Houston Restaurant Sends Rescue Boat for Flood Victims

  This is What’s Trending Today. There have been a lot of stories about people being rescued from flooded homes in and around Houston, Texas. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States. The area has received over 120 centimeters of rain in just a few days. Many Houston neighborhoods are flooded. Many people decided to wait out Hurricane Harvey when it first hit southeast Texas on Friday. But after so much rain, they found the water had entered their homes and they needed to leave. That is what happened on Monday to J.C. Spencer and his wife Karen, who live in north Houston. “We had to get out of there,” J.C. Spencer told the television show Good Morning America. With local police and fire department crews overwhelmed with life-saving efforts, some Houston residents had trouble getting help. Some people said telephone calls to 9-1-1, the number U.S. residents call when they are in danger, were going unanswered. The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that some Houston residents calling 9-1-1 found out their call would not be answered for over two hours. So many residents turned to social media websites like Twitter and Facebook and posted messages asking for help. The Spencers had another idea. They called a restaurant where they often had dinner. The restaurant is Chick-fil-A, an eatery known for both its chicken sandwiches and friendly workers. When the Spencers explained their problem, the store’s manager sent her husband to their house on a boat.   J.C. Spencer said the phone call went like this: “I called Chick-fil-A, now that sounds kind of funny,” he said. “I ordered two grilled chicken burritos with extra egg and a boat.” The Spencers loaded their belongings onto the boat, but there was not enough room for them to get in. Next thing they knew, two more people riding Jet Skis arrived to help. A Jet Ski travels on water like a small boat, but moves fast, like a motorcycle. The Spencers got on the Jet Skis and were taken to a safe place. They said they were “grateful” for the help. A number of people reacted to the story on Twitter. One wrote: “don’t forget to give that manager a raise!” Another called it “the best story of the day.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by ABC News and the Los Angeles Times. George Grow was the editor. What do you think about the chicken restaurant sending a boat? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   overwhelm – v. to cause (someone) to have too many things to deal with manager – n. someone who is in charge of a business or office grill – v. to cook food on a metal frame over a fire burrito – n. a Mexican food that consists of a flour tortilla that is rolled or folded around a filling (such as meat, beans, and cheese) grateful – adj. feeling or showing thanks raise – n. an increase in the amount of your pay

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August 30, 2017

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

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Trump to N. Korea: All Options Are on the Table

President Donald Trump says “all options are on the table” in connection with North Korea’s launch of a missile over Japan. Trump released a short written statement Tuesday. It said the launch signaled North Korea’s “contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations.” The statement also said that, “Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world.” Trump later told reporters, “We’ll see, we’ll see” when asked what he would do about North Korea. Trump was leaving the White House for a trip to examine storm damage in the American state of Texas. Hours earlier, North Korea had fired a midrange ballistic missile that flew over Japan’s Hokkaido Island and landed in the sea. This marked the first time that North Korea sent a missile over territory of a U.S. ally. With minutes of the launch, residents on the northern Japanese island received emergency messages on their cellphones. Officials sounded alarms and sent emails telling people to stay indoors. Speakers broadcast a message saying, “missile is passing, missile is passing.” The launch followed three other short-range missile tests last week as the U.S. and South Korea were holding their joint yearly military exercises. North Korea has repeatedly described the exercises as preparation for invasion. U.S. officials, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have said “all options on the table” in answer to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests before. But many experts believe that the North would likely answer a U.S. strike by attacking South Korea or Japan. About 25 million people live in or near the South Korean capital, Seoul, within range of North Korean artillery fire along the border. The U.S. has said it wants to use economic and diplomatic pressure to win a negotiated solution. Just last week, Trump praised North Korea’s decision to back down from its earlier threats to launch missiles into the sea close to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. He added, “Kim Jong Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us… And maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about.” Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan spoke on the telephone about the latest missile test. The White House said the two leaders agreed that North Korea creates “a grave and growing direct threat” to the U.S., Japan, South Korea and countries around the world. Abe said in a statement that Trump also expressed his “strong commitment” to defending Japan. I'm Caty Weaver.   Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on Reuters and Associated Press news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   option - n. choice or possibility midrange - n. middle distance resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place positive - adj. good or useful  

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Can Computer Programs Help Students, Teachers?

