Creating Fun English Club Activities to Learn English

Last week, we talked about how to start and organize your English Club.  This week, we share ideas for effective and fun activities to do with your English Club. The age and language level of your English club members will make a difference in what activities you should choose. For clubs with younger participants, more organized activities might work better. But for clubs with older members, informal meetings that encourage discussion are effective. It is important to know your club members and the kinds of interests they have. Warm-up Warm-up activities are good ways to start any club meeting. They help people relax and prepare them to start speaking English. Here are a few warm-up activities that can be used with any age or skill level. Two truths and a lie The first is called Two Truths and a Lie. This activity can be done in pairs, small groups, or the whole English club. One person comes up with three facts about themselves. Two of the facts are true, and one is a lie. They tell the group the three facts, and the group must decide which one is the lie. Each participant takes a turn with this activity. Salad bowl Another warm-up activity is Salad Bowl. For this activity, tell everyone to think of a person, place or thing and write it down on a piece of paper. Collect the pieces of paper and mix them around in a big bowl. Then, divide the club into two teams. Each team then takes turns having one person go to the front of the room to take a piece of paper. The person must then describe the word to other team members. As soon as a team member correctly guesses the word, the person then selects another word from the bowl. Each team has 30 seconds to guess as many words as possible. Discussion questions Finally, for groups that do not like activities, you can simply start a club meeting with a warm-up discussion question, or by sharing a word or quote of the day. ​ Primary Meeting Activities After a warm-up activity, it is time to begin the main meeting activities. These may be organized activities or less formal ones. Debates and discussion Club debates or discussions are the most popular type of English club activity. They let people use English in a more natural way than in a classroom. It helps to have a new discussion topic for each meeting. This helps keep conversations from being too repetitive. It also encourages club members to learn new vocabulary words. Debates are good ways to keep participants interested. They create excitement, and make the speaker practice using new words. If your club has many members, it is a good idea to divide the group into several smaller groups. If possible, each of the small groups should be given a different discussion or debate subject. Every 15 to 30 minutes, people can move on to the next subject. You can encourage club members to come up with debate subjects for future meetings. Guest speakers and presentations You can also invite people to give presentations in English. They may be politicians, non-profit workers, teachers, police, and so on. Participants can ask the presenter questions. Your participants can also take turns giving presentations on subjects that are important to them, as well. English-language songs and readings Another fun club activity is to listen to popular songs in English. To make this more effective, you can provide the words of the song to the club members. Participants can then use the song’s message as a discussion topic. You can also select a section from an English-language book to read and discuss as a group. Skits Or, if your participants enjoy acting, creating short skits or plays in English are fun language exercises. ​ Special Activities While having interesting club meetings is important for keeping participants motivated, you should avoid too much repetition. Doing special activities with your club from time to time gives participants something to look forward to, builds friendships, and provides new ways to learn. Group trips You can organize a short trip. Your club can see an English-language movie together at a theater, go on a hike, or attend a concert to watch an English-language band. Another idea is to visit a museum with an English-speaking guide. Newsletter If club members enjoy writing, collect English-language essays, stories, or poetry that they write. You can publish their work together in a newsletter. Competition Another idea is to create friendly competitions with your club’s participants or between other English clubs. Poetry, speech, or debate competitions are especially effective. Scavenger Hunts For a scavenger hunt, you can create a list of items that club members must find or photograph around their city or neighborhood. But instead of directly saying what the items are, give them hints about what they are. Film Viewings Another idea is to host English-language film viewings during a club meeting or at other locations. Club Party Finally, have a party to celebrate a holiday or just for fun. This is a way to help create a friendly, informal environment for club members. Remember to encourage English-only conversations at such events, however. There are hundreds of possibilities for English club activities. This list provides you with a good start. The important thing to remember is to keep things fun and keep your club members motivated.   Phil Dierking wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Are you in an English club?  What advice do you have for starting a club? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hint – n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily informal - adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality motivate – v. to give (someone) a reason for doing something relax – v. to become or to cause (something) to become less tense, tight, or stiff skit – n. a short, funny story or performance

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Chinese Billionaire’s Company Faces Investigation

