Lesson 49: Operation Spy!

Summary Ms. Weaver has asked Anna to help with Operation Spy. Her mission is to learn all she can about spying. She learns by going to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Speaking In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then compare the present perfect, present, and past verb tenses.  ​Pronunciation Use this video to learn about how Americans pronounce the reduced forms of "has" and "have' in the present perfect verb tense. Conversation Anna: It is no secret that Washington, D.C. has spies. Well, it should be a secret because spying is secret. But it’s not a secret. There’s even a spy museum! The International Spy Museum has created an amazing collection of spy things! And today, we will see them! My boss, Ms. Weaver, has sent me here … on a mission! Ms. Weaver: Hello, Anna, are you there? Anna: That’s her. Yes, Agent Peacock. This is Agent Flamingo, reporting for duty. Ms. Weaver: Agent what? Look, Anna … I mean, Agent Flamingo, I want you to learn all you can about spying. Anna: You mean, collect intelligence? Ms. Weaver: Yeah, it’s for our new show -- “D.C. Secrets.” Anna: You've got it, Agent Peacock. The mission is safe with me. Ms. Weaver: Oh, okay, great. Just be back by noon. Anna: Agent Peacock, I’m at an air duct! Ms. Weaver: Yes, spies sometimes sneak down air ducts. Anna: I have never snuck down an air duct. It’s dark and small. I’m afraid of dark, small places. Ms. Weaver: You can do it, Agent Flamingo. You know, spies aren’t afraid of a little darkness. Anna: Right. It’s just an air duct -- a dark, small air duct. Okay. I’m doing it, Agent Peacock! I am sneaking down a long, dark, small air duct. I’m having a little trouble breathing. Ms. Weaver: Just keep going, Agent Flamingo. Think of the team! Anna: Okay, I will think of the team. I’m thinking of the team, Agent Peacock! I did it! I did it! I sneaked down an air duct. That was a little uncomfortable. Ms. Weaver: Good! Anna: What's the next mission? Ms. Weaver: Umm … have you ever cracked a code? Anna: No. Ms. Weaver: Well, go learn. Spies use their brains. Anna: Got it! I’ve never cracked a code before. Let’s try, Agent Flamingo! This is really hard. I'm still trying to crack the code. I've cracked the code! I've cracked the code, Agent Peacock! My brain really hurts. Ms. Weaver: Great. Umm, Agent Flamingo, now answer this question: Do spies have to be in good shape? Anna: “Yes,” Agent Peacock! Spies have to be in really good shape! Can you hear me? Ms. Weaver: You’re breaking up, Flamingo. Anna: The International Spy Museum is awesome! Agent Peacock, I completed the mission! Ms. Weaver: Great. Great. Now, I have another very important mission for you. Anna: Got it. See you back at H.Q.! Ms. Weaver: Yummy! You brought my lunch! Thanks, Agent Flamingo! Anna: Mission completed. Agent Peacock! (Amelia makes a face.) Ms. Weaver: Don't ask.   Special thanks go out to the International Spy Museum for letting us film in the museum! Writing In this lesson, Anna learns about a job that many people think is exciting. Have you ever thought about doing a job that is different from the one you have now, or the one you think you will have when you finish school? Would it be more fun or more exciting? Tell us about the job. Write to us by email or in the Comments section. Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet to practice three verb tenses and learn about how your friends practice speaking English.  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 Find Practice Opportunities. This strategy is what we use when we look for any chance we can get to practice speaking, listening to, reading, or writing English.  In this lesson, Anna is learning about being a spy. She practices some of the things that spies do - sneaking down an air duct, cracking a code, and staying in good shape. She found a good opportunity to practice spy skills. These experiences will help her to write a good story for her children's show. What do you do to find opportunities to practice English? Maybe you meet another English learner for coffee and speak English when you are together. Maybe you write emails or texts to a friend in English. Or you could read in English for fun: novels, comics, blogs, tweets, and so on. Write to us about how you look for ways to practice 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 agent - n. a person who tries to get secret information about another country or government air duct - n. a duct or pipe for air to flow through to the rooms of a building brain - n. the organ of the body in the head that controls functions, movements, sensations, and thoughts breathe - v. to move air into and out of your lungs code - n. a set of letters, numbers or symbols that is used to secretly send messages to someone collection - n. a group of interesting or beautiful objects brought together in order to show or study them complete - v. to finish making or doing (something) crack - v. to find an answer or solution to (something) duty - n. something that is done as part of a job flamingo - n. a tall wading bird with mainly pink or scarlet plumage and long legs and neck H.Q. - abbrev. headquarters - n. a place from which something (such as a business or a military action) is controlled or directed intelligence - n. secret information that a government collects about an enemy or possible enemy mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do operation - n. a set of planned actions for a particular purpose peacock - n. a male peafowl, which has very long tail feathers that it can spread like a fan secret - n. a fact or piece of information that is kept hidden from other people shape - n. a physically strong and healthy condition sneak - v. to move quietly and secretly in order to avoid being noticed spy - n. a person who tries secretly to get information about a country or organization for another country or organization   ​______________________________________________________________ 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, past, and present perfect verb tenses, and talk about ways to practice English. 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 vs. present; Present perfect vs. past tense Topics: Reacting to information; Research for work Learning Strategy: Find Practice Opportunities Speaking & Pronunciation: Reduced forms of has/have in present perfect tense _______________________________________________________________ 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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William Taft: Heavy

