Episodes
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Pronunciation Irregular Verbs - Part 4
Try listening to this podcast a few times every day for one week. Sit, sat, sat spend, spent, spent ring, rang, rung wear, wore, worn sell, sold, sold beat, beat, beaten win, won, won hurt, hurt, hurt sing, sang, sung blow, blew, blown rise, rose, risen ride, rode ridden fly, flew, flown drink,...
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Pronunciation Irregular Verbs - Part 3
Try listening to this podcast a few times every day for one week. Feel, felt, felt hold, held, held stand, stood, stood understand, understood, understood lose, lost, lost catch, caught, caught buy, bought, bought send, sent, sent fall, fell, fallen choose, chose, chosen sleep, slept, slept…
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Pronunciation Irregular Verbs - Part 2
Try listening to this podcast a few times every day for one week. Take, took, taken put, put, put tell, told, told give, gave, given read, read, read keep, kept, kept begin, began, begun let, let, let hear, heard, heard cut, cut, cut eat, ate, eaten * run, ran, run bring, brought, brought become,...
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Pronunciation Irregular Verbs - Part 1
Try listening to this podcast a few times every day for one week. Have has had had say says said said do does did done see saw seen make made made find found found know knew known get got gotten go went gone write wrote written think thought thought come came come.
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Sleeping next to pets can make you sick
New research suggests that sleeping next to your pet increases your risk of getting sick. Researchers from the University of California-Davis believe pet owners have a greater chance of catching diseases as serious as the bubonic plague, an infection that killed 75 million people across Europe in...
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Egyptian joy as Mubarak resigns
Celebrations have erupted across Egypt after Hosni Mubarak resigned as president. His resignation came after 18 days of pro-democracy protests in which millions of Egyptians voiced their desire for change. The end for Mubarak was a U-turn. On Thursday night he vowed to continue in power until...
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Burger King releases meat perfume
What do you buy the man who has everything for Christmas? How about some perfume that smells of meat? The US hamburger giant Burger King has just released a fragrance for men based on the smell of its Whopper burger. The company is advertising the scent, called Flame, on its website...
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Best job in the world
The world will soon know who will get the “best job in the world”. The position is for a caretaker to live on and look after a tropical island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Duties include relaxing on the island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef, and writing a blog to promote the...
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There are 13 signs of the Zodiac
An astronomy professor has turned the astrology world on its head by suggesting the 3,000-year-old zodiac system is wrong. Professor Parke Kunkle said the Earth's wobbly orbit means things have changed in the past three millennia and now has a different relationship to the stars. He said the...
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Walking fast a sign of longer life
A newly-released study reveals that walking fast in your old age is a sign you will live a long life. The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed data from nine studies that involved 34,485 senior citizens. Participants in the research were regularly tested over a…
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Cubans can now build their own homes
Times are changing quickly in Cuba. Cubans can now build their own houses for the first time in 50 years. The country's president, Raul Castro, has announced changes to help the nation's housing shortage. For the past five decades, people had to rely on the government to provide them with houses....
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No kids the secret to a happier marriage
A new study has found that having a child can make a couple less happy with each other. Researchers from the University of Denver conducted an eight-year study of 218 sets of parents. Their report is called “The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality”. It is published in…
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Drinking wine can rot your teeth
Drinking wine can damage your teeth. That’s the conclusion of a report from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. Researchers tested the effects of eight red and eight white wines on teeth from men and women aged between 40 to 65. They discovered all of the wines damaged the enamel...
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Blue light to stop Tokyo train suicides
Train companies in Tokyo are taking action to reduce the number of people jumping in front of trains. They are fitting blue lights on station platforms to try and create a more calming atmosphere. The East Japan Railway Company has invested almost $170,000 to install the lights in all of the 29...