  Wang Jianlin is one of Asia’s richest men. He is chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, a large property business which owns many foreign companies. However, Wang is now facing a number of actions from Chinese authorities. The latest actions include Chinese authorities asking banks to stop financing Wanda Group’s purchases of foreign companies. Wanda Group currently owns a studio in Hollywood and AMC Theaters, among other foreign businesses. AMC Theaters has the most movie theaters in the United States. Earlier this year, Wanda Group faced an investigation into its finances. Soon after, Wanda Group sold part of its business for $9.3 billion to a real estate developer based in Tianjin. Wang Jianlin, the founder of Wanda Group, is known for his strong connections with the Communist Party. The Chinese government’s actions have surprised some experts. Christopher Balding is an associate professor of economics at Peking University. He said, "That is a surprising development in a lot of different ways. Wang Jianlin has many friends all through the political establishment in China." While some people believe the government targeted Wang, other people believe the government was taking action against many companies. Peng Liu is a professor of real estate and hotel management at Cornell University. He said the government actions were consistent with the desire to control financial risks. In the past few years, Wanda Group has bought Nordic Cinema Group, a theater operator in northern Europe, for $930 million, and Carmike Cinemas for $1.1 billion. Carmike Cinemas is the fourth-largest theater operator in the United States. However, earlier this year, Wanda Group was unable to buy Dick Clark Productions, a company that develops television shows. The deal was valued at $1 billion. The government is asking companies to cut their financial risks. But it is unclear if there are other reasons it wants companies to limit the buying of foreign companies. Balding said, “It is not far-fetched to say that there is definitely a political message being sent, and they are using Wanda as an example to other companies, (to say) 'don't do this'." He added that the actions involving Wanda could be a sign of hidden political disputes. Yue Su is an economist with The Economist Intelligence Unit. She said the government is also investigating Fosun and Anbang. Those two companies have bought overseas businesses. She said, “The government is also worried that these companies are trying to move assets abroad and keep their debt within the country, which is worsening domestic economic conditions.” Christopher Balding said that in the past few years, regulators were encouraging Chinese companies to buy foreign companies. He said, “So while Wanda may have pushed the limits, they were doing nothing more than what they were being encouraged to do by Chinese regulators.” Currently, the Chinese government appears to not want companies to buy foreign businesses. However, Liu said that he believes they will allow overseas investments under the Belt and Road program. That program is a development project that supports trade across countries in Asia and Europe. “The Belt and Road program is the government's strategy. I think that is different.” he said. I’m Olivia Liu. And I’m Mario Ritter.   VOA's Saibal Dasgupta reported this story from Beijing. Olivia Liu adapted 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   authorities – n. people with power to give orders or make decisions far-fetched – adj. unlikely regulators – adj. officials who enforce rules for a public activity or industry encouraging – adj. to cause something to be more likely to happen strategy – adj. a plan for reaching a larger or long term goal  

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US Education Secretary Studying Sexual Assault Policies