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents. Today we are talking about William Howard Taft, who took office in 1909. In some ways, the story of Taft’s presidency is also a story about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Roosevelt had been president for the eight years before Taft. The two men were friends; Roosevelt was even a mentor to Taft. But the two men were very different. Roosevelt was energetic, both in his physical abilities and in his use of executive power. His vision for the country was progressive. In contrast, Taft was a more conservative, heavy man who fell asleep in meetings, and who did not make decisions quickly. In fact, Americans often remember Taft because of his size. His weight changed frequently, but as president Taft usually weighed about 135 kilograms. One popular story claims that Taft got stuck in a White House bathtub. This story is not true. However, it is true that Taft had a special bathtub made for him. Several men could sit comfortably in it. As president, Taft did continue some of Roosevelt’s reforms, but in a more orderly way. He also took some actions that contradicted Roosevelt’s wishes. In four years, the two men had gone from political allies to competitors for the White House.  Early life Taft was another president who was born in the state of Ohio. He grew up in the city of Cincinnati, along with five siblings. Taft’s father was a well-known lawyer, public official and diplomat. He was an advisor to President Ulysses Grant. His mother was an intelligent, independent woman who also worked for the public good. The Tafts had high expectations for their son. He became an excellent student, who went on to study at Yale and then the University of Cincinnati Law School.   Taft sought a career path that he hoped would lead him one day to the U.S. Supreme Court. He worked as a lawyer, and then as a judge in Ohio. Along the way, he met Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt helped Taft advance his career as a judge. But one person was not happy about the career move: Taft’s wife. Taft had married an intelligent, independent woman named Helen Herron, known as Nellie. She had always wanted to be first lady, and she urged her husband to follow a path toward the White House. In time, Nellie Taft had her wish. In 1900 President William McKinley offered Taft a position in the Philippines. The islands had come under the control of the United States after the Spanish-American War. McKinley wanted Taft to help prepare the Philippines to be ruled by civilians, instead of by soldiers. Taft worried he would not like the job; however, he knew that it was a good chance to build a political career. Taft was right about that. But he was wrong about disliking the job. He enjoyed it so much that he turned down two offers to return to the U.S. and serve on the Supreme Court. In the Philippines, Taft successfully established courts, schools, a transportation network, and a health care system. Taft did have pejorative views about the people who lived there – he did not think they were yet capable of governing themselves. But he performed his job as governor general effectively. Taft might have even stayed in the Philippines if it were not for his friend Theodore Roosevelt. In 1901, Roosevelt became president. He asked Taft to become his secretary of war. Taft agreed, partly so he could continue to supervise the Philippines. But the job also put him in a position to become president himself. Presidency William Taft did not really want to be president. But Theodore Roosevelt and Nellie Taft wanted him to be. During the election of 1908, Taft permitted Roosevelt to do most of the campaigning for him. He spent a lot of time golfing. Taft was the first president to be strongly linked – so to speak – to the sport of golfing. (Another word for golf course is “links.”) Yet voters approved of Taft. They likely hoped he would continue the reforms of Roosevelt. He won the election easily. Once in the White House, however, Taft did several things that reversed Roosevelt’s positions. First, Taft signed a bill that did not reduce tariffs as much as many progressive activists wanted. Then, Taft removed one of Roosevelt’s friends from a goverment position. Taft believed he was correct in making the move, but Roosevelt and many other Republicans were furious. Some historians say they did not give Taft enough credit for the many reforms he did make. His government pursued a large number of anti-trust suits against big business. It also advanced two Constitutional amendments – one to establish a federal income tax, and another to permit voters to elect senators directly. As the end of Taft’s term in the White House came near, the Republican Party was divided. At their 1912 convention, a majority of delegates nominated Taft for president again. But a number left the meeting in anger. They created a new group, called the Progressive Party, and nominated as their candidate Theodore Roosevelt. Taft and Roosevelt, along with the Democratic Party candidate, fought a bitter campaign during 1912. Of the three, Taft came in last. Roosevelt came in second. The divided Republicans had given control of the White House to the Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson. Legacy Happily for him, Taft’s story does not end there. Taft taught at Yale University Law School for a while. Then, when a Republican took the White House again, President Warren Harding appointed Taft as chief justice of the Supreme Court. He is the only person to lead both the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. Taft was clear about which one he favored: He was much more comfortable as a justice than he was as president. One journalist at the time described Chief Justice Taft as “a smiling Buddha, placid, wise, gentle, sweet.” He even lost weight. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.      ____________________________________________________________ Listening Quiz See how well you understand the story by taking this listening quiz. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   mentor - n. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person contrast - n. the act of comparing people or things to show the differences between them contradicted - v. to not agree with (something) in a way that shows or suggests that it is false or wrong advance - v. to help the progress of something network - n. a system of lines, wires, etc., that are connected to each other pejorative - adj. insulting to someone or something reversed - v. to cause (something, such as a process) to stop or return to an earlier state tariffs - n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country progressive - n. a person who favors new or modern ideas especially in politics and education comfortable - adj. allowing you to be relaxed : causing no worries, difficulty, or uncertainty

