Students Compete in Real-Life Test of ‘Hyperloop’ Transportation

  A system to transport bullet-shaped people movers at super-fast speeds recently got its first real-world test. The system, called Hyperloop, was the idea of American businessman Elon Musk. He created and owns the aerospace company SpaceX, as well as electric carmaker Tesla. Musk decided to hold an international competition for people to build working models of the proposed transportation system. Its vehicles would travel through low-pressure tubes, what Musk calls a Hyperloop. His goal is eventually to  provide transportation between cities that is faster, safer and costs less than current high-speed trains. Musk says Hyperloop could carry people from Los Angeles to San Francisco - a distance of 600 kilometers in 30 minutes. Driving that same distance in a car would take nearly six hours. A high-speed train trip would take about two hours. Hyperloop would be designed to reach a top speed of about 1,200 kilometers an hour. Currently, the fastest train in the world is being tested in Japan. So far, it has reached a top speed of 603 kilometers per hour. The system, which is still in early development, uses vehicles known as pods. An electromagnetic force causes the pods to “float” on air inside a series of steel tubes. Air would then be forced out of the tubes to reduce pressure and lower the resistance for the vehicles. A total of 26 engineering teams recently gathered in Los Angeles to test their Hyperloop model vehicles. The vehicles were sent through a 1,600-meter-long vacuum tube built by SpaceX. Musk said the competition was meant to get engineers thinking about how to create completely new methods of transportation.  “What this is really intended to do is to encourage innovation in transport technology. To get people excited about new forms of transport - things that may be completely different from what we see today.” The top speed award went to a 35-person team from Germany’s Technical University of Munich. Josef Fleischmann is a member of the WARR Hyperloop team. He said it was exciting to win after working on the model for the past 18 months. “Well, it went pretty well. We went down all the way, reached 93 kilometers per hour. So all of our subsystems worked. We’re pretty happy.” Another team, rLoop, was made up of 140 young engineers from all over the world. All of them cooperated on the project remotely. The group’s lead engineer, Tom Lambot, said many members met their teammates for the first time at the competition. “The first time we tested the vehicle was when we came to the competition. And it was also the first time some of us that have been working on this for a year-and-a-half ever met in person.” Among other things, the pod vehicles were tested for efficiency, stabilization and braking – being able to stop quickly. Cameras recorded video of the tests from inside the tubes. The highest overall rating went to a team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Delft Hyperloop team member Mars Geuze said his group was able to build a comfortable, nice-looking vehicle that also performed well.   “We designed a completely integrated vehicle, even with a passenger compartment, with lighting and an interior.” An engineering team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won third place for design and construction. It was also given the top award for safety and reliability.   SpaceX says the next Hyperloop competition – which will focus on top speed – will be held later this year. I’m Bryan Lynn.   George Putic reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. His report also includes information from the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this proposed new form of transportation? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   electromagnetic – adj. relating to the science dealing with the relationship between electricity and magnetism vacuum – n. empty space where there is no air or other gas remotely – adv. from a distance, away from others stabilization – n. in a steady state with little movement braking – n. system used for slowing or stopping a vehicle comfortable – adj. physically pleasant, relaxed integrated – adj.  different parts working together as a unit reliability – adj. how trusted something is to perform correctly

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Romantic Relationships. Let's Talk.

English in a Minute: Happy Medium

What is a "happy medium?" And how do you find it? Watch this week's English in a Minute to find out!

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President Trump Immigration Order and the Courts

President Trump signed an executive order on immigration his first week in office. It temporarily blocked refugees as well as travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. Learning English looks at the protests and legal challenges that resulted from the order.

