2023-12-17 Mickey Mouse Will Soon Belong to You, Me, Everyone
An early version of Mickey Mouse, the famous Disney character, will soon belong to you, me and everybody else. The mouse that started a Hollywood empire, along with several other…
2023-12-17 Young Indonesians Clean up Waterways, Better Solution Needed
Children in the Indonesian city of Bogor are cleaning up a local lake on their own. The young people take small boats, called kayaks, out on the water. They direct…
2023-12-17 A Short History of UN Climate Deal Promises
United Nations delegates from nearly 200 countries recently held a climate meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The delegates agreed that the world must move away from fossil fuels like…
2023-12-17 Scientists Create ‘Biocomputer’ with Lab-Grown Brain Tissue
American researchers have combined lab-grown human brain tissue with computer hardware to create a working biocomputer. The scientists say brain cells used in the experiment were able to recognize speech…
2023-12-16 Bill Clinton: Survivor
VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents. Today we are talking about William Jefferson Clinton – better known as Bill Clinton. Clinton took office in 1993, and was re-elected in 1996.…
2023-12-16 When Does a Problem ‘Snowball’?
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. If you live in a part of the world that is experiencing winter right now, it might be snowing. But…
2023-12-16 What Led to the Resignation of an Ivy League President?
The presidents of three well-known American universities recently spoke to members of the U.S. Congress about antisemitism on college campuses. Antisemitism is the word used to describe a hatred of…
2023-12-15 What Did People Search for in 2023?
Google, the most popular internet search engine, releases its “Year in Search 2023” this week. Around the world, Google says the “war in Israel and Gaza” was the top search…
2023-12-15 Indigenous Women Bring Amazon Tribe Back from Near Extinction
The Juma are native people of the Amazon rain forest area in Brazil. In the 1990s, there were only four people remaining in the tribe. They were Aruká, the father,…
2023-12-15 ‘The Gift of the Magi,’ by O. Henry
Editor’s Note: We are pleased to share a traditional holiday story with you, ‘The Gift of the Magi’ by O. Henry. Karen Leggett adapted this story for VOA Learning English.…
2023-12-15 Wondering About Wonder?
Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question about the word “wonder” as a noun and a verb. Question: Hello teacher, I am one of your…
2023-12-14 Boston Common: America’s First Public Park
Almost 400 years ago, America’s early European colonists voted to tax each household in Boston about $70 in today’s money. The money was used to buy a local farm. The…