  American Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is examining federal guidance on how schools should deal with sexual assault. The guidance was written during the presidency of Barack Obama. It advises school officials on a U.S. law known as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The law requires schools to take action to deal with issues like hostile educational environments and illegal sexual contact.  On July 13, DeVos spoke at a conference in Washington, D.C. DeVos said she is considering how to balance the interests of sexual assault victims against those accused unfairly of sexual assault. Demonstrators warn about weakening federal rules The education secretary met at the conference with sexual assault victims and people who said they were falsely accused of sexually attacking others. At the same time, Maya Weinstein, 23, and others demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Department of Education. Weinstein was raped by another student during her first year at George Washington University. “It is interesting to me how sexual assault is viewed as a different issue than any other crime,” Weinstein told VOA. “The false reporting statistics are comparable to that of someone saying they were robbed and we don’t question those who come forward to say they were robbed.” The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that between two percent and eight percent of sexual assault charges are proven false. It says those rates are comparable to other crimes. DeVos told the conference that existing rules might not protect the rights of people falsely accused. She spoke about meeting with students who say they were falsely accused. Devos said, “It was clear that their stories have not often been told, and that there are lives that have been ruined and lives that are lost in the process.” DeVos also said that sexual assault is a serious problem. “We can’t go back to the days when allegations were swept under the rug,” she said.  ​ Last year, the company International Student Insurance made a video about sexual assault for international students at American colleges. It said countries have different ideas about what is acceptable and what is not. In the United States, a sexual relationship requires consent, the video says. It describes consent as when both people agree to sexual activity “without feeling pressured or intimidated and without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Sexual assault victim says not enough done for victims Alyssa Peterson was a victim of sexual assault while attending Georgetown University in Washington. Like many victims, she decided not to bring charges against her attacker because she was not sure the process would be fair. In 2015, the Association of American Universities said that half of college students did not report incidents of sexual assault because they did not think it was "serious enough." Others said they were embarrassed or thought "nothing would be done." Even with the stronger federal guidance, punishment for sexual assault remains weak, Peterson said. She said few students are removed from college for sexually assaulting fellow students. Peterson is now a Yale University law school student. She works with a group called Know Your Title IX, which supports victims of sexual assault. Before the July 13 conference, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights apologized for comments she made about sexual assault. The official, Candice Jackson, had spoken to the New York Times newspaper. She said that 90 percent of sexual assault cases involve two drunken students and a student deciding “our last sleeping together was not quite right.” In her apology Jackson said, “What I said was flippant, and I am sorry.” Jackson also said that she was a rape victim. University settles case brought by student accused of rape Columbia University in New York recently settled a case dealing with allegations of sexual assault. The case was brought by a former international student. The former student, Paul Nungesser of Germany, had accused Columbia officials of failing to protect him. The German man had been accused of raping another student, but the university cleared Nungesser of wrongdoing. Nungesser’s lawyers said the university permitted his accuser to carry a mattress around on Columbia’s grounds as part of a school-approved art project. The accuser said the mattress represented the school’s failure to punish Nungesser for raping her. She even carried it to her graduation ceremonies in 2015. The university said Nungesser’s time at Columbia had “become very difficult for him and not what Columbia would want any of its students to experience.” It added that Nungesser is now attending a film school in Germany. The woman who accused Nungesser of rape had criticized Columbia for being “more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe.” I’m Caty Weaver. And I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically toll – n. the price for a service; a tax paid for some right view - v. an opinion or way of thinking about something statistics - n. number that represents a piece of information such as information about how often something is done, how common something is allegation - n. charges against someone swept under the rug - expression to hide something unpleasant or embarrassing intimidate - v. to make someone afraid embarrass - v. to make someone feel confused and foolish in front of other people flippant - adj. lacking proper respect or seriousness mattress - n. a cloth case that is filled with material and used as a bed  

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Dinner with Titanic's Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet For Sale

  This is What’s Trending Today… Almost 20 years ago, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred together in the film Titanic. They played the movie’s two lovers, Rose and Jack. Ten years later, they appeared together in the 2008 film “Revolutionary Road.” This week, Winslet and DiCaprio are coming together again. But it is not for a film. It is for a dinner. And one lucky fan will get to join them. The prize of a private dinner is part of the yearly fundraising event for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The organization gives money to environmental causes. Last year’s auction raised $45 million. Famous guests like Bono, Mariah Carey and Bradley Cooper attended the event. This year’s gala takes place on July 26 in southern France. The person who offers the most money will win the dinner with the Titanic co-stars. The dinner reportedly must take place in October or November in New York City, because of the two stars’ busy schedules. News of the dinner made DiCaprio and Winslet trending topics on social media. Many said they were excited at the idea of Winslet and DiCaprio being together again. But some posts described the costly prize as a chance to be a “third wheel” on a romantic dinner date. A “third wheel” is a person who is not needed or is ignored in a situation. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I'm Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.  ______________________________________________________________   Words in This Story    dinner - n. the main [evening] meal of the day fan - n. ​a person who likes and admires someone (such as a famous person) or something (such as a sport or a sports team) in a very enthusiastic way​ gala - n. ​a public party or celebration​ schedule - n. ​a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done​

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Program Pays Ugandan Farmers to Not Cut Trees

Researchers say a pilot program that paid Uganda landowners to not cut down trees, successfully reduced deforestation. For the program, researchers from Northwestern University and Porticus, a Dutch organization, studied 121 villages over two years. In 60 villages they offered landowners $28 a year for every 10,000 square meters of forest they did not cut down. To collect their data, the researchers used interviews, site inspections and satellite images to monitor forests around the villages. Uganda had one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. It loses about 2.7 percent of their forest each year between 2005 and 2010. The study, published in the journal “Science,” found that villages in the payment program had saved 55,000 square meters of forestland more than other villages. In addition, there was not a rush to cut down trees after the program ended. However, because the study was small compared to the size of the timber and charcoal markets, researchers were not able to see its effect on the markets. Without that information, they were not able to demonstrate that reduced deforestation in the study region didn't lead to increased deforestation elsewhere. Reasons for the program The researchers hope that this study will provide options for governments trying to meet their carbon emission targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement. A carbon emission is a gas caused by the combustion of carbon.  The gas is released into the atmosphere, and is considered harmful to the environment. Researchers say more carbon emissions contribute to global warming. The Union of Concerned Scientists say deforestation causes about 10% of global carbon emissions. They say that not cutting down trees is one of the least expensive ways of capturing carbon. Trees absorb carbon and need it to grow. This helps keep the carbon levels in the air low. Seema Jayachandran is one of the study leaders from Northwestern. She feels that the program will be most effective in partnership with others to address the reasons for deforestation. One example could be helping people in cities get stoves, so they are not cooking with charcoal. Another idea is teaching farmers how to grow more food in less space, so they don't need to clear as much forest for land to grow food. I’m Phil Dierking.   Ben Thompson reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think landowners should be paid to not cut down their trees? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   deforestation - n. the act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an area​ combustion - n. a chemical reaction that occurs when oxygen combines with other substances to produce heat and usually light​ charcoal - n. a hard black material that is made by burning wood with a small amount of air​ timber - n. wood that is used to make something​

