News America

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

French “Right to Disconnect” Law Goes Into Effect

This is What’s Trending Today. The start of a new year brings many new laws into effect in the U.S and around the world. For example, a new law in California makes it illegal for drivers to hold their mobile phones while in the car. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, people who buy drinks with added sugar, like Coca-Cola, will be taxed about 50 cents per liter. In Colorado, residents must not pretend their untrained pets are special service animals. And in France, a new law requires employers to ensure that their employees have time to disconnect. The “right to disconnect” law went into effect on January 1. The French Ministry of Labor says the rules make sure workers have time away from work and with their families without feeling as if they always need to read their work emails. Companies with at least 50 employees will have to set up quiet periods at night and on the weekends when their staff does not have to respond to work messages. One French member of parliament told a news service that email and other electronic messages can be like a leash. Constantly feeling connected to work can cause a lot of stress. There is also some concern that workers are not properly being paid overtime if they check their emails. Two universities in North America reported studies showing that work-related communication on nights and weekends can be a problem. Many people reacted to the news on Twitter and Facebook. One person wrote: “Shoutout to the French. Coming through with the work-life balance protections.” Another wondered why Americans do not have the same right. (embed: ) A third writer wanted to know when this idea will spread around the world. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Is there a law about work email where you live? Let us know in the comments section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pretend –v. to act as if something were true leash – n. a long, thin piece of rope, chain, etc., that is used for holding a dog or other animal overtime – n. time spent working at your job that is in addition to your normal working hours shout-out – exp. an expression of praise

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From Nairobi to North Carolina: A Kenyan Teacher's Journey

One day in May 2015, James Gitau Mwangi was reading in the library at the American Reference Center in Nairobi. He did not know that a conversation he overheard there would change his life. The American Reference Center's Assistant Director, Nashon Akello, was calling English teachers to come to a webinar. Mwangi offered to attend the webinar. He told Akello, "I’m an English teacher!" Soon he was sitting with a group of Kenyan English teachers. They were watching two American teachers give an online teleconference. The webinar was organized by the U.S. Embassy in cooperation with VOA Learning English. Called "Writing for the Internet," the course explained how to write factual stories in a simple style of journalism, like the stories here on Learning English. The teachers at the webinar were invited to write a story for a contest. The winning stories would be published on VOA's website and on the U.S. Embassy's site. While at the U.S. Embassy, the teachers heard about other programs of the U.S. Department of State. One was the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program. Open to young teachers of English with a college degree, the program sends teachers to teach their home language and culture to American students in universities. At the same time, they learn language teaching methods that will improve their English teaching skills when they return home. Mwangi says the program was interesting to his fellow teachers. "But you need to be under 30 years. So, most of my friends were like, 'you go -- go and do it! Because - it's a great thing but we can't do it.' So, I applied, I followed through the process - it was very hard - but I was so happy when they called me back in August, the same year. They told me, 'you have to do a TOEFL' (Test of English as a Foreign Language) … We had to wait almost a year again for them to get back to us." Mwangi went back to teaching and directing the Mavens Education & Chess Centre. He started the school with fellow teacher Tom Amwai. At first, they did not have space to have all of the students at the same time. "We started with an adult education center, and a reading area, and a library. During the holidays, we invite other students from other schools for holiday tuition." Mwangi wrote a story about how students must deal with the terrible traffic in Nairobi. Then, he entered it in the writing contest. He was surprised to hear that his story was chosen as the first-place winner. You can read it in Learning English's Dispatch from Kenya section. When Mwangi saw the article online, he noticed that there were comments from people all over the world. "That's when it hit me - like, this is big, because when someone from Vietnam, someone from places like Madagascar talk to you, that was really refreshing." He came back to the embassy to get the award and started connecting with the other teachers who attended the webinar. "We had a very fantastic ceremony. I was given my certificate. We talked about having an association for English teachers." Mwangi was inspired by the course to keep writing in English, although he had started with little confidence in his writing. "I continued writing after that - I never believed in myself in terms of writing - it's ironical because you're an English teacher; you're teaching students to write. But you, when you're asked to write, it's not easy, but you keep on telling your students, 'You're supposed to write like that.' So, I decided to learn through the process the way I did it before." In September 2015, Mwangi wrote his second story for VOA, on the teachers' strike in Kenya. "I remember it was during September we had a teachers' strike. It was taking a toll on the student who were really suffering. And then again, we talked with Ms. Jill and I worked with her on an article that later on was published. It was talking about the strike." When Mwangi found out he had received a Fulbright grant, he had to make a hard choice: leave the school for a year, or stay in Kenya. His business partner, Amwai, encouraged him to go to teach in the U.S. While Mwangi is away, Amwai is using his experience as a chess champion to teach students how to play the game and enter chess competitions. "Now we've introduced something that is helping us in terms of the revenue, which is a chess center. We have so many students who are playing chess - they come after classes. We have a lot of champions ... chess has been proven to be one of the best mind games that students can use." During his winter vacation from Bennett College, Mwangi is touring universities like Harvard University in Massachusetts. He will return to Kenya at the end of the school year in May. He plans to use his experience to improve his school. "I want to go back with all of these things that I have and experience and just build that…I want to go back and build the school now. I hope when I go back that dream will come to life." VOA Learning English gave another webinar in May of 2016, on the topic of "Writing Science in Plain English." The wining essays from that contest are also in the Dispatch from Kenya section. Teachers who want to learn more about the Fulbright programs can visit their website, Exchanges.state.gov. I'm Jill Robbins. Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Would you like to go and live in another country for a year? Where would you like to go? What would you like to do there? Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story teleconference – n. the use of telephones and video equipment to have a meeting with people who are in different places cooperation - n. a situation in which people work together to do something journalism - n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio style - n. a particular way in which something is done, created, or performed inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something or to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create competition - n. the act or process of trying to get or win something (such as a prize or a higher level of success) that someone else is also trying to get or win