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Researchers Use Brain Cells to Control Aging in Mice

It is a question people have been asking for—well-- ages.  Is there a way to turn back the aging process in people? For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth.” The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink from its waters, you will not age. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León searched for waters with magical powers in the early 1500s. But what he found instead is the American state of Florida. Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears the answer may be hidden right between your eyes, in an area called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is part of your brain. It controls important activities within the body. They include growth, reproduction and the way we process food. Researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that hypothalamus neural stem cells also influence how fast aging takes place in the body. What are stem cells?  They are simple cells that can develop into specialized cells, like blood or skin cells. Stem cells can also repair damaged tissues and organs. Dongsheng Cai is a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He was the lead researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings in the journal Nature. Cai explains what they found. "Aging speed is controlled, can be controlled by a particular place in the body, which is the hypothalamus. And it can be controlled by a particular type of cells, which are hypothalamus stem cells. I think these findings are quite interesting, potentially even remarkable." He adds that when the hypothalamus starts aging, so does the body. "So when hypothalamus function is in decline, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, and this protection against the aging development is lost, it eventually leads to aging." Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate, or energize, the hypothalamus in laboratory mice. They did this by injecting the animals with stem cells. Later, the researchers examined tissues and tested for changes in behavior. They looked for changes in the strength and coordination of the animals’ muscles. They also studied the social behavior and cognitive ability of the mice. The researchers say the results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals.  Cai says injecting middle-aged mice with stem cells from younger mice helped the older animals live longer. "When we injected the hypothalamus stem cells, which were derived from young mice, we injected them to the middle-aged mice and that was, in fact, to slow down aging. So the mouse aged slowly and they also have increased their lifespan, which is longevity." But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in human beings. "If we can translate what we have seen in animals to humans, I think humans, they can function better during later ages, later stage of aging." Cai and his team say their studies may have other benefits. They say the findings could lead to new ways to help doctors identify and treat any number of age-related health issues. I’m Anne Ball.   Kevin Enochs reported on this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz Now, test your understanding with this short quiz. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fountain – n. a device or structure that sends a stream of water into the air in a garden, park, etc neural – adj. of, relating to, or involving a nerve or the nervous system remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed function – n. the job or duty of a person coordination – n. the process of organizing people or groups so that they work together properly and well cognitive – adj. of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities (such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering) benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

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Native American Tribes Consider Entering Marijuana Market

