February 5, 2018

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

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Philadelphia Eagles Team Is Underdog No More

This is What’s Trending Today … The “underdog” Philadelphia Eagles football team has won its first Super Bowl. The team defeated the favored New England Patriots in the National Football League championship Sunday night in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The final score was 41 to 33. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was named Super Bowl 52’s Most Valuable Player, or MVP. Foles was backup quarterback for most of the 17-week regular season. He replaced starter Carson Wentz when he was injured in week 14. The last time a player has gone from a backup at the start of the season to Super Bowl MVP was sixteen years ago. That player was Tom Brady, the quarterback of the Patriots. Brady led his team in play Sunday night also. Foles threw for three touchdowns and even caught the ball in a trick play. Brady dropped a pass in a similar play. However, he broke a Super Bowl record in passing. Twenty-eight other Super Bowl records were tied or broken during the game. The game was the second highest-scoring Super Bowl ever. As Brady’s final Hail Mary pass dropped on the field, incomplete, Eagles fans flooded the streets of Philadelphia to celebrate the Pennsylvania city’s first Super Bowl victory. Hometown newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, reported the scene this way: “Men hoisted women on their shoulders, a father set off fireworks with his son, and residents clobbered pots and pans… Some people drank champagne. Some cried. And everywhere, Eagles chants thundered through the air.” Some of the celebrations turned ugly, however. People broke windows of a department store and pushed over streetlights at major road crossings. In another incident, a car was overturned outside a hotel. And the mayor’s office said police made three arrests in connection with the post-Super Bowl activities. By the morning light, city workers were out to clean up the mess and prepare for a victory parade on Broad Street. And that's What's Trending Today. I'm Caty Weaver.   Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from the Associated Press and other sources. Caty Weaver was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   trick - n. something done to surprise or cause confusion Hail Mary - n. in American football, a long pass thrown into or close to the end zone as playing time runs out hoist -v. to raise something resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place clobber - v. to hit something very hard prepare - v. to make something ready for some activity

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Several Studies Show Oceans Face Serious Threats

The world’s oceans are sick, and getting sicker every day. Two new studies show the warming of Earth’s atmosphere is removing oxygen from ocean waters and harming coral reefs. Oxygen is necessary for all life in the oceans, except for a few extremely small organisms. And researchers said oxygen levels are low enough to threaten all the ocean life that depends on it. Denise Breitburg is an ocean scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. She is also a member of the Global Ocean Oxygen Network, a team of scientists organized by the United Nations to study the issue. Breitburg told the Associated Press, “If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters. That pretty much describes it.” The journal Science published the two studies. The first describes how the growing problem of falling oxygen levels is more complex than experts had thought. The second study shows that rising ocean temperatures are greatly increasing coral reef bleaching events. Scientists with the Global Ocean Oxygen Network reported that more than 32 million square kilometers of ocean are low in oxygen. These affected areas reach a depth of about 200 meters. This area is bigger than Africa, the second largest continent. The scientists say the area of low oxygen levels has grown about 16 percent since 1950. The Global Ocean Oxygen Network’s report is the widest reaching look at decreasing oxygen levels in the world’s seas so far. Lisa Levin is a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a co-author of the report. In her words, “The low oxygen problem is the biggest unknown climate change consequence out there.” Levin said past research had shown low oxygen areas that were the result of agricultural pollution. She said past studies also showed how warmer waters had created a lack of oxygen. But Levin said this latest study shows how both problems are connected by common causes and possible solutions. Co-author Denise Breitburg said that some low oxygen levels in the world’s ocean are natural, but not to the extent found. Wind patterns and ocean currents, believed changed by global warming, are preventing oxygen from sinking below the surface of the water. In addition, warmer water does not hold as much oxygen and less oxygen mixes into the water, she said. In the other study, a team of experts looked at 100 coral reefs around the world. They examined how often the reefs experienced severe bleaching events since 1980. Bleaching happens when water temperature rises just 1 degree Celsius above the normal high for an area. Before the 1980s, reefs that experienced bleaching would have 25 to 30 years before another event. The new study finds that bleaching events are now only about six years apart. Bleaching is not quite killing the sensitive corals. But it is breaking down the algae that lives inside them. This severely sickens the coral. Co-author Mark Eakin runs the Coral Reef Watch program for the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said coral reefs near Guam are some of the hardest hit. He said there have eight severe bleaching incidents there since 1994. Four of the incidents were in the last five years. Eakin said that it takes time to recover from bleaching. But, he said, now bleachings are happening too often for coral to recover. Only six of the 100 coral reefs had not experienced severe bleaching. Four are around Australia, one is in the Indian Ocean and another is off South Africa’s coast. But bleaching is not the only issue coral reefs face. Trash is also a danger. Another team of researchers recently reported about tons of plastic waste trapped in coral reefs from Thailand to Australia. The plastic is severely sickening the reefs, they said. That study was also published in the journal Science. It found that a total of 11.1 billion pieces of plastic are stuck in reefs in the Asia-Pacific region. The waste includes plastic bags and fishing equipment. The scientists predicted the amount of plastic would rise 40 percent by 2025.  Plastic increases the likelihood of coral disease by about 20 times. It can damage the structure, weakening a coral reef’s defenses. Plastic can also transport other organisms that harm coral. The study’s authors urged stronger restrictions on plastic waste. They also said better management of the fishing industry is necessary to protect coral. I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Anna Matteo.   Pete Musto adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. What more do you think the nations of the world can and should do to protect the oceans? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ QUIZ _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   coral reef(s) – n. a long line of hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures that lies in warm, shallow water journal – n. a magazine that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people bleaching – n. the removal color from something especially through the effect of sunlight or by using chemicals author – n. a person who has written something consequence – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions (to the) extent – n. used to describe the effect or importance of something in relation to something else pattern(s) – n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done quite – adj. completely or entirely sensitive – adj. easily affected by something in a way that is not pleasant or good algae – n. simple plants that have no leaves or stems and that grow in or near water trash – n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away ton(s) – n. a large amount region – n. a part of a country or of the world that is different or separate from other parts in some way management – n. the act or process of controlling and dealing with something

