profits. They found that performance-based pay might not be the best policy in some cases. Doing so, may give a business leader an incentive to make decisions that increase profits for a short period of time. Those same decisions may harm the company over the long term. The two also studied insurance contracts. They argued that people may become careless if insurance companies fully replaced things that are damaged in an accident, such as cars. So, insurance companies often have contract holders pay a deductible toward repair. Insurers also limit what they are willing pay for or replace in many cases. Holmstrom worked with others to describe how contracts meant to improve one kind of performance can hurt overall job performance. For example, if teacher pay is tied to student test scores then many other parts of a teacher’s job could be negatively affected. Hart and Holmstrom worked together to show that contracts cannot describe every part of a job. Contracts are in some ways always incomplete. The two said contracts cannot predict every need and requirement in the future. Holmstrom researched the subject for many years. He advised that contracts should make clear what needs to be done to deal with future disagreements between parties rather than center on specific requirements. The new Nobel prize winners also examined whether some jobs are better done by government or private industry. In 1997, Hart worked with others in a study that showed the incentive to reduce costs is usually stronger among private contractors. The research called into question the policy of some privately run public services, like prisons. The Nobel committee praised Hart and Holmstrom for providing the tools to think about and design better contracts in many different fields. Oliver Hart was born in London. He spent much of his professional life at American universities. Co-winner Bengt Holmstrom was born in Helsinki, Finland. He also  spent most of his career in the United States. The two have been friends for years. The Nobel Prize committee’s twitter account Tweeted Hart’s reaction: ​ The two will share the economics prize worth $924,000. It is the only Nobel prize not established by Alfred Nobel. Sweden’s central bank established the prize in his honor. The Nobel prize for literature will be announced Thursday. I’m Mario Ritter. Richard Green reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   principal – n. a person or group who has responsibility as a guarantor of something such as payment contribution – n.  something that is done to cause something to happen agent – n. someone acting on behalf of someone else incentive – n. a reason to do something deductible – n. an amount of a claim not paid by an insurance company negatively – adv. badly; poorly specific – adj. special or particular

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Ken Bone: From Undecided Voter to Internet Hero

  This is What’s Trending Today…. Forget the presidential candidate with his name in gold lettering on tall buildings in New York City. And forget his main opponent, the woman who visited 112 countries while serving as America's top diplomat. What the United States apparently needed in this election campaign season was an undecided voter who had a question. They needed Ken Bone, a 34-year-old coal plant worker. Bone was one of several undecided voters chosen to ask questions at the presidential debate last Sunday in St. Louis, Missouri. Each one said they had not yet decided on whether to vote for Donald Trump, the candidate of the Republican Party, or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. During the debate, Bone asked Clinton and Trump: "What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs, while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?" Ken Bone’s few seconds on national television has made him famous on social media and beyond. In what Twitter said was the most tweeted debate of all time, talk of Bone -- especially his clothing -- spread quickly. Thousands of people posted photographs of Bone in his red sweater. He wears eyeglasses and has a mustache. People commented that he looked friendly and nice, two things they found to be lacking in the debate. One person said on Twitter that Bone looked like the "human version of a hug.” Since the debate, Bone has appeared on several television programs, including NBC’s Tonight Show, NBC News, CNN, and Fox and Friends. He also now has more than 100,000 Twitter followers. He said he had just seven followers before Sunday. Much of the attention has centered on Ken Bone’s bright red sweater. Bone explained that he had planned to wear a more formal suit. But, he admitted that those clothes had simply gotten too small for him. He told CNN, “When I went to get into my car the morning of the debate, I split the seat of my pants all the way open. So the red sweater is Plan B. And I’m glad it worked out.” The red sweater has become so famous that it has sold out on Amazon, the online marketer. By Tuesday, you could only find the sweater in other colors on Amazon. Izod, the maker of Bone’s sweater, said Monday that “Great style is something we can all agree on!” On Tuesday, Ken Bone posted a photo of himself on Twitter, without the iconic red sweater. He wrote, “I took off the sweater between interviews, do you forgive me?" ​ And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Ashley Thompson.   Chris Hannas wrote this report for VOA News. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English, with additional materials. George Grow was the editor.  ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   plant - n. a building or factory where something is made minimize - v. to make (something bad or not wanted) as small as possible fossil (fuel) - n. a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) that is formed in the earth from dead plants or animals post - v. to write and add an online message sweater - n. a warm usually knitted piece of clothing for the upper part of your body formal - adj. requiring or using serious and proper clothes and manners iconic - adj. widely known