  Junior Alvarado was worried when he began his first year at a public charter high school in Washington, DC. He often struggled in his math classes and earned poor grades in middle school. But the teachers at the Washington Leadership Academy used computer programs to identify the areas he was weak in and design a learning plan just for him. As Alvarado started geometry in his second year of high school last week, he says he felt much better about his math skills. “For me personalized learning is having classes set at your level,” the 15-year-old said, in between lessons. “They explain the problem step by step, it wouldn't be as fast. It will be at your [speed].” Many schools in the United States struggle to raise the high school graduation rate. They also have difficulty helping many minority and low-income students perform at the same level as others. So many educators see digital technology as a way of solving these problems. ​ Personalized learning The use of technology in schools is part of a larger idea of personalized learning. This idea has been gaining popularity in recent years. Personalized learning is a way of teaching centered around the interests and needs of individual students instead of entire classes as a whole. It includes flexible learning environments, specially-designed education plans, and letting students help decide what and how they learn. Under the Obama administration, the Education Department put $500 million into personalized learning programs in 68 school districts. These programs served almost 500,000 students in 13 states and Washington, D.C. Organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have also invested heavily in digital tools and other student-centered methods. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning supports the growth of education technology. It claims that up to 10 percent of all of America's public schools now us some form of personalized learning. Rhode Island plans to spend $2 million to become the first U.S. state to make teaching in all of its schools individualized. And current U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also supports personalized learning. Supporters say traditional methods, where teachers just speak at the front of the class and test students all at once, do not match the modern world. Ken Wagner is the Rhode Island Education Commissioner. He said, “The economy needs kids who are creative problem solvers, who synthesize information, [form] and express a point of view.” At Washington Leadership Academy, educators use computer programs to collect information on students’ performance. This information helps teachers follow their students’ progress and make changes to lessons that meet students’ individual needs. That way students are able to master subjects at their own speed. In English classes, for example, students reading below their level would have the same books or reading materials as their classmates. But complex words in the reading materials would have notes helping explain the words shown on the students’ computer screens. Joseph Webb is the principal who helped establish the Washington Leadership Academy last year. The school serves about 200 mostly African American students from high-poverty and high-risk areas in Washington, D.C. He says the digital tools help teachers identify problems students are facing before they become too serious. “We can [solve them] right then and there; we don't have to wait for the problem to come to us,” he said. Too early to tell Still, many researchers say it is too early to tell if personalized learning works better than traditional teaching. The Rand Corporation recently did a study of personalized learning and found that it only led to small improvements. It found only a 3-percentile improvement in math and even smaller improvements in reading compared to schools with traditional teaching methods. Some students also complained group work in personalized learning classes was more difficult as each student had different tasks to complete. In addition, experts in children’s health say the overuse of technology presents other problems. They warn that too much time looking at screens can damage face-to-face relationships and young people’s interest in physical activity. Some teachers have their doubts as well. Marla Kilfoyle is the executive director of the Badass Teachers Association, an education activist group. She admits that technology can be helpful in the classroom in many ways. But she argues that no computer program should ever replace the personal touch, support and inspiration teachers give their students. “That human element is very important when children learn,” Kilfoyle said. I’m Lucija Milonig. And I’m Pete Musto.   Maria Danilova reported this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. How much technology should teachers and students use in classrooms? How important is the personal connection between teachers and students? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   charter – n. a document which declares that a city, town, school, or corporation has been established   graduation – n. the act of completing an education program at a school, college, or university income – n. money that is earned from work, investments, or business digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology flexible – adj. easily changed district(s) – n. an area or region containing the schools that a school board is in charge of match – v. to be suited to (someone or something): to go well with (someone or something) synthesize – v. to combine things in order to make something new screen(s) – n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text complain – v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something doubt – n. a feeling of being uncertain or unsure about something inspiration – n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create

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Arctic Warming Means Battles for Shipping and Riches