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California Considers Medical Abortion on Public College Campuses

  The state of California is making a new move in the dispute over abortion in the United States. In January, state lawmakers voted to require all 34 public universities in California to offer students medication to induce abortion. In order to become law, the bill will need to be approved by the Assembly. A medication abortion permits a woman to force a miscarriage by taking two pills within the first 10 weeks of becoming pregnant. Since the option came available to women in the U.S. in 2000, medical abortions have become more common as a way to end a pregnancy. Today, they account for more than 20 percent of U.S. abortions, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports medication abortions are also increasing worldwide, both as legal and secret measures. The WHO says the number of medical abortions has “likely contributed” to lower rates of secret abortions that result in injury and death to women. But few U.S. colleges provide medication abortions. And none of California’s public universities currently offers them. The latest move to require University of California and California State schools to offer the service has introduced another point of debate in an already severely disputed issue. Why is the move controversial? Abortion has been legal in the U.S. since the 1973 Supreme Court decision called Roe versus Wade. But that decision also says that states can make some restrictions on abortion. For example, many states require women seeking abortions to wait a certain number of weeks or to have an ultrasound – a medical test that allows them to see inside their uterus.   And regardless of national or state laws, public and political opinions about abortion in the U.S. remain sharply divided.   Opponents of the California state senate decision include the Students for Life of America. The group aims to end abortion not only on campuses, but across the country. A spokesperson for the group, Kristi Hamrick, told VOA over email: “There are no educational goals that will be met by expanding a university’s mandate to include ending pre-born life.” Hamrick adds that schools should be concerned with students’ safety; yet, the president of the Students for Life group says medication abortions bring dangerous risks to women. Another group, the California Catholic Conference, says the proposed law does not really respect a person’s decision to continue a pregnancy. Ned Dolejsi is the executive director of the group. He told VOA, “They [supporters] are not there to honor the life-affirming and life-giving choices that our faith would support. They’re all-in on encouraging a young woman to have an abortion.” The California Family Council said the state had gone too far in this case, and even some California State University officials expressed concern about the details of the proposal. A spokesperson for the CSU chancellor’s office says the requirement will impose high costs for insurance, safety measures, medical training, and 24-hour support for medical emergencies. Supporters see benefits But people who support the bill see many benefits. Senator Connie Leyva wrote the bill. She said that, for women seeking an abortion, acting quickly is important. Providing the medication on campus will ensure that women do not need a car or will have to miss class to find a doctor. And the student clinic will accept a student’s health insurance plan. Leyva said, “I firmly believe that all students should be able to decide what to do with their own bodies and when to factor a family into their life. After all, women do not lose the constitutional right to end a pregnancy simply because they are a college student.” If the bill to require medication abortions on California public universities passes, a group of private donors plans to help fund the effort. They say they will pay for up to $20 million in startup costs, including equipment and training for the staff. “We believe that if they just learned what was required and were trained that they would realize that it’s very straightforward and a huge, huge value to their patients,” said Dr. Ruth Shaber. Shaber leads the Tara Foundation, one of the promised donors. The bill’s sponsors estimate that between 19 and 32 students on California campuses would seek a medication abortion each month. I’m ­Susan Shand.   Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from Jonathan Cooper of the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   miscarriage - n. a condition when a pregnancy ends and does not result in the birth of a live baby uterus - n. the organ in women and some female animals in which babies develop before birth mandate - n. an official order to do something all-in - adj. allowing almost anything