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Lesson 40: The Woods Are Alive

Summary Anna's New Year’s Resolution is to try something new. She auditions for a play. Will she get the part? Speaking In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn about asking for and giving feedback. Pronunciation Use this video to learn about projecting when public speaking. Learn one way to make your voice sound more confident when you speak to a group. Conversation Anna: Happy New Year! Some people, at the start of a new year, make a resolution -- a promise to yourself to be better. I thought about my resolution carefully. I want to be an actor on the stage! Today I will audition for a show called "The Woods Are Alive!" Wish me luck! Director: Next! What is your name? Anna: My name is Anna Matteo. Director: Are you ready to audition? Anna: (warms up voice) Yes. Director: Great. Let's begin on page 1. Here is the story. You are lost in the woods. You are searching desperately for a way out. Suddenly, you hear something. Director: Now, say your line. Anna: 'What was that? Hello. Is someone there?' Director: Anna, you are speaking too softly. Can you speak more loudly and a little more, um, seriously? Anna: Yes, of course I can. 'What was that? Hello. Is someone there?' Is that loud enough? Director: Yes, that is loud enough. Let's turn to page 25. In this scene, you are moving slowly and quietly through the woods. Director: Anna. Anna! You are walking quickly and loudly. Walk slowly and quietly. Anna: I'm walking slowly and quietly. I am walking… Director: Anna. Anna. You don't need to say "slowly" and "quietly." Alright, let's try the last scene. Turn to page 48. I say my line first, then you say your line. Director: 'You will never get out of these woods alive! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!' Anna: 'Yes, I will.' Director: Okay, Anna, you said that line -- you said that line really late. You need to say it earlier. Anna: Sorry. Sorry. Let me try again. Director: 'You will never …' Anna: 'Yes, I will.' Director: '… get out of the woods alive.' Anna: I was too early, wasn't I? Director: Yes. Yes, you were. Anna: Director, how am I doing? Director: You know, Anna. I think that I have the perfect part for you. Director: The costume is in the back. Please go try it on. Anna: Awesome! (Anna returns as a tree.) Director: Oh, Anna, that fits you perfectly! Anna: I'm a tree. I'm a tree in … "The Woods Are Alive!" Yes! Anna: My new year is starting awesomely! Excuse me, Director! I have a great idea for my tree. Oh, wait! Until next time! Writing In this lesson, Anna tries something new. What new activity do you want to try in 2017? Why do you want to do it? Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice using adverbs as well as acting out and guessing everyday activities. Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is self-evaluate. When we speak English or try to do something new, it helps to self-evaluate, or check how well we are doing it. In this lesson, when Anna asks the director of the play, "How am I doing?" she wants to learn how well she is acting. The director tells her that she said her line too late. Later, Anna notices a problem: "I was too early, wasn’t I?' She is self-evaluating. This strategy can help to make her a better actor. Do you ever self-evaluate when you speak English? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy. Quiz Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz. ______________________________________________________________ New Words actor - n. a person who acts in a play or a movie audition - n. a short performance to show the talents of someone (such as an actor or a musician) who is being considered for a role in a play or a position in an orchestra desperately - adv. in a way that is very sad and or upset manner because of having little or no hope director - n. a person who directs a play or a movie enough - adj. equal to what is needed line - n. a row of words, letters, numbers, or symbols written across a page loudly - adv. in a manner that makes or causes a lot of noise page - n. one side of a sheet of paper quickly - adv. at a fast speed; rapidly quietly - adv. in a manner that makes little noise resolution - n. a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do scene - n. a division of an act in a play during which the action takes place in a single place without a break in time script - n. the written form of a play, movie, or television show softly - adv. in a quiet voice or manner stage - n. a raised platform in a theater or auditorium where the performers stand suddenly - adv. very quickly in usually an unexpected way ______________________________________________________________ Free Materials Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice acting out and guessing everyday activities. For Teachers See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Adverbs (loudly, quietly, slowly); Comparatives of adverbs (more seriously); Review agent nouns (actor, director) Topics: New Year resolutions; Describing people’s actions Learning Strategy: Self-Evaluate Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Asking for & giving feedback; Projecting when public speaking ____________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