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London subway passengers stressed out
A survey on London’s subway train system has found over 80 per cent of passengers are stressed. The report is called ‘Too close for comfort: Passengers' experiences of the London Underground’. It was made by a London transport committee, who questioned more than 700 commuters. The findings paint…
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I-phones are now musical instruments
A U.S. university has found a new use for the Apple iPhone – as a musical instrument. Academics from the University of Michigan have joined forces to create what they call a 21st century orchestra. There are no traditional instruments, only 20 of Apple’s best-selling mobile telephones. The…
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Sleeping is life’s greatest pleasure
British people have voted a good night's sleep as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company conducted a survey into what gave Britons most pleasure. Bed activities filled four of the top ten spots. Cuddling a loved one in bed came third, having a lie-in was fifth and...
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Drivers think they drive better than others
Canadian researchers have found that most drivers think they are better than others behind the wheel. The team from Ottawa University interviewed nearly 400 motorists of all ages. They all had to answer questions about what they thought of their own driving skills. The question topics included…
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Time can fly
Does time fly or does it go slowly? We’ve all had experiences of wanting time to pass quicker, slow down or even stop. The BBC has reported on research on the speed time travels at. Its reporter Tom Colls discusses a study conducted by researchers at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota…
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Grandparents increase risk of obesity in children
Leaving your children with their grandparents may be bad for the little ones’ health. This is according to new research in the ‘International Journal of Obesity’. The British study showed that children who are looked after by their grandparents tend to me more overweight. Researchers looked at…
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The most unfortunate names in Britain
A website in Britain has just released a study into the strange names some people have. TheBabyWebsite.com created a list called ‘The Most Unfortunate Names in Britain’. Some of the names have been with people from birth; others got the names after they married. The bizarre, unlucky names include...
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Internet access is a human right
Most of the world’s Internet users believe Internet access is a basic human right. This is according to a new poll conducted for the BBC. A survey of more than 27,000 adults in 26 different countries found four out of five people believed access to the World Wide Web was a right everyone in the...
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Carla Bruni says Nicolas Sarkozy is faithful
French first lady Carla Bruni has spoken about rumours her marriage to French president Nicolas Sarkozy is over. She said many teasing things in an interview with the British TV network Sky News. French newspapers are full of stories about the high-profile couple’s future together. However…
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Venomous snakes
A British man is hoping to break the world record for living with dangerous snakes. David Jones, 44, hopes to spend 121 days in a room with 40 of the world’s deadliest snakes. His slithery companions will include deadly adders, cobras and green and black mambas. Mr Jones starts his record attempt...
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Eat less salt
Food experts in the USA are asking the government to make new salt laws. America’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) wants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to limit the amount of salt put in food. This would affect how food manufacturers and restaurants prepare their food. The institute believes...
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United Kindom says goodbye to 500-Euro notes
The British government has decided to take the 500-euro Euro banknote out of circulation. Not many ordinary British people or visitors to Britain will notice this change, unless they are criminals. The bill is worth about $630, so it is very attractive to criminal gangs. They use it to launder...
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Synthetic life
A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a spin. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific breakthrough last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell…
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Internet addiction
The New York Times has reported on a problem that many of us have but are not aware of – Internet addiction. According to reporter Tara Parker-Pope, millions of us are addicted to being online. She says this is a growing problem that is making us more forgetful and impatient. Ms Parker-Pope…
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Facebook creator
Time magazine has named Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, as and their Person of the Year 2010. Zuckerberg, 26, is the second-youngest winner of the accolade. He won the award for connecting 12 percent of the planet on his social networking site. This is an impressive statistic…
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Naomi Campbell
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has accused Britain’s Vogue fashion magazine of being racist. She says the publication is guilty of "sidelining black beauty". Campbell is one of the few black models ever to have appeared on the cover of the British Vogue. She shot to fame in the international modeling...
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Queen Elizabeth addresses UN general assembly
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday for the first time in over five decades. She also visited Ground Zero, the site of the deadly World Trade Center attacks in 2001, to lay a floral wreath. The Queen commented on how the world had changed since…
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Firm handshake means longer life
Scientists say they have found key clues into how long we will live. One of them is a firm handshake. British researchers believe a strong grip is not just a sign of confidence but also an indicator of longevity. Lead author Dr Rachel Cooper, of University College London, said her study looked…
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High-heel shoes
Scientists have found out that women who wear high-heel shoes make the calf muscles shorter. The heels also give many women pain in their legs when they take them off and walk. The researchers tested different women aged between 20 and 50 who wore heels that were 5cm or higher. The research…
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The chicken came before the egg
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This is one of life’s oldest questions and everyone has their own opinion. Now scientists believe they have cracked it and have unscrambled this mystery. Researchers from Sheffield and Warwick Universities in England discovered the answer by mistake. They...
