Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor

BY: October 17, 2014 03:02 UTC Science in the New Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth’s oceans. Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments. The new map is two times as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE. “The way we’re doing that is to use a satellite altimeter, a radar to map the topography of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you'd map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what’s on the sea floor.” The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency's Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth’s orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency’s Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed. “That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins.” The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor. In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic plates can be seen clearly there. “It’s called the Indian Ocean Triple Junction. It’s one of my favorite spots in the ocean because it really displays the theoretical aspects of plate tectonics perfectly. You have three plates -- the African plate, and the Indo-Australian plate and the Antarctic plate -- all connected at this one point in the center of the Indian Ocean.” David Sandwell says the map is a powerful tool for fisheries, those interested in protecting the environment and for oil exploration. “(The) petroleum exploration industry is interested in how to reconnect the continents, bring them back together tectonically so you can map the basins (on) one continental margin -- say, Africa -- and use that to establish where the similar basin would be on the other continental margin in South America.” If scientists know that information, they may be able to find oil fields. The new data also will help scientists improve their estimates of ocean depths. This information can help ships travel safely and improve military operations and scientific projects worldwide. “This new gravity map really provides a reconnaissance tool for planning shipboard surveys. You don’t have to go out with your ship and start looking for something new -- we can target that with the gravity and then go out with the ship and do the high resolution survey to really understand these features.” Mr. Sandwell thinks scientists will make many more discoveries as they examine the new map and the information it provides. The work is described in the journal Science. I’m Christopher Cruise. This story was reported by VOA Science Correspondent Rosanne Skirble. Christopher Cruise wrote the story for Learning English. He also produced the program. The editor was George Grow. _____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
surface – n. the upper layer of an area of land or water
map – n. a picture or chart that shows the rivers, mountains and streets in a particular area
detailed – adj. including many details; including a lot of information
device – n. an object, machine, or piece of equipment that has been made for some special purpose
underneath – prep. below or beneath (something)
 underneath

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Music You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else

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Hello, and welcome to As It Is from VOA Learning English! I’m Christopher Cruise in Washington. Today on the program we will hear music from one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans, Louisiana.. “They be playin’ in the parks. They be playin’ in the Back Street Culture Museum, and St. Augustine’s Church, and you can also catch them in Congo Square playing New Orleans music.” Music from a place with a style all its own, today on As It Is… Brass Bands in New Orleans and on TV Many people are still talking about the fourth and final season of the HBO television program “Treme.” The show was set in a neighborhood unlike any other. Treme is one of the oldest parts of New Orleans, and a place with a style of music all its own. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. And within the city, many will tell you that jazz began in Treme, in a place called “Congo Square.” For almost 300 years, African-Americans have been coming to Congo Square to play music and dance. And for over a century, the music they play and dance to has been the music of brass bands. Benny Jones, Sr. is the leader of the Treme Brass Band. “They be playin’ in the parks. They be playin’ in the Back Street Culture Museum, and St. Augustine’s Church, and you can also catch them in Congo Square playing New Orleans music.” New Orleans is a city not just of jazz, but of parades -- everything from Mardi Gras parades to funeral parades. And when jazz musicians march in the street it is called “Second Line” music. Benny Jones says the name “Second Line,” comes from the music’s beginnings in the military. “The band would play right behind the soldiers -- that’s where the brass band got the name ‘Second Line.’ They were playing marching music. So when they got to the streets, they changed the beat of the music. They put the New Orleans beat in it, puttin’ the street beat on the bass drum and which a snare drum would tie into it and therefore how come it come to be a Second Line brass band.” Much of the marching that Second Line brass bands do is to burial grounds. “You can always -- at any given time -- you may see a band leaving a funeral parlor or church doing a New Orleans traditional jazz funeral. If you’re playing for an older person, you’re looking for a strait-out, traditional Jazz funeral: ‘A Closer Walk with Thee,’ ‘In the Sweet By-And-By,’ ‘Precious Lord’ -- that is funeral music. And when you’re playing for younger people, today they ache for the up-tempo music. So they hire a young band and they do a real up-tempo music for their funeral.” Hurricane Katrina destructionHurricane Katrina destruction In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans. The Treme neighborhood was especially hard-hit. Benny Jones and most of his band moved to the western United States after the storm. Today, however, Treme is recovering. And Mr. Jones sees plenty to suggest that the area’s traditions will carry on. “I played in the Young Men’s Olympic Parade. I’m the leader of a band -- they like traditional music. Right behind me they have another traditional band. In the back, they have another, modern music, now the younger band they play the up-tempo music, like the rebirth music. So everybody’s playing a variety of music on the parade.” Today, the music continues to change. Young people respect the brass band tradition, while adding modern sounds like reggae and hip-hop. It is a kind of music that keeps marching on. And that’s our program for today. It was based on a story by reporter Richard Paul. Next Monday on As It Is we will have another report about American music. We will tell about the growing popularity of mariachi music -- especially in the states along the border with Mexico. And we will tell how some Americans used music to support and then oppose an amendment to the United States Constitution. We would like to know what you want to hear about on a future show. We read every message you send us. Write to us at: VOA Learning English Washington, DC 20237 USA Or send an e-mail to: LearningEnglish@VOANews.com You can also go to our website -- learningenglish.voanews.com -- and click “Contact Us.” While you are there, you can read, listen to and download our programs. You can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, iTunes, Twitter and on our YouTube Channel, all at VOA Learning English. I’m Christopher Cruise. Thanks for listening!