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Monday, January 2, 2017

New UN Leadership for the New Year

Antonio Guterres became the ninth United Nations Secretary-General on Sunday. The term of former U.N. leader Ban Ki-Moon ended at midnight, December 31. Guterres is a former prime minister of Portugal. At the U.N., he served as the High Commissioner for Refugees. He told the U.N. in his speech that the question of how to help millions of people caught in conflict and war weighs heavily on his heart. Guterres said that civilians are faced with deadly force, killed and injured, forced from their homes, and put into poverty. He also said that unfortunately, even hospitals and aid groups are not safe from violence. Putting peace first Guterres called on the U.N. to “make one shared New Year’s resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.” In support of the goal of peace, Guterres called for measures from solidarity and kindness in people’s daily lives, to dialogue and respect for political differences. He said peace should be a guide when seeking cease-fires or compromise while negotiating solutions to problems. Guterres has promised to bring people together at a time when the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has voiced concerns about the effectiveness of the U.N. The new secretary-general promised to work with the Trump administration to seek cooperation on the challenges facing the U.S. and U.N. in the coming years. Never give up Outgoing secretary-general Ban told the U.N. in his final speech Friday that he is “so very proud” to have worked with them for the past 10 years. He asked U.N. members to set goals and pay attention to important issues facing the world. These issues, he said, include sustainable development, climate change, women’s empowerment, youth empowerment and others. Ban urged members “to never give up. To keep dreaming. To keep believing, and to keep working hard until we achieve progress.” He asked the U.N. to place importance on rights, and to stand up for “those who are left behind”, including those who do not get attention from the world community but still need help. He said he felt “a bit like Cinderella” because of the quick change at midnight. But he promised always to be a “global citizen” and said his heart will always be with the people he worked with at the United Nations. I’m Phil Dierking This story was originally written for VOAnews.com. Phil Dierking adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. What goals do you think the U.N. should have this year? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story challenge – n. a difficult task or problem Cinderella – n. the name of a girl in a fairy tale who is treated badly by her stepmother and stepsisters but who marries a prince in the end. dialogue - n. a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement empowerment – n. power that has been given to someone or something resolve – v. to find an answer or solution to solidarity – n. a feeling of unity between people who have the same interests, goals, etc. sustainable development – n. economic development that is done without depletion of natural resources

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Europe Worries About Russian Cyber Attacks During 2017 Elections