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Instead of Oscar Party, Hollywood Agency Supporting Rights, Refugee Groups

  A Hollywood talent agency has cancelled plans for a party celebrating the Academy Awards, known as the “Oscars.” Instead, the agency is organizing an event to help the American Civil Liberties Union and the International Rescue Committee. It also has plans to donate $250,000 to the two groups. United Talent Agency, known as UTA,  announced the move on Wednesday. The company says it represents actors and writers in the movie industry, as well as in television, books, music and digital media. Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is one of the agency’s clients. He was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for his movie The Salesman.   ​       Farhadi announced early this month he will not attend the Academy Awards ceremony on February 26. Iran is one of seven countries listed in an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The order bars Iranian citizens from entering the United States for 90 days. Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who stars in The Salesman, has also said she will not attend the  ceremony in protest of the executive order. Trump has defended the measure. He says it is necessary to protect American citizens and to prevent possible terrorists from entering the country. Last week, a judge in Seattle temporarily suspended the ban on travelers from the seven countries. A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to block the lower court ruling. President Trump plans to appeal the ruling, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. United Talent Agency says its “United Voices” rally will be held in Los Angeles two days before the Academy Awards. The agency said it welcomes anyone who wants to express support for artistic freedom and “their concern with growing anti-immigrant sentiment in our country and its potential chilling effect around the world.” UTA said the event is designed  to help the American Civil Liberties Union and the International Rescue Committee, known as IRC, which work in support of civil rights and help refugees. The IRC thanked the Hollywood talent agency for its support in a Twitter message.   Another talent agency, WME-IMG, has announced plans to form a Political Action Committee. The agency said the committee will raise money to support or oppose political candidates, ballot measures or legislation. I’m Dan Friedell.   Chris Hannas reported this story for VOANews.com. Marsha James 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   generosity – n. the quality of being kind, understanding and not selfish cease – v. to stop happening: to end rally   - n. a public meeting to support or oppose someone or something chilling– adj. of or related to a discouraging or deterring effect, especially one resulting from a restrictive law or rule compatriot – n. a person from the same country as someone else hardliner – n. a member of a group, often a political group, that follows a set of ideas or policies talent – n. a special ability that allows someone to do something well client – n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

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'The Black Cat,' by Edgar Allen Poe