  At the top of the world, under the ice, lies a large number of natural resources. Gas, coal, uranium and other minerals, even diamonds, sit under the ice inside the Arctic Circle. As climate change pushes the cold and ice farther north each year, discussion increases about how to get to those resources. Less ice also means possible new business in shipping, tourism and fishing. But, industry experts, researchers and people in the far north say there are many problems in reaching those rich resources. People who want to protect the environment are against any large effort to take Arctic resources.  They warn that the fragile environment could be harmed past repair. The Northwest Passage, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is one of the last unexplored areas of the planet. But, that is changing as more companies seek business possibilities in the frozen north. Ships are now taking passengers through the Arctic Circle. Last year, the cruise ship Crystal Serenity sailed through the passage. On board were 500 crew and 1,100 “adventure tourists,” who paid at least $22,000 each for the four-week trip. The trip was unusual, however. Fewer than 500 ships have sailed through the passage since the first in 1906. Such trips require approval of almost 30 Canadian agencies, including Nunavut territory officials. In addition to tourism, shipping companies may start using the passage to save on fuel costs. Sailing through the passage cuts the travel distance between East Asia and Western Europe by more than 10,000 kilometers. Such travel usually moves through the Panama Canal. However, businesses may want to do more than move through the area, like mine for resources. “As the world demand for raw materials is ever increasing, and (with) a realization that a large part of the unexplored deposits are in the Arctic, there is a natural shift to focus on that area,” said Mads Boye Peterson, head of Denmark’s Nordic Bulk Carriers Shipping. Petersen noted that rising temperatures make operations more difficult because the moving ice floes are less predictable than solid ice sheets. The Arctic is a 14.5 million square kilometer area around the North Pole. But, it is not all ice and ocean. It also has a mix of plant and animal life. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that up to 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil are inside the Arctic Circle. But there could be other resources also, like diamonds, uranium, phosphate, nickel, platinum and other minerals. Morten Smelror is the director of the Geological Survey of Norway. He also said lithium and cobalt have been found in important amounts in the Arctic regions of Russia, the Nordic countries and Greenland. Lithium and cobalt are used to make batteries that power the growing number of electric cars and small electronic devices. And the Arctic’s huge Baffin Island holds large amounts of pure iron, which is used to make steel. “The Arctic is certainly among the last frontiers with respect to undiscovered mineral resources, along with the deep oceans,” Smelror said. Countries in the Arctic region are making claims to land and resources in the area. Greenland claims the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater ridge, 1800 kilometers long.  But Russia disputes the claim. The United Nations is working to settle the disagreement. Russia also has claimed ownership of a large Arctic Ocean area and, ten years ago, placed a Russian flag underwater at the North Pole. Canada and the United States also dispute ownership of parts of the Arctic region. In April, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that cancelled restrictions on oil exploration in the Arctic and other places. I’m Anne Ball. And I'm Caty Weaver. Anne Ball adapted this story for Learning English from VOA News and AP reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fragile – adj. easily broken or damaged cruise – adj. a kind of boat or ship that travels to a number of places for vacation adventure tourism – n. tourism that involves travel to remote areas and usually involve physically challenging activities realization – n. the state of understanding or becoming aware of something deposit – n. an amount of a substance (such as oil or coal) that exists naturally in the ground icebreaker – n. a special ship that can move through icy water by cutting the ice complicated – adj. something that is sure to happen or be successful Nordic – adj. of or relating to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and sometimes Finland and Iceland, or to the people who live there ice floe – n. a large, flat area of ice floating in the ocean ice sheet – n. a very large and thick area of ice that covers a region frontier – n. a distant area where few people live ridge – n. a long area of land that is on top of a mountain or hill

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How Will Angola's New President Deal With Economic Problems?

  Angolans have elected their first new president in nearly forty years. Joao Lourenco, the president-elect, has said he wants to reduce the country's dependence on oil. But critics say the country's economic problems and inequality do not come from dependence on oil. Rather, they say that these problems come from bad governance. Many Angolans hope economic conditions improve. Kialopo Feliciana sells food at a market in Luanda. She makes about $18 a day. But, the business is very costly, she told VOA recently. That is why she has little money for her home and family.   Of the money she makes, Feliciana brings home about $9 a day. But her family depends on the money, she says, because her adult son cannot find a job. Unemployment is around 26 percent in the country. On the other side of town from Feliciana, there are large houses and upscale stores on many streets. At a gelato shop, customers spend what is equal to Feliciana's daily income in one visit. Retiring President Jose Eduardo dos Santos lives in this neighborhood. During his 38-year rule, he was often accused of spending the government's oil income on himself and those close to him. Angola is Africa's second-largest oil producer, but that wealth has not helped all Angolans. President-elect Lourenco says he wants to develop industries other than oil. Before the election, he told a crowd that he wants to increase activity in agriculture, tourism, industry, and other areas of the economy. Accusations of Bad Governance But his critics say the problem is far simpler. Manuel Fernandes is an opposition lawmaker. He told VOA that poverty in the country is not because of the drop in oil prices. Poverty in the country, he said, comes from bad governance. Government critic and reporter Rafael Marques says Lourenco is in a difficult situation because dos Santos still controls much of the nation's wealth. "The question is, how is he going to run the country without money,” he said. Marques says that people who were members of the government “are living with a tight control over the economic assets of the country, which they will not pass on to the new president." It is a difficult situation for Lourenco. Once the official vote count is confirmed, he must turn to the task of governing. I'm John Russell.   Anita Powell reported on this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it 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   upscale – adj. relating to or appealing to people who have a lot of money gelato – n. Italian or Italian-style ice cream asset – n. a valuable person or thing  