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Historic Las Vegas Neon Signs Are Shining Again

Las Vegas, Nevada is a city famous for its exciting nightlife. One of the main streets is called The Las Vegas Strip. It has many large hotels and casinos, places where people can watch shows when they are not playing games of chance. Nearly all the buildings have bright, neon signs. Now, a new museum will give visitors a chance to see famous neon signs from the earliest days of Las Vegas. Forty signs from some of the city’s most famous casino-hotels and other businesses are shining once again at the Neon Museum. But their lights are not truly on. Over the years, the signs have been worn down by the weather, hot sunshine and desert winds. But a process called projection mapping has been used to bring the signs back to life. Projection mapping creates life-like digital animations of the signs onto the metal. Rob McCoy is the president of the Neon Museum. He told the Associated Press “We are combining art, history and technology in this space. This is Las Vegas as it was. It is very emotional. Even people who don’t live here, but live around the United States or around the world, they all have in their heads a romantic image of Las Vegas, and it’s usually that vintage, neon Las Vegas.” The new museum has the signs of the Golden Nugget, Lady Luck, and Binion’s Horseshoe. The museum presents a special 30-minute long show after sunset. Visitors are permitted to walk freely and get close to the signs. Songs like Elvis Presley’s “Night Life,” ″Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes and Ella Fitzgerald’s “I’m Beginning to See The Light” play as each sign lights up. In the United States, neon signs were first used at the 1893 World Fair in Chicago. But no city used the bright tube lights like Las Vegas. Many of the old signs are kept at the museum, but not all of them work. Visitors can only imagine what the signs looked like 30 or more years ago. Repairing the signs can cost tens of thousands of dollars each.  Projection mapping is a less costly process to show what they once looked like lighted up. Craig Winslow is the digital artist and designer who helped create the museum’s neon sign exhibit. He used old photographs, video and other information to digitally recreate each sign. He then used a scanning process to set the exact placement of eight projectors to align everything with the light bulbs, rusted metal and tubes of the signs. “There are moments here where there’s no bulb, but I’ve created a digital bulb that is in its place,” Winslow said. “From far away it just looks like the sign is lit. You get up closer, and you realize all these are broken or there are missing bulbs or hanging bulbs.” Historical video of the city will be projected onto the signs as well.  Some of the video shows the famous performer Liberace playing the piano and gamblers playing table games. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Regina Garcia Cano reported this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story align – v. to organize things so that they form a line or are in the right position casino – n. a building or room that has games of chance, such as roulette or blackjack neon – n. a colorless gas museum – n. a building where interesting and sometimes valuable objects are collected and shown to the public illuminated – adj. lit by bright lights vintage – adj.  used to describe something that is not new but that is valued because of its good condition or design digital animation – n. a process for creating moving images

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UNICEF: Conflict, Disasters Leave 59 Million Young People Illiterate

