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News Words: Photobomb

When people photobomb, they sneak or jump into a camera shot, usually as a joke.

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Pope Francis in South Asia

Arriving in Bangladesh from Myanmar, Pope Francis said it was important for world governments to help the Bangladeshi government with Asia's worst refugee crisis in decades.

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Short Sentences in Books, Movies, and Speech

  Ernest Hemingway was a famous American writer. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. One of his most famous books, The Sun Also Rises, ends with the following words:                  "Yes," I said. "Isn't it pretty to think so?" Today, we are going to consider the grammar behind the sentence: "Isn't it pretty to think so." In this program, we will study how English speakers use shortened sentences. We will hear examples of other short sentences from films, books, and fictional conversations. But first, we will start with some definitions. Shortened clauses         Clauses are groups of words that have a subject and a predicate. A predicate is a group of words that tells something about the subject. When a clause has a period at the end of it, it is a sentence. For example, in the sentence, "I love English grammar," the word "I" is the subject, and "love English grammar" is the predicate. Sometimes, sentences have many clauses. These clauses can begin with the word "that" or a word beginning with the letters “wh-”, such as why, what, where, or when.* For example, in the sentence "We hope that you enjoy learning English grammar," the words "that you enjoy learning English grammar" are a clause. The clause begins with the word "that" – it is an example of a that-clause. When speaking, Americans often shorten clauses that repeat what they have said earlier. In addition, they often shorten clauses that repeat what someone else has said. These short expressions usually occur after certain verbs. We will now explore these verbs and a few shortened clauses they often go with. #1 Know, remember, wonder Speakers often shorten “wh-” clauses, usually after they use the verbs wonder, know, or remember. When speakers shorten the “wh-” clauses, they usually only use the “wh-” word itself. They leave out the rest of the clause. Here is an example. Imagine two friends talking about a third person who apparently went missing the night before. Tom didn't come to the show last night! I wonder why? In the example, the second speaker used a shortened clause. Instead of saying "I wonder why Tom didn't come to the show last night?", the speaker said, "I wonder why?" This is an example of a shortened “wh-” clause after the verb "wonder." The speaker did not want to repeat all of the information discussed earlier. Such lengthy speech would create very long and slow conversations! Now, let’s consider a second example. In the 2004 film Crash, actor Sandra Bullock says the following line: I'm angry all the time, and I don't know why… Carol, I don't know why! Here, Bullock says "I don't know why" instead of "I don't know why I am angry all the time." She uses a shortened “wh-” clause after the verb "know." The two examples we gave you both had the word "why" in them: "I wonder why?" and "I don't know why?" These are two very common uses of a shortened “wh-” clause. Please remember that English speakers will also use other “wh-”  words in shortened clauses. You might hear a person say "…he doesn't remember where," for example. #2 Guess, say, think, hope Now let's turn to a second group of clauses. They are called “that-clauses”. Speakers often shorten “that-clauses”, usually after they use verbs such as guess, say, think, and hope. The word "so" often takes the place of the “that-clause”. This sounds difficult, but we will give you examples to clarify the point! Here is one from the 1991 film The Man in the Moon. - "Maureen? Is it always gonna hurt this bad? Mama says it won't. I hope she's right." - "I hope so." Here, the second speaker says "I hope so" instead of the full sentence, "I hope that she is right." ​In other words, "so" takes the place of an entire that-clause. Now, let’s consider a second example. Remember the lines you heard at the beginning of this report? "Yes," I said. "Isn't it pretty to think so?" Just before those lines come in Ernest Hemingway's book, two characters, Jake and Brett, are talking about their unfulfilled love for each other. Brett says that she and Jake could have had such a good time together. Jake responds with the famous line: "Isn't it pretty to think so?" Jake could have said "Isn't it pretty to think that we could have had such a good time together?" Such a line would have been much less elegant than Hemingway's ending! What can you do? The next time you are reading a book in English or talking with an English speaker, try listening for examples of shortened clauses. Does the writer or speaker use one of the shortened clauses we talked about today? What verbs does the speaker use with the shortened clause? Try using examples of shortened clauses that you hear. Or try to use some of the examples we told you about. If you practice using shortened clauses, we think that you will make progress. No, we know so. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm John Russell.   John Russell wrote this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. *Other words that do not begin with wh-, such as "how," are also in this group. _____________________________________________________________ Words in the Story   grammar – n. the study of groups of words and their uses in sentences conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people; the act of talking in an informal way occur – v.  to appear or exist; to be found gonna – short for "going to" respond – v. to say something as an answer to a request character – n. a person in a theatrical production, book or movie       elegant – adj. simple and clever practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it  