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Maria Sharapova Returns to Grand Slam Tennis

This is What’s Trending Today. The U.S. Open is the last big event of the year in international tennis. The late-summer championship in New York, the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon are known as the “Grand Slams.” Maria Sharapova, the Russian tennis star, has not played in a Grand Slam event since January 2016. After the Australian Open in 2016, she tested positive for a banned drug called meldonium. She was suspended from tennis for 15 months. Meldonium is thought to help the heart process energy more easily and allow athletes to play and practice harder without getting sore and tired. Sharapova returned to competitive tennis earlier this year after serving her punishment. On Monday night in New York, she defeated second-ranked Simona Halep of Romania in three sets. The match took three hours, which is unusual for the early rounds at the U.S. Open. Normally, those matches are faster because one of the top-ranked players in the world is playing a much weaker opponent. Due to her suspension, Sharapova is no longer ranked as one of the best in the world, but she is still a very good player. After the match, Sharapova moved up to 134th in the world. Many tennis fans and reporters had the same reaction: “She’s back!” Even Halep was impressed. “She played really well,” Halep said, about Sharapova. Others said Sharapova celebrated as if she had won the championship. Sharapova’s return to high-level tennis may turn out to be good news for the U.S. Open. The tournament is missing a number of top players. Serena Williams is not playing because she is in the last month of her pregnancy. Williams announced she was pregnant in April and the baby will be born sometime soon -- perhaps while the tournament is still going on. In the men’s tournament, three of the world’s top players are missing. Andy Murray of Great Britain decided not to play due to a hip injury. Last year’s finalists – Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka – are not playing either, due to injuries. Long-time favorites Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are in the tournament, but they cannot meet in the finals. They are in the same half of the bracket. Overall, five of the top 11 men in the tennis rankings are missing. That means more people may be paying attention to Sharapova’s matches if she keeps winning. She is scheduled to play again on Wednesday morning. Chris Evert is a former champion player and a tennis commentator. She said: “women’s tennis needs her, and I’m glad she’s back.” Ben Rothenberg is a New York Times tennis writer. He said the match might have been the best-ever first-round match of a Grand Slam. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by Tennis.com and the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. Will you follow Sharapova’s progress in the U.S. Open? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tournament – n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days practice – n. to do something again and again in order to become better at it sore – adj. feeling or affected by pain rank – n. a position in a society, organization, group, etc. impress – v. to cause (someone) to feel admiration or interest bracket – n. a chart showing the series of games to be played during a tournament