Some European leaders are worried that Russia will try to influence their elections this year. The concerns come as possible Russian interference in the United States presidential election last year continues to be debated. There will be national elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands in 2017. Experts say Russia is already trying to help some candidates win. Russia denies that it is doing so. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a fourth term in office this year. She has led efforts in Europe to punish Russia for taking actions that democratic nations oppose. Experts say she is the European leader that Russia would most like to see voted out of office. In December, Merkel said Germany must be ready to stop attempts by other countries to interfere with its elections. “We have to inform people and express our political convictions clearly. We also should not allow ourselves to be irritated. We just have to know that there’s such a thing and learn to live with it.” Almost one million migrants entered Germany in 2015. Some Germans do not support such a large number. Experts say Russia will try to use anti-immigrant activists to help oust Merkel. And they say Russia will likely increase what are being called disinformation activities in the months and weeks before the election. Ian Bond is an analyst at the Center for European Reform. “They (Russia) can target it both in France and in Germany. But because Angela Merkel herself has been so closely identified with the policy of admitting refugees and asylum-seekers to Germany, it is, I think, an area of vulnerability for her.” The Alternative for Germany political party opposes immigrants. It has been gaining support, as measured by public opinion studies. Thorsten Benner is an expert at the Global Public Policy Institute. He says pressure on the German government could increase if the migrant situation in Europe gets worse. Anti-immigrant political parties throughout Europe have sought close relationships with Russia. Marine Le Pen is the leader of one of those parties, the National Front in France. A Russian bank provided her with a $10 million loan to help her election campaign. Bond says the anti-immigrant parties share one goal: they want to cause division in the European Union. “And, from a Russian point of view, if you can divide Europe, if you can then pick off individual states and make them feel more vulnerable or make them feel that they have to accommodate themselves to Russia, then that’s a huge win.” Bond says when Donald Trump becomes president in January, European unity will be tested. “Trump himself, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, seems to share this preference for dealing with countries in Europe bilaterally rather than multi-laterally. And so I think he is not going to shed many tears if, in fact, the EU is weakened as a result of Russian activity in European elections in the coming months.” Trump has said NATO allies should pay more for their defense. But he has not said he wants the European Union weakened. European leaders hope that, by talking about their worries long before elections are held, they can stop any attempts by Russia to influence voters. But experts says Russia has already begun spreading propaganda to increase its influence. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Correspondent Henry Ridgwell reported this story from London. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Mario Ritter 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 irritate – v. to make (someone) impatient, angry or annoyed disinformation – n. information that is given to people to hide the truth or in order to make them believe something that is not true vulnerability --n. the ability to be hurt or the state of having a weakness analyst – n. a person who studies or analyzes something pick off – phrasal verb to separate something or someone from a group accommodate – v. to get used to or become comfortable with something; to adapt or adjust to something bilateral – adj. involving two groups or countries multi-lateral – adj. involving more than two groups or countries shed a tear – expression to be worried

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In Bahrain, Ten Prisoners Charged with Terrorism Escape Jail

Officials in Bahrain are searching for ten escaped prisoners charged with terrorism. The prisoners escaped after armed gunmen attacked Jaw prison, located south of the capital city Manama, on Sunday. The Bahrain interior ministry described the attack on Twitter. It said the five attackers were part of a “terrorist group” armed with automatic weapons. One police officer was killed in the attack. Seven of the prisoners were serving life sentences for what the ministry called “terrorist acts.” The other three were serving long sentences. Bahrain is a small island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The country has faced low-level unrest since the 2011 Arab Spring protests. During those protests, crowds took to the streets to demonstrate against their leaders in several Middle Eastern and North African countries. At that time, Bahrain’s Shi’ite Muslim majority and others demanded greater political freedoms from the nation’s Sunni Muslim rulers. Shi’ites have argued the Sunni-led monarchy does not treat them fairly. The government denies these claims. The government began a campaign against protesters in April. Officials arrested several well-known political leaders and forced others into exile. They have also put thousands of people, mostly Shi’ites, into prison for being involved in anti-government activities. The United States Navy’s 5th Fleet has a base on the island. Britain also is opening a naval base there. I’m Pete Musto. Pete Musto adapted this VOA News story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Has there been any major prison escapes in your country recently? How does your government treat political figures with different opinions? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story gunmen – n. people who uses guns to shoot someone or to try to shoot someone automatic – adj. shooting many bullets very quickly when the trigger is pulled unrest – n. a situation in which many of the people in a country are angry and hold protests or act violently monarchy – n. a form of government in which a country is ruled by someone who rules for life and usually receives their position from another person when that person dies

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In Fight Against Troubling Viruses, Vaccines Offer Hope

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Lesson 40: How Am I Doing?

China Space Plan to Develop “Strength and Size”