  Almost 60 million young people who live in countries affected by conflict or natural disaster are illiterate, the United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF, said this week.  More investment in education is needed, UNICEF said, to fight the crisis. Nearly 30 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 19 living in "emergency countries" cannot read or write. UNICEF has found that illiteracy is a bigger problem among girls and young women. Thirty-three percent of girls have not learned even the basics of reading. The same is true of 24 percent of boys living in “emergency countries.” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said the numbers are a clear reminder of the tragic effects that crises can have on a child’s education and their future. UNICEF is calling for more financial support for education programs, especially during humanitarian crises. It said only 3.6 percent of humanitarian money is used for the education of young people living in emergency situations. That makes education one of the least supported areas of humanitarian aid. The agency’s yearly Humanitarian Action for Children appeal began on Tuesday. It called for $900 million for countries damaged by man-made and natural disasters. The money would be used on programs such as accelerated learning, teacher training, school rebuilding and on school supplies. UNICEF also proposed that governments provide young children with early-learning opportunities and illiterate young people with specially designed education programs. The findings are based on the U.N. Educational, Science and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, literacy data on 27 emergency countries. The countries with the highest illiteracy rates among people between the ages of 15 and 24 are Niger (76-percent), Chad (69-percent), South Sudan (68-percent), and the Central African Republic (64-percent). UNICEF released the new data just before the start of the two-day Global Partnership for Education Replenishment Conference in Dakar, Senegal. The conference is designed to raise money to give all children and youth the opportunity to learn. I’m Phil Dierking.   Wayne Lee originally wrote this story for VOANEws.com. Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. How are illiteracy rates among children in your country?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   accelerate - v. to move faster​ advocacy - n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposa​l humanitarian - n. a person who works to make other people's lives better​ illiterate - adj. not knowing how to read or write​ stability - n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change​

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Internet Use Expanding in Least Developed Countries

  It can be difficult to live in the 21st century without using the internet, a smartphone or other digital device. A new report shows that electronic banking, internet marketing and other online activities are no longer just for people in rich countries. The report comes from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations. It notes that hundreds of millions of people in the world’s poorest countries are now using the internet and mobile technology. The ITU said that all 47 of the world’s least developed countries are making progress in increasing Internet access to their citizens. And more than 60 percent of the people there are able to use a 3G network. The term 3G means the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunication technology. The report said that by the end of 2017, about 700 million people in the least developed countries had signed up for a plan with a mobile phone service provider. In those areas, 80 percent of the population lives within range of a mobile cellular network. Given this progress, the ITU praised the growth of digital technology. It said the world’s least developed countries are on their way to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal on universal and affordable Internet access by 2020. Jennifer Ferguson-Mitchell is with the ITU. She told VOA that digital connectivity can provide valuable knowledge and information to populations around the world.  “It gives farmers access to information on crops, when to plant their crops, weather patterns that are happening. It provides access to online education to communities...It can make micro- and small- and medium-sized enterprises be able to compete with larger businesses.” The ITU said universal and low-cost internet access can help the poorest countries move forward in fields like education, health and trade. While the findings sound hopeful, the report identified the lack of digital skills as a barrier to information communication technology and Internet use in poor areas. The ITU called on policy makers, industry leaders and educators to work together to increase digital skills across the least developed countries. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Lisa Schlein reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted her report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   mobile – adj. of or related to something that can be moved access – n. permission or ability to enter or use something network – n. a group of computers; a group of radio or television stations range – n. the space included or covered universal – adj. including or covering all affordable – adj. low-priced; having a cost that is not high pattern – n. something designed or used as a model enterprise – n. a business or company   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.  

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Everyday Grammar: As If, As Though

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Lesson 18: Flour Baby, Part 2

