English @ the Movies: 'Got Our Work Cut Out For Us'

On English @ the Movies we tell you about the saying "got our work cut out for us." It is from the movie "Norm of The North." This animation film is about a polar bear and his friends trying to save their Arctic home. Watch or video to find out what "got our work cut out for us" means.

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April 28, 2017

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

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South African Baseball Player Gets First Major League Hit

Gift Ngoepe of South Africa spent almost nine years playing baseball in the United States. He was in the minor leagues, the professional level below Major League Baseball. He started his career when he was 18. He is now 27 years old. He played for teams that are part of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization, in cities like Bradenton, Florida; State College, Pennsylvania; and Indianapolis, Indiana. He played over 700 games before finally getting promoted to the Pirates on Wednesday. When he entered the game against the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, he made history as the first African player in the Major Leagues. And then he did something even more special: he got a hit in his first at-bat against Jon Lester, one of the best pitchers in baseball. As it rolled into center field, Ngoepe rounded first base and clapped his hands. His teammates smiled and cheered. The television announcer said “at 2:49 South Africa time, Gift Ngoepe has made history.” The game stopped and the ball was taken out of play in honor of his first hit. “Awesome stuff, remarkable stuff,” the other announcer said. Ngoepe is from Pietersburg, near Johannesburg. Before the game, he said “it’s been my dream since I was a 10-year-old boy.” He said he hoped his appearance in the Major Leagues would inspire more Africans to consider playing baseball. He started playing because his mother worked for a baseball team in Randburg. After the game, Ngoepe said his success in the Major Leagues “means a lot to the people back home,” and “it doesn’t matter where you come from and no matter where you are or who you are, you can still make it.” I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press, VOA News and MLB.com. Hai Do was the editor. How do you feel about Ngoepe reaching the Major Leagues? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   promote – v. to change the rank or position of (someone) to a higher or more important one clap – v. to change the rank or position of (someone) to a higher or more important one awesome – adj. to change the rank or position of (someone) to a higher or more important one remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising; likely to be noticed

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Sentence Relatives: Showing Feeling, Interpreting Information

  “The Big Lebowski” is an American movie that has developed a large following. Since its release in the late 1990s, the film has been shown at film festivals, colleges, and special events. Many college students have spent evenings watching this film instead of doing their homework. One famous quote from the movie is this: "And even if he's a lazy man - and the 'Dude' was most certainly that, quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide." You can learn a lot from this quote about a lazy man. You can learn about a common feature of everyday speech in America: the use of adjective clauses. In today's report, we are going to explore how Americans use a type of adjective clause, sometimes called a sentence relative, in everyday speech. What is a clause? A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate. It does not act as a sentence on its own; instead, it is part of a longer sentence. One common type of clause is the relative clause. These clauses begin with relative pronouns such as that or which and act as adjectives in a sentence. For example, consider the sentence "The book that my friend gave me is very boring." In the sentence, the words "that my friend gave me" make up a relative clause that acts as an adjective for the noun, book. Today, we are discussing how Americans use adjective clauses that begin with the word which. You will often hear speakers use these clauses to modify an entire idea, not just a noun. Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber are English grammar experts. They say these special clauses that always use which are called sentence relatives. If this sounds difficult to understand, don’t worry. We will give you many examples to clarify this point. Today we are going to show you two of the most common uses of sentence relatives.        Common functions 1. Expressing a feeling or value judgement Americans often use sentence relatives when they are expressing a feeling or a value judgment. For example, a speaker may be talking about an idea. The sentence relative gives more information about the idea. Consider this famous scene from the 1954 film, On the Waterfront: "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let's face it." Here, the main idea is that the character sees himself as a failure. The sentence relative which is what I am expresses a feeling or value judgment about his situation. Marlon Brando's fictional character does not feel good about his life! He is saying that, in his opinion, his life has little value. Speakers do not always use sentence relatives to talk about their unhappiness. Indeed, speakers can use these structures to show happy feelings, too. Consider this example: "Two schools sent him acceptance letters, which is great news!" Here, the sentence relative which is great news shows the speaker's feelings about the statement in the first part of the sentence. This is an optimistic, positive use of a sentence relative; you will hear it often in everyday speech. 2. Interpreting information Americans also commonly use sentence relatives to interpret information. Consider this line from the 1960 film, The Apartment: "Our home office has 31,259 employees - which is more than the entire population of, uh, Natchez, Mississippi." In the quote, the sentence relative, which is more than the entire population of, uh, Natchez, Mississippi, interprets information in the main part of the sentence. The main part of the sentence is: Our home office has 31,259 employees. Using a sentence relative is a quick way to give and interpret information. If the same scene did not have the sentence relative. It might sound like: "Our home office has 31,259 employees. 31,259 employees is more than the entire population of Natchez, Mississippi." These lines are not as interesting as the line you heard from the movie. Why? Probably because it repeats information while the line from the movie uses the sentence relative to give new information. What about the Big Lebowski? Now that we have discussed two common uses of sentence relatives, think back to the film, The Big Lebowski. "And even if he's a lazy man - and the 'Dude' was most certainly that, quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide." Did you notice that the quote has one of the sentence relatives we talked about today? Can you recognize how the speaker is using it? Do you think it is to express a feeling, to interpret information, or to show something else? Write to us in the comments section of our website, or on our Facebook page. Closing thoughts Sentence relatives are very common in speaking.  They are polite and acceptable in almost any situation. You will hear them every day in American workplaces, schools, airports, and so on. However, you should know that the structures we have talked about today are not as common in different kinds of writing. While you might read them in a newspaper or in fictional writing, say Conrad and Biber, you are less likely to see them in academic writing. That's all for today's program. We will be back next week, which means you will get to learn more grammar! I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm John Russell.   John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   lazy – adj. not liking to work hard or to be active clause – n. grammar : a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb predicate – n. grammar : the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject relative – adj. grammar : referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier pronoun – n. grammar : a word (such as I, he, she, you, it, we, or they) that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase  modify – v. grammar : to limit or describe the meaning of (a word or group of words) interpret – v.  to explain the meaning of (something) academic – adj. usually used before a noun : of or relating to schools and education