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Albino Student Receives Top Honors in Kenya's National Exam

  Almost one million primary school children took the 2017 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam, known as the KCPE. Goldalyn Kakuya, a student from Saint Anne's Junior School in Lubao, Kakamega, in West Kenya, received top honors. She received a total of 455 marks out of a possible 500. "I was really happy about it. I am excited a lot because it has passed a message to so many people. So, what thrills me most is that it has opened the eyes of many people.” Goldalyn's success surprised many Kenyans because she has albinism, a genetic condition that causes a pink coloring in the eyes and a lack of color in the skin or hair. People with albinism often face discrimination in Africa, and children struggle to find educational opportunities. Isaac Mwaura is a Kenyan lawmaker and chairman of the Albinism Society of Kenya. "People have talent, and given the opportunity, they can do so. So, I would want to really say that young children with albinism across Africa and, indeed, the world, because there is a lot of persecution and discrimination that is geared toward people with albinism, that they feel encouraged, that they too can reach the top.” He added that families and society should accept and support people with albinism. Matilda Cherono Tanga is the girl’s mother. She agrees that discrimination against people with albinism is common. "People will not even imagine that these children have a perfect brain. They think they cannot learn, they cannot compete. But the performance and the achievement of Goldalyn has proved to the society that albinism is just a condition of the skin.” Goldalyn told VOA she worked hard for her success. She examined her school work, asked teachers questions, rarely missed her classes, and studied hard. She offers this advice to other students. "Pray hard, do your best, believe in your yourself, because if you are praying, and you are working toward your goal, what can deter you from that?  So, it is just a matter of being confident,” she said. All students who received 400 marks or more will be admitted to Kenya’s national secondary schools. This year, about 10,000 boys and girls reached that level. I’m Susan Shand.   Jill Craig reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   primary – adj. first in order of time or development opportunity – n. a good or likely chance for progress albino – n. person or animal born with a medical condition that results in very pale skin, white hair, and pink eyes persecution – n. treatment of someone in a bad or harmful way gear – v. to make ready for operation deter - v. to cause (someone) to decide not to do something confident – adj. having a belief in one’s own abilities; being sure that something is true  

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Should the US Help Fight Terrorism in Africa’s Sahel?

