– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Welcome to Learning English.

A daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Dan Novak.

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 program,

Gregory Stockwell reports on hunger in Gaza.

Some Gazans have started

eating a wild plant to survive.

Dan Novak brings us

this week's education report on Australia as efforts

to tighten visa rules for foreign students.

Later, John Russell presents the lesson of the day.

But first, Georgina Bennett and Andrew

Smith read one of the winning entries from our Teach US about Ukraine

Writing contest.

My name is Lisa the Chef School

and I have been teaching English

for 25 years in Jerusalem, Ukraine.

Ukraine has had a complex history

and faced many challenges,

but nothing could have prepared Ukrainians

for the ordeal of the Russian occupation

of Harrison.

As a resident of Harrison,

I lived through the occupation and witnessed

the effect of war on our city,

our people, and our way of life.

The arrival of Russian forces in Kherson

marked the beginning of a time of uncertainty and danger.

There were daily explosions.

The once familiar streets

were now unrecognizable with craters

and debris marring the landscape.

The sounds of shelling and gunfire

created a miserable backdrop

to our daily lives.

Among the residents of Harrison,

there were a lot of people who refused

to accept the occupation.

In spring 2022,

they gathered in groups and took to the streets,

waving Ukrainian flags

and chanting slogans of freedom.

Son is Ukraine.

Despite the fear, brave

people knew they had to stand up for their homeland.

At the beginning of the resistance against the enemy army,

I remembered a very brave act of a local resident.

The man was filmed climbing directly onto a Russian tank

and waving the Ukrainian flag.

But as the days pass,

the situation grew more dangerous.

The explosions became more frequent

and the fighting intense sulfide.

The occupiers started to prohibit demonstrations

and used weapons to break them up.

As a teacher, I had to help my students

deal with the trauma they were experiencing.

Our schools, places

of learning and personal growth

were now places of uncertainty and fear.

I was a teacher

of 10 to 11 year old students

with inclusive education and special needs.

They needed my presence in their lives.

During that period, we had online

lessons every day, and I made efforts to help them relax,

feel less stress and maintain a positive attitude.

Despite the circumstances, I did this

by creating a positive learning environment.

In spring 2022.

Our school year was one month shorter

to avoid negative consequences.

Also, the occupiers prohibited us

from using modern platforms for studying

and blocked the Internet.

Each encounter with Russian soldiers patrolling

our streets was filled with tension and anxiety.

Their presence reminded us

not only of the loss of freedom,

but also the stories of brutality throughout the city.

It changed our way of life

and introduced an element of fear

that was impossible to escape

as people saw Russian soldiers

standing on every street corner and holding their guns.

They tried to avoid such meetings.

Soldiers looked at locals coldly

and as if they owned the city.

Ukrainian banks ceased to function,

leaving us with no access to our savings

or financial resources.

Ukrainian currency became worthless

and residents could not obtain basic needs.

Once thriving, businesses shuttered

and people lost jobs.

Every visit to the market was a real challenge.

Market stalls were filled with Russian goods

and the vendors whispered,

as if afraid to say too much.

People tried to quickly buy

what they needed and hurried home.

Locals knew they were powerless against the invaders,

but the occupiers

couldn't break their spirit.

Lots of citizens had the hope that one day

they would be free from the oppression

of the Russian invaders

during the occupation.

People could not use modern mobile phones

because the occupiers could stop a person at any moment

and start checking the contents and photos on the phone.

If they

found a photo of a person with national symbols

or Ukrainian embroidery.

There were big problems.

People were taken for questioning.

I found an old

push button telephone from my parents

and used it throughout the occupation.

It was not so scary

because there was no internet and no social networks.

Photos and other unnecessary

material for the invaders.

The Russian occupation of Herzen was without a doubt,

the darkest period in my life.

But it was also a time

that revealed the strength of the Ukrainian people.

I watched neighbors come together

to support one another and share

whatever resources they had, whether it was food,

warmth or words of encouragement.

In occupied Hirshon

many residents found themselves hiding in shelters

to stay safe from the fighting and explosions.

They sat

together, our shared bread and simple food

served the net and read the latest news

of the occupied city and explosions.

Despite the hardships they faced,

locals knew they were not alone.

Once there was a knock

on the door of our building shelter.

About 20 people were inside.

Our hearts pounded with fear.

Everyone was silent that moment.

Soldiers checked shelters

and tried to find partizans.

Nobody answered.

And so they left without entering.

We breathed with relief.

There is one moment I will always remember.

It happened just after the occupation of the city

when the Russian invaders left our city.

They blew up all important public utilities.

Local residents were left without electricity and water

for more than three weeks.

The people lived without all modern conveniences,

but they were too happy to be rid of the enemy and their rule.

Since no one had electricity in the city,

some people had generators at home.

My neighbor also had a generator and helped people

all over the neighborhood charge their mobile

phones and power banks

with charged phones.

People could call their relatives and at least say a few words

about their lives.

We could only charge our phones a little once a day.

Such nice people saved our lives.

As a teacher, I was determined

to keep the story alive,

even in the darkest of times.

For the sake of my students and my country.