We present the short story "The Black Cat," by Edgar Allen Poe. The story was originally adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State. Tomorrow I die. Tomorrow I die, and today I want to tell the world what happened and thus perhaps free my soul from the horrible weight which lies upon it. But listen! Listen, and you shall hear how I have been destroyed. When I was a child, I had a natural goodness of soul which led me to love animals — all kinds of animals, but especially those animals we call pets, animals which have learned to live with men and share their homes with them. There is something in the love of these animals which speaks directly to the heart of the man who has learned from experience how uncertain and changeable is the love of other men. I was quite young when I married. You will understand the joy I felt to find that my wife shared with me my love for animals. Quickly she got for us several pets of the most likeable kind. We had birds, some goldfish, a fine dog, and a cat. The cat was a beautiful animal, of unusually large size, and entirely black. I named the cat Pluto, and it was the pet I liked best. I alone fed it, and it followed me all around the house. It was even with difficulty that I stopped it from following me through the streets. Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which, however, my own character became greatly changed. I began to drink too much wine and other strong drinks. As the days passed I became less loving in my manner; I became quick to anger; I forgot how to smile and laugh. My wife — yes, and my pets, too, all except the cat — were made to feel the change in my character. One night I came home quite late from the inn, where I now spent more and more time drinking. Walking with uncertain step, I made my way with effort into the house. As I entered I saw — or thought I saw — that Pluto, the cat, was trying to stay out of my way, to avoid me. This action, by an animal which I had thought still loved me, made me angry beyond reason. My soul seemed to fly from my body. I took a small knife out of my coat and opened it. Then I took the poor animal by the neck and with one quick movement I cut out one of its fear-filled eyes! Slowly the cat got well. The hole where its eye had been was not a pretty thing to look at, it is true; but the cat no longer appeared to suffer any pain. As might be expected, however, it ran from me in fear whenever I came near. Why should it not run? Yet this did not fail to anger me. I felt growing inside myself a new feeling. Who has not, a hundred times, found himself doing wrong, some evil thing for no other reason than because he knows he should not? Are not we humans at all times pushed, ever driven in some unknown way to break the law just because we understand it to be the law? One day, in cold blood, I tied a strong rope around the cat’s neck, and taking it down into the cellar under the house I hung it from one of the wood beams above my head. I hung it there until it was dead. I hung it there with tears in my eyes, I hung it because I knew it had loved me, because I felt it had given me no reason to hurt it, because I knew that my doing so was a wrong so great, a sin so deadly that it would place my soul forever outside the reach of the love of God! That same night, as I lay sleeping, I heard through my open window the cries of our neighbors. I jumped from my bed and found that the entire house was filled with fire. It was only with great difficulty that my wife and I escaped. And when we were out of the house, all we could do was stand and watch it burn to the ground. I thought of the cat as I watched it burn, the cat whose dead body I had left hanging in the cellar. It seemed almost that the cat had in some mysterious way caused the house to burn so that it could make me pay for my evil act, so that it could take revenge upon me. Months went by, and I could not drive the thought of the cat out of my mind. One night I sat in the inn, drinking as usual. In the corner I saw a dark object that I had not seen before. I went over to see what it could be. It was a cat, a cat almost exactly like Pluto. I touched it with my hand and petted it, passing my hand softly along its back. The cat rose and pushed its back against my hand. Suddenly, I realized that I wanted the cat. I offered to buy it from the innkeeper, but he claimed he had never seen the animal before. As I left the inn, it followed me, and I allowed it to do so. It soon became a pet of both my wife and myself. The morning after I brought it home, however, I discovered that this cat, like Pluto, had only one eye. How was it possible that I had not noticed this the night before? This fact only made my wife love the cat more. But I myself found a feeling of dislike growing in me. My growing dislike of the animal only seemed to increase its love for me. It followed me, followed me everywhere, always. When I sat, it lay down under my chair. When I stood up it got between my feet and nearly made me fall. Wherever I went, it was always there. At night, I dreamed of it. And I began to hate that cat! One day my wife called to me from the cellar of the old building where we were now forced to live. As I went down the stairs, the cat, following me as always, ran under my feet and nearly threw me down. In sudden anger, I took a knife and struck wildly at the cat. Quickly my wife put out her hand and stopped my arm. This only increased my anger and, without thinking, I turned and put the knife’s point deep into her heart! She fell to the floor and died without a sound. I spent a few moments looking for the cat, but it was gone. And I had other things to do, for I knew I must do something with the body, and quickly. Suddenly, I noted a place in the wall of the cellar where stones had been added to the wall to cover an old fireplace which was no longer wanted. The walls were not very strongly built, and I found I could easily take down those stones. Behind them there was, as I knew there must be, a hole just big enough to hold the body. With much effort I put the body in and carefully put the stones back in their place. I was pleased to see that it was quite impossible for anyone to know that a single stone had been moved. Days passed. Still there was no cat. A few people came and asked about my wife, but I answered them easily. Then one day several officers of the police came. Certain that they could find nothing, I asked them in and went with them as they searched. Finally, they searched the cellar from end to end. I watched them quietly, and, as I expected, they noticed nothing. But as they started up the stairs again, I felt myself driven by some unknown inner force to let them know, to make them know, that I had won the battle. “The walls of this building,” I said, “are very strongly built; it is a fine old house.” And as I spoke, I struck with my stick that very place in the wall behind which was the body of my wife. Immediately I felt a cold feeling up and down my back as we heard coming out of the wall itself a horrible cry. For one short moment, the officers stood looking at each other. Then quickly they began to pick at the stones, and in a short time they saw before them the body of my wife, black with dried blood and smelling of decay. On the body’s head, its one eye filled with fire, its wide open mouth the color of blood, sat the cat, crying out its revenge! Download a lesson plan to use with this story here.   Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. What do you do when you are so angry you feel you might hurt your friends or loved ones? How can violence be avoided? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page.   Click on the image below for a Lesson Plan for this story. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story uncertain - adj. not exactly known or decided “in cold blood” - expression. without feeling or with cruel intent wine – n. an alcoholic drink made from the liquid part that can be squeezed out of a small, round fruit that is green, dark red, or purplish-black in color inn – n. a house usually in the country where people can eat, drink and rent a room to sleep in cellar – n. the part of a building that is entirely or partly below the ground sin – n. an action that is considered to be wrong according to religious or moral law revenge – n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you pet(ted) – v. to touch an animal or person with your hand in a loving or friendly way innkeeper – n. a person who owns or operates an inn decay – n. the process or result of being slowly destroyed by natural processes