Native American tribes want to begin growing and selling marijuana. They hope it will help end poverty on reservations, the large areas where many Native Americans live. However, there is uncertainty about the future of US marijuana policy.  Cannabis is the plant that produces marijuana. The growth and sale of marijuana in some states has become a big business. Arcview is a cannabis investor network in California. It says the U.S. marijuana market earned $6.7 billion in 2016. Supporters of cannabis say it has many uses. The male cannabis plant can be used to make hemp, which is used around the world in more than 25,000 products. These include food, fabric and medicine. Multiple benefits Leslie Bocskor is the founder of Electrum Partners, which helps states and Native American tribes enter the marijuana business. He said hemp can be used to create plastics that are more environmentally friendly than those made from oil and gas, which are not biodegradable. Bocskor says when hemp is put into a landfill it will degrade and not cause damage to the environment. He said the creation of plastic products causes more pollution than the making of products from hemp. Native American tribes have an advantage over other companies in the cannabis business. Many businesses in the United States lower their taxes by deducting their business expenses from their profits. But companies that grow and sell cannabis are not permitted to deduct their business expenses. This means they pay a higher tax rate than do other companies. However, Native American tribes and the companies they own do not pay federal income taxes on money earned on reservations. Bocskor says this means that a tribe-owned cannabis company could earn a profit margin of up to 85 percent. ​Conflicting laws The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 bans the growth, sale and use of marijuana and other drugs. But the law has not stopped states from legalizing marijuana. In 1996, California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medical uses. Since then, other states have done so. Some states have also legalized the recreational use of marijuana. In a document released in 2013, the United States Department of Justice said states could give their citizens the right to grow and sell marijuana. The department said people would not be arrested for doing so. There were some restrictions. For example, states could not permit cannabis to be grown on public land. They could not permit the sale of marijuana to young people, or let it be sold in states where it was still illegal. The department wrote similar rules for tribal governments a few months later. Vincent Sliwoski is a lawyer in Portland, Oregon. Some of his clients are cannabis companies. He teaches cannabis law. He says the Justice Department document means the federal government does not want to spend money enforcing marijuana laws. But he says the Trump administration could change that policy. Twenty-nine states and Washington, DC have legalized some form of marijuana use. Several tribes have tried to enter the marijuana business, but most have been stopped by the federal government. Some Native Americans are operating successful marijuana businesses, including the Squaxin Island Tribe in Washington State. Others have banned marijuana, like the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota. ​Tribal operations raided In July 2015, government agents raided two reservations in northern California. They said the tribes were producing a greater amount of marijuana than is permitted. The tribes denied the accusations. Three months later, federal agents took hemp plants from the Menominee Nation in the upper-Midwestern state of Wisconsin. The agents said people who were not Native Americans were operating the tribe’s cannabis business. The agents also said that the tribe was producing plants with higher levels of THC than permitted. THC is a part of the cannabis plant that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects. The Menominee tribe said it had asked the government to test the plants and had said it would destroy any plants that had levels of THC higher than permitted. After these raids, the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe in South Dakota burned its crop and closed its cannabis-growing operations. The tribe feared it would also be raided. It is not clear why some federal agents have raided some tribal marijuana operations. Sliwoski said it is possible that some police agencies do not understand the 2013 Department of Justice document, or are targeting Native American tribes. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he opposes the use of marijuana. An administration spokesman said the president sees a big difference between medicinal and recreational use of marijuana. He suggested that the administration may release a policy limiting the recreational use of marijuana. Leslie Bocskor believes banning the medical and recreational use of marijuana would be very unpopular. He does not believe the federal government will take any action limiting the uses of the drug. And he notes that marijuana sales have brought a lot of money to some states. More than $500 million in taxes have been paid in Colorado by the marijuana industry since voters decided to legalize the drug in 2014. I’m Phil Dierking. And I'm Caty Weaver.   Cecily Hilleary reported this story from Washington. Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English. Christopher Jones-Cruise was the editor.  Do you think marijuana should be legal or illegal?  Why? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   ______________________________________________________________  Words in This Story    biodegradable - adj. capable of being slowly destroyed and broken down into very small parts by natural processes, bacteria, etc. cannabis - n. a drug (such as marijuana or hashish) that comes from the hemp plant and is smoked illegally deduct - v. to take away (something, especially an amount of money) from a total fabric – n. woven or knitted materia landfill - n. a system in which waste materials are buried under the ground marijuana – n. the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant that are smoked as a drug profit margin – n. the difference between the cost of buying or making something and the price at which it is sold psychoactive - adj. affecting the mind. reservation – n. an area of land in the U.S. that is kept separate as a place for Native Americans to live recreational – adj. done for enjoyment

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Will China Bring Back ‘Chairman’ Title?