I'm Gina Banna.

And I'm Andrew Smith.

The United Nations Security Council

is demanding an immediate cease

fire in the Gaza Strip.

Some members are concerned

that a famine might have begun.

The territory's civilians are reportedly

eating a wild plant called Kobes

because they lack other food to eat.

The plant is an herb known as Mallow.

The Palestinian area

has faced five months of war.

Following the October attack on Israel

by its Hamas rulers,

Israeli officials say the terrorist group

killed 1200 people

and took 253 hostages.

Israel responded to the attack

by launching airstrikes and shelling in Gaza.

Hamas health officials in Gaza

say 32,000 Palestinians

have died in the conflict.

It is the worst conflict

between Israel and Hamas.

All our lives, even through previous wars,

we have not eaten, Ko Besa said.

A Palestinian woman named Mariam al ATAR.

She said, My daughters tell me we want to eat bread.

Mother.

My heart breaks for them.

Al ATAR continued,

I can't find a piece of bread for them.

I go and gather some. Kobe's.

We have found it.

Kobe's for now.

But in the future, where will we get it from?

Kobe's are well run out.

Where do we turn?

The war is continuing during the Muslim

holy month of Ramadan.

Millions of Muslims around the world

enjoy big meals after sunset with their families

and watch special television shows.

We have been consumed by hunger.

We have nothing to eat.

We crave vegetables, fish and meat.

We fast with empty stomachs.

We can no longer fast.

We are dizzy from hunger, said Mohammad.

She said there was nothing to help the body deal

with fasting during Ramadan.

They integrated food security phase Classification,

or IPC, is a website

that examines food insecurity

and says famine is likely to began by May and northern Gaza.

A severe lack of food

could spread across the rest of the area by July.

Reports say that Kobe's air

will only provide temporary help.

The aid situation for Gaza is also not clear.

Negotiators are working on the terms of a cease fire

and the release of hostages.

Recently, an Israeli government

spokesman person said Israel will stop working with the U.N.

Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA

in the Gaza Strip.

It is the largest aid group in Gaza.

Israel says the aid agency is

causing the conflict to go on longer.

Israel in January

accused 12 of UNRWA, pays

13,000 workers in Gaza

of taking part in the October 7th attack.

That led several donor countries

to stop giving financial support to the group.

UNRWA dismissed some of its workers.

It said it

acted in order to protect the agency's ability

to provide aid in Gaza

and an independent internal U.N.

investigation was launched.

I'm Gregory Starkel.

Australia will soon begin enforcing

stricter visa rules for foreign students.

The move comes as official data

showed migration hits another record high.

The new rules took effect on March 23rd.

The rules will increase English language

requirements for student visas.

The new rules will also give the government

the power to suspend education providers from recruiting international students

if they're repeatedly break rules.

The actions this weekend will continue to drive

migration levels down while delivering on our commitments

in the migration strategy to fix the broken system we inherited.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

A new genuine student test

will be introduced to block international students who look to come

to Australia for work reasons instead of education reasons.

The government will also enforce

no further stay conditions on visitor visas.

The moves follows several actions last year

to end COVID era exceptions introduced by the former government.

Those rules included unrestricted working hours

for international students.

Australia increased its yearly

migration numbers in 2022 to help businesses deal

with worker shortages caused in part by the COVID 19 pandemic.

The pandemic brought strict border controls

and kept foreign students and workers

out for nearly two years.

But the sudden increase of foreign workers and students

has worsened pressure on an already tight rental market.

Demand for rental housing across Australia was already

higher than the supply of available housing.

Australia's Department of Education

says there were more than 567,000 international students

in the country as of January 2024.

That is a 26% increase

compared to the same period last year.

Almost all of the

international students in Australia come from Asia.

The top five countries are China,

India, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam.

That information comes from Australia's

Departments of Education.

Overall, Australia's population rose 2.5%,

the fastest increase on record to 26.8

million people last year.

The record migration has expanded the labor supply

and reduced pressures to raise wages.

O'Neill, the Home Affairs

minister, said the government's actions since September

have led to a drop in migration levels.

She added that recent international students

visa approvals were down by 35% compared to the year before.

I'm Dan Novak.

Dan Novak joins me now

to talk more about his education report.

Hi, Dan.

Hi, Ashley. Glad to be here.

So Australia is making it harder

to get international student visas.

Why is that?

Well, there's been a surge in international students in Australia.

There's over half a million international students in Australia,

which is a 26% increase from last year.

Migration overall is very high in the country and the population

has increased 2.5% in a year, which is a record high increase.

There's a concern that those getting visas are not actually students,

but they're to stay in Australia and to work.

You mention in the story that the Government has created

a genuine student test.

Can you explain a little more about that?

Yeah.

So applicants applying for graduate student visas need to show

that studying is their primary reason for coming into the country

and the application.

They have to explain in English why they are studying, what they are studying

and how it helps them

and provide details about their background and economic situation.

On Australia's Home Affairs website.

It says the test is, quote, intended to include students

who, after studying in Australia, develop skills Australia needs

and who then go on to apply for permanent residence.

Okay, well, thank you again for that report

and thanks for answering my questions today.

