– 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 Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners.

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

as specially written for people learning

English.

On today's program,

Mario Ritter Jr tells us about

the damage and destruction in Vietnam

from the powerful Typhoon Yagi.

Jill Robbins has this week's health and lifestyle report.

We close the show with today's lesson of the day.

But first.

A powerful ocean storm

caused deadly floods and landslides

in the northern part of Vietnam over the weekend.

Typhoon Yagi is the strongest

such storm to hit the country in years,

and Fu Thor Province,

a bridge over the Red River collapsed Monday.

Reports said ten cars and trucks

and two motorbikes fell into the river.

Rescuers saved three people from the river.

13 others are missing in Coban province.

A landslide pushed a bus carrying 20 people

into a flooded stream

in the northern town of SA PA,

a popular area for foreign visitors.

A landslide killed six people on Sunday.

The storm is responsible for

at least 59 deaths in Vietnam, officials said.

Northern Vietnam is a center for manufacturing.

Many foreign companies have operations there,

and it is a base for export activity.

State newspaper Lao Dong reported

many businesses were closed Monday

because of heavy damage.

The storm destroyed several factories.

Others had water leaks that damaged

goods and costly equipment.

Damage to electrical equipment in Haiphong and Quang

Ning provinces caused power outages Monday.

The two provinces are industrial centers

for export goods.

Factories for electric vehicle maker VinFast.

Pegatron, a supplier for Apple

and electronics supplier U.S.

AI, were among those without power.

Prime Minister from Main Chain visited

the port city of Haiphong on Sunday and approved

aid worth $4.6 million.

Korean manufacturer LG electronics

reported no injuries among its employees,

but it said the storm flooded

a building that stored its finished products,

including refrigerators and washing machines.

Hong son,

the chair of the South Korean Business

Association in Vietnam,

said there was a lot of damage.

State operated power company

even said more than 5.7

million customers had lost power,

and many power lines had been broken.

Bruno Gaspare is head of Deep Sea,

a Belgian industrial developer and operator.

You have spare overseas factories

and Haiphong and Quang Ning provinces, he said.

Everyone is scrambling to make site safe

and stocks dry.

The typhoon made landfall on Saturday

in northeast Vietnam.

At its strongest, the storm had winds

measured at 149km an hour.

By Sunday, the storm had weakened to a tropical depression,

a storm below the level of a typhoon.

However, Vietnam's weather agency

continues to warn of landslides.

Van express reported that

the water levels of several rivers

in northern Vietnam remain dangerously high.

The deadly storm

also affected other parts of Southeast Asia.

Reports say 20 people in the Philippines and four in southern China

also died in the storm

on China's Hainan Island.

Officials reported that more than 50,000 homes

were damaged or destroyed.

I'm Mario Ritter, junior.

Most Americans

eat ultra processed foods every day.

These are foods that you cannot make at home,

because they contain flavors and chemicals

that change the taste or feel of the food.

Such food may also go through preparation methods

that are not possible in a home kitchen.

They are usually high in salt, sugar and fat.

Americans may eat them in the form

of sugary cereals at breakfast, frozen pizzas at dinner

and in between bites like potato chips, sodas and ice cream.

Ultra processed foods

make up about 60% of the American diet.

For children and teenagers, it is even higher.

About two thirds of what they eat.

Scientists have connected eating ultra

processed foods to poor health results.

Being overweight is one such result,

and that may lead to diabetes and heart disease.

Other possible health risks

include depression and dementia.

One recent study suggested that eating these foods

may raise the risk of early death.

Nutrition science is complex,

though, and most research so far has found connections, not proof,

regarding the health effects of these foods.

Food manufacturers argue that processing increases

food safety and food supplies.

They say it also offers a low cost,

easy way to provide a diverse and nutritious diet.

The Associated Press asked several nutrition

experts to explain these foods so that people can make informed choices.

Most foods are processed whether it is by freezing,

grinding, fermentation, pasteurization, or other means.

In 2009, Brazilian epidemiologist

Carlos Monteiro and his team first proposed a way to classify foods

by how much they are processed, not by their nutrient content.

This is called the Nova classification system.

It is used by international bodies

like the World Health Organization.

Kevin Hall is a researcher who studies metabolism and diet

at the National Institutes of Health.

He said that foods at the top of the Nova four level scale

are foods prepared with industrial processes and ingredients

such as additives, colors and preservatives

that you could not use in a home kitchen.

These are most, but not all of the packaged foods

you see, Hall said.