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October 11, 2016

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

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Religious Group Hated by Some Muslims Seeks Acceptance in US

  The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is working to gain acceptance in the United States. Ahmadi Muslims are oppressed in Pakistan and other countries for not being “true” Muslims. The Ahmadiyya movement has long struggled for the freedom to exercise its version of Islam. Hanan Shahid is a member of the group. “This is true brotherhood,” Shahid told VOA. “This is true love for humanity.” The Ahmadiyya movement was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. His followers believed he was a Messiah -- a savior for his people. This belief differs from that of most Muslims who believe Muhammad was the last prophet of God.   In the United States, Ahmadi Muslim-Americans are often forced to defend the religion in which they themselves have not been fully accepted. Hanan Shahid told VOA it is interesting that Ahmadi Muslim-Americans are “fighting the battle for true Islam [for] the Muslims that are…denouncing us.” Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association recently gathered in New York City to raise money for groups that help ease hunger. They hoped their efforts would also help Americans learn more about the Ahmadi community.  Zeshan Hamid is a leader of the association. “We believe that giving the right message of Islam is very important, and the right message of Islam is humanity and helping mankind,” he said. “We do get affected by the Islamophobia that’s going around. We look to cure that by communicating with people.” Attiyah Malik went to the association’s gathering with her husband and two children. She said, “Peace is a really big part of our culture, our faith and the way we live our lives.” She says her parents fled religious persecution in Pakistan. She likes the religious freedom in the United States. “That’s why so many people come here, because you can believe what you want, and as long as you’re peaceful, you have a home,” she says.   I’m John Russell. VOA’s Tina Trinh reported this story from New York. Christopher Jones-Cruise 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   prophet – n. a member of some religions (such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) who delivers messages that are believed to have come from God Islamophobia – n. a fear or distrust of Muslims persecution – n. to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly -- especially because of race or religious or political beliefs    

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North Korean Nuclear Program Costs Flood Victims Aid

  Nearly 600,000 people need urgent assistance because of recent severe flooding in North Korea as the winter season approaches. Large amounts of water from a typhoon hit villages near the Tumen River in September. The river runs along the borders with China and Russia. Non-governmental organizations report that at least 138 people have died. Reports also say 400 people are missing and that the flooding has forced 70,000 people to leave their homes. Some call this one of the worst humanitarian disasters to affect North Korea since the 1990s. At that time, lack of rain and poor harvests led to reports of starvation across the country. The recent floods have destroyed 20,000 homes and many schools and hospitals. Floodwaters also damaged 30,000 hectares of crops that were almost ready for harvest. Paolo Fattori is the North Korea program director for Save the Children, an international children’s rights organization. Fattori says the flood victims need clean water, food and new shelters. These are all needed in the next few weeks, before the temperatures in the region drop below freezing. “In all the areas there is a strong need for support, actually because this event occurred at the end of the summer season, which means that the time to respond is very, very short,” Fattori said. The United Nations Children’s Fund and other organizations together are asking for $28.2 million in aid. They say money is needed both right away for urgent needs and for long-term assistance. This includes rebuilding homes, schools, hospitals and repairing damaged water supply and sanitation systems. Currently the fund to help North Korea has collected only about $6.5 million. Humanitarian organizations say that is far less than what is needed. However, raising money for North Korean humanitarian aid is difficult because of the country’s nuclear weapons program. The North Korean government has carried out five nuclear tests since 2006. Two of the tests took place this year. North Korea has also carried out land-based and submarine launched missile tests this year. As a result, the United Nations Security Council, South Korea and the U.S have placed sanctions on North Korea. United States ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power visited South Korea. She has discussed the need to increase international economic sanctions and military defense against North Korea. On Sunday, Power said those with emergency aid to offer the country cannot be sure their money and assistance will go to the people in need. Humanitarian organizations say the aid for North Korea is used to directly help victims and affected areas. They say money is not given to or controlled by the government. “Most of the funds are going to international procurement [of] specific materials that are needed,” Fattori said. “No funds are directly managed by the local government, in the case of Save The Children for sure.” The South Korean government still is not providing any flood aid to the North. South Korean officials warn that any aid would at some time be used to support the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. They say he is spending billions of dollars on nuclear and missile tests while most of his people live in poverty. Jeong Joon-hee is the spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry. He recently said, “While North Korea is putting forth a huge amount of money and effort for provocations, it is [clear] our well-meaning purpose could be distorted if we provide support for the flood damage.”The North Korean government says it has brought 200,000 people together to help with the recovery effort. The government also has promised to build 20,000 homes and other buildings before winter arrives. Fattori says the country’s disaster recovery efforts have improved. But, he adds, the government is still not prepared to deal with a humanitarian disaster of this size without international support. I’m Pete Musto.   Brian Padden and Youmi Kim reported on this story for VOA News. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. What systems does your country use to respond to disasters? How often does your country offer aid to others? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   typhoon –n. a powerful ocean storm in the area of the northwest Pacific Ocean humanitarian –adj. having to do with efforts to make people’s lives better starvation –n. suffering or death caused by not having enough to eat region –n. an area of a country or the world sanitation –n. systems used to carry away waste and keep places clean fund –n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose unification –n. the bringing together of people or things provocations –n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to begin to do something distorted –adj. to change something so that it is no longer true or accurate