What is the Best Way to Learn a Language?

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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama learns some Chinese from pre-school students at the Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School in Washington. ( March 2014)



From VOA Learning English this is As It Is.  I’m Anna Matteo in Washington.

Today on, As It Is, we will hear about something our listeners do every day they hear, read or watch VOA Learning English --  learning a second language.

We will hear whether being surrounded by a foreign language, or immersed in it, is the best way to learn a language.  Or are traditional lectures with grammar rules and vocabulary lists the best way to learn to speak like a native speaker.

Steve Ember has more on that topic.

What is the best way to learn a new language?  A small study of foreign language learning in adults compared two methods. One is known as the explicit or classroom method.  This is the kind of traditional classroom teaching where students are taught a lot of information about grammar rules.

The other method is known as the implicit or immersion method. The idea here is to learn much the way children do when they learn a native language. That is, by being with native speakers and absorbing the language that surrounds them, generally without a lot of explanation. Teachers may combine these two methods into what Professor Michael Ullman calls immersion-style classroom teaching. But is that necessarily a better way to learn a language?

Mr. Ullman was the senior investigator for the new study. He is a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington.  He says he was surprised to find that combining the two methods might not help the brain in processing the new language.

MICHAEL ULLMAN: "You know, if my life were on the line, and I had to learn a language, what would I do? I'm not sure. One possibility would be that, to start with explicit and then go to immersion, right? Start with classroom and then go to immersion. But there is this possibility that classroom could hurt later immersion. That's what, you know, one possibility of interpreting our data."

The twenty-one adults in the experiment learned Brocanto2, a thirteen-word language created for the study. The words and grammar rules relate to a computer game similar to chess that the learners played. For example, "Blom neimo lu neep li praz" means "The square blom-piece switches with the neep-piece."
                             
The researchers tested the people three to six months after they had learned the language, to see how well they could remember it. The study found that those who had learned it with the immersion method had brain waves similar to those of native speakers of a language when speaking that language.                                                                      

Professor Ullman says those who trained with the classroom method also became more native-like in their brain processing.  But only the immersion group showed full native-like processing of the grammar.  Still, he says teachers should be careful how they use the results of his study.

MICHAEL ULLMAN: "You know I would not make any curriculum changes based on this. Nevertheless, it is suggestive, and I think it warrants further research to see whether in fact what kind of training might in fact be best not just for reaching the native brain bases but also for, you know, maximum proficiency in different aspects of language, like grammar, you know, syntax and lexicon. So I think further research is warranted. And it may be, for example, that a combination of classroom and immersion might be best. But we don't know that."

I'm Steve Ember.

And I’m Anna Matteo.

So which way of learning a language is working best for you?  Do you think immersion is the best way to learn a language? Or do you believe the traditional lecture model is good enough? Let us know in our comment section!

And find us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for more Learning English stories.

What is the best way to learn a language?

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What is the best way to learn a language? Question image QUIZ link:

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immersion (adj.) "The other method is known as the implicit or immersion method." In this article, what does immersion mean?

•  a way of teaching languages that involves both traditional and non-traditional methods 
• not speaking your native language at all while another language 
• learning a language in everyday life and not in a classroom
• a method of learning a foreign language by being taught entirely in that language 

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Hundreds of California Homes in Need of Water

Vickie Yorba, 94, stands next to a water tank in front of her home in East Porterville, California, Sept. 15, 2014. Her water well is one of 290 in the area that ran dry in the state’s historic drought. (AP Photo/Scott Smith)