Not all processing is unhealthy, he noted.

Whole grain bread,

yogurt, tofu and infant formula

are all highly processed, for example,

but they are also nutritious.

Still, many studies suggest that diets

high in ultra processed foods are tied to poor health results.

The exact cause is still unclear.

Hall and his partners carried out a small study with 20 people

who came to live at a health center for a month.

Some of the people ate ultra processed foods,

while others ate unprocessed foods.

The two groups got the same amount of calories, sugar,

fat, fiber, and nutrients for two weeks.

They could eat as much as they liked.

When people ate the diet of ultra processed foods,

they took in about 500 calories per day,

more than when they ate unprocessed foods.

The researchers found

they gained an average of

about one kilogram during the study period.

People who ate only and processed foods

for the same amount of time lost about one kilogram.

A new study is currently taking place

and its results should appear next year.

Doctor Neena Prasad

is director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Food. Policy program.

She said such foods are often

made to be both low cost and very tasty.

You just can't stop eating them, Prasad said.

She said she believes leaders

have enough facts to change policies.

This could mean raising taxes on sugary drinks,

limiting salt in these foods and controlling

how advertisers sell the foods to children.

Earlier this year, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner

Robert Caliph told a group of food policy experts

that ultra processed foods are a complex subject.

However, Caliph said,

we've got to have the scientific basis

and then we've got to follow through.

Aviva Mousset, this is science director

for the center for science in the Public Interest.

She said buyers should check information

printed on food containers and make choices based on the current U.S.

dietary guidelines.

We have really good evidence that added sugar is not great for us.

We have evidence that high sodium

foods are not great for us, she said.

Music is added.

We have great evidence that fruits and vegetables

which are minimally processed are really good for us.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Jill Robbins is here now

to talk more about this week's health and Lifestyle report.

Hi, Jill.

You used a word in today's story.

Ultra processed.

Can you explain a little more about what the prefix ultra means?

Sure.

Actually, ultra comes from Latin, where it means beyond.

In English, we use it to talk about the extremes of things in a range.

One way I've heard it is ultra modern.

So is that like saying extremely modern? Yes.

And we usually hear that when people talk about furnishing or home design.

You can have a modern style in a home, let's say in a kitchen

where you have electric appliances that might be white or other colors.

But if it's an ultra modern kitchen,

everything is stainless steel shining and very up to date.

What other words can we combine ultra with?

You may have heard it used to describe extreme political views

like ultra conservative or ultra radical.

So in general, when you hear the prefix ultra, you can understand that

something is beyond the ordinary for whatever noun it is attached to.

That's right.

Well, thanks again for joining me today, Joe.

It's always my pleasure, Ashley.

And stay away from those ultra processed foods.

I will try. Thank you.

VOA Learning

English has launched a new program for children.

It is called Let's Learn English with Anna .

The new course aims to teach children American English

through asking and answering questions

and experiencing fun situations.

For more information, visit our website.

Learning English.

VOA News.com.

Hello.

My name is Anna Matteo.

And my name is Jill Robbins.

And I'm Andrew Smith.

You're listening to the Learning English podcast.

Welcome to the part of the show where we help you do more with our series.

Let's learn English.

The series shows Anna Matteo in her work

and life in Washington, D.C..

To be or not to be in Washington, D.C..

That is an easy question for Anna to answer.

Anna loves being in Washington

because it gives her the opportunity to do a lot of special things.

Andrew, are you quoting William Shakespeare, the famous English playwright?

Of course I am.

To be or not to be

is probably the most famous line from all of Shakespeare's plays.

And in lesson 13 of Let's Learn English.

Anna, who loves the theater, is excited.

And that's because she gets to do

and see some unusual things

at an unusual party.

That's right.

Anna gets to visit a special birthday party for William Shakespeare.

And it's an unusual party

because Shakespeare died more than 400 years ago

in the year 1616.

Well, people still celebrate his life,

especially at the Folger Library in Washington, D.C.,

which has the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's works.

That's where Anna was lucky to find this birthday party for Shakespeare.

Let's listen.

What is going on here?

It's a big birthday party for the writer William Shakespeare.

This is a party for William Shakespeare.

Yeah. Awesome. What's up?

I think

awesome is one of Anna's favorite words.

She uses it a lot. Yeah.

So do a lot of people in the United States in American English.

Awesome.

Just means really good or enjoyable.

And this birthday party is awesome for Anna

because it lets her see and do things

she does not usually see or do.

You could say it's an unusual day for Anna.

It's a most unusual time.