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Larry King
Larry King, the legendary TV interviewer, has announced he will retire from hosting his prime time CNN chat show. Mr King, 76, made the announcement in a short post on Twitter. In it, he made a reference to his fashion: “It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders.” He said he wants to spend more...
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Overweight
Six of the seven countries with the highest obesity rates are English-speaking nations. This is according to a new report from the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development). The country at the top of the list is the USA. This is followed by Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, the...
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Rubbish
Tensions are rising in the Italian city of Naples over plans to create another huge rubbish dump near the city. There have been riots in the streets and clashes between protestors and the police. Rioters burnt cars and Italian flags and hurled rocks at the police. Masked protestors dragged three...
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Alcohol more harmful than heroin
A new study has discovered that alcohol is a more dangerous drug than heroin and cocaine. The report is from Britain’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Its research classified drugs on the basis of the harm they do in our society. Alcohol came top of the list, with heroin second and...
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Daydreaming
New research from America’s Harvard University shows people spend nearly half of their waking hours daydreaming, and not thinking about what they are actually doing. Moreover, they say this mind wandering is a sign of unhappiness. The study, to be published in the journal ‘Science,’ surveyed the...
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Internet safety for children
The increasing popularity of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more youngsters are becoming victims of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to ensure their kids are…
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Bananas ripen better with Mozart
Scientists have shown that Mozart has a positive effect on many things, but the great composer himself might be surprised that his music helps bananas ripen. A Japanese fruit company, Toyoka Chuo Seika, claims its bananas taste better after being exposed to Mozart’s music for a week. The company...
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Santa Claus
A top New York department store has fired its Santa Claus after two customers did not like one of his jokes. John Toomey, 68, had worked as Macy’s Santa for 20 years. A middle-aged couple asked him why Santa was always so jolly, to which he replied, “because I know where all the naughty boys and...
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Computers to boot up in seconds
A big and welcome change could be coming to PCs. The time spent waiting for our computer to boot up could soon be cut to seconds instead of the minute or three we currently have to wait. This is good news for people who pull their hair out at the length of time it takes for a PC to start. How…
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Pocket money
Children in Britain are feeling the effects of the recession. The weak economy is hitting them where it hurts most – their pockets. A new survey has shown that the weekly money that children receive from their parents is at a seven-year low. The report, from the Halifax Bank, indicates the...
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Experts fear that Spain won't be able...
The European debt crisis continued Thursday, with Spain paying more to finance its government and the continent's central bank acting to nearly double its reserves. Earlier this week, Moody's Investors Service said it may lower Spain's credit rating less than three months after its last cut. Some...
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'The King's speech
"In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my people, both at home and overseas, this message." The hesitations in an archival recording of a 1939 broadcast from Buckingham Palace give only a hint of how difficult it was for King George VI to speak…
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European austerity measures draw protests
Greeks took to the streets for the second day of strikes and protests during the seventh general strike this year against new government austerity measures to reduce the high public debt and budget deficit. Protests are also taking place in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Czech Republic at…
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Athenaise by Kate Chopin
JIM TEDDER: Now, the VOA Special English program AMERICAN STORIES. (MUSIC) Our story today is called "Athenaise." It was written by Kate Chopin. Here is Barbara Klein with the story. BARBARA KLEIN: Athenaise went away one morning to visit her parents, ten miles back on the Bon Dieu River in...
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Jim Brickman goes country on Home
Brickman has performed on concert stages the world over, but never on one of the most famous stages of them all, The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. On November 6, Jim made his debut at the country music landmark with Victoria Shaw singing his hit song "The Gift." He also accompanied...
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The story of radio
And I’m Steve Ember with explorations in voa special English. Today we tell about the history of radio and the latest technology. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Our story begins in Britain in eighteen seventy-three. A scientist named James Maxwell wrote a mathematical theory about a kind of energy. He called...