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UN Calls for $2.1 Billion in Emergency Aid for Yemen

  The United Nations has asked for $2.1 billion to help Yemen where millions of people are caught in a two-year-old civil war. A Saudi Arabian-led coalition began bombing in the Middle Eastern country two years ago. The attacks are in support of the Yemeni government as it battles against a group of rebels called Houthis. U.N. officials said the air strikes have destroyed bridges, major roads, entire neighborhoods and a port. This has left millions of people without electricity, safe water or food. Stephen O’Brien is the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for the U.N. He said 18.8 million people, or two-thirds of Yemen’s population, need humanitarian aid. “Immense human suffering is unfolding in front of our eyes...7.3 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from.” O’Brien noted that he was shocked at how thin and sick-looking many of the people were when he last visited Yemen a few months ago. “Children and youth were stunted and severely malnourished, barely holding onto their lives. And that was five months ago. Since then, the situation in Yemen has just simply got worse.” The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that current humanitarian efforts are not enough. He said without immediate action, “famine is now a real possibility for 2017.” Jamie McGoldrick has been the U.N.’s humanitarian aid coordinator for Yemen since December 2015. He has watched the situation take place and says Yemeni people must make difficult choices to survive. “And so what you have is people having to make life and death decisions. 'Do you feed your child or your children or do you pay for medical treatment for the sick child?' And that is a daily call for many families.” Historically, Yemen has been one of the poorest countries in the world. McGoldrick said the two-year-long civil war has weakened the country’s communities. He said people had so little money they were unable to pay to travel to feeding centers or hospitals where they could find help. The U.N. official said about 7,500 people have been killed and 40,000 injured since the war began. He added that these numbers cannot be confirmed because “people die at home and are buried before they are ever recorded.” I’m Jonathan Evans.   Lisa Schlein reported this story for VOA. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do you think you can help the people in Yemen? What possible solutions do you see for this conflict? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   air strike(s) – n. an attack in which military airplanes drop bombs neighborhood(s) – n. a section of a town or city humanitarian – adj. related to to making other people's lives better relief – n. things such as food, money, or medicine that are given to help people who are victims of a war or natural disasters coordinator – n. a person who organizes people or groups so that they work together properly and well stunted – adj. stopped from growing or developing

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Dual Citizen Wins Somali Presidential Election

  Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is the new president of Somalia. He defeated incumbent president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, after two sets of voting. The new leader formerly served as Somalia’s prime minister. He holds both Somali and American citizenship. "This is a victory for Somalia and the Somalis," Mohamed said after taking the oath of office. "This is the beginning of the era of unity, the democracy of Somalia and the beginning of the fight against corruption." Who is Farmajo? The 54 year-old Mohamed is widely known by the nickname Farmajo. He went to university in New York and served in the Somali Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s. Mohamed sought asylum in the United States following the collapse of the Somali government. He lived in New York and worked for the state government there for many years. However, Mohamed remained closely connected to Somali politics. In 2010, Somalia’s president asked him to serve as prime minister. He did so for eight months, until June of 2011. The rebel group al-Shabab was at the height of its power during that period. Challenges and hope Al-Shabab threatened to interfere with the voting Wednesday. African Union peacekeepers and government forces enforced strong security measures. The election took place peacefully. Somalia's new president faces many difficulties, including the fight against al-Shabab. The country is also troubled with corruption, poverty, and food insecurity. "There is a daunting task ahead of me, and I know that," Mohamed said. But for now, many people in Mogadishu appear to be hopeful. Witnesses told VOA's Somali service that public celebrations began in the Somali Capital following the announcement. The AP reports that thousands of Somalis happily demonstrated in the streets, chanting the new president's name. "Somalia will be another Somalia soon," said Ahmed Ali, a police officer celebrating in the crowd. I'm John Russell.   Dan Joseph wrote this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted this story for Learning English with additional information from Reuters and AP. Catherine Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   incumbent – n. a person who holds a particular office or position era – n. a period of time that is associated with a particular quality, event, person, etc. daunting – adj. very difficult to do or deal with chant – v. to say (a word or phrase) many times in a rhythmic way usually loudly and with other people