Summary Anna and Pete complete their parenting experiment. But which one did a better job? And who will win the extra day of vacation?   Conversation Professor Bot: In Part 1 of this two-part lesson, Ms. Weaver gave Anna and Pete an assignment. Ms. Weaver instructed them to do everything by themselves. “Themselves” is a reflexive pronoun. In today’s lesson, Ms. Weaver will look at Pete’s and Anna’s research. First, let’s see Pete’s experiment. (Pete throws the bag of flour on his chair and throws many other things on his flour baby. Next, we see him outside enjoying ice-cream without his flour baby.) Ms. Weaver: Okay, Pete, let me see your research first. (Pete hands her a big binder filled with research.) Ms. Weaver: That’s a heavy binder. And you and your Baby look great. Pete: Thanks, Ms. Weaver. We feel great! Ms. Weaver: Anna. Anna, you’re next. Anna? Anna wake up! (She wakes up but is very confused.) Anna: I'm here, Baby! I’m here! I’m here! Here's your bottle. (She accidentally squirts her bottle and milk goes everywhere.) Ms. Weaver: Anna, you and your baby look awful. What happened? Anna: Well, I took her everywhere. Everywhere. And I fed her every three hours. So, I haven’t slept since … what day is it? Ms. Weaver: It’s Friday. What happened there? (Ms. Weaver points to a large bandage on Anna’s flour baby.) Anna: Oh, that. Oh, that. I was making myself a salad and had a little accident with a knife. I put my flour baby in front of me. And then I accidentally stabbed it. But I gave it First Aid! Ms. Weaver: Is that a burn? Anna: Yes. Yes it is. While I was making myself dinner, I put Baby next to me. I accidentally knocked her into the sink. So I put her in the microwave to dry. That’s when she caught fire. (Pete smiles, thinking he’s won.) Professor Bot: Okay. So, we use a reflexive pronoun when it refers to the subject of a sentence or clause. But we DON’T use a reflexive pronoun with prepositions of place. Anna uses examples of both in one sentence: While I was making myself dinner, I put Baby next to me. We use a reflexive pronoun in the first part of the sentence. “Myself” refers to the subject “I.”  But in the second part of the sentence, we don’t use a reflexive pronoun in the prepositional phrase. We use the pronoun “me.” Why? “next to” is a preposition of place. (Back in the meeting room, we’re about to learn who won the parenting experiment. Pete is smiling, thinking he won.) Ms. Weaver: Anna, Anna, you should be very proud of yourself. Pete: Proud? She stabbed and burned her baby!! And she only did one page of research…and it’s covered in milk. Ew. Ms. Weaver: Yes, Pete. But she followed instructions. Pete: Hey, I did ... Ms. Weaver:  Please, Pete. Anna, I think your baby has lost some weight. Is there something else you want to share? Anna: Yes. I’d like to share … these! I made them myself this morning. Pete: You baked your baby? You should be ashamed of yourself! Anna: I baked them at the end of the experiment, Pete. At that point, this was just a bag of flour. Pete: It was always just a bag of flour!! Ms. Weaver: Pete, will you listen to yourself?! You sound crazy. Pete: I sound crazy! This whole experiment was crazy!! She was the one who carried around and fed it and ... (Anna puts a cookie into his mouth. He chews it and begins to smile.) Pete: Mmm. That is good. (They all agree and eat the cookies.) Professor Bot: So, what have we learned? We’ve learned when to use reflexive pronouns and when not to. Go to our website for more information! You can practice using reflexive pronouns in our comments section.   New Words accidentally – adj. happening in a way that is not planned or intended ashamed – adj. feeling shame or guilt bake – v. to make food, such as bread and cake, by preparing a dough, batter, etc., and cooking it in an oven using dry heat bandage – n. a covering, such as a strip of cloth, that protects or supports part of the body that has been hurt binder – n. a cover for holding together sheets of paper bottle – n. a glass or plastic container that has a narrow neck and usually has no handle burn – n. an injury caused by fire, heat or acid burn – v. to destroy or damage something by fire or hear cookie – n. a sweet baked food that is usually small, flat, and round and is made from flour and sugar dry – v. to remove water or moisture from something or someone First Aid – n. emergency treatment given to a sick or injured person knife – n. a usually sharp blade attached to a handle that is used for cutting knock – v. to touch or hit someone or something in a way that is not planned or intended microwave – n. an oven in which food is cooked or heated quickly by very short waves of electromagnetic energy squirt – v. to suddenly force a liquid out through a small opening stab – v. to wound someone or something with a pointed object, such as a knife   Practice In last week's lesson, Professor Bot taught you when to use reflexive pronouns. This week, he teaches you when not to use them.  Now, you try it! Use the Comments section below and tell us about a time when you did something yourself, or a person or people you know did something by himself, herself or themselves. For example: After the holiday dinner, I washed all of the dishes myself. ("I" is the subject and "myself" is the reflexive pronoun.) Subjects and their reflexive pronouns: I…myself You…yourself He…himself Her…herself One…oneself It…itself We…ourselves You…yourselves They…themselves Remember, do NOT use reflexive pronouns: After prepositions of place: Ex: I put Baby next to myself. (wrong)        I put Baby next to me. (right)  Ex: I put my flour baby in front of myself (wrong)       I put my flour baby in front of me. (right) After these verbs: meet, feel, relax, concentrate: Ex: They will meet themselves at The Studio next Friday. (wrong)       They will meet at The Studio next Friday. (right) After verbs that describe things we normally do for ourselves, such as dress, shave and wash​: Ex: Anna got dressed herself for a day with her new flour baby. (wrong)       Anna got dressed for a day with her new flour baby. (right)   Listening Quiz See how well you understand this lesson by taking a listening quiz. Play each short video, then choose the best answer. ​Free Materials Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website. For Teachers Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions. Grammar focus: Reflexive pronouns  Topics: Following instructions; describing an accident   Comments Let us know what you think about this lesson. Send us an email or write to us in the Comments section below or on our Facebook page.