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Childbirth Drug Greatly Reduces Bleeding Deaths

  A drug used to treat severe bleeding could save thousands of lives for mothers giving birth. A global trial of the drug found it reduced the risk of bleeding deaths during childbirth by nearly one-third. The study involved 20,000 women in 21 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. The trial was carried out by London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The drug is called tranexamic acid. It is low-cost and researchers said it does not cause serious side effects for mothers or babies.    The drug was first developed by Japanese scientists in the 1960s, but no long-term studies of it were completed until now. The drug is used to treat mothers for severe bleeding during childbirth, also known as postpartum hemorrhage. Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. More than 100,000 women die of the condition each year. Haleema Shakur is the project director for the trial. She says despite medical advances in many countries, severe bleeding after childbirth remains a big problem in some parts of the world. “It’s one of the biggest killers of mothers. You know, mothers go into childbirth expecting everything to happen normally. But in Africa and Asia, about 10 percent of women will end up with severe bleeding.” The drug works by stopping blood clots from breaking down after a mother gives birth. The treatment can prevent the need for doctors to perform surgery to find the source of bleeding. Shakur said the best results were reported when the drug was given to women as soon as possible after childbirth. “The earlier you give it – so within the first three hours of giving birth – the better the effect. Overall we saw a 20 percent reduction in death due to bleeding, whereas in women who received the treatment within the first three hours, it was 30 percent.” The next step will be to get the drug where it is needed and provide training to doctors and nurses on how to use it. During the trial, women were given the drug through an intravenous (IV) line in a hospital setting. But researchers are looking for easier ways to administer the drug so it can be more widely used in small clinics and rural areas. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Henry Ridgwell reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do 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   trial – n. test of how good something works maternal death – n. death relating to pregnancy and childbirth blood clot – n. when blood becomes thick, sometimes causing a blockage surgery – n. medical treatment involving a doctor cutting into the body to remove or repair parts intravenous – adj. entering the body through a vein  

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Solar Plant to Launch at Chernobyl Nuclear Site

  Thirty years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster, Chernobyl is about to become a solar farm. Officials in Ukraine plan to build a solar energy plant at the Chernobyl nuclear site. The announcement comes during the week of the 31st anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The Chernobyl accident occurred on April 26, 1986. The incident would become the world's worst nuclear accident.  32 people died and dozens of others suffered painful radiation burns. Until recently, the government of Ukraine has largely ignored the area. Ostap Semerak is Ukraine’s minister of ecology. He spoke with VOA about the planned solar project. "Today, almost a year after we have started the work, I can announce the first private investment project working in the Chernobyl zone to build a small solar energy plant.” Semerak says more than 50 national and international companies have expressed interest in building the solar plant. He adds that when completed, the project will produce about half the power produced by the Chernobyl nuclear plant. "We have received over 50 applications from companies of various sizes. Cumulatively, those would be enough to produce 2.5 gigawatts of power, which would be 2,500 megawatts. This is comparable to the output by two units of a nuclear power plant. This is about half the capacity which the Chernobyl power plant had before the disaster." Officials expect to complete the solar plant project in May. I’m Jonathan Evans. Oksana Ligostova and Ruslan Deynychencko reported this story for VOA. Jonathan Evans adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in this Story capacity – n. the amount of something that can be produced or managed by a factory, company, etc. ecology – n. a science that deals with the relationships between groups of living things and their environments

