2022-07-17 Is the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Extinct or Just Hiding?
Is an animal or bird extinct if no one has seen it in almost 80 years? Or is it just good at hiding from those looking for it? That is…
2022-07-17 Which Online Services Will Stay after the Pandemic?
A recent public opinion study suggests a limited number of Americans are likely to continue using online services put in place during COVID-19 restrictions. In 2020, many daily routines went…
2022-07-17 Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon Hits Record Level
Satellite images suggest that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon hit record levels in the first half of 2022. The images were recorded between January and June. They show about 4,000…
2022-07-17 UN Report: 71 Million More People Reported to be in Poverty
As many as 71 million more people are reported to be in poverty as a result of increased food and energy prices. These prices rose in the weeks following Russia’s…
2022-07-16 Students Think Twice about Colleges after States Ban Abortion
Nina Huang is a California high school student who is thinking about where she wants to go for college. Until recently, she was considering Oberlin College in the state of…
2022-07-16 Solving Problems with Sleep Expressions
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. A couple of years ago, we wrote a story titled “Ways We Sleep.” We taught expressions such as catch a…
2022-07-16 As Great Salt Lake Shrinks, Pressure to Do Something Grows
The surface of Utah’s Great Salt Lake dropped to its lowest recorded level this July. Researchers and politicians are worried about serious threats to animals and people who live near…
2022-07-16 Scientists Develop Robotic Fish to ‘Eat’ Microplastics
Chinese scientists say they have developed a robotic fish that can remove microplastic particles from water environments. Researchers working on the project say the robots could help to clean up…
2022-07-16 Report: Rising Prices Affect Women the Most
A research organization based in Geneva, Switzerland warns that rising prices are likely to affect women more than men. The World Economic Forum released a report Wednesday on the economic…
2022-07-15 Is it a.m. or p.m.?
Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Max in China about the difference between a.m. and p.m. Question: Dear VOA teachers, This is Max…
2022-07-15 The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte
We present “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte. Here is Jim Tedder. John Oakhurst was a gambler. He had lived in the small western town of Poker Flat…
2022-07-15 ‘Mermaid’ Subculture Relates to Many Things
Around the world, people of many backgrounds are taking an interest in mermaids. Mermaids are imaginary sea creatures that are half woman and half fish. The 1989 Disney film, The…
2022-07-15 Labor Shortage Helps Former Prisoners Get Jobs
The United States’ ongoing labor shortage is bad for employers. But it also presents a chance for workers who often had a hard time finding jobs in better economic times:…
2022-07-15 Lost and Found: A Cat Is Reunited with Her Owners
A family’s cat has finally been recovered after three weeks of being on the run in Boston’s Logan International Airport. The cat — named Rowdy — had been successfully avoiding…