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Welcome to Learning English,

a daily 30 minute program

from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners.

So we speak a little slower, and we use words and phrases,

especially written for people

learning English.

Coming up on the show,

we have reports from Jill Robbins and John Russell.

Bryan Lynn brings us the science report,

and we close the show with the lesson of the day.

But first,

as the price of fuel

increased greatly in Ethiopia

earlier this year, Olga to Celeste,

she decided to buy an electric vehicle

or EV.

The decision follows government efforts

to slowly remove gas powered vehicles from the roads.

Months later, Celeste she is not sure whether it was the right decision.

He now faces an uneven supply of electricity

and a lack of parts for repair.

He told The Associated Press

that imported parts from China are costly and few mechanics

are able to fix such cars, and the resale

value of such cars is poor.

So their shoes problems are like

those of many in Ethiopia.

In January, the East African country

became the first in the world to ban imports

of non-electric private vehicles.

The decision eased pressure on the government's

use of limited foreign currency to lower the cost of fuel.

In early October,

Ethiopia's government raised the price of fuel by up to 8%

as part of a plan to slowly end fuel subsidies

in Africa's second most populous country.

Officials say more than 100,000

electric cars are imported into the country each month,

and the government hopes

to increase that number by 2030.

By that time, the country's new dam on the Nile River

is expected to produce electricity at full power.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

said earlier this year that the Grand Renaissance Dam

will start producing more than 5000MW

of electric power within a year.

Officials say

such a production level would support the move

to electric vehicles.

For now, many in Addis Ababa,

a city of more than 5 million people,

think the country is not ready to provide enough

charging stations and repair services.

The few service station owners who can fix broken

electric vehicles say they have too much work.

And the EV owners say they are overcharged

by repair shops because of a lack of competition.

Many EVs are now parked

waiting for parts to come from China.

But Alhassan Burrell

is the transport Minister.

Burrell believes Ethiopia can be a model nation

with a green economy, especially with

the move toward electric vehicles.

He said that the government will invest in public charging stations

and has plans to manufacture EV

batteries to reduce imports.

Private efforts to manufacture

EVs with South Korean carmaker Hyundai in Ethiopia,

however, have collapsed over sourcing of materials.

Samson Barron, an economist

based in Addis Ababa, said the sudden

flood of EVs into the country makes it difficult

for owners to find charging stations.

But he believes Ethiopia

can provide enough electricity for EVs within the next ten years

while meeting its industrial goals.

Some Ethiopians are already giving up on electric vehicles,

he added.

Adamu sold his Chinese made EV at a loss

and bought a used Toyota Corolla.

He said the EV frequently broke

and the repair shop was overcharging.

Taxi driver Dhiraj Hailu said he had high hopes

for his Chinese made EV earlier this year.

But now, he says,

with such a car, I fear I might be stuck if I go far from Addis Ababa,

where there are no charging stations.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Martin

Edwards studies the shadows of the ancient forest.

From a high seat and waits sitting still.

He watches with his special camera.

Then Edwards aims and fires his rifle.

He has killed a male deer or buck.

It was one of many wild deer found

in this forest in Hampshire, southern England.

Edwards supports controlling the deer population

with a method called humane deer management.

The idea is to make sure the animals do

not become too numerous for the forests and farmland.

In a country where deer no longer have natural predators,

a predator is an animal that catches

and kills other animals for food.

There are now more deer in England than.

At any.

Other time in the last 1000 years, says the forestry Commission.

The government department, looking after England's public forests.

An estimated 2

million deer now live in the country.

The high deer numbers have had a big effect on the environment.

Officials say deer have damaged

large areas of woodland, including young trees,

as well as the living areas

of some birds like robins.

Some landowners have lost large amounts

of crops to deer, and overpopulation means that the animals

are more likely to suffer from starvation and disease.

Forestry experts and businesses argue that killing the deer

and supplying the meat to consumers is a good idea.

The reduced deer population

can bring back balance to the environment

and provide a low fat, sustainable protein.

Deer meat is called venison.

It is a red meat similar to lean beef,

but with a stronger flavor.

Although many in Britain see venison as a high end food,

one support group sees it as a good protein

for those who do not have enough money to buy other meats.

Why not utilize that fantastic

meat to feed people in need?

Said S.J.

hunt of the Country Food Trust.

The group gives meals made with wild

venison to food banks.

The government says native wild deer play

a role in healthy forest environments.

Still, the government admits

that the deer population needs controlling.

But experts like Edwards,

a spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation,

believe killing them for meat is the only effective choice.

The deer population increased greatly during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Hunters, like everyone else,

stayed home and the restaurant market,

the main source for venison sales

in Britain, disappeared overnight.

There were no sales of venison

and the price was absolutely on

the floor, said Ben Rigby,

a leading venison and game meat seller.

The deer had a chance to breed massively.

Rigby's company now processes

hundreds of deer a week.

The business sends venison or steaks

to restaurants and food markets.