It's a most unusual day.

It's quite bizarre.

It's super odd.

It's strange in every way.

I guess that's our unusual theme music for today's podcast.

But now let's listen to the things Anna gets to hear,

see or do at the birthday party.

This is a drum band.

I never listen to a drum band,

but today I am listening to a drum band because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

They're a Obama's heart.

Oh, pale, pale blood, blood.

This is a puppet show everywhere.

I never watch puppet shows, but today I am watching a puppet show

because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

My clothes are unusual.

His clothes are unusual.

In Washington, D.C., seeing a politician

or even the president is usual.

Seeing the Queen of England is very unusual.

Your Majesty.

This is sword fighting.

I never sword fight,

but today I am sword fighting

because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

That sword fighting is pretty unusual these days.

I know I've never tried it.

Me neither.

But in some of the plays Shakespeare wrote, it's normal to see a sword fight.

Now let's review.

What on a saw and what she did at the birthday party.

First, she listened to a drum band.

This is a drum band.

I never listen to a drum band,

but today I am listening to a drum band

because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

Second, she watched a puppet show.

Her own brier over a tarp,

over a pail for a blood throw.

This is a puppet show everywhere.

I never watch puppet shows, but today I am watching a puppet show

because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

After that, she saw a man

dressed in clothes from Shakespeare's time.

That looks unusual today.

My clothes are usual.

His clothes are unusual.

Next she meets someone dressed like

Queen Elizabeth, the first of England

who was queen during Shakespeare's time.

In Washington, D.C..

Seeing a politician, or even the president is usual.

Seeing the Queen of English Island is very unusual.

Your Majesty

and listeners, what's last?

You got it.

The sword fight.

This is sword fighting.

I never sword fight.

But today I am sword fighting

because it's Shakespeare's birthday.

I think the sword fight and the people dressed in

old styles of clothes are the most unusual things.

On a saw.

You could say they're not normal.

They're strange.

Bizarre. Weird.

Different.

Out of the ordinary.

I'd novel.

Atypical.

Curious. Rare.

Unexpected.

And I think that list of words might have been unexpected for our listeners.

It's a most unusual time.

It's a most unusual day.

It's, Excuse me.

We have more to explain to our listeners.

Oh, right.

Sorry about that.

I'm Andrew Smith, and you're listening to the Learning English podcast.

There are many words in English that mean the same,

or almost the same thing as other words.

We call these similar words synonyms.

Andrew and I gave 11 synonyms for the word unusual.

Now we're going to say them one more time, but pay close

attention because we're going to say them very quickly.

And we're going to add one more for a total of 12 synonyms.

You ready, Andrew?

Ready. Strange.

Bizarre. Abnormal.

Weird. Different.

Out of the ordinary.

Odd. Novel.

Atypical.

Curious. Rare.

Unexpected. That was fast.

But our listeners can have fun listening to that part of the podcast

again to try to understand all 12 words.

We should

also explain that one of those synonyms is actually four words

connected together with hyphens,

or the small line between words you sometimes

see when you are reading English.

That's right.

The synonym was out of the ordinary.

Those four words out of the and ordinary

get connected into what sounds like one big word

out of the ordinary.

Out of the ordinary simply means not ordinary.

Which means not normal.

Unusual. Odd.

Atypical.

Rare. Okay, okay, stop.

I think our listeners get the idea about synonyms.

I think they do too.

But it's good to know how English can use synonyms to express an idea

in many ways.

That's true.

Sometimes it's also good to know which synonyms

are used, most commonly to express a particular idea.

But this can be

difficult for people learning English.

Yeah, they might need to ask a native speaker

which words are commonly used and which words are rarely used

or used only in certain kinds of communication.

And even with two common synonyms

like the words usual and normal.

There can be a difference in how often the words are used.

For example, some language databases

show that native speakers of American English

use the adjective normal about twice

as often as the adjective usual.

That's interesting.

And that word interesting

makes me think of another important thing

from lesson 13 of Let's Learn English.

In the beginning of the episode, Anna said she was bored.

But today I feel bored.

When I feel bored, I always look

for something unusual to do.

But after going to the birthday party, she says she is no longer bored.

There are many

things to do in Washington, D.C..

Some unusual.

Some unusual.

Today I am not bored because it is

William Shakespeare's birthday.

Well, that means the party was not boring.

Exactly.

Instead, it was interesting.

Or maybe even exciting.

If it were boring, then Anna would still be bored.

Okay,

I see what you are trying to explain to our listeners.