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Experts: Colleges Should Invest More in Research

  Vaccines. Popular sports drinks. Computers. Each one of these subjects is different from the others. But all three have something in common: they were all invented by researchers working at a college or university. Scientific invention and cultural exploration have been connected with higher education institutions for hundreds of years. Victoria McGovern says this is because colleges and universities would be limiting themselves if they only taught existing knowledge. McGovern is a senior program officer with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, an organization that supports medical research in the United States and Canada. McGovern argues that the search for new knowledge is what leads to greater discoveries and better education. “It’s a very good idea to connect the discovery of new things to the teaching of new students,” she told VOA, “because you don’t want people who come out of their education thinking that the world around them is full of solved problems. You want people to come out of an education excited about solving problems themselves.” But she notes that research costs money and most colleges and universities do not have a lot of extra money for that purpose. Most schools have limited budgets and many competing goals and needs. So a big part of being a researcher at a college or university is asking for financial support from other places, McGovern says. Such places include private companies and organizations like hers, as well as local and national governments. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, is one example. The NIH is the main government agency in the U.S. that supports medical and public health research. The NIH provides about $32 billion a year for health research. Researchers must apply for this financial support by writing a grant proposal explaining the goals and processes involved in their work. McGovern says the application process for grant money is highly competitive. It can be very difficult for some researchers, especially those who are not skilled at expressing themselves in writing. “In day to day life, you get too busy…to think about the big picture,” McGovern said. “How often do you, in your personal life, say ‘Here’s what I want to be doing exactly one year from now?’ When you write a grant, that’s what you’re talking about.” McGovern added: “It’s hard for individuals, sometimes, to tell whether what they’ve written down is the best writing that they could have done.” Kristine Kulage argues that it is now more difficult than ever for university researchers to get funding. Kulage is the director of research and scholarly development at the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York City. She has been working in university research for 20 years. She says that the grant application process has only gotten longer and more complex. Kulage told VOA, “Researchers don’t have time to conduct their research, write their grants and learn how to use all of these new systems through which they have to submit their grants.” She said in addition to all those responsibilities, researchers must make sure they are compliant with regulations. “There are so many rules now…It takes individuals who are now trained as research administrators to know what those rules are…And know whether or not the rules are being followed,” she said. Kulage suggests that schools now must do more to support their researchers if they want to successfully earn grant money. Last November, she published a study of what happened when Columbia’s School of Nursing chose to better support its researchers. The report studied how, between 2012 and 2016, the school chose to invest $127,000 in the creation of a support system. This system includes employing administrators to complete necessary application documents, freeing researchers to spend more time on their research. The system also provides a review process in which researchers go through several steps before they submit a grant proposal. First, researchers must write a short, clear description of the aims of their project. Researchers often have difficulty explaining their work to people with no special knowledge of the subject matter, Kulage said. So, Columbia administrators with no involvement in the research read the description and offer criticism. Other researchers also review the description to offer their ideas about whether or not the goals of the research can be reached. Finally, after changes are made to the proposal, administrators and other researchers meet with the grant writers. They then hold a review meeting similar to what the grant-writers will face once they have submitted their proposal. Normally, the group offering the grant will meet with the proposal writers and ask them questions. They expect the writers to defend their proposal. In this practice meeting, the grant writers get a chance to think about their project more and better prepare their defense of it. Kulage says the efforts of Columbia’s Schools of Nursing had clear results. Over the five years studied, the proposals that went through the review process were about twice as likely to be accepted as those that did not. The Columbia School of Nursing’s investment of $127,000 led to $3 million in grant funding. McGovern and Kulage both agree that applying for research funding alone is very difficult. So, even having one other person read a proposal and give their opinions can be very important to its success. Kulage admits that large companies carry out a lot of research and development. But their research usually relates to success in their industry. University researchers are different. They have the freedom to take risks on possibly unpopular ideas. Those risks can often lead to important discoveries that colleges and universities have a responsibility to share with the world, she says. I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Susan Shand.   Pete Musto reported this for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. In what ways do universities in your country support their own researchers? How complex is applying for a research grant? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ QUIZ ​ ​________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   institution(s) – n. an established organization apply – v. to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school or a loan, usually in writing grant – n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government or a company to be used for a particular purpose, such as scientific research funding – n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose conduct – v. to plan and do something, such as an activity submit – v. to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone so that it can be considered or approved compliant – adj. agreeing with a set of rules, standards, or requirements regulation(s) – n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done review – n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone practice – n. a regular occasion at which you do something again and again in order to become better at it

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Rats!