China wants to develop “strength and size” in its space program, a China National Space Administration official said last week. In the next five years, the country plans to speed up the development of its space program. China wants to become the first country to carry out a controlled landing of a probe on the far side of the moon in 2018. China also has plans to launch its first probe to the planet Mars by 2020. China released an official policy proposal, known as a white paper. The document provides details of China’s plans for space exploration for the next five years. It was released by the State Council Information Office last Tuesday. "To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly," the white paper said. China says it will use space for peaceful purposes, to guarantee national security and to carry out new scientific research according to the paper. Russia and the United States have more experience in manned space travel with programs that have been operating for more than 50 years. China's military-supported program, however, has made progress in a short time. Morris Jones is an independent writer and an expert on the Chinese space program. He is based in Australia. He told VOA that the Chinese have one of the world’s best space programs. He said it was about the same as the European program. “They’re moving ahead very rapidly. They have a very impressive human spaceflight capability. They've recently completed their longest space mission to date, which was roughly a month. And they’re preparing probes to go to the moon and deeper into space.” China conducted its first manned space mission in 2003. Since then, Chinese astronauts have carried out a spacewalk. China also landed a vehicle on the moon in 2013. That was the first time a spacecraft had made a soft landing on the moon since the 1970s. Most recently, two Chinese astronauts stayed aboard China's Tiangong 2 experimental space station for one month. It was the country's sixth and longest space mission. A fully operating, permanently crewed space station is to begin operations six years from now. It is expected to operate for at least 10 years. In the white paper, Chinese officials do not talk about sending humans to the moon, but Jones says that may happen in the future. “What I also think is interesting to consider is the fact that the white paper gives further hints that even beyond landing robot probes on the moon, China is moving steadily in the direction of eventually sending humans there.” Jones says landing a probe on the far side of the moon is technically difficult. Because of the moon’s orbit, the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth. That, Jones says, makes communications with the landing probe more difficult. He says China will have to use advanced technology including a special satellite to communicate with the lander. China says landing on the far side of the moon may help explain the formation and evolution of our only natural satellite. He Qisong is a space security expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. He said a soft landing on the far side of the moon would show that China has fully developed the technology needed to land on a specific area of the Moon’s surface. "China never talks big and says something it's unable to achieve," he told the Associated Press. The white paper says that China is committed to the peaceful use of space and opposes a space arms race. Jones disagrees. He says China continues to develop its military space program. “It’s not accurate at all because China has one of the world’s most advanced military space programs. They use space flight for most aspects of their military—communication, surveillance, weather forecasting. But one of the rising trends in China is the fact that they have a very aggressive development program for anti-satellite weapons. They’ve been able to hit satellites in low orbits for quite some time.” Jones says China has the ability to attack satellites in geostationary orbit or ones that are in a lower Earth orbit. That means, “they can probably try to knock out America’s GPS satellites in the event of a war,” says Jones. China plans to join Americans and Europeans who plan to go to Mars either with robots or humans. The white paper discusses China's plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020. One goal is to explore and bring back samples from the red planet. China also wants to explore Jupiter and to carry out “research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life." I’m Anne Ball Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English with material from VOA. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story probe – n. an instrument used to examine something csmos – n. the universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system unremittingly – adj. not stopping or growing weaker hint – n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily surveillance – n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime geostationary – adj. a circular orbit above the Earth that follows the direction of the Earth’s rotation, so to ground observers, the satellite appears as a fixed position in the sky GPS – n. stands for “global positioning system” and means a radio system that uses signals from satellites to tell you where you are and to give you directions to other places

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New York City Driver Gets 236 Green Lights in a Row

This is What’s Trending Today. Noah Forman is an Uber driver in New York City. He is an experienced driver in a city known for its severe traffic jams. Forman started driving a taxi in 2005. Then, he switched to the ride-sharing service. He said he got the idea to see how many green lights he could make it through without being stopped by a red light, when he saw a video in 2014. One driver made 55 straight green lights. Forman thought he could get through more intersections than that without stopping. So one day, he made a video of himself driving and posted it on YouTube. He got more than 100 lights that time. After reaching a red light, he continued on, and made it through 76 more lights without stopping. Inspired by his first try, Forman thought he could do even better. So in early December, he tried again. This time, he made it through 236 lights in a row. The drive covered almost all of Manhattan’s East Side and took about 27 minutes. Many people wanted to know how he did it. A local television station spoke to Forman. He said he drove about 35 kilometers per hour because the lights are timed to reward safe, slower drivers. He also made the drive early on a Monday morning when there was not much traffic. After over 10 years of driving in New York, he knew which streets would provide long stretches of green lights. One day, Forman said, he might try to get through 500 green lights. Most people seemed impressed with his video. But, there were some who said it was not a big deal. On a website that covers life in New York, one reader wrote: “this isn’t impressive, to be honest.” Other readers said the long stretches of green lights are called “the green wave.” Some said the most important thing about Forman’s trip was “good luck.” Long trips in New York can be influenced by many things, including bad drivers and people walking in the street. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Do you know of other cities with long stretches of green lights? Let us know in the comments section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story intersection – n. the place where two or more streets meet or cross each other inspire – v. to make someone want to do something, to give someone an idea impress – v. to cause admiration or interest

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Everyday Grammar: Time Clause Before/After

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