10/12/2014  

Severe drought has struck California for a third year. The lack of water is affecting farms, cities and small communities. California’s Central Valley is usually fertile. But the lack of rainfall has left hundreds of homes without water.                                                  
The Porterville Area Coordinating Council provides food and other help to needy families. But right now, the families badly need water. Some of the land has not been planted because of lack of water. A man drives up to an old food-package house. The building serves as the headquarters of the Porterville Area Coordinating Council. The man’s pick-up truck is loaded with plastic barrels. A volunteer fills these containers with water. Nearby people are loading cars and other vehicles with cases of drinking water. 
Debbie Martinez lives on a ranch, a large farm that is not connected to the local water system. She has a water well. But she says it is dry.
“Yes, it’s been (dry) three years. My neighbor had given me water, but their wells are going dry, too.”
California’s system of aqueducts carries water to cities and small towns. But this part of Tulare County is far from any city. A lower than normal amount of water under the ground has left some wells with little or no water. Council volunteer Fred Beltran says this situation has affected more than 300 homes in this neighborhood.
“And these are all individual wells that are drying up or they’re pumping poor quality of water, which is either sand, dirt or high nitrates.”
California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed bills to regulate ground water to prevent shortages. He ordered delivery of emergency drinking water for people who have none.                                  
Tulare County water expert Denise England says people need clean water for drinking and cooking. 
“But the bigger challenge we’re facing now is what we’re calling sanitation water, so water that’s not potable, that’s not drinkable, but you can take a shower with it or do your dishes with it or bathe.”
Elva Beltran directs the Porterville Area Coordinating Council. She says her group has provided large open-air water tanks for many people. She says, “We have 54 tanks right now.”
The Council gets its money from area residents and religious groups.
Much of the work here involves giving water to people like Michael Burrough.
“I don’t know what else to do. All the water we can get is from the sources like right here. Other than that, I have to buy water and I don’t really have the extra money to buy cases of water.”
Officials say providing these families with water is highly important. But for now, the people depend on their neighbors, local government and private agencies to get the water they need to survive.
I’m Anna Matteo.
This report was based on a story from VOA reporter Mike O’Sullivan. Jeri Watson wrote the story for Learning English. The editor was George Grow. 
_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

right now – idiom, immediately
well – n., a deep hole in the ground through which water can be removed
ranch – n., a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle or sheep
delivery – n., the act of taking something to a person or place; something taken to a person or place
regulate – v., to make regulations (rules) for
aqueduct – n., an artificial channel for conveying water
resident – n., a person who lives somewhere permanently or on a long-term basis 

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OTHER WORDS:  BY:

drought

      n   sequía    f  

Traducción diccionario Collins Ingles - Espanol   

drought-stricken exp. aquejado de sequía

drought-stricken	exp.	afectado por la sequía
drought is the curse of Spain	exp.	la sequía es el azote de España
last summer's drought is a dis...	exp.	la sequía del verano pasado es ya un recuerdo lejano
an annual cycle of drought alter...	exp.	un ciclo anual de sequías alternando con inundaciones
the worst drought in {or} ...	exp.	la peor sequía que se recuerda

» Ver todos los resultados

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drought también se encontró en el diccionario Español-Inglés
aquí la sequía es una plaga	exp.	drought is a scourge here
la sequía hizo estragos en el ...	exp.	the drought wreaked havoc in the countryside
el informe estudia los efec...	exp.	the report examines {o} looks into the effects of the drought struck       pt, pp     -   strike    awe-struck      adj   pasmado, atemorizado   horror-struck      adj     →   horror-stricken   Traducción diccionario Collins Ingles - Espanol    Diccionario colaborativo     Inglés-Español to be struck dumb exp. quedarse sin habla [Fig.] he struck it rich exp. le salió el gordo (IDIOMS) a sound struck my ear exp. un ruido hirió mi oído [Liter.] his head struck the beam exp. dio con la cabeza contra {or} en la viga the clock struck the hour exp. el reloj dio la hora to be struck by lightning exp. ser alcanzado por un rayo the ship struck an iceberg exp. el buque chocó con {or} contra un iceberg the clock struck the half-hour exp. el reloj dio y media {or} dio la media it forcefully struck him that ... exp. le llamó poderosamente la atención que ... the tower was struck by lightning exp. cayó un rayo en la torre the tower was struck by lightning exp. la torre fue alcanzada por un rayo he survived being struck by lightning exp. sobrevivió tras haberle caído un rayo the storm struck violently and destructively exp. la tormenta se abatió violenta y destructiva a ghastly sight struck our eyes exp. se nos presentó un panorama horroroso they struck sparks off each other exp. por efecto mutuo hacían chispear el ingenio (IDIOMS) his van allegedly struck two people exp. según se afirma {or} supuestamente, su furgon... his speech struck the right/wrong note exp. su discurso fue/no fue acertado the clock has struck exp. ha dado la hora ya where the lightning struck exp. donde cayó el rayo » Ver todos los resultados *** struck también se encontró en el diccionario Español-Inglés recibir un golpe exp. be struck lo vino Dios a ver exp. he struck lucky (MODISMOS) se sacó la lotería exp. he struck lucky [Fig.] se le apareció la Virgen exp. he struck lucky le cayó {o} le tocó la lotería exp. he struck lucky [Fig.] quedarse en la luna de Paita exp. to be struck dumb [Latam] Andes;(MO... el reloj dio las tres exp. the clock struck three acaban de sonar las diez exp. it has just struck ten el buque chocó con una mina exp. the ship struck a mine le asaltó una idea exp. he was struck by an idea

Malala and Indian Activist Win Nobel Peace Prize

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FILE - This year's Nobel Peace Prize winners, Indian children's right activist Kailash Satyarthi, left, and Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.