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Samsung Halts Production of Problematic Galaxy Note 7

Samsung says it has permanently halted production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after continued overheating problems. The company announced Tuesday it had stopped manufacturing and selling the troubled devices. Samsung said it was acting to protect the safety of phone users. The company issued a worldwide recall of Galaxy Note 7 devices in early September after receiving several reports of overheating problems. The overheating was linked to problems with batteries that caused some phones to catch fire. After the recall, Samsung began replacing customers’ phones with new Note 7 devices that had a different battery. Those devices were supposed to be safer. But there were numerous reports of those replacement phones also overheating. South Korean safety authorities are investigating the problems with the replacement devices. They have not yet identified a cause.  The company is offering to give buyers their money back or exchange the Note 7 phones for other Samsung models. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to airplane passengers last month about the Galaxy Note 7 phones. It told passengers not to use devices during flights. It also urged them not to put the phones in checked baggage. Samsung is the world’s largest maker of smartphones, with nearly twice the world market share of its main competitor Apple. Jonathan Roubini is an independent technology analyst. He says in addition to the actual smartphone problems, the company has also been criticized for the way it dealt with the first phone recall. “This is very damaging for Samsung. And the fact that they messed up on the recall makes things extremely worse. Clearly, after new phones have been released after the recall, and the new phones have issues as well, there’s something else in the phone that Samsung missed, and they should be fixing.” Troy Stangarone is with the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute. He told VOA the Galaxy Note 7 problems have already hurt Samsung’s public image and could greatly affect sales. “Not only is it lost sales and replacement sales, but you are also talking about damage to Samsung’s reputation. Will consumers now question whether other Samsung products also face challenges and then simply decide to go with an alternative brand, be it Apple or someone else.” I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA’s Richard Green and Victor Beattie, the Associated Press and Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   recall – n. – a request by a company for people to return a product because it has a defect or problem battery – n. power source placed inside a car or other device to supply it with electricity replacement – n. a thing that takes the place of something else baggage – n. cases and bags used when people travel messed up – adj. spoiled or done badly reputation – adj. the opinion of a person or company as it relates to past performance and behavior consumer – n. person who buys or uses goods or services alternative – adj. – different from the usual or conventional  

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Second U.S. Presidential Debate 2016: Clinton vs. Trump

Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump go head to head in their second general election season debate.