What, if anything, should the United States be doing in the fight against violent extremism in a part of Africa where few people live? Experts on Africa are asking that question after the deaths of four U.S. Special Forces soldiers in Niger last month. At least four Nigerien soldiers also died in the attack. Before the violence, some members of Congress knew about U.S. operations in Niger. But other lawmakers say they did not know American troops were on the ground in the African nation. They include Senator Lindsey Graham, of the Republican Party, and Chuck Schumer, the leader of Democrats in the Senate. The U.S. Department of Defense says more than 800 American troops are in Niger. It also confirms the existence of two bases for drone aircraft there. Niger and Burkina Faso want the United States to do more to support African governments in their fight against extremism. They want financial support for a new task force made up of troops from five African countries. It is estimated that about $500 million will be needed for the first year of operations of the force. The United States is considering giving $60 million. Ten years of involvement The United States military began increasing its presence in the Sahel area in 2007 by creating the U.S. Africa Command, known as AFRICOM. It is based in Stuttgart, Germany. AFRICOM works with African countries to strengthen security on the continent. Since at least 2013, U.S. forces have carried out operations to train, advise, and assist Niger’s military. The two sides work with local officials to fight armed extremists. Niger has been an important partner. During the presidency of Barack Obama, the U.S. military built drone bases in the capital, Niamey, and in the northern city of Agadez. Lisa Mueller is an assistant professor of political science at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She says because “Niger has been a strong ally to the counterterrorism efforts, it has been natural for the United States to station its counterterrorism forces in that country.”   But the death of the American troops has caused an examination of U.S. partnerships in the Sahel. It is not clear if, or how, President Donald Trump or his administration will change its policy in the area. Some activists and U.S. lawmakers do not like the fact that some of the African partners have authoritarian governments. Brandon Kendhammer is an associate professor and director of the International Development Studies Program at Ohio University. He says even the government of Niger is, in his words, “problematically democratic.” But he says the U.S. involvement is helpful. “It’s pretty clear that these investments do make a real difference in the ability of the region to provide its own security,” he said. Kendhammer says an important part of that success has come from asking partners for their opinion about what should be done and how. He notes that some observers believe the U.S. African command makes its own decisions without asking the opinions of African leaders. But he says AFRICOM has a history of working with local officials and asking for their advice. Soldiers’ deaths U.S. military officials expect to complete their investigation into the Niger attack in January. Kendhammer says it appears that the American soldiers were involved in the kind of work that troops based in the Sahel must do: training local forces in everything from basic operations to advanced tactics, including reacting quickly to terrorist attacks. Kendhammer says the U.S. military wants to have a long-term effect on the area, so it follows the “train the trainer” model: American soldiers train local forces, who then share their knowledge and skills with other troops. No one has claimed responsibility for the October attack, but the U.S. military suspects militants linked to the Islamic State group were involved. The group is one of several extremist organizations operating in the Sahel. The extremists are usually local militants who promise to support an international organization like Islamic State or al-Qaida. This “affiliation” might be nothing more than being mentioned in an IS publication or could involve repeated contacts with the larger organization. Whether the involvement is limited or ongoing, partnering with an established terrorist organization can be more practical than ideological, says Kendhammer. He notes the group that may have carried out the attack in Niger was at one time allied with al-Qaeda, but changed in 2015 or 2016 to find a better partner. Local militants use methods designed to weaken American efforts for fighting terrorists. As VOA reported earlier, it is likely that villagers in Tongo Tongo, where the October attack took place, helped trap the American and Nigerien forces. The villagers’ apparent willingness to help militants may be the result of their efforts to build trust with local populations while denouncing America. Philip Obaji, Junior reported on the Daily Beast website earlier this month. His report said that people living in Tongo Tongo blamed the United States for a grenade attack in 2016 that killed six children. No evidence has linked the U.S. to the incident. But Obaji wrote that local militant groups have blamed it on America as a way to gain the support of the local population. I'm Jonathan Evans.   VOA News Writer Salem Solomon reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow 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   drone – n. an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by a computer or someone at a distance counterterrorism – n. measures designed to fight or prevent terrorism authoritarian – adj. expecting or requiring people to obey rules tactic – n. a method or device affiliation – n. a close connection to someone or something mention – n. the act of calling attention to someone or something practical – adj. relating to what is real; likely to be successful

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Abuse Accusations in Chinese Preschools Shock Parents