China has only one chairman, and that is Chairman Mao Zedong. Mao served as chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The position was so powerful that party leaders did away with the title within years of Mao’s death in 1976. But is the title truly gone forever? Maybe not. On June 30, at a military parade in Hong Kong, President Xi Jinping met troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The troops responded to greetings from Xi by shouting, “Greetings, Chairman.” The title was heard again on July 30, during a military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the PLA in Inner Mongolia. At that event, troops also responded to Xi’s greetings by saying, “Greetings, Chairman.” ​ A new position for Xi? Currently, Xi is both general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission. But some wonder if Xi might use the National Congress meeting this autumn to claim the position of party chairman. The move is important because it would permit Xi to have veto power over all the other members of the committee. It could also permit him to hold on to power longer. Xi’s current position as general secretary is limited to two terms. Tai Ming Cheung is an analyst of Chinese and East Asian defense and national security affairs with the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California, San Diego. He said that Xi’s two recent meetings with troops showed that “if the PLA and the country go to war, he is in charge.” With the National Party Congress set to meet, one might expect a few candidates to be working to follow Xi as party leader. “But there were no other political leaders at any of these parades, so it looks as if he’s not grooming a successor, and it looks as if he controls the military,” Cheung told VOA Chinese. Tom Fingar is a Shorenstein Asia-Pacific research fellow at Stanford University in California. He said the PLA’s response to Xi as party leader shows the army takes orders from the party, not the people. “I do not see this as elevating Xi to the stature of Mao,” Fingar said. Why is the title important? History may explain why some Chinese worry about bringing back Mao’s title of chairman. Wenqian Gao is a senior policy adviser at Human Rights in China. He said, “All the biggest disasters that occurred during the Communist rule were due to Chairman Mao’s unchecked power.” In May 1966, Mao started the Cultural Revolution to take full control over the Communist Party. The New York Times said the exact number of dead during the Cultural Revolution is not known. But a number of one million or more is most commonly reported. Many died from food shortages, and others were killed by the government or died in prison because they were not seen as loyal enough to the Communist Party. I’m John Russell.   Ning Xin reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   title - n. a word or name that describes a person's job in a company, government or organization respond - v. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request groom - v. to prepare someone for a particular job or position successor - n. a person who succeeds another person elevate - v. to make someone more important stature - n. the level of respect that people have for a successful person, organization

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Everyday Grammar: Anyway

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You Won’t Get Grades at These Colleges

