In New York, Food Halls Are Becoming Popular

  Food halls, where different food sellers gather in one place, are becoming popular in New York City. The real estate company Cushman & Wakefield says the number of food halls in the United States grew more than 37 percent in the first nine months of 2016. Property developers have even opened food halls inside large apartment buildings. Todd English, a famous chef, helped the trend begin in New York when he opened Todd English’s Food Hall at the Plaza Hotel in 2010.  A food hall called Eataly, which sells mostly Italian food, opened soon after. It is operated by the well-known chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich. In the last 6 months, four new food halls have opened in New York. Jonathan Butler is the co-founder of the popular outdoor food market Smorgasburg and the Berg’n food hall, which opened in 2014. "Food is kind of the new rock and roll -- it’s the thing that the public is just so excited about.” Butler spoke recently at a conference called “Cities for Tomorrow.” He discussed the difficulties of operating a food hall. The The New York Times newspaper organized the conference . In large cities like New York, costs a lot to open and operate a restaurant. Food halls give chefs the chance to open a smaller space with less risk. The food sellers at Berg’n began their careers at outdoor food stands, food trucks or as caterers. Food halls are a way for them to test the popularity of their food without opening a restaurant. Danie Garcia is general manager at Landhaus which sells food at festivals and outdoor markets. But its only permanent place to sell food is at the Berg’n food hall. “This gives us a little bit of flexibility because, you know, it’s less maintenance than having an entire restaurant. It’s a little bit easier to manage.”  I’m Caty Weaver.   VOA Correspondent Tina Trinh reported this story from New York. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   rock and roll – n. a kind of music caterers – n. a business that provides food and drinks at events flexibility – n. having more than one choice maintenance – n. the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.  

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English @ the Movies: 'You Got This'

Our English @ the Movies saying today is "you got this." It comes from the film “Megan Leavey.” This movie is based on a true story about a woman Marine and her dog at war in Iraq. Watch the video, then take the quiz. You got this?

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August 4, 2017

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

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Have You Visited All 50 US States?