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Explainer: Human Overheating

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July 24, 2017

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

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Are Friends Better Than Family for Your Health?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” That line comes from American writer Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Now compare her words to another famous expression: "Blood is thicker than water." This means that family will always be with you while other people -- with no blood connection -- may come and go. Having strong ties to family and friends has long been identified as an important part of being happy and healthy. People need people. However, if forced to choose which is more important, American researchers now say friendship is more important than family. Their new study suggests that friends may be more important than family members, especially as we age. The study comes from researchers at Michigan State University. They found the importance of friendship on health and happiness grows as people get older. William Chopik is an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State and was one of the lead researchers in this study. He says, “friendships become even more important as we age.” He adds that “keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being." Chopik notes that we need to think of friendships as an investment in our future happiness. The study The Michigan State researchers considered information from two separate surveys. The first involved just over 271,000 subjects. They participated in a study on health and happiness. The second survey had nearly 7,500 participants. Its purpose was to study “relationship support” in older adults suffering from chronic, or long-term, conditions. In the first group, both family and friendships influenced overall health and happiness. However, in the second, researchers said that friendships “became a stronger predictor of health and happiness” as people get older. Also in the second group, unhealthy friendships led to increased chronic conditions. But with supportive friends, Chopik noted, participants reported being happier. One reason: people can keep the friendships that make them feel good and move on from the ones that don't. Family, on the other hand, will always be with you. They can be helpful and enjoyable, but can also cause troubles. Chopik explained that “there are now a few studies starting to show just how important friendships can be for older adults.” In general, he said, they show that friendships affect our day-to-day happiness and how long we live more so than relationships with spouses and family. Friendships, he added, keep us from being lonely. But keeping a friendship for a long time takes work. “If a friendship has survived the test of time,” he said, "you know it must be a good one, a person you turn to for help and advice” and a person you want in your life. This may be good news for people who don't have strong ties with family members. Not all of us are born into the families we need. But we all have the ability to make the friendships that we need. And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.   So which of the expressions do you most agree? Do you feel that “blood is thicker than water," or family first? Or do you feel that friends are more important? Or you do think both are equally valuable? Let us know in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Now, test your understanding with this short quiz. ​ _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Stories a world of difference phrase : to cause a change :  to be important in some way well-being – n. the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something chronic medical adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time                spouse – n. someone who is married : a husband or wife test of time phrase : to continue to be important, respected, etc., for a long period of time

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What’s in a Name? South China Sea Claimants Seek to Remove ‘China’