At most American colleges, teachers give students grades that evaluate their performance in class. The grades range from A to F – with A the highest and F signaling failure. But some colleges do not use grades. Instead, teachers write reports on what the students did well and what they did not do well. The reports also include suggestions on how students can do better. Students and teachers say the written reports provide much more information than letter grades on how students are doing. But some students admit that their parents complain they cannot brag to family and friends that their child is an “A student.” Students praise feedback Jessica Wewers, 21, is an early education major at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Alverno is a small Catholic college serving female students. Wewers said when she returns to her home in Illinois, some friends tell her they think it is strange she does not receive letter grades. But Wewers likes the detailed information her teachers provide. It has already helped her prepare teaching plans simple enough for young children to understand. “I was asking a little too much of younger children,” Wewers said. Her classmate, Angelina Nuno, transferred from a large state college, where she struggled with her writing. Detailed suggestions from her Alverno teachers helped her write clearly. Soon, Nuno expects to begin tutoring fellow students to help with their writing problems. Student willing to take difficult classes Ben Stumps is a senior at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He said that he received traditional A through F grades at high school. But in many cases, he could not explain why he received the grades he did. Stumps said students at Hampshire and other colleges without letter grades are more willing to take difficult classes. For example, Stumps said he struggled in high school with science. But he was willing to take a science class in college because he did not risk getting a bad grade that could hurt his grade point average. And, he found that he not only enjoyed the science class, but had the skills to successfully complete scientific research. Other schools that provide written reports instead of letter grades include Antioch University with campuses in Los Angles, California and four other locations; New College of Florida; Prescott College in Arizona; Goddard College in Vermont and Washington; and Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Evergreen State College, both in Washington State. Indiana University did a report on the history of grading in America. It said Yale University in Connecticut was the first college to give out grades to “differentiate” student performance. In other words, it wanted to show how students compared to each other. Yale started in the late 1700s with a top grade of “optimi” and a grade of "inferiores" for students not doing very well. International students Mark Hower is interim provost at Antioch University in Los Angeles. He said international students often must adjust to college life in America. Written evaluations can help them understand what is expected of them better than a letter grade that “tells them very little,” Hower said. Nevertheless, some people worry what will happen to Antioch students when they apply for graduate school and jobs. Will they be able to compete with students who have traditional grades? Hower says yes. Most admissions officers and employers welcome the more detailed information Antioch provides, he added. Rachel Rubinstein is dean of academic support at Hampshire College. She said people running companies do not use letter grades to evaluate their workers. They value employees based on whether they can do their jobs well. Rubinstein said colleges should do the same. “Letter grades do not tell you nearly enough about how students are doing."  Do students need the reward of good grades to work hard? William Coplin is director of the Public Affairs Program of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in New York. He said most colleges do not give students enough information about how grades are determined. But he questions if students will work hard if they are not worrying about getting good grades. “Kids are motivated by grades,” Coplin said. “There are very few kids who are self-motivated.” Vanessa Rios, 32, earned an undergraduate degree from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She is now working toward her master’s degree at Antioch. Rios said just because students are not getting letter grades does not mean students can get away without working hard. The detailed reviews by teachers mean they need to understand what is being taught, she said. “What it (not having grades) does do is reduce the anxiety level,” Rios said. Students expecting less work will be disappointed Kathy Lake is vice president for academic affairs at Alverno. She said students will be disappointed if they think “no grades” means less work. At many colleges, students stay up all night before big exams to try to learn information they were supposed to learn over months in the classroom. “That just doesn’t work at Alverno,” Lake said. At Alverno, teachers evaluate students at each class -- meaning one night of studying will not be nearly enough, she said. I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Jill Robbins.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. Would you like to attend school that does not provide letter grades? Do you think you’d learn more about your performance from written reports? _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   brag - v. to talk about yourself, your achievements, your family and other things in a way that shows too much pride tutor - v. to work with a student to help him/her learn campus - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school adjust - v. to make necessary changes evaluation - n. to judge the value or condition of someone in a careful and thoughtful way academic - adj. relating to schools and education anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen  

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A New Use for Old Books

  Some people are using old books to create works of art, including sculptures. They can change the shape of a hardcover book so it becomes three-dimensional, for example. The resulting sculpture has not only a length and width, but depth. The process can be very simple, and the result is often beautiful. There are many kinds of book folding. Artists fold, bend, and sometimes cut, a book’s pages while keeping them together. The art work can be hung on a wall or placed on a table. “They look impressive on the wall,” says writer Candice Caldwell. “A group of six of these on the wall together can look really beautiful, and they’re just really simple folds.” Caldwell operates a blog called the "ReFab Diaries.” She writes about re-purposing everyday objects like books for uses other than what they were designed for.  In 2003, Caldwell was making clocks from old books when she saw plans for a simple book-folding project in a do-it-yourself magazine. She tried it. She has since taught several friends and her mother how to create wall art from books. Clare Youngs has written a book called “Folded Book Art.” She says book folding is easy. From her home in England, she told the Associated Press by email that “it looks as if it is complicated and unachievable, but it is really easy to do. You just don’t tell anyone how easy it is and they will be amazed at your creations.”  (http://ift.tt/2w7DE6R) Youngs began making art from book pages several years ago when she saw pictures of folded books at the website Pinterest.com. She also watched some videos on YouTube that tell how to create art from books. “It is quite a therapeutic activity,” says Youngs. “…it’s very satisfying to see the shape develop.” An American book folder defends the activity against those who say it is an act of destruction. Ann Martin of Delaware has written a book called “All Things Paper.” She says “sometimes old books are better-suited for a new purpose. I feel it’s OK to go ahead and take that old, unused book  that’s going to be tossed anyway and turn it into a work of art.” Caldwell suggests folding cooking recipe and photography books. She says that “if it’s really visual and really colorful when you start to fold it, you get a whole new look on the wall.”   I’m Anne Ball.   The Associated Press news agency reported 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 sculpture – n. the action or art of shaping plastic or hard materials into works of art; a piece of art folding – n. the act of bending an object into a smaller shape clock – n. a device or instrument for keeping time complicated – adj. complex unachievable – adj. resulting in failure; of or related to something you are unable to complete therapeutic – adj. of or related to the treatment of a disorder suited – v. to meet the needs or desires of something or someone tossed – v. to throw    