In May, Kathy Pride was on her way to Santa Cruz, California to run a marathon. But when she landed in Oakland, it turned out the airline had lost her bag. It was not on the plane. The running shoes that fit her feet just right? They did not make it. The clothes she planned to wear during the race? Nowhere to be found. Pride rushed to a shoe store and bought a new pair of shoes. She went to a thrift store and found some clothes for the 42-kilometer-long race. This was not just any marathon. It was one of the last marathons Pride needed to finish her goal since 2013: running a marathon in all 50 states. A bucket list The journey started innocently enough. Pride said she just wanted to cross a marathon off her “bucket list.” A “bucket list” is a list of things people want to do before they “kick the bucket,” or die. In her first marathon, Pride stopped to rest with nearly two kilometers to go because she was too tired. Over a year later, at another marathon, Pride met Carol Goslin, who had run over 200 marathons, and run a marathon in all 50 states four times. Inspired, Pride said to herself: “I’m going to do that.” Her favorite big marathon is the New York City Marathon. Her favorite small marathon was in Newport, a small city in the northwestern state of Oregon. She even did a marathon with only 10 other runners in West Virginia. In early July, Pride completed her goal of running a marathon in every state in the northeastern state of Vermont. The 50 clubs According to the 50 States Marathon Club, almost 1,300 people have run a marathon in every state. Many have done it more than once. Most people do not run marathons in every state they visit, however, but they do other interesting things. Alicia Rovey runs the All 50 Club as part of her Travel Goal Getter website. She is an expert on people who have visited all 50 states. In 2015, she made Oregon her 50th state. She said one club member would not make a state “official” until he had a beer there. Another person had to eat a slice of pie. A third person donated blood in each state. People who have visited at least 35 of the 50 states can become members of the All 50 Club for a small fee. It has almost 3,000 members. “Our youngest member, now, is age 2. His parents took him on some whirlwind trips, and he completed all before he was age 3.” In 2015, four people set off together to visit all 50 states. They did it in just over six days. Generally, Rovey said people must have their feet on the ground and breathe the air in order to count a state. That eliminates travelers who drive through a state without stopping or change planes in an airport. Rovey said careful planning is important for people who are trying to visit all 50 states. For example, you can cross a lot of states off your list with a visit to the northeast. She also has a tip about one of the state parks: “In Yellowstone, that there’s Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho is just about 15 miles or so from the Yellowstone area. So while you’re there, take that extra time to go over and go into Idaho rather than planning a full trip later on. It’s worth it to take that extra time when you’re close. Because as much as your intention is to go back, it can take years to be able to go back.” The 50 state adventures Laurie Chatham is from Pasadena, California. She visited a number of states in the late 1990s with her husband and children. They were in South Dakota, visiting Mount Rushmore, the Badlands National Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial. And Chatham encouraged her family to drive to North Dakota. “I said, OK we’re driving two hours north and we’re going to go through the tip of North Dakota, because I’ve never been. And they’re like ‘oh, but it’s all the same’ and it does, in all fairness, look very similar, it’s kind of plains… and beautiful but flat.  So we did, and that’s how we got North Dakota. I said ‘you’ll thank me later on.’” The drives to visit all 50 states can be long. For example, it can take 12 hours to get from Texarkana ( in east Texas) to El Paso (in west Texas). Chatham said her children wrote about their 50-state trips for their college application essays. Chatham and her family did not have a big celebration when she made it to Vermont in 2006. “I just said, ‘woah, I’ve been to all 50 states,’” Chatham said. “It just kind of felt nice to have done it.” A few years later, Chatham’s children made Kentucky their 50th state and her husband finished all 50 with a trip to Florida. Sue Fowler of Maryland traveled to the states with her parents when she was a teenager in the 1960s. Fowler rode a donkey all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. She enjoyed the Dells of the Wisconsin River, an area with rock formations formed by glaciers. Fowler has visited 48 states, with Hawaii and Alaska to go. But her parents did make it to all 50 states.“The last state they went to was Alaska. And they went to the farthest northern part of the U.S., and my father stood there and had a big picture with a great big smile on his face and he was just very excited that he actually did it, he went to all 50 states.” ​ Dave Halpert and Lisa Schor are a couple from Florida. They made Hawaii their 50th state last year. Halpert said patriotism played a role in his desire to visit all 50 states.​ “It’s something that people would just want to have to do,” he said. “I’m kind of a patriotic American. It’s a great country.” Lots of people like to go to Hawaii for a vacation. But what do 50-state travelers do in less-popular states? “You know, there are some cities like Manchester, New Hampshire that don’t have much to offer, but for one night, they all have something to offer. You walk around downtown, you go to a nice restaurant, you maybe go to a museum. So it’s something that someone’s gonna want to do.” Fowler said the perfect “50-stater” is someone who is curious about the U.S. “My dad and I both had the same philosophy. We wanted to learn about the United States. There’s so many incredible things in this country that people don’t get to see and we were lucky enough to see them.” I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Will you try to visit all 50 states one day? How many states have you visited? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   thrift store – n. a store where people can purchase used clothing; the proceeds often are donated to charity inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create whirlwind – adj. something that involves many quickly changing events, feelings, etc. encourage – v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident plains – n. a large area of flat land without trees glacier – n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land patriotism – n. love that people feel for their country

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NASA Is Looking for 'Planetary Protection Officer'

  This is What’s Trending Today. Does this job sound like it might be for you? “Planetary Protection Officer, NASA.” The job opening was announced by the United States space agency, NASA. The Washington Post called the job title “one of the greatest ever conceived.” If you think this job seems just right for action movie stars like Bruce Willis in “Armageddon” or Will Smith in “Men in Black” or “Independence Day,” you are not alone. The announcement says the job pays up to $187,000 yearly. It is getting a lot of attention on social media this week. One person wondered if the job comes with a cape like a superhero would wear. But before you start practicing your fighting skills, take a closer look at the description of the job: “Planetary protection is concerned with the avoidance of…biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration.” This means the person who gets this job will be in charge of making sure Earth organisms are not accidentally taken to other planets. He or she will also be responsible for making sure samples collected on other planets are kept safe when they make it back to Earth. NASA saw the job listing was getting a lot of attention, so it posted a video from Catharine Conley, the current officer. The video explained the job by comparing what happens on Earth when non-native species are brought to a new continent. When plants, fish, insects and other animals come to an area where they have no natural predators, they can kill native plants, eat other animals and damage crops. NASA is concerned that might happen if a space vehicle brings something from Earth to another planet. Conley is a biologist. So if your science background is not strong, you might not be a good fit for the job. ​ She has not yet said if she will re-apply for the job. If you still think you might be a good fit for the job, keep one other thing in mind: you must be a U.S. citizen. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Anna Mateo.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by Popular Mechanics and the Washington Post. Mario Ritter was the editor. Why would you make a good planetary protection officer? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cape – n. a piece of clothing that does not have sleeves and that fits closely at the neck and hangs over the shoulders, arms, and back : a short cloak contaminate – v. to make (something) dangerous, dirty, or impure by adding something harmful or undesirable to it conceive – v. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus predator – n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals : an animal that preys on other animals  