We use ID like with the word bored

to describe our feelings inside.

But I n g like boring

to describe things we see or perceive.

So that means Anna would probably

not say I'm boring.

That's correct.

If she said I'm boring, that means

she thinks other people do not find her interesting in any way.

It would be very unusual for a person to say I'm boring.

It would be atypical.

Or out of the ordinary.

A bit odd.

Or maybe just an English mistake.

So please, listeners,

do not say that you are boring,

but it's okay to feel bored from time to time.

Jill, how are you feeling?

Oh, I'm not bored, but I am a bit tired.

Thinking of all these synonyms can be tiring.

Yeah, but it's fun too.

Hey, I have an idea to keep you awake.

Oh. I see you grabbing your guitar.

Are you going to play your unusual theme music again?

You guessed it.

But first, I want to tell our listeners that there's even more

they can learn from lesson 13 of Let's Learn English.

And we will explain those things in another podcast soon.

Oh, boy.

And they can learn more on our website.

Learning English that VOA News.com.

They can also find us on YouTube and Instagram.

And thanks for listening to the Learning English podcast.

I'm Jill Robbins.

And I'm Andrew Smith.

It's a most unusual time.

It's a most unusual day.

It's quite bizarre.

It's super odd.

It's strange in every way.

It's most unusual time.

It's a most unusual day.

My mind keeps wondering what to think.

When colors smell like

rain.

I've heard the strangest things today.

Like words that rhyme with oranges.

And so I think I'll sit right back

and watch the world.

It's weird and strange

in every way.

And that's our program for today.

Join us again tomorrow to keep learning

English through stories from around the world.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

You do?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
powerful /ˈpaʊərfəl/ A2	adjective - having great power, strength, or force
storm /stɔːrm/ A1	noun - a violent weather condition with strong winds, rain, or snow verb - to move angrily or forcefully
floods /flʌdz/ A1	noun - an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry
landslides /ˈlændslaɪdz/ B1	noun - the sliding down of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff
manufacturing /ˌmænjuˈfæktʃərɪŋ/ B1	noun - the process of making products, especially in large quantities
export /ˈɛkspɔːrt/ A2	noun - goods or services sold to another country verb - to send goods or services to another country for sale
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ A2	noun - the tools or machinery needed for a particular activity
industrial /ɪnˈdʌstrɪəl/ B1	adjective - relating to industry or manufacturing
processed /ˈprɑːsɛst/ B1	adjective - treated or prepared by a special method
ultra /ˈʌltrə/ B2	prefix - extreme or beyond the usual
synonym /ˈsɪnənɪm/ B2	noun - a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase
unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒuəl/ A2	adjective - not habitual or common; abnormal
bizarre /bɪˈzɑːr/ B1	adjective - very strange or unusual
exciting /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/ A2	adjective - causing great enthusiasm or interest
metabolism /məˈtæbəlɪzəm/ C1	noun - the chemical processes that occur within a living organism
nutritious /njuːˈtrɪʃəs/ B2	adjective - providing nourishment, especially to promote health

Key Grammar Structures

• So we speak a little slower, and we use words and phrases as specially written for people learning English.

  ➔ Adverbial clauses of manner with 'as', use of 'specially' as an adverb.

  ➔ The phrase 'as specially written' functions as an adverbial modifier describing *how* the words and phrases are used. It emphasizes the deliberate adaptation for learners. The word **specially** modifies the verb 'written'.

• Typhoon Yagi is the strongest such storm to hit the country in years.

  ➔ Superlative form with 'the strongest', use of 'such' as a determiner referring to a previously implied category.

  ➔ The sentence uses the superlative degree of the adjective 'strong' to indicate that Typhoon Yagi is unmatched in strength compared to other storms in recent years. **Such** refers back to the idea of 'a storm'.

• Reports said ten cars and trucks and two motorbikes fell into the river.

  ➔ Complex noun phrase with multiple coordinated elements ('cars and trucks', 'motorbikes'), passive voice ('fell into').

  ➔ The sentence demonstrates a complex noun phrase listing different vehicles. The verb **fell** is in the simple past tense, describing a completed action. The phrase 'into the river' is a prepositional phrase indicating direction.

• The storm is responsible for at least 59 deaths in Vietnam, officials said.

  ➔ Use of 'responsible for' to indicate causation, indirect speech ('officials said').

  ➔ The phrase **responsible for** indicates that the storm caused the deaths. 'Officials said' introduces reported speech, indicating that the information comes from an external source.