  Reports of child abuse at a preschool in Beijing, China, have shocked parents across the country. The reports also caused officials to order a nationwide inspection of early learning centers.   The case in Beijing is one of a number of reports of abuse in China’s growing early education industry.   At last month’s 19th Party Congress, the Chinese Communist Party listed preschool education as an important link in its efforts to develop the country’s education system. Officials aim to increase enrollment to 85 percent by 2020. That would make early education a $50-million industry. But since the Party Congress ended, there have been preschool scandals in two of the country’s major cities – Shanghai and Beijing. In early November, a video appeared online that showed teachers at a nursery school in Shanghai violently pushing students. The video also appeared to show them forcing children to eat a spicy hot food called wasabi. The school is for children of employees for the online travel company Ctrip. More recently, Chinese officials detained a woman suspected of abusing children at a Beijing kindergarten. The school is run by RYB Education. RYB operates about 1,300 day care centers in about 300 cities across China. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September. Police in Beijing’s Chaoyang area said Saturday that they had detained a 22-year-old female teacher. The statement was posted on the district police account of the Sina Weibo microblog site.  It identified the woman only by her family name, Liu. RYB Education said it was “extremely shocked and distressed” about the reported abuse. RYB said it had dismissed Liu and is cooperating with investigators. Parents of students at the RYB Beijing school say that the children were given sleeping medicine. Some say they also found needle marks on their children. Some say their children reported receiving medical examinations, while naked, by men. One of the men was also reported to be naked at the time. Police in Beijing said Tuesday night that some of the accusations are untrue. RYB has created a special team to carry out “self-inspection across all teaching facilities.” State media reported that officials in Beijing have requested inspectors at every kindergarten. They also have requested additional cameras in classrooms, including some to be linked directly to police stations. Some observers are hopeful that the attention to the reports from Beijing will lead to change. They say the problem has existed for years. Lenora Chu is an American writer and reporter. She wrote a book about China’s education system called “Little Soldiers, An American Boy, a Chinese School and the Global Race to Achieve.” She said the RYB Education case is different from past abuse cases in Chinese schools. “I think that what is different about this is that it is Beijing," Chu said. "Because it is a private school, because these are middle-class parents with money, I hope that change will begin to happen." Xue Xinya is head of the sociology and social work department at Xi’An Northwestern University.  She said problems have grown in China’s early childhood education since the country eased its economic policies. Before then, she said, “it was the company in charge, and it was your own people, taking care of your kids; everybody knew each other, and in general things were managed strictly. Under the planned economy, people were simpler, they just wouldn’t dare to abuse anyone.” After that, state-owned companies stopped providing some social services. There were fewer and fewer schools to care for children under the age of three. China’s leaders want more private investment to go into preschool education. But observers say some people are concerned by the lack of clear guidelines. No single government agency controls early education policy. Several ministries, including the Ministry of Education, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and Ministry of Civil Affairs, oversee China’s preschool division. Some have called for creating a Preschool Education Law to make clear the responsibilities that belong to the government. These would include management, teacher training, supervision and assessment. RYB has faced accusations in the past. In 2015, four RYB school teachers in the northern province of Jilin were found guilty of abuse, including sticking needles into 17 children. Two of the teachers were sentenced to two years and six months in prison. The others served for two years and 10 months. Three years is the most permitted for the crime of “maltreatment or neglect by a parent or caretaker.” I’m Ashley Thompson. And I’m ­­­­­­­Caty Weaver.    Bill Ide reported this story for VOA News from Beijing. Joyce Huang and Brian Kopczynski contributed to the report. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English, with additional materials from the Associated Press and Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   preschool - n. a school for very young children​ enrollment - n.​ the number of people going to a school scandal  - n.​ an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong​ account - n.​ an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company distressed - adj. suffering from pain or sadness naked - adj. not wearing any clothes : not covered by clothing facility - n.​ something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose middle-class - adj. the social class that is between the upper class and the lower class and that includes mainly business and professional people, government officials, and skilled workers neglect - n.​ lack of attention or care that someone or something needs assessment  - n.​ the act of making a judgment about something : the act of assessing something

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New Study Suggests Dogs May Be Smarter than Cats

  This is What’s Trending Today.  Are you a cat person or a dog person? People around the world are bitterly divided about which animal is the better pet. But a new study may have found a clear winner when it comes to which animal is more intelligent: dogs. Researchers at Vanderbilt University in the U.S. state of Tennessee recently studied the brains of several meat-eating mammals, including dogs, cats, lions, raccoons and bears. They found that dogs have many more neurons in the cerebral cortex than cats do. That area of the brain is connected to “thinking planning and complex behavior.” These are considered key to understanding an animal’s intelligence. Dogs have about 530 million cortical neurons; cats have about 250 million, the researchers found. Humans, for comparison, have 16 billion. Suzana Herculano-Houzel is a neuroscientist and a professor at Vanderbilt. She developed a way to measure the number of neurons in the cerebral cortex. She says the higher the number of neurons an animal has, the greater their ability to, in her words, “predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience.” The study’s findings mean that dogs may be able to do more complex things in their lives than cats can. Herculano-Houzel worked with graduate students and professors from across the United States as well as Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Their research is to appear in the journal “Frontiers of Neuroanatomy.” The results of the study became a trending topic on social media Thursday.  The researchers studied the brains of other animals, too. They found that bears had about as many neurons as cats -- despite having much bigger brains. And raccoons, despite their smaller brain size, had almost as many neurons in their cerebral cortex as dogs.   And as for Herculano-Houzel herself, she is “100 percent” a dog person. And that’s what’s trending today. I'm Alice Bryant.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   bitterly - adv. to an extreme or forceful degree. pet - n.  an animal (such as a dog, cat, bird, or fish) that people keep mainly for pleasure mammal - n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin behavior - n. the way a person or animal acts or behaves neuroscientist - n. a person who studies the functions of the nervous system and brain