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Experts: North Korea Lacks Missile Technology to Reach Mainland US

  North Korea still lacks the necessary technology to send a nuclear weapon all the way to the United States mainland, say experts. But the same experts admit that North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, last week marked an improvement in its military program. The ICBM that North Korea tested on July 28 was the second long-distance rocket it launched in the month of July. The missile tested is called the Hwasong-14. Defense officials in the U.S. and South Korea said the military launched it from the Mupyong-ni arms factory in the country’s north. The missile traveled a distance of about 1,000 kilometers. But it reached an altitude of about 3,700 kilometers. It was in flight for about 45 minutes before falling into the sea. The missile crashed into the waters 175 kilometers from Hokkaido, Japan’s second largest island. Jonathan McDowell is an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He told VOA’s Korean service that it appears North Korea has a fully operational ICBM. He said, “It seems to have worked as designed, and so that is a milestone in their missile development.” McDowell noted that the military did not launch the rocket into the atmosphere in a normal way in order to travel the greatest distance. If it had, the rocket’s weapons system could have traveled further. An earlier test on July 4 showed the furthest the Hwasong-14 could reach was between about 7,000 and 8,000 kilometers. This means it would have been able to reach Alaska. Experts continue to debate how North Korea was able to improve the missile’s performance. McDowell suggests that higher-powered engines driving the rocket during its second stage could have given it “a bit more push.” The technology that directs missiles back to earth after launching has been one of the biggest problems for North Korea. And many experts doubt that North Korea’s military has perfected that technology. The weapons systems must be able to survive the extreme heat and pressure generated from traveling through the atmosphere. If not, ICBMs armed with nuclear weapons will not reach their targets. There are additional doubts about North Korea's missile technology. They come from video by the Japanese public news agency NHK. The video showed the Hwasong-14 possibly falling apart as it landed in the waters off Hokkaido. Michael Elleman is a senior fellow for missile defense at The International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said that small, bright objects appeared to be falling off the missile as it returned to earth. This could be showing that the missile was breaking apart too soon. Other experts, however, have suggested that the missile breaking apart may have been due to the steep angle of its flight path. The steep angle would have increased its speed and also its surface heat. Elleman wrote on the website 38 North, which reports about North Korea: "A reasonable conclusion, based on the video evidence, is that the Hwasong-14's re-entry vehicle did not survive during its second test.” He wrote that North Korea has more work to do before the country’s leader Kim Jong Un has a missile able to strike the American mainland. But McDowell notes that it will only take the country a few more years to reach the level of technology it desires. I’m Jill Robbins. And I’m Pete Musto.   Baik Sungwon and Jenny Lee reported this story for VOA. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. How should the international community respond to North Korea continuing to seek nuclear weapons technology? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   intercontinental – adj. able to travel from one continent to another ballistic missile – n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes. altitude – n. the height of something above the level of the sea astrophysicist – n. someone who studies the physical and chemical properties and structures of stars, planets, and other objects in outer space milestone – n. an important point in the progress or development of something second stage – n. the point at which a rocket disconnects from its main engines and fires secondary engines steep – adj. rising or falling very sharply angle – n. the position from which something is approached

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Cambodian Girls Selected for Google Competition