Malala and Indian Activist Win Nobel Peace Prize

 

 

A child rights campaigner and a child education activist will share the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.                                
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the two winners on Friday. They are Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and India’s Kailash Satyarthi. The Nobel committee said the prize was awarded for “their struggle against the suppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to an education.”
It added that the committee considers it important “for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism.”                                          
Malala Yousafzai becomes the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. She is only 17 years old. She had been pushing for girls’ education in Pakistan for several years when Taliban gunmen shot her in the head in 2012.
Doctors in Pakistan, and later Britain, treated Malala. She has since recovered and continues to fight for women’s rights around the world.           
Kailash Satyarthi has been leading a peaceful movement to end abuse of children for financial gain. The Nobel Committee says he also has assisted in the development of important international agreements on children’s rights.The two winners will split the $1.1 million in prize money.
Nobel officials will present the award on December 10^th in Oslo, Norway.
I’m Caty Weaver.
This report was based on information from VOA’s News Division. George Grow wrote it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
_____________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

child – n. a baby; a boy or girl
education – n. the act of teaching
struggle –n. a great effort; a fight; v. to try with much effort; to fight with
split – v. to separate into two or more parts; to divide or break into parts


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Long Drought Affects Farmers in Southwestern US

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Long Drought Affects Farmers in Southwestern US

Parts of the southwestern American states of Texas and Oklahoma have experienced severe dry weather for several years. This drought has affected the growth of cotton and grains. The governor of Oklahoma says the state has suffered two billion dollars in agricultural losses since 2011








Parts of the southwestern American states of Texas and Oklahoma have experienced severe dry weather for several years. This drought has affected the growth of cotton and grains. The governor of Oklahoma says the state has suffered two billion dollars in agricultural losses since 2011. Some heavy rain fell recently, but for most farmers it did not come soon enough.
Matt Muller is a farmer in southwestern Oklahoma.
“We were doing very well farming until about 2010, the fall of 2010 (when) it basically stopped raining, and for the past four years we've been in continuous drought.”
Mr. Muller was hopeful earlier in the year. Spring was cool and wet, and summer came early. But that hope went away when the rains did not come.
“Things looked phenomenal because of the mild weather and the showers we were able to catch, but then August 1st, it's like a blowtorch showed up.”
High temperatures and lack of rain meant most crops did not grow. But that was not the case with mung beans. Mr. Muller says that crop did well because it can grow even when there is not much rain.
“When it started rain(ing), we jumped in and tried that crop and it was able to beat the heat of August and finish out and make a decent crop before it burned up in August.”
Those kinds of crops help farmers survive. Irrigation can also help farms. Irrigation systems use water from underground when there is not enough rain. But crops like cotton are more valuable than mung beans, and it is those kinds of crops that are being hurt by the drought.
Clint Abernathy is a cotton farmer. He has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for machines to help him harvest his crop. He says he has not grown as much cotton in the past few years as he predicted.
“This year we did have enough rain in June and July to, to grow a crop that, that looks better -- it's, it's and it is better -- but this is ground that we normally would want to make three-bale-an-acre-plus on, and right now we're looking at probably a half to three-quarter (of a bale) cotton crop.”
Mr. Abernathy says before drought struck the area, he grew much bigger plants, and each had more cotton on them.
“This is a stressed plant that did not produce what, what it had the potential to do.”
He says insurance has helped provide money when his crops fail. But he says what farmers really need is more water and better prices for what they grow.
“Even with crop insurance we're still, we're goin' downhill, you know. Our, our insurance yields just keep goin' down every year. Prices of commodities -- all commodities except livestock -- they just keep goin' down.”
Livestock prices dropped a few years ago. That is when the drought forced many ranchers to sell their livestock. But few farmers in the area have anything left to sell now, and that hurts the local economy. So farmers in southwestern Oklahoma are doing what farmers throughout the world have done for centuries: they are hoping for a better year, next year.  
I’m Caty Weaver.
This story was reported by VOA correspondent Greg Flakus. It was written for Learning English and produced by Christopher Cruise. Caty Weaver edited it.  _____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain
agriculture – n. farming
crops – n. plants that are grown and gathered, such as grains, fruits and vegetables
insurance – n. an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something (such as a house or car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen
economy – n. the system by which money, industry and trade are organized

Now it’s your turn to use these Words in this Story. In the comments section, write a sentence using one of these words and we will provide feedback on your use of vocabulary and grammar.
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