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United Airlines Announces New Policies After Multiple Problems

  This is What’s Trending Today. David Dao, a doctor from Kentucky, was dragged off a United Airlines flight earlier this month. Videos taken by other passengers showed blood coming from his mouth, and the news of the incident made headlines around the world.  Then, just this week, a large rabbit died after being flown from Heathrow Airport in London to Chicago. The rabbit was only 10 months old, in good health, and almost one meter long. Its father is certified by the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest at 1.22 meters. A farmer from the U.S. state of Iowa purchased the rabbit and hoped to show it off at the upcoming state fair. He thought the young rabbit might grow larger than its father.  In late March, United also received some bad publicity when two girls were stopped from getting on a plane. The airline said they were not wearing clothes the airline considered suitable. Now, the airline has created or updated new policies, which could prevent some of the problems from happening in the future. United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz, said “our policies got in the way of our values” and that “procedures” prevented employees from “doing what’s right.” After Dao was injured while being taken off the plane, many airline industry experts said the problem could have been prevented if United had offered passengers more money to leave their seats. One of the new policies is that United can offer people up to $10,000 to leave their seat if the flight has too many passengers. In the past, the incentive was based on the value of the ticket. United also said it will not prevent people from flying if they are already seated on the plane. Security or police officers will only be used if the passenger is creating a safety or security problem. Other parts of the plan include allowing airline workers to solve problems in the moment instead of relying on strict guidelines. The workers will be trained to deal with difficult situations like the one they faced on the flight from Chicago to Kentucky. In addition, the airline will give passengers whose bags have been permanently lost, $1,500 without asking for details of the contents. The man who bought the large rabbit, however, said he has not been offered money for his loss. Many people think the moves will be good for the airline. Reuters news agency reports Dao “applauds” the airline for the changes. On Thursday he also accepted a settlement with the airline for his treatment earlier this month. That means he and his lawyer will not pursue a public lawsuit. Others on social media are now saying they might just buy a ticket on a United flight if they might receive $10,000 for leaving a flight. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Anna Mateo.   Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.   ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fair – n. a large public event at which there are various kinds of competitions, games, rides, and entertainment publicity – n. attention that is given to someone or something by newspapers, magazines, television news programs, etc. procedure – n. a series of actions that are done in a certain way or order : an established or accepted way of doing something incentive – n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder applause – n. show of approval or appreciation at a play, speech, sporting event, etc., in which people strike their hands together over and over settlement – n. a formal agreement or decision that ends an argument or dispute  

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Who Are the Civilians Living in Refugee Camps?

American researcher Kenneth Miller has been working with victims of war for more than 25 years. Miller is a trained psychologist. In school, he studied the mind and human behavior. He says most of what has been written about war over the years tells about soldiers and their experiences. But very little, he thought, was ever written about civilians. So he decided to write a book. His book, War Torn: Stories of Courage, Love and Resilience, describes the experiences of several civilians, including refugees. Miller wrote about people like 31-year-old Mustafa Hamed, a Syrian refugee who today lives in Germany. Hamed tried to cross the border between Syria and Turkey eight times, but was always stopped and sent home. On the ninth try, he made it. Now, Hamed is working hard to make a life for himself in Germany, but it is not easy. “The most important thing is you are lost here. You have to find a new job, new friends and you have to find a new life. So this is a new start for me.” His dream is to get a job in the news media. But first, he has to overcome some of the bad memories he has of living in Aleppo, one of the cities most affected by the war in Syria. Hamed has bad dreams, and remembers bombs exploding nearby. “You can imagine it was daily, and you can hear every night, bombing someplace near you — maybe for just two kilometers [away]. The electricity was cut down for a long time. So, you have to wait for seven or eight hours just to charge your mobile phone.” The new book also tells about an Afghan man named Samad Khan. He was a refugee in the 1980s. At the time, Afghanistan was in the middle of a conflict involving pro-government fighters, forces from the Soviet Union, and rebels known as mujahedeen. While driving on a mountain road, Khan had a terrible accident. Many members of his family died in the crash. Khan felt guilty about the traffic accident for a long time. But many years later he felt better. He became a leader in his community and seemed happy. Khan told Kenneth Miller about the accident during a counseling session. Miller could not believe Khan had recovered so well from such a bad experience. He said that his family, friends and belief in God helped him get better. Miller said he included Khan’s story because it seemed to have a lot in common with other refugees from around the world. “We are more alike than we are different. And his story also captures something we see in a lot of refugee communities. Which is, war, of course, can be devastating, but we are also built to heal. If the conditions are supportive and safe and stable, people have a remarkable capacity to be resilient and to heal." Miller also wrote about a young man, Emilio, who settled in Canada. He was forced out of Guatemala because of fighting in a village close to where he grew up. He and his family fled the country and went to a refugee camp in Mexico. Emilio now works as a musician, and is “doing wonderfully well” because of the support he received from his family, Miller said. Along with family support, Miller identified ways to help refugees feel comfortable in their new surroundings. He said the refugees need to feel welcome, be offered training in the local language and be given financial support or a chance to work. If they face discrimination, it will be harder for them to become part of a new society. "The more people feel marginalized and discriminated (against), of course the harder it is for them to integrate and the harder it is for them to heal." I’m Dan Friedell. Faiza Elmasry wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Would you like to learn more stories about refugees and migrants? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story psychologist – n. a specialist in the mind and behavior courage – n. the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous resilience – n. the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens devastate – v. to destroy much or most of (something); to cause great damage or harm to (something) remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising; likely to be noticed comfortable – adj. not causing any physically unpleasant feelings; producing physical comfort session – n. a meeting or series of meetings; a period set aside for an activity  