A group of Cambodian girls will compete for the first time in an international technology competition in California's Silicon Valley.    The girls are between the ages of 11 and 12. They created a mobile app that was selected out of more than 1,000 entries as a finalist for the competition.  The competition is called the Technovation World Pitch Summit. It takes place at the headquarters of Google in Mountainview, California from August 7 to 11.   The girls created an app called the “Cambodia Identity Product.” It promotes traditional Khmer products.  Khmer refers to people, languages, or culture from Cambodia.  The Technovation challenge is a global competition, created by the non-profit group Iridescent.  The group aims to raise interest in what are called STEM subjects among girls between the ages of 10 and 18 around the world. STEM subjects are the fields of science, technology engineering and mathematics.  This year the competition selected 12 finalist teams.  Six teams will compete in the junior category, which includes the Cambodian team.  They will compete against teams from India, Canada, the United States and Hong Kong.  To prepare for the competition, the teams took part in a 12-week training course in coding and entrepreneurship.  They then had to create an app that addresses at least one of the areas covered by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.  Proud of their hard work  The girls are students at the Ligar Learning Center near Phnom Pehn.  It is a school operated by a non-governmental organization for promising students who cannot pay for a good education.   According to Tes Putthira, the Cambodian team’s mentor, the Cambodian girls worked hard to make it to the finals.  “On the day we learned about the results, no one could focus on work. We were very pleased and proud of them that this year, in 2017, Technovation Cambodia had made it into the finals in the United States, in San Francisco,” she said. ​She also said the school was very excited that the girls had succeeded up to this point. She said, "We will do our best to support them into the finals."  The girls’ app will promote traditional Khmer products such as clothes, hats and souvenirs.  This will help bring money to craftspeople, who would be able to sell their products directly to customers, and internationally.  Role models for other girls  The Technovation project first began in the country in 2014. It is organized by USAID in partnership with Cambodia’s education ministry, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.  Sotie Heidt, the wife of the current ambassador to Cambodia, visited the Ligar Learning Center. She said she was pleased that a Cambodian team had made it to the final.  “When they are interested in this early on, they will be good at it from a young age. So, we should remove any barriers and encourage them to develop expertise in the field and they can be as capable as children in other countries,” she said.  The winners of this year’s Technovation can expect to receive a total of $145,000 in award money.  Putthira hopes that with their strong support at home, the Cambodian team can win the competition.  However, she says that, no matter what the outcome, the girls will be examples for other Cambodian girls interested in technology.  I’m Phil Dierking    Sophat Soeung wrote this story for VOA News. Phil Dierking adapted his report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.  Are you interested in science and technology?  Have you ever created and app?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   ______________________________________________________________  Words in This Story    app - n. a computer program that performs a special function  capable - adj. having the qualities or abilities that are needed to do something​ coding - v. to change (information) into a set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be read by a computer entrepreneurship - n. the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit. entries - n. people or things that have entered something

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Switzerland Opens World's Longest Suspension Footbridge

  Switzerland has opened the world's longest suspension footbridge. It is 494 meters long. The bridge is suspended between 1,600 meters and 2,200 meters above sea level. It is only 65 centimeters wide and goes as high as 85 meters above the ground. Hikers, within sight of the famed mountain, the Matterhorn, and the Bernese Alps, can cross it in about 10 minutes The bridge crosses the deepest-cut valley in Switzerland. Hikers can look down onto it through grates in the bridge. Without the bridge, the journey previously took up to four hours. According to Swiss reports, it took only 10 weeks to build the bridge. And the structure surpasses Germany’s “Titan-RT” as the world’s longest suspension footbridge. The "Titan-RT", which opened last month, is just over 450 meters long. It crosses Germany's highest reservoir, the Rappbode Dam. The Swiss bridge is also longer than the so-called "footbridge in the sky." This bridge, built in 2014, is part of the Sochi Sky Park in Russia. It spans 439 meters and includes observation platforms looking on the mountains and the Black Sea Coast. I'm John Russell.   John Russell adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   suspension footbridge – n. a bridge ( for people who are walking) that is hung from two or more cables and held up by towers surpass – v. to be better or greater than (someone or something)  

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Getting to Know the Verb 'Get'