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Japan Not Worried About Robots Taking Their Jobs

  In a factory near Tokyo, thousands of cans are filled with beer, capped, washed, and put into boxes at speeds of 1,500 cans a minute. However, there are hardly any people in sight as the cans speed through processing. Japan’s Asahi Breweries operates the factory. The machines do almost all of the physical work.  Humans make sure that the machines do the work right, and the automated sensing devices are working correctly. “Basically, nothing goes wrong.  The lines are up and running 96 percent,” said Shinichi Uno, a manager at the factory.  “Although machines make things, human beings oversee the machines.” Leading the field While some countries, like the U.S., are debating the issue of robots taking jobs from humans, in Japan, the discussion is much different. Birth rates in Japan have been decreasing for many years.  This has caused many in the country to fear the possibility of a labor shortage. The introduction of robots has filled this need for labor. The robots appear to be a welcomed addition to the workforce in Japan. Starting in the 1990’s, Japan began a big push to develop robots for the workforce. It currently leads the world in the use of robots.  There are 1,562 robots for every 10,000 human workers.  This is higher than Germany, with 1,133 robots, or the U.S., with 1,091 for every worker. The numbers come from a White House report submitted to Congress last year. The report says Japan also was ahead in robots used outside of the automobile industry, with 219 robots per 10,000 workers, compared to 76 for the U.S. and 147 for Germany. A different work culture There are some differences with Japan’s work culture that might influence Japanese opinions about giving jobs to robots.  One important difference is their “lifetime employment” system. In Japan, many major companies often keep their workers, even if their skills become outdated.  They will use them instead for other tasks, said Koichi Iwamoto, a senior fellow at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, gathers information about the use of robots in its member countries. The information shows that increasing the use of robots or computer programs at work decreases the demand for mid-level or repetitive work tasks, such as operating assembly lines.  But it increases the demand for low-and high-skilled jobs.  However, the OECD data showed employment conditions remained almost unchanged for Japan for the period from 2002 to 2014. That means companies in Japan were not trying as hard as those in the U.S. to replace humans with robots. Clerical workers, for example, were keeping their jobs although computers might do their jobs better. Another example is how Japanese society has so far preferred to keep taxis instead of shifting to online ride services. A “reflective stage” But, machines have increasingly replaced people in Japan. Iwamoto says the country now has entered a “reflective stage.” He says people are actually interested in having “human harmony with machines.” “Some tasks may be better performed by people, after all,” said Iwamoto. Kiyoshi Sakai also is an Asahi employee. He has worked at the company for 29 years.  He said that in the past can caps were put into machines by hand.  This was a repetitive task that was hard on the body and the mind. Now, machines have replaced many of those jobs, and he is grateful for the changes to his work life.  Machines at the plant have become more than 50 percent smaller over the years. They are faster and more precise than 30 years ago. He said in the past, things used to go wrong all the time and people had to check the machines every 10 to 15 minutes.  Now, problems with machines are so rare that people do not need to worry. Like many workers in Japan, Sakai is not worried about his job disappearing. After people no longer needed to work on assembly lines, his position was upgraded to the general affairs section, a common administrative department in Japanese companies. “I remember the work being so hard. But when I think back, and it was all about delivering great beer to everyone, it makes me so proud,” said Sakai, who drinks beer every day. “I have no regrets. This is a stable job.” I’m Phil Dierking. And I'm Alice Bryant.   This story was originally written by Yuri Kageyama for the Associated Press.  Phil Dierking adapted the story for VOA Learning English from an Associated Press report. Mario Ritter was the editor. Do you think more jobs should be replaced by machines, if the machines can do them better? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story manager  -n.  someone who is in charge of a business, department, etc. assembly lines –n. a series of workers and machines in a factory by which a succession of identical items is progressively assembled. automate –v.  to run or operate (something, such as a factory or system) by using machines, computers, etc., instead of people to do the work can –n. a closed metal container that is usually shaped like a cylinder and that holds food or drink cap –v. to cover the top or end of  clerical –adj. of or relating to a clerk or office worker precise –adj. very accurate and exact stable –adj. in a good state or condition that is not easily changed or likely to change  

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English in a Minute: Come Full Circle

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August 25, 2017

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

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