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August 29, 2017

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

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Lesson 50: Back to School

Summary Anna has been wanting to go back to school for a long time. In this lesson, we go to class with her at Georgetown University, where she is getting ready to give a report in her class. Did she understand the directions? Speaking In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn about the present perfect continuous verb tense. Pronunciation This video teaches about how the word "for" is pronounced quickly in sentences using the present perfect continuous and a time phrase. Conversation   Anna: Hello, and welcome to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.! I am going back to school! Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States. The Jesuits are a religious order known worldwide for their many colleges and universities. Students have been studying here since 1792! Sarah: Hey, are you finished with your report? Taylor: Almost. I have been writing and re-writing since last night! The subject is really interesting to me. Sarah: Me too! I have been studying this topic* for a long time. Anna: Am I late? Sarah: You’re a little late. But don’t worry. The professor isn’t here yet. Anna: How long has the class been waiting? Taylor: We’ve only been waiting for about 10 minutes. Anna: Oh good. Oh, no! I forgot my pencil sharpener. Excuse me, do you have a pencil sharpener I can borrow? Taylor: No, sorry. Anna: Oh wait. I found my extra one! Whew, that was close. Anna: So, how long have you been studying at Georgetown? Andrew: I’ve been studying here since 2015. Anna: Awesome. You know, I've been wanting to go back to school for a long time. So, here I am! Andrew: Well, you picked a great school. I’ve been really happy here. Anna: Awesome. See, I’ve been working for several years now. So, going back to school makes me a little nervous. Randall: Don’t be nervous. Just pay attention and do your best! Anna: That is great advice. You know, I have been paying attention. But sometimes I still feel like I don’t understand. Like last week … Anna: What’s that? Jada: This is my draft. Anna: What draft? Jada: The professor told us to bring our drafts. Anna: I think she said “giraffe.” Jada: No. She didn’t. Anna: Here comes the professor. Dr. Jones: Hello class! Sorry I'm late, but the snow storm made getting here really difficult. I see you’ve been waiting very patiently. So, let’s get started! Who wants to give their talk first? Anna: Oh! Oh! Please, please pick me. Dr. Jones: Anna? Anna: Who me? Sure. Thanks. Anna: Here is my report on “Violins in the City.” Anna: People have been looking for a solution to the problem of violins in the city. I say stop! Stop! They are not the problem! In fact, violins are part of the solution! Anna: Violins create beautiful music that can fill a city with hope. Dr. Jones: Anna … Anna: If we put a violin in the hands of every child … Dr. Jones: Anna! The topic is “Violence in the city.” Violence. Not violins. Anna: Until next time …Like I was saying, many people are saying that violence in the city is a problem. A very big problem. *  topic = subject Thanks to Georgetown University for allowing us to film on their historic campus. And a special thanks to the Georgetown students and staff who appeared in this episode: Andrew Debraggio, Sarah Mucha, Taylor Soergel, Jada Bullen, and Randall-Grace Johnson.   Writing In this lesson, Anna goes back to school. Did you ever take a special training course or classes? What did you learn? If you have not gone back to study, do you want to study something? Tell us about it. Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice using the present perfect continuous tense and monitoring what you hear. Please note, our activity sheets now can be completed on the computer.   Learning Strategy Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective. The learning strategy for this lesson is Monitor. This strategy is what we use when we are speaking, and we want to know if our listeners understand what we say. We also monitor while we are listening, to check on whether we understand what we hear. In this lesson, Anna goes back to school. She misunderstands the professor, and gives her report on the wrong topic. As she is speaking, she looks at her classmates. Their faces show they are confused. Anna should be monitoring here, to see that the other students cannot understand why she is talking about violins.  After the professor corrects her, she begins talking about the topic of violence. What do you do to monitor when you are speaking in English? Write to us about it in the Comments section or send us an email. Teachers, see the Lesson Plan for more details on teaching this strategy.   Quiz Listen to short videos and test your listening skills with this quiz.  ______________________________________________________________ New Words   Catholic - adj. of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church class - n. a group of students who meet regularly to be taught a subject or activity draft - n. a version of something (such as a report) that you make before you make the final version confused - adj. unable to understand or think clearly giraffe - n.  a very tall African animal that has an extremely long neck and legs Jesuit - n. a man who is a member of a religious group called the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus order - n. a religious organization whose members usually live together and promise to follow special rules and traditions patient - adj. able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time pay attention - phrase to listen to, watch, or consider something or someone very carefully pencil - n. an instrument used for writing and drawing that has a hard outer part and a black or colored center part professor - n. a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university religious - adj. believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion report - n. a written or spoken description of a situation or event sharpener - n. a tool or machine that makes something sharp since - prep. in the time after (a specified time or event in the past) orfrom (a point in the past) until the present time solution - n. something that is used or done to deal with and end a problem study - v. to learn about something by reading, memorizing facts or attending school understand - v. to know the meaning of something violence - n. the use of physical force to harm someone or to damage property violin - n. a musical instrument that has four strings and that you play with a bow ______________________________________________________________ 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 using the present perfect continuous verb tense.   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: Present perfect continuous verb tense   Topics: Discussing duration of activity; Expressing surprise; Reassuring someone    Learning Strategy: Monitor Speaking & Pronunciation: Reduced "for" in sentences using  the present perfect continuous and a time phrase Poll _______________________________________________________________ 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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More Americans Died From Drugs Than Ever Before