  From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. So, Alice, what did you do last night? Well, I was at home, getting ready to go to the movies. I was getting my shoes on when I got a feeling that something strange was going to happen. I've gotten those feelings, too. Then, I left the house, and got a cab, and got to the movies as fast as I could. Did you get there on time? Yes! But as soon as I got into the theater, I got a phone call from someone whose voice I didn’t recognize. That’s when things started to get weird… Did you notice anything unusual in this story? The verb get is used 10 times -- and with several different meanings. Get is one of the most commonly used, most tricky, and sometimes most hated words for English learners. When learning this verb, it is best to keep a sense of humor. That is because the verb has more than 50 uses, such as when it appears as part of at least 12 phrasal verbs or other expressions. Today on Everyday Grammar, we explore this simple three-letter word with many meanings. But don’t worry. By the time you come to the end of the program, we hope you will begin to enjoy this captivating and changeable verb. We will consider a few of the most common meanings of get and offer some ideas on how to use the verb. Let’s start with a very common meaning of get, which is to receive, obtain, or buy. The structure is: get + direct object Listening or reading for clues and then recognizing the meaning from those clues is the best way of explaining this meaning. For example, take the following sentence: I got an email from my friend Penelope. In this sentence, does ‘got’ mean received, obtained, or bought? Here, the word got means received. We know that the person did not buy the email. We also know that they did not obtain it, since obtain means to acquire by effort. Let’s try another sentence: I just got a new sofa! In this example, does got mean received, obtained, or bought? It probably means bought, since the speaker does not provide any evidence that it was received.   But, in this statement, whether the speaker bought the sofa or obtained it in some other way is not very important. The most important thing to know here is that the speaker did not receive the sofa – they obtained it in some way. Now, let’s turn to a different meaning of get. This one means to bring or fetch. The structure is: get + direct object Listen to this example: I’m going outside to get the mail. Sometimes, however, the structure can be: get + indirect object + direct object Listen to the example: Could you get me my phone? It’s in the bedroom upstairs. In this sentence, the direct object is my phone and the indirect object is me. This is a structure you can use to ask someone to bring something to you. You would probably not use it unless the thing were fairly close. For example, if you left your mobile phone at a friend’s house, and you will see the friend tomorrow, you would not say: Could you get me my phone tomorrow? Instead, you would say: Could you bring me my phone tomorrow? Now, you try it. Ask someone to bring something nearby to you. Our next meaning of get is to arrive somewhere. There are two structures here. The first is:           get + location adverb   The second is: get + to + location Listen to a few examples: What time will you get here? I got to Tokyo at 6 a.m. I got to the concert late. In these examples, the clue to the meaning of get is the name of a place right after the verb, such as “Tokyo,” “the movies,” “here” or “there.” Our last meaning of get on today’s program is to become. The structure is: get + adjective Listen to a few examples: The food is getting cold. I get nervous when I have to speak in public. In this use, the verb get simply replaces the verb become. You will recognize this easily when you hear or see an adjective immediately after get. Here are three suggestions to help you better understand and use the meanings of get: Tip #1: Guess the meaning from clues Guessing can be your best friend when trying to understand and use the meanings of get. Use context clues to help you know how get is used. Context means words that are used with or next to a specific word or expression that helps explain its meaning. Look for a direct object or a location adverb or an adjective before or after the verb get. These will help you to know its intended meaning. Tip #2: Practice, practice, practice Read and listen to as much as you can in English. The more you do this, the more easily you will be able to use clues as a tool to quickly understand meaning. Americans, the British, and other native English speakers can recognize these clues very quickly. You can learn to do this, too! Try to immerse yourself in English by listening to Learning English podcasts, watching movies and YouTube videos, and listening to music. Tip #3: Use other verbs If you are not sure how to use some of the meanings of get, you can instead use verbs with similar meanings. Sometimes the other verbs sound natural, and other times they sound formal. For example, you can say, “I just bought a new sofa!” and it sounds perfectly natural. By comparison, saying, “I arrived home at 10 pm” sounds very official. Yet, both are correct and can be used.    Orin Hargraves is a lexicographer. He writes and studies dictionaries. Hargraves recently told Everyday Grammar that, “Many of the jobs that we currently give to get…can also be expressed by other verbs.” Hargraves’ advice is good advice. The Everyday Grammar team hopes you enjoyed learning a few of the many meanings of the verb get. So, get going and enjoy this wonderful verb. We've got to go now. But keep listening in the coming weeks for more words with many meanings. I’m Phil Dierking. I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Everyday Grammar. George Grow was the editor. Have you noticed how often get is used in popular movies and music? Try to find an example and then write to us in the comments section. We want to hear from you. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   verb - n. a word that is usually one of the main parts of a sentence and that expresses an action, an occurrence, or a state of being   phrasal verb - n. a group of words that functions as a verb and is made up of a verb and a preposition, an adverb, or both  obtain - v. to gain or get, usually by effort acquire - v. to come to own something fetch - v. to go after and bring back someone or something clue - n. something that helps a person find something, understand something, or solve a mystery or puzzle intend - v. to have something in your mind as a purpose or goal guess - v. to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it sofa - n. a long and comfortable piece of furniture on which a person can sit or lie down immerse - v. to put (something) in a liquid so that all parts are completely covered

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August 3, 2017

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

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Lesson 41: Teamwork Works Best With a Team