One difficulty, Rigby said,

is growing people's taste for venison.

This is especially important after Brexit

put new barriers up for exporting the meat.

In England, shooting deer is legal under some restrictions.

Hunters must have a permit, use certain kinds

firearms and observe open seasons.

They also need an acceptable

or valid reason, such as when a landowner

permits them to kill the deer when their land is damaged.

Hunting deer with groups of dogs is illegal,

making wild venison more

widely available in food stores and beyond.

We'll bring out more hunters and ensure

the meat does not go to waste, Edwards said.

Forestry England, which controls public forests,

is part of the effort to increase venison use in recent years.

It's supplied some hospitals with 1000kg

of wild venison to use for food.

The approach appears to have been well received,

however, it has gotten some criticism

from animal welfare groups.

Peta supports veganism,

the practice of not eating or using animal products.

SJ hunt of the Country Food

Trust said it is possible to do much more with the meat.

Her organization provided hundreds of thousands of venison meals

to food banks last year, and people are hungry for more.

She said

she described the meat as nutritious

and free range to the purest

form of that definition.

I'm John Russell.

Scientists say newly examined data

from a Chinese explorer on Mars

adds to existing evidence that the planet once

had a very large ocean.

The exploring vehicle,

or rover, is called Jurong.

It landed on the Martian surface in 2021.

The rover has been operating in an area

known as Utopia Planitia.

This area is a large plain

in Mars's northern hemisphere.

The American space agency NASA explains.

The researchers combined

data from Jurong Instruments

with observations from satellite sites

and spacecraft orbiting Mars.

The team said the examinations

appeared to show that Utopia Planitia

had geological elements, suggesting

an ancient ocean coastline.

The scientists said multiple elements or features

pointed to evidence that a large ocean

existed on Mars billions of years ago.

The discovered surface

features included troughs and channels

that may have been formed by flowing water on Mars.

Earlier research that examined data

of similar surface features suggested

they might have been created by Mud volcanoes,

which likely formed in areas

where there had been water or ice.

The researchers said the evidence suggests

the area likely contained deep ocean environments

as well as shallow ones.

The research findings were recently reported

in a study in the publication Scientific Reports.

Bo Wu was the lead writer of the study.

He is a planetary scientist

at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Wu told Reuters news agency

we estimate the flooding of the Utopia Planitia on Mars

was approximately 3.68 billion years ago.

The ocean surface was likely frozen

in a geological short period.

The search for water on Mars is closely

linked to the search for signs of possible

life, and evidence of a past ocean raises the possibility

that the planet may have once supported microbial life.

There have been past studies suggesting

Mars once had a large northern ocean.

One such study was released in 2022.

That research was based on

satellite images of the Martian surface.

The images were combined to produce detailed

maps of the planet's northern hemisphere.

Examination of the maps led to evidence of coastlines

that once sat at the edge of a large ocean.

Another study released in August presented evidence

suggesting Mars may contain a large ocean

deep beneath its surface.

That evidence was based on

NASA's Insight lander.

China's Zhurong rover began

its data collection mission in May 2021.

It stopped operating about one year later, with mission planners

saying the power system was likely affected by sand and dust.

But the rover still outlasted its planned

mission of three months.

The researchers said the data shows

that the ocean seems to have disappeared

by about 3.42 billion years ago.

The study suggests the water that likely filled

the Martian ocean was heavily silted.

Study co-writer Sergei Crisil Cove said

he is a planetary scientist at Hong

Kong Polytechnic University.

Silt is a mix of sand and clay

that has been carried by water, but

later settles on land.

Chris Sale nCoV added that

during the period when the Martian ocean would have been active,

the planet probably had a thick, warm atmosphere.

At that time, microbial life

was much more likely, he said.

Hong Kong polytechnics Wu said the new findings do provide

further evidence to support the theory of a martian ocean.

However, he told the French news

agency AFP the study does not claim that our findings

definitively prove there was an ocean on Mars.

Such proof, he said,

would likely require a future mission to bring Mars

materials back to Earth for closer study.

I'm Bryan Lin.

Hello.

My name is AnnaMatteo.

My name is Andrew Smith.

And I'm Jill Robbins.

You are listening to The Lesson of the day

on the Learning English podcast.

Today's lesson helps you do more with level

two of our video series.

Let's learn English.

This series shows Anna Matteo

in her work and life in Washington, D.C..

At the beginning of lesson five of level two.

Anna feels like she needs a break from work.

At that moment, she sees an advertisement near the street.

The advertisement or ad as a question

in large letters and a picture of a beach.

The question says.

Do you need a vacation?

The name of a travel agency

is written at the bottom of the ad.

It says world's best travel Agency.

Agency is a word for a kind of business that helps people with some plans,

or that provides a service for another business.

In addition to travel agency,

some examples are insurance agency,

advertising agency and employment agency.

The word agency can also mean

a government administration or office,

such as a security agency.

Annadecides to visit the travel agency she saw in the advertisement.