  Now, Words and Their Stories, a weekly program from VOA Learning English. Today we will be talking about a hated but misunderstood animal – the rat. The sight of a rat might frighten you. Or it might make you sick to your stomach. Well, perhaps not everyone. In some countries, dishes made with rat meat can be rare and sometimes pricey -- what we call a delicacy. Plus, rats are useful. With their extreme sense of smell, people can train giant rats to find land mines and even tuberculosis. But do these things make people love rats? No. For the most part, rats are not beloved animals. For starters, they're not cute. They have pointed noses and long, thin tails. They can eat and damage crops. And the world has long blamed rats for spreading diseases, like the Bubonic plague in Europe during the 14th century. It does not help your reputation when you are accused of killing at least one-third of the population of an entire continent. But, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge. Scientists now think that it was most likely not rats, but another rodent, the gerbil, that caused the Bubonic plague. They suspect that gerbils traveled to Europe from Asia, some along the Silk Road that traders used. But these animals were not carrying spices and silk, but rather disease. Today, however, gerbils are pets in many American homes. Teachers sometimes keep them in classrooms for students to care for. Rats, not so much. Such is the difficult life of an unwanted, misunderstood animal. So, scientists can debate the role of rats in spreading disease. But the fact that rats have a really bad reputation in American English is not debatable. It’s the truth. None of our rat expressions means anything good. The simplest way we use this word is to simply say, “Rats!” Americans often use this expression when something goes wrong. The term is common and polite -- unlike some of our other expressions we might use when we are angry. As we said earlier, rats may have a good sense of smell. But smelling a rat isn’t good. When we say, “I smell a rat!” we suspect that something is wrong. If you feel that someone has betrayed you, you can say that you smell a rat. A pack rat is not good, either. This is a person who keeps useless things. And worse, they live with all the stuff they have collected.   So, calling someone a "rat" is never an expression of respect or affection. When describing people, a “rat” is someone who is not loyal or cannot be trusted. A rat snitches on someone to an authority figure – a parent, a teacher, a police officer. As a verb, the word "rat" isn't good either. To rat on someone means to betray a loved one, friend or someone else you know. When you rat on someone, you tell on them. Let's say you know that your brother ate the last piece of cake when he wasn't supposed to. You rat on him to your parents. Or maybe you rat on a colleague at work. Ratting on people, or tattling on them, will not win you friends. It just makes you a rat. Or worse -- a rat fink. The words tattling and tattletales are often used for children. But ratting someone out or snitching on them can be for any age. No matter what your age, nobody likes to be called a rat, a snitch or a tattletale. However, it is a little different when the police are involved. Let's say you have information about a crime. When the police begin asking questions, you decide to keep that information to yourself. You may feel you don't want to rat on someone else. However, nobody would blame you for sharing information with the police if it helps them catch a criminal. Well, another criminal might not approve. Most criminals have a different code of conduct among themselves: You don't rat on fellow criminals to the police. In old police television shows and movies, you may hear one criminal criticize another who snitched to the police. They may say, "You dirty rat!" You would not say that a hardened, possibly violent criminal tattled on another ... unless you were trying to be funny. So, when using the word “rat” in English know that the meaning is never a good one. But in life, maybe we should take another look at rats and give them a chance. And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories. Do rats have a good reputation in your country? Please tell us! It would be nice to know there is a place on this planet where saying "Rats!" is a good thing. I'm Anna Matteo.   "You won't tell me where you've been. Whiskey running down your chin. I smell a rat, baby. I smell a rat, baby. You better watch out. I smell a rat, baby." Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton singing "I Smell a Rat." _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   delicacy – n.  a food that people like to eat because it is special or rare tuberculosis – n.  a serious disease that mainly affects the lungs : also called TB reputation – n. overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general pet – n. a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility polite – adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people betray – v. to hurt (someone who trusts you, such as a friend or relative) by not giving help or by doing something morally wrong snitch – v. to tell someone in authority (such as the police or a teacher) about something wrong that someone has done authority – n. the power to give orders or make decisions : the power or right to direct or control someone or something code of conduct – n. an agreement on rules of behavior for the members of that group or organization

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