Summary Anna meets with her boss, Ms. Weaver, for her yearly review. Ms. Weaver wants Anna to have higher numbers for the audience of her show. How will Anna make her audience numbers go up? Speaking In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn about sentences that include the words "if" and "will." These are called present real conditional sentences. Pronunciation When we want our listener to notice one or two words in a sentence, we can say them louder, or put more emphasis on them. Learn how to do that in this video. Conversation Anna: Hi. I am walking to work. Today my boss will tell me what she thinks of my work. Is it good? Or is it bad? Okay, time for work. I am going right now. Okay, okay, I’m going! Ms. Weaver: Anna, hello. Anna: Hello. Ms. Weaver: Sit down. As you know, at the start of a new year we have a work review. Anna: Yes. It’s time for mine. Ms. Weaver: Yes. Anna, this chart shows the audience of The Time Traveling Treehouse. If you look at it, you will see something bad. Your audience is going down, down, DOWN! Anna: Ms. Weaver, I think the chart is upside down. Anna: Here, let’s flip that around. Now, it’s right-side up. Ms. Weaver: Oh. If you look at this chart, you will see something good. Your audience is big. Anna: Good! Ms. Weaver: But not big enough. Anna: Not good. Ms. Weaver: I want to see these numbers go up, and up, and UP! Anna: How? Ms. Weaver: I have something -- idea posters! Anna: (whispers) Idea posters. Ms. Weaver: You really ought to think seriously about them. I like this one. Please read it. Anna: “If at first you SUCCEED; you will be a success.” Well, it's a cute cat. Ms. Weaver: Here’s another one. I like it. Anna: “WORKING HARD looks hard because it really is hard.” I see. It's another cute cat. Ms. Weaver: This is my favorite. Anna: “TEAMWORK works best with a team.” A team of cats. Look at all those cats! Ms. Weaver: So, Anna, do you understand what I want? Anna: Yes, Ms. Weaver. I understand. Anna: Okay, team. There is a problem in the Treehouse. Amelia: Problem? What's the problem? Anna: Our audience is big. Bryan: But that's a good thing. Anna:  No, it is not big enough. Anna: Please don’t worry. I know what Ms. Weaver wants. Here’s the plan. (whispers) Bryan: Is that what she wants? Amelia: Are you sure? Anna: Yes. Let’s get to work! Anna: Good job, team. This is exactly what Ms. Weaver wants! Anna: Welcome to The Time Traveling Treehouse! Today you will learn about a very popular pet … cats! MINDY: Anna. Did I give you enough cats? Anna: I don’t know, MINDY. I think we need more cats!   Writing In this lesson, what do you think Ms. Weaver wants? Do you ever have trouble understanding the advice that others give you? Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet, and practice making sentences with "if." Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Use Selective Attention.  When you are listening in English, sometimes we can't understand every word. At those times, you can listen for the important words and try your best to understand. In this lesson, Anna tries to understand Ms. Weaver. Ms. Weaver wants Anna to get a bigger audience. But Anna pays attention to the cats in the posters that Ms. Weaver shows her. She thinks Ms. Weaver wants to see more cats in The Time Traveling Treehouse. When you use selective attention, you may not always understand perfectly. But you can always ask a question to check on your understanding. Anna did not ask to make sure of what Ms.Weaver wanted. In real life, you should check your understanding when you use selective attention. Do you ever use selective attention? Do you think Anna made a mistake when she used selective attention in this lesson? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy. Quiz Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz. ______________________________________________________________ New Words audience - n. the people who watch, read, or listen to something cat - n. a small animal that is related to lions and tigers and that is often kept by people as a pet chart- n. information in the form of a table or a diagram cute - adj. having a pleasing and usually youthful appearance exactly - adv. used to stress that something is accurate, complete, or correct flip - v. to cause (something) to turn or turn over quickly meow - v. to make a crying sound as cats do pet - n. an animal (such as a dog, cat, bird, or fish) that people keep mainly for pleasure poster - n. a usually large picture that is put on walls as a decoration review - n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone right-side up - noun phrase. with the top or correct side facing up succeed - v. to do what you are trying to do or to achieve the correct or desired result success - n. a person or thing that succeeds teamwork - n. the work done by people who work together as a team to do something upside down- adv. in such a way that the upper and the lower parts are reversed in position   Free Materials   Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice making conditional sentences. For Teachers ​ See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar: Future Real Conditional (If clauses) Topics: Asking for & giving feedback about job performance; Identifying ways to improve performance at work or school; Interpreting advice Learning Strategy: Use Selective Attention Speaking & Pronunciation: Pronouncing contrastive stress   ____________________________________________________________ Now it's your turn. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page to let us know what you think of this lesson.

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