You're welcome. Ashley.

In this next

report, Dan Novak tells us about a study

published recently in the journal Neurology.

The study identified another possible side

effect of space travel headaches.

Pay careful attention to the word migraine.

We will talk more about it after the report.

Research in the growing field of space

medicine has identified many ways in which zero gravity

and other conditions can affect the human body.

Now a new study finds that astronauts are more likely

to experience headaches in space than previously known.

The study involved 24 astronauts from the U.S.,

European and Japanese space agencies.

They all traveled aboard the International Space

Station for up to 26 weeks.

All but two of them reported

experiencing headaches in space.

Headaches struck a larger

number of astronauts than the scientists had expected.

The headaches continued even

after the crew had been in space long enough for the body to adjust.

The process takes place in the first two weeks in space.

The headaches during the early period

often presented similarly to migraines.

Those experienced later in space travel

presented more like a tension headache, the study found.

Neurologist W.P. J.

Van Oosterhouse of Sans Medical Center and the Leiden University

Medical Center in the Netherlands, was lead author of the study.

He said the research suggests different processes

are involved for the early headache episodes.

The first 1 to 2 weeks in space

versus later headache episodes

in the first week.

The body has to adapt to the lack of gravity known as space adaptation

syndrome.

This phenomenon is similar to motion sickness

and can cause nausea, vomiting and dizziness and headaches.

Then Oosterhouse said the later headaches could result

from more fluid accumulating in the upper parts of the body and head.

Migraines experienced on Earth

are often throbbing and last 4 to 7 hours,

along with symptoms like nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

Then Oosterhouse said

tension headaches on earth usually are a dull pain felt over the whole head.

He said

the astronauts, 23 men and one woman,

had an average age of about 47.

They visited the International Space Station for missions

that took place from November 2011 to June 2018.

A total of 378 headaches

were reported by 22 of the 24 astronauts

during a total of 3596 days in orbit.

None of the 24 reported headaches

in the three months after returning to Earth.

None had ever had migraines before their time in space,

and none had a history of usual headache attacks.

Documented effects of

space travel include bone and muscle weakening or atrophy,

changes in the brain, cardiovascular

system and immune system.

Astronauts have also experienced effects

on the inner ear and a condition involving the eyes.

The risk of cancer from high radiation levels in space

is another concern.

Experts are unsure how much of a barrier these effects might have on

human space travel over long periods like trips to Mars or beyond.

The honest answer is that we don't know the effects of long duration space travel,

possibly years on the human body.

Then Oosterhouse said, adding This is a clear task

for the field of space medicine.

I'm Dan Novak.

Before the report,

we asked you to pay careful attention to the word migraine.

Can you remember when you heard it?

You heard the

term a couple of times in the report.

Let's listen again to the first example.

Headaches struck a larger number of astronauts

than the scientists had expected.

The headaches continued even after the crew

had been in space long enough for the body to adjust.

The process takes place in the first two weeks in space.

The headaches during the early period often

presented similarly to migraines.

Migraine is a noun.

We spell it like this.

M i g are a

I and e.

A migraine is a very bad

or severe kind of headache.

Migraines are often limited to one side of the head

and can result in visual problems or dizziness.

Migraine traces back to the ancient Greek word.

Hemi cranial hemi is ancient Greek for half

and cranium is ancient Greek for skull or cranium.

In American English,

we pronounce migraine with two vowel sounds

ie and a.

The first syllable has the i vowel sound.

My and the second syllable

has the a vowel sound grain.

Listen and repeat after me.

Migraine.

Migraine.

Migraine.

And that's the lesson of the day.

I'm John Russell.

And that's our program for today.

Join us again tomorrow to keep learning

English through stories from around the world.

I'm Ashlee Thompson.

And I'm Dan Novak.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - armed conflict between countries or groups
occupation /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/ B2	noun - control of a territory by hostile forces
migration /maɪˈɡreɪʃən/ B2	noun - movement of people from one place to another
visa /ˈviːzə/ B1	noun - official document permitting entry to a country
student /ˈstjuːdənt/ A1	noun - person enrolled in a school or university
education /ˌedʒʊˈkeɪʃən/ B1	noun - process of teaching and learning
hunger /ˈhʌŋɡər/ B1	noun - lack of food; feeling of need for food
famine /ˈfæmɪn/ C1	noun - severe scarcity of food affecting a large population
explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒən/ B2	noun - sudden violent release of energy causing a blast
shelling /ˈʃelɪŋ/ C1	noun - continuous firing of artillery or bombs
trauma /ˈtraʊmə/ C1	noun - psychological injury caused by a distressing experience
resilience /rɪˈzɪliəns/ C1	noun - capacity to recover quickly from difficulties
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ B2	noun - state of being free; liberty
peace /piːs/ B1	noun - absence of war or conflict; calm
conflict /ˈkɒnflɪkt/ B2	noun - serious disagreement or clash
government /ˈɡʌvənmənt/ B1	noun - the system or group of people governing a country or area
rule /ruːl/ B1	noun - a prescribed guide for conduct or action verb - to exert control or authority over