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US Presidential Debate Most-Tweeted Ever

Sunday's U.S. Presidential debate was the most-tweeted debate in Twitter's ten-year history, the social network said. Twitter users sent more than 17 million debate-related tweets during the 90 minute debate. Highly Anticipated Debate The second presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump was held at Washington University in Saint Louis. Officials at the school in the state of Missouri held a lottery for seating. More than 10,000 students applied; 315 received seats just hours before the debate began. Part of the anticipation surrounding the debate came from recent information about statements by former Secretary of State Clinton and businessman Trump. Two days before the debate, a video appeared on the internet showing Donald Trump making lewd comments about women. Then, Wikileaks released parts of Hillary Clinton's speeches to financial companies. The speeches appeared to show her close ties with those companies. Contentious Beginning The candidates began the debate in a contentious way; they did not shake hands when they appeared in front of the audience. In general, American presidential candidates shake hands before beginning a debate. The two did shake hands after the debate ended.  Supporters of Trump and Clinton posted their opinions about the tense greeting under the hashtag #nohandshake. The candidates shook hands before their first debate. One Twitter user, a critic of Clinton, said Trump did not want to shake Clinton's hand because she is responsible for the death of American citizens who were in Benghazi. Another Twitter user, a critic of Trump, said that Hillary refused to shake Trump's hand because he made lewd comments about women in a video. One of the first questions of the debate addressed the video of Trump. The candidate defended his words by saying "I don't think you understand what was said at all. This was locker-room talk. I'm not proud of it." Locker-room talk refers to a conversation between men that is usually harsh or sexually offensive in nature. Trump’s defense included accusations about Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton. Trump said that Bill Clinton did "far worse." He also criticized Clinton for her use of a private email system while she led the State Department. He added that if he were elected, he would instruct a government investigator to look into the issue. This statement became one of the top three most-tweeted moments in the debate according to Twitter. Clinton answered that Trump's accusations were not true. The Federal Bureau of Investigation studied Clinton's email use. F.B.I. Director James Comey said there was no reason to bring charges against her. The issues The candidates discussed several foreign and domestic policy issues, including Syria and the set of health care laws commonly called Obamacare. Both candidates called for creating safe zones in Syria. Safe zones are areas where civilians can be kept safe during war. Trump said he disagreed with his running mate, Governor Mike Pence, about Syria. Twitter said this statement became the most tweeted moment in the debate. Trump and Clinton also debated the future of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Clinton admitted the law had problems, but she promised to fix it by bringing down costs and helping small businesses give coverage to their employees. Trump promised to replace Obamacare with a system that allows insurance companies to compete in every state. The two candidates will hold their final debate on October 19th. I’m John Russell. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. John Russell adapted this story for Learning English using sources from AP, VOA News, and CNET. Mario Ritter was the editor. ____________________________________________________ Words in This Story tweet – v. to put a message on Twitter anticipated – v. to look forward to (something) lottery – n. a system used to decide who will get or be given something by choosing names or numbers by chance lewd – adj. sexual in an offensive or rude way contentious – adj. involving a lot of arguing  

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EU Launches New Border Force to Slow New Arrivals

The European Union has launched a new border force to control the flow of immigrants entering EU member countries. The new force is called the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. A ceremony marking its creation was recently held at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey. Europe has received millions of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa in recent years. This has put pressure on many EU members and led to calls to close off the borders. Dimitris Avramopoulos is the EU’s commissioner for migration. He praised the new border force. He notes the force came to exist just nine months after it was first proposed. “The European citizens have demanded, and they rightly do so, a tangible European response - and today we deliver it collectively.” Permanent employees at the new agency – formerly known as Frontex - will be more than doubled, according to EU officials. At least 1,500 border guards will be ready to quickly deploy to areas experiencing a sharp increase in migrant activity.   Currently, E.U. citizens are permitted to travel freely across borders of 26 countries. But the rising number of refugees and migrants led some nations to reestablish their own border controls. More than 300,000 migrants have arrived in Europe in this year alone -- many passing through Turkey. Critics of the E.U.’s new border force say wealthy E.U. nations are not doing enough to care for their share of migrants and refugees. Gauri van Gulik is Deputy Europe Director for the rights group Amnesty International. She said the wealthiest E.U. member countries currently host less than 10 percent of the world’s refugees. “That needs to shift, and no border guard is going to make that happen. That’s going to require political will and some durable solutions...” Flows of migrants from Turkey have decreased since E.U. officials struck a deal with Turkey in March. Under that agreement, Turkey promised to return all migrants who try to enter Europe illegally. But Van Gulik said this is just a way for Europe to outsource its asylum policy. “They’re leaving it up to Turkey to host millions of refugees. They’re leaving it up to the very borders of Europe – so mostly Greece and also Italy now – to host refugees. And it means that people are stuck in the most horrendous conditions...” E.U. officials have said the new border agency will respect human and refugee rights. But they say the force must also be used to help the E.U. regain control of its borders to prevent another crisis. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Henry Ridgwell reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story re-impose – v. put in place again host – v. – take in, accept durable – adj. remaining in good condition for a long time outsource – v. sending work out to be done by another company, often in another country horrendous – adj. very bad or unpleasant  