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National Parks Traveler Relives History in Southeastern US

  American Mikah Meyer has an unusual goal. He wants to visit all of the more than 400 properties operated by the National Park Service. He spent January 2017 visiting historic areas in the southeastern United States. One of his first stops was Fort Sumter, a former military position in waters just off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Sumter is famous for being the place where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. It is also where the first person killed in the conflict died. After years of rising tensions between Northern and Southern states, the two sides clashed in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861. That was when the Southern army launched an artillery attack on Fort Sumter. Federal troops surrendered the fort a short time later. Union forces eventually fought to regain control of the base, and defeated the South in 1865.   As he stood inside the large walls of Fort Sumter National Monument, Mikah Meyer looked across the water to the port at Charleston. He imagined what the area must have looked like more than a century and half ago. “You’ll see across that bridge, Charleston, South Carolina. It was under siege at one point for 17 months. There were cannons that could fire from where I’m standing on the fort all the way to the old town…” Meyer also visited the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in South Carolina. There he had a chance to learn about Charles Pinckney, who helped write – and was a signer of -- the U.S. Constitution.   “Some people call him our forgotten founding father, but he was a political figure of early America who helped shape what our eventual constitution ended up looking like…” The National Park Service helps care for what remains of Pinckney’s former home and farm. Park service workers tell the stories of 18th- century plantation life for free and enslaved people. During his travels in January, Meyer had a surprise. Barack Obama, in his last few days as president, named a new national park site in Beaufort, just south of Charleston. It is called the Reconstruction Era National Monument. The Reconstruction Era stretched from 1861 to 1898. It was a period when Americans struggled with the treatment of newly freed African Americans. The new national monument will help tell that story. “So all within the Charleston, South Carolina, area you have these three sites now that are really related to either America becoming America, or America figuring out who America is…” Driving south into the state of Georgia, Meyer stopped at Fort Pulaski National Monument. Many observers believe the creation of Fort Pulaski was a major turning point in U.S. military history. Built in 1861, the former base is considered one of the most modern posts of its time. It had a moat, with water that surrounded the whole fort.   Just an hour’s drive south, Meyer visited Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island. He walked among the ruins of this former 18th-century settlement. Continuing south, he visited the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida. He learned that a plentiful supply of oysters provided food for the Native Americans who once lived there.   Meyer noted that some areas are covered with oyster shells. Former wetlands are now walkable because the remains of shells have turned into earth. Meyer explains how oyster shells are used as building materials. “And it’s all of these little huts that were built out of a kind of paste of oyster shells and other minerals that, when mixed together, form, you know, sort of a brick-like substance…” Continuing down the Florida coast, Meyer stopped at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in the city of Saint Augustine. He also stopped at another former military post, the much smaller Fort Mantanzas. Meyer said visiting these historic places helped him recognize the many things the National Park Service does to protect national treasures for all to enjoy.  I’m Caty Weaver. And I’m Ashley Thompson.   Julie Taboh reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   siege – n. a military blockade of a base or a city cannon – n. a large heavy gun plantation – n. a large farm or place where agricultural products are grown advanced – adj. modern brick – n. a common building material  

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February 10, 2017

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

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English @ the Movies: 'You're A Piece Of Work'

Today on English @ the Movies we talk about the saying "you're a piece of work," from the movie "Miss Sloane." She is a woman who wants to win at all costs. Do you think "you're a piece of work" is a good or bad thing to say to someone? Watch our video to find out!"

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