  Some nations have renamed parts of the South China Sea to strengthen their claims over the disputed waterway. But how much effect do such changes have on territorial disagreements? Indonesia is the latest country to take such action. Officials there recently released a new map showing the renamed North Natuna Sea. The sea, northwest of Borneo island, includes an internationally recognized economic zone belonging to Indonesia. China claims territory that overlaps part of Indonesia’s economic zone. Last month, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited the disputed sea area. His visit came a week after an Indonesian navy ship fired warning shots at Chinese fishing boats in the area. The visit was seen as an attempt to send China a message that Indonesia is committed to protecting its economic zones. Foreign policy experts say Indonesia’s renaming of part of the South China Sea was also meant to send that message. The name change drew immediate criticism from China. A foreign ministry spokesman said it was “meaningless” for any nation to change the sea’s name. The spokesman added that “South China Sea” was widely accepted by the United Nations and international community.   China’s claims are based on its so-called “nine-dash line.” China says the line, first added to a Chinese map 70 years ago, dates back about 2,000 years. It uses the line to define its historical territorial claims, which cover most parts of the South China Sea. But last year, a world arbitration court ruled China had “no legal basis” for its claims. That ruling was based on the United Nations Law of the Sea. Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Vietnam also claim parts of the South China Sea. This has led to disputes between China and some of its neighbors. In some areas, China has created artificial islands and built military facilities. Indonesia is not considered an official claimant in the South China Sea dispute. But it has clashed with China over fishing rights around the North Natuna Sea area. Le Hong Hiep is a researcher at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. He says Indonesia’s name change is another example of South China Sea claimants responding to continued Chinese expansion. “To some people, especially in China, when the sea is called the South China Sea, it naturally entitles China some rights, which is false. If the South China Sea belongs to China, then the Indian Ocean belongs to India, for example.” Le noted that other countries in the region have also used different names for the South China Sea. Vietnam calls it the East Sea, while the Philippines calls it the West Philippine Sea. Calling the sea by any other names has not slowed China’s South China Sea expansion. But some experts do believe the names can have symbolic value. Euan Graham is with the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia. He says if more nations change names, it could show more of a unified effort to resist Chinese moves. “If you connect the dots, China I think will receive the message that Southeast Asia has not rolled over in the way that it might have hoped and expected.” Another example of a sea name dispute is the Sea of Japan. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. It also borders on South Korea, North Korea and Russia. South Korea calls the waters the East Sea, while North Korea uses the term East Sea of Korea. Seoul argues that “East Sea” dates back some 2,000 years, but Japan renamed it during its decades-long colonial rule of Korea. South Korea sent the issue to the International Hydrographic Organization, which considers territorial sea disputes. But the organization has not chosen to order an official name change. According to Japan’s foreign ministry, “Sea of Japan” is “the only internationally established name” for the area. The issue even entered U.S. politics in 2013. Korean Americans pushed for legislation requiring that school textbooks note that the Sea of Japan is also called the East Sea. The state of Virginia approved this textbook requirement in 2014. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this for Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, Reuters, the Associated Press and other sources. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think nations should change the names of disputed areas to push their claims? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   arbitration – n. process for people or groups to settle disputes artificial – adj. not natural or real entitle – v. give rights to a person, country, etc. symbolic – adj. serving as a symbol or representing something connect the dots – idiom way to understand the relationship between different ideas or experiences

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Trump's Son-in-Law Denies Collusion with Russia

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a top White House adviser, Monday denied he colluded with Russian officials. He spoke behind closed doors with staffers for the Senate Intelligence Committee for more than two hours. But before his appearance, Kushner’s representatives released an 11-page statement prepared for the committee. In the statement, Kushner said he met with Russian officials four times during last year’s presidential campaign. But Kushner said he did not collude with officials connected to Russia or any other foreign government. To collude, means to work with others secretly, particularly for something illegal or dishonest. Kushner spoke to reporters from the White House after his meeting with Senate Intelligence Committee staffers. “Let me be very clear -- I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so. I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds for my businesses. And I have been fully transparent in providing all requested information. Donald Trump had a better message and ran a smarter campaign, and that is why he won. Suggesting otherwise ridicules those who voted for him." Kushner did not answer reporters’ questions. In the statement to staffers for the Senate Intelligence Committee, Kushner said he did not know a June 9, 2016 meeting was set up to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., had released emails that he sent to Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort about promises for damaging information about Clinton. Kushner said the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Trump Jr., and Manafort was a waste of time.   Kushner said he arrived late for the meeting. When he heard discussions going on about a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children, he determined “my time was not well-spent at this meeting.” “I actually emailed an assistant from the meeting after I had been there for 10 or so minutes and wrote, “Can u pls (short for please) call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting.” In the statement, Kushner also confirmed that he had three other meetings with Russian officials and representatives. Kushner said he was introduced on April 27, 2016 to four ambassadors, including Russia's ambassador to the U.S. The meeting occurred after a foreign policy speech from then-candidate Donald Trump. After the election, Kushner met with the Russian ambassador again on Dec. 1 in Trump Tower. The meeting involved Michael Flynn who became Trump’s national security advisor. Flynn resigned after failing to disclose the meeting. Kushner said he also met on Dec. 13, 2016 with Russian banker Sergey Gorkov after repeated requests from the Russian ambassador. Kushner is to answer questions from the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. Like the Senate intelligence meeting, it will not be open to the public and reporters. In his written statement, Kushner repeated what his lawyers had said earlier -- that his report on contacts with foreign officials was incomplete. The mistake was turned in before it was ready -- a result of “a miscommunication,” Kushner said. Meetings with foreign officials are not unusual for top aides to a candidate, particularly after the candidate wins a presidential election. But Kushner’s meetings drew interest because he had not disclosed them as part of information required for security clearance and because of reports of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Besides congressional investigations, Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also looking into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. President Trump went on Twitter Monday to say that the investigations are a waste of time. He called it “the phony Russian Witch Hunt,” Trump also questioned why congressional committees, investigators and "beleaguered" Attorney General Jeff Sessions are not "looking into" Clinton's "crimes & Russia relations." Michael Bowman and Chris Hannas reported on this story for VOA News. Bruce Alpert adapted this story with additional reporting from the Associated Press, Reuters and other sources for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   collude - v. to work with others secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest transparent - adj. honest and open ridicule - v. the act of making fun of someone or something in a cruel or harsh way contacts - n. people you know or meet with transition - n. the putting together a government after a candidate wins an election but before he/she takes office impactful - adj. having a big effect beleaguered - adj. a person facing constant or repeated trouble or problems  