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Roller Coaster Rides Can Help With Painful Condition

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Roller coasters are fast and exciting. But passing a painful kidney stone is not. The process is painful and can take a long time. But American researchers have found that a roller coaster ride just might help those suffering from a kidney stone. They say such rides help patients pass the stones with a 70 percent success rate. The findings come from researchers at Michigan State University. They published their findings in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. David Wartinger led the study. He says he became curious after hearing many stories of people who passed kidney stones after going on a fun ride at a theme park in Florida. Patients told him that after riding a “roller coaster at Walt Disney World, they were able to pass their kidney stones.” One man even said he passed three different stones after going on the ride more than once! To test whether the claims were true, Wartinger used a 3-dimensional model of a hollow kidney. Inside the model he placed three kidney stones, each no larger than 4 millimeters. Then he placed the man-made kidney into a backpack. The researchers put the kidney on Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster for 20 rides. There are many variables Wartinger found that where the person sits on the roller coaster can make a big difference. He said “in the pilot study, sitting in the last car of the roller coaster showed about a 64 percent passage rate.” Sitting in the first few cars only had a 16 percent success rate. Researchers decided to expand the study. They rode the same roller coaster with several kidney models. When sitting in the back car, the success rate of passing the stones was 70 percent. It also mattered where the stones were located in the kidney. The researchers found that stones located in the upper part of the kidney model were passed 100 percent. Another variable – it depends what kind of roller coaster. When it comes to passing kidney stones, not all roller coasters are equal. The researchers used 174 kidney stones of differing “shapes, sizes and weights to see if each model worked on the same ride and on two other roller coasters.” They found that “Big Thunder Mountain was the only one that worked.” The other two roller coasters both failed the test. Wartinger said the other rides were "too fast and too violent." The movement forced the stones against the side of the kidney. He said that the ideal roller coaster is rough and quick with some twists and turns. How common are kidney stones? About 300,000 people in the United States go to hospital emergency rooms with kidney stones each year. One common treatment for kidney stones -- called lithotripsy -- breaks up larger stones into smaller ones. But Wartinger said the treatment can leave many smaller stones. To solve this problem, he suggested riding a roller coaster “after a treatment when the remnants are still small." Wartinger thinks roller coaster rides could also be used as a preventative measure. He said that a yearly ride on a roller coaster could even prevent stones from developing. "You need to heed the warnings before going on a roller coaster," he said. "If you have a kidney stone, but are otherwise healthy and meet the requirements of the ride, patients should try it." He adds that it’s “definitely a lower cost alternative” to other treatments. And riding a roller coaster is definitely more fun! I’m Anna Matteo. VOANews.com reported on this story. Anna Matteo adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   curious – adj. having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone theme park – n. an amusement park where the rides and attractions are based on a particular theme 3-dimensional – adj. An object that has height, width and depth, like any object in the real world. hollow – adj. having nothing inside : not solid factor – n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen variable – n. something that changes or that can be changed : something that varies pilot – adj. done as a test to see if a larger program, study, etc., should be done rough – adj. having or causing sudden, violent movements ideal – adj. exactly right for a particular purpose, situation, or person remnant – n. the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone heed – v. to pay attention to (advice, a warning, etc.) alternative – adj. offering or expressing a choice

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