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US Official: We Have the Tools to End AIDS Now

  Friday, December 1st marks the 30th World AIDS Day. One aim of the event is to show support for people living with HIV, the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. Another aim is to remember the people who have died from conditions related to AIDS. Since 1984, about 35 million people have died from HIV and AIDS-related diseases. This number makes "it one of the most destructive pandemics in history," according to the World AIDS Day website. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, released a report before the World Day observances on Friday. The report noted progress in containing HIV. It said 21 million people who have the virus are getting treatment. That number is more than half of all people living with HIV. The UN's goal is to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030. American Anthony Fauci has been working in the fight against AIDS since the 1980's. At that time, an HIV infection was considered a death sentence. Now people with the virus can expect to have a normal life if they get treatment. Fauci heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the United States government’s National Institutes of Health. He says that we have "the ability to end the pandemic as we know it." "What I mean is that we have extraordinarily effective drugs. But recently those drugs have been shown – over the past few years – not only to save lives of the people who take the drugs, but also to bring the level of virus in an infected person so low, below detectable level, that it makes it virtually impossible for that person to transmit the virus to someone else." However, people taking medications face the same problems as anyone else who takes medicines on a daily basis. Not everyone remembers to take their medications, and doctors’ prescriptions often need to be renewed. Sixteen million people infected with HIV are not getting treatment. Many in this group do not know they have the disease, so they continue to spread the virus. Some of them are lacking in healthcare, so they don't get tested. UNAIDS reports that some 1.8 million people became infected with HIV in 2016. That estimate is 39 percent lower than the number of newly-infected people in the late 1990s. In African countries south of the Sahara Desert, new HIV infections have fallen by 48 percent since 2000. However, the report notes that new HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have risen by 60 percent since 2010. In addition, AIDS-related deaths have increased by 27 percent. Even with the tools we have, Fauci does not see an end to the AIDS pandemic without an HIV vaccine. Several years ago, researchers tested an experimental AIDS vaccine in Thailand. That vaccine was 31 percent effective. By comparison, the measles vaccine protects up to 99 percent of those who get vaccinated. Fauci told VOA he is not sure if scientists can develop an AIDS vaccine that would be as effective. But he adds that even a vaccine with 50 or 60 percent effectiveness combined with other measures "could turn around the trajectory of the epidemic and essentially end it as we know it." Another vaccine trial is taking place in South Africa. The results will not be available until 2019 at the earliest, and there is no way of telling if that vaccine will be good enough to help end AIDS. For now, testing, anti-AIDS drugs, and changes in behavior are three tools to limit the spread of AIDS, according to UNAIDS. Behavioral change includes limiting the number of sexual partners, using clean needles and syringes, and using condoms during sexual activity. Both Fauci and UNAIDS say ending AIDS is up to the world community – and how much effort and money it is willing to use toward the goal. I'm John Russell. Carol Pearson reported on this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pandemic – n. a situation in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area according – adv. as stated by or in detectable – adj. capable of being discovered or noticed transmit – v. to cause (a virus or disease) to be given to others medication – n. a substance used in treating disease or easing pain prescription – n. written directions for use of a medicine trajectory – n. the curved path along which something (such as a rocket) moves through the air or through space -- often used figuratively to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result needle – n. a very thin, pointed steel tube that is pushed through the skin so that something (such as a drug) can be put into your body or so that blood or other fluids can be taken from it condom – n. a thin rubber covering that a man wears during sex to prevent a woman from becoming pregnant or to prevent the spread of diseases

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