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. In 2016, more than 60,000 people died in the United States because of drugs. That is the highest number of drug deaths and the fastest yearly increase in recorded history. Early data suggests that deaths from opioids and other drugs will continue to rise in 2017. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made this statement in June 2017 at a news conference with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials.   Rosenstein called it a “horrifying surge in drug overdoses." He added that drug abuse is wrecking families and communities throughout the U.S. More than two million Americans have some sort of physical dependence on opioids. Opioids are a type of painkiller that are legally prescribed to many people. Opioids are addictive if people take too much of them or take them for a long period of time. New types of illegal killer drugs However, there is a new and even more dangerous part of the opioid crisis and it is happening much more often. This is the making and selling of extremely strong, illegal types of drugs that copy ones that already exist. One such drug is fentanyl. Fentanyl is so strong that even the smallest amounts — as little as two or three grains — can kill. Police officers and other first responders who try to help drug overdose victims are often affected by the drug themselves. DEA does not yet have data on this part the problem. However, officials say there is a clear increase in cases where first responders have become ill while handling evidence or helping overdose drug victims. Chuck Rosenberg is a high-level official at the DEA. He has warned emergency responders to take great care in drug-overdose cases. He advises them to wear protective gear such as masks and gloves.   Even dogs trained to find illegal drugs are at risk. Their handlers have begun carrying antidotes for both the animals and themselves. However, these new synthetic drugs are so powerful that many doses of antidotes are sometimes needed to save the rescuers.   Rosenberg summed up DEA advice to emergency teams at an overdose scene: "If you don't know what it is, assume there's something in it that will kill you.'' Increasing danger in Europe The extremely fast rise in opioid problems is also happening in Europe. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction reported in June 2017 that dangerous synthetic drugs similar to heroin and morphine are a growing health threat in the European Union. Experts at the center say on its website that more than 8,000 people died from overdose in the EU in 2015. This is the third year in a row that the number of overdoses has increased in the EU. And the center warns that drug-related deaths in Europe could be much higher. For this, it blames delayed reporting and “under-reporting in some countries.” And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo. _____________________________________________________________ Quiz Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz. ​ _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   data – n. acts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something opioid – medical n. possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics but not derived from opium horrifying – adj. something that causes someone to feel horror surge – n. a sudden, large increase antidote – n. a remedy to counteract the effects of poison sum up – phrasal verb to present a summary : to assess and then describe briefly synthetic – adj. made by combining different substances : not natural  

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Houston Faces Worsening Flooding Conditions

Houston, a city in the American state of Texas, will face worsening flooding conditions as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to rain on the city. On Friday, Harvey, the strongest storm to strike Texas in 50 years, came ashore near Corpus Christi, about 354 km south of Houston. It has since remained around Texas' Gulf Coast. The storm's rains submerged cars and flooded highways. Schools, airports and office buildings in the fourth largest city in the United States were closed as high waters filled some neighborhoods. More flooding is expected to come as the storm moves back in the direction of Houston. Weather reports say some areas in Texas could have as much as 1.27 meters of rain from the storm. Brock Long is the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At a news conference on Monday, he said that more than 30,000 people are expected to be placed temporarily in shelters. The area immediately surrounding Houston, called the metropolitan area, is home to 6.8 million people. It is also home to many oil refineries in the U.S. Many have stopped operations, likely for weeks, due to the storm, including Exxon Mobil’s facility in Baytown. It is the United States' second largest refinery. As of Monday morning, the shut down reduced about 2.4 million barrels of oil, or 13 percent of daily U.S. production. The outages will limit the availability of U.S. gasoline and other refined products and push prices higher, experts said. Federal authorities predicted it would take years to repair the damage from Harvey. The rains brought back memories of Tropical Storm Allison, which struck Texas in 2001. It flooded 70,000 homes and caused $9 billion in damage. Damages are not likely to be as extensive as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed 1,800 people in and around New Orleans. Nor will damages likely be as high as Sandy, which hit New York in 2012. Those storms caused $80 billion and $36 billion in insured losses, respectively, according to Hannover Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurance companies. I'm Alice Bryant   Ruthy Munoz and Marianna Parraga reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   worsen – v. to make (something) worse or to become worse administrator – n. a person whose job is to manage a company, school, or other organization refinery – n. a place where something, like oil, is refined reinsurance -- n.  insuring (something) again so that the insurance is shared by more than one company

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