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Phelps vs. Shark Disappoints

  This is What’s Trending today… Millions of people tuned in to watch an epic race on Sunday night: America’s top Olympic athlete Michael Phelps versus a great white shark, one of the most predatory animals in the ocean. The race aimed to see which creature could swim 100 meters faster. The race was broadcast on a U.S. television series called Shark Week, which is shown on the Discovery Channel. The channel had been promoting the race for weeks. It acknowledged that the shark would probably win. Great white sharks can swim about 40 kilometers per hour. Phelps’ best times are closer to 9.5 kilometers per hour. But the program promised to help Phelps. #SharkWeek said: “In order for @MichaelPhelps to beat a shark, he must become a shark.” The Discovery Channel called the race “the battle for ocean supremacy.” The promotions worked. Swimming fans, shark fans, Phelps fans, and viewers who just wanted to see what would happen made a date to watch the event. A Twitter user, @carrie_liz_26, wrote: “If you think I'm going to spend my Sunday night watching Michael Phelps race a shark then you're right that's exactly what I'm doing.” Another user, @mosleybanks13, posted a picture and wrote: “Watching #PhelpsVsShark, with a dog dressed as a shark, while wearing shark socks. Excitement is real.” Of course, a few potential viewers objected to the race before it even began. They pointed out that great whites are not the fastest sharks. On Twitter, @BiologistDan wrote: “#Phelps is a coward. Why a Great White? The Shortfin Mako #Shark is 2x as fast at 60mph. What a WIMP!” But most viewers were happy about the pairing. They expected that Phelps and the great white would be swimming next to each other, like competitors in an Olympic swimming event. But none of that happened. Instead, viewers watched 57 minutes of the Shark Week episode. Viewer @Maddie_Jones515 was not happy. She tweeted a picture of Phelps with his angry “game face” before the Brazil Olympics: “Realizing we gotta get through an hour of science for this actual race.” The episode also included Phelps doing shorter, practice races against simulations of two other kinds of sharks. Amazingly, the swimmer won against the reef shark. But when it was time for Phelps to compete against the great white shark, it did not happen. First, Phelps swam 100 meters in the ocean alone. He wore a suit that made his body move through the water more easily. And, he wore a fin on his feet to allow him to swim more like a shark. Phelps went pretty fast: 38.1 seconds. Then, a video showed Phelps racing against a computer-generated image of a shark. The video drew on footage that producers had already taken. Sharks normally do not swim in a straight line. So the Discovery Channel created some incentive. They put a man on a floating device, dragging a fake seal behind him as bait. The shark followed the seal, and researchers measured the speed. Then they used the data to create a computer image of a shark swimming. The animal completed the course in 36.1 seconds – exactly two seconds faster than Phelps. For the “race,” the Discovery channel combined the footage of Phelps swimming and animation of the shark swimming. In other words, man and shark did not really swim side-by-side. Instead, Phelps pretended to compete against a digital shark, with an announcer providing sports-like commentary. In general, social media users did not approve of the technique. They posted short videos of people rolling their eyes, stamping their feet, and turning away in disgust. @KyleCasmier wrote: “we just wasted a hour waiting to see micheal phelps swim against a computer generated shark, and lose” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   epic - adj. very great or large and usually difficult or impressive predatory - adj. living by killing and eating other animals simulation - n. something that is made to look, feel, or behave like something else incentive - n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder bait - n. something (such as a piece of food) that is used to attract fish or animals so they can be caught digital - adj. using or characterized by computer technology

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