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Holocaust Artifacts and Stories Preserved at New Center

Louise Lawrence-Israels did not own many things during the three years she spent hiding from Nazis in Amsterdam, but she did possess a small toy chair.  It was a gift for her second birthday, and it meant everything to Lawrence-Israels. She kept it her entire time in hiding, not far from the house where Anne Frank wrote in her diary. Now, this chair is joining thousands of other artifacts at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's new conservation and research center.  The center opened on Monday, the annual Memorial Day for the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Donating the chair was not easy for Lawrence-Israels, who is now 75 years old.  "It was a big thing for me to actually give the chair,” she said.  "A lot of people can look at it and see how it was for a little child in hiding." More than 20 other Holocaust survivors joined Lawrence-Israels for the center's opening. The David and Fela Shapell Family Collections, Conservation and Research Center is in Washington, D.C.  It is a large, modern building with space for documents and artifacts, and a lot of room to grow. The artifacts at the center are kept in eight climate-controlled rooms in a building designed to survive weather storms. The collection includes many artifacts of everyday objects, from children's toys and clothes to sewing machines used in concentration camps. Travis Roxlau, director of collections services, said center officials have spent 25 years gathering the items. "We collect stories, and all of the objects that go along with those stories, because as the surviving generation passes on, these are going to be the objects that are left to help us tell the history of the Holocaust," Roxlau said. For the survivors, they feel that protecting this collection of artifacts is important for preserving the reality of the Holocaust. "I think the most important thing is to make sure that the memory of the Holocaust isn't forgotten," said 75-year-old Alfred Munzer.  Munzer donated a silver teething ring, which was with him at the age of nine months, when he was hiding with a Dutch-Indonesian family in the Netherlands in 1942. He also donated two small pictures of him that his mother kept hidden while she was in concentration camps. According to Munzer, who currently lives in Washington, D.C., the center and its artifacts will serve "as a lesson to the world as to where hate can lead to." The other Holocaust survivors are “not going to be here forever,” said Lawrence-Israels.  “Once we're not here anymore the museum and this institution will speak for us.” She added, “This is the only evidence that we leave behind, and with the climate today it's important that people see that this was real," she said. Researchers will be able to use the materials in the center. A reading room will open in the next year. The museum also is in the process of making documents and images available online. I’m Phil Dierking.   ­­­­­­­­­­­­This story was originally written for Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Do you think people’s artifacts should be preserved in a museum, or should they stay with the owner?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________ Words in This Story artifact – n. a simple object, such as a tool or weapon, that was made by people in the past​ concentration camps – n.  a type of prison where large numbers of people who are not soldiers are kept during a war and are usually forced to live in very bad conditions​ climate-controlled – adj. another term for air conditioning​ diary – n. a book in which you write down your personal experiences and thoughts each day​ holocaust – n. the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during World War II​ institution – n. an established organization​ preserve – v.  to keep something in its original state or in good condition​

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News Words: Euphoria

Learn the meaning of euphoria in this week's News Words!

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April 27, 2017

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

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