And it's not just any travel agency.

It should be very special because it is called

the world's best travel agency.

The word best is the superlative form of the adjective good.

And lesson five of level two reviews

the comparative and superlative forms.

The words better and best,

and the words worse and worst

are special examples of these comparative and superlative forms.

Let's listen to the first part of Ana's visit to the agency,

and be sure to listen for the superlative form.

No, you can't get your money back.

I don't care that it was your worst vacation ever.

Hello.

Have a seat.

Welcome to the world's best travel agency.

Thank you.

And congratulations.

For what?

For being the world's best travel agency.

Right.

Thanks, Trudy.

Hold my calls.

I'm going to sell our most expensive vacation.

The travel agent played by our colleague, Dan.

Thanks.

Annawill buy the most expensive vacation he offers

because Annabelieves his agency really is the best one.

In other words, he thinks Annais naive and gullible.

That means he thinks she will believe whatever he says

and that she can be easily tricked.

Naive is spelled in a TV

and we put two little dots above the letter

I to show that we pronounce that vowel separately.

And gullible is spelled

g, u, l, l, I, b, l, e.

Dan tells his assistant Trudy

to hold his calls.

When we call a business, we often get put on hold on the phone.

That means we have to wait to speak to someone.

Then says hold my calls.

To show he does not want to be interrupted.

Let's listen to the first kind of vacation

the agent tries to sell. Ana,

the mountain getaway is good for you.

It's a little pricey, but think of it.

You on top of a mountain for seven days.

I am afraid of, high places.

The adjective pricey means expensive.

And the comparative form is pricier.

And the superlative form is priciest.

Now let's listen to more vacations.

Dan tries to sell Ana.

I am afraid of, high places.

Of course you are.

That's why our deep sea adventure is better for you.

It is pricier than the mountain getaway.

Just you and the animals of the sea shark.

You are the shark.

No. There are no sharks in your dream vacation.

You need this safari camp out.

It is our priciest vacation, but I think it's the best one for you during the day.

You'll see elephants, giraffes and lions at night.

You'll sleep out under the stars.

Look,

I think this was a bad idea.

Sure, you can leave,

but then you won't see the latest vacation technology.

When dances the latest.

He isn't referring to being on time or not being on time.

Instead, we say the latest to describe something that is the newest

or most modern.

For example, we can say the latest technology,

the latest news, the latest styles,

the latest ideas and so on.

And in casual speech, we might ask someone.

So what's the latest?

This just means what is the news

or most recent information about a particular topic.

Now let's listen to Professor Bot explain a bit more.

Did you find all of those adjectives then?

Started with good.

Then he moved to better.

And finally he.

Said the safari camp out was the.

Best vacation for honor.

You can repeat the forms to help you remember them.

Like this.

Good. Better. Best.

Good.

Better. Best.

And you can do the same for the negative forms.

Bad. Worst. Worst.

Bad. Worse.

Worst.

Bad. Worst. Worst.

Now let's see if Dan can get Annato

stay and see the latest in vacation technology.

Sure.

You can leave, but then you won't see

the latest vacation technology.

Exactly.

What is the latest vacation technology?

Exactly.

I'm happy you asked.

Meet the travel Max.

2000. Wow.

So tell me how you like to travel.

I like travel.

That is cozy and romantic, but still exciting.

Great. Tell me more.

I like traveling in a plane, but not in a helicopter.

Planes are a little scary, but helicopters are scarier.

My favorite way of traveling is by train.

Ships can be the scariest.

Have you seen the movie Titanic?

Oh, and no horses.

I will ride a camel.

Oh, and no bike tours.

Biking is the slowest and least romantic way to travel.

Excuse me,

but I think the travel Max 2000 is on fire.

Yes, we're both on fire.

We really want to sell you the most.

I mean, the best vacation ever.

No, I mean, it's really on fire.

Oh. You killed it.

You killed the travel, Max 2000.

I am so sorry.

Oh, can I help you fix that?

No, no.

Don't cry.

I know what you need.

Oh, a vacation.

Oh, the safari camp out looks fun.

It is the priciest.

But I think you deserve it.

Oh, no. Oh,

this is the smoke iest lesson yet I can't breathe.

Just go to the website.

It's true.

You can learn more from our website.

Remember that each lesson of Let's Learn English as a lesson plan.

You can download for free.

It explains more about the lesson

and has helpful information for both students and teachers

and listeners.

Here are some questions for you.

You can email us your answers.

What have been some of your best

and worst travel experiences?

What would be the best kind of vacation for you

and what is scary for you?

What is the scariest situation you have ever been in?

You can email your answers to learning

English at VOA News.com,

and we might mention your answers in a future podcast.

Thanks for listening and be sure to write to us.

Remember that you can also find us on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

I'm Jill Robbins.

And I'm Andrew Smith.

And that's our show for today.

But join us again tomorrow

to keep learning English and the voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter, junior.

Please choose the correct answer for each question below: