http://learningenglish.voanews.com/media/video/could-computers-heat-homes/2767519.html
Companies spend a lot of money cooling computer servers which generate a lot of heat. Now, a company wants to use that heat to warm homes.
Las empresas gastan(pasan) mucho dinero que refresca a los servidores de ordenador que generan mucho calor. Ahora, una empresa quiere usar aquel calor para calentar casas....
PULGAR ARRIBA Si te gusta esta entrada
lunes, 18 de mayo de 2015
Could Computers Heat Homes?
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/media/video/could-computers-heat-homes/2767519.html
Companies spend a lot of money cooling computer servers which generate a lot of heat. Now, a company wants to use that heat to warm homes.
Las empresas gastan(pasan) mucho dinero que refresca a los servidores de ordenador que generan mucho calor. Ahora, una empresa quiere usar aquel calor para calentar casas....
martes, 21 de abril de 2015
GRAMMAR: INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS
Everyday Grammar
http://blogs.voanews.com/confessions/
Everyday Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives
Everyday Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives
Welcome to another episode of Everyday Grammar on VOA Learning English. English learners have difficulty with gerunds and infinitives. A gerund is the –ing form of a verb that functions the same as a noun. For example, “Running is fun.” In this sentence, “running” is the gerund. It acts just like a noun. The infinitive form of a verb appears either as the basic form (with no marking) or with the word “to.” For example, you can say “I might run to the store” or “I like to run.” In this sentence, “to run” is the infinitive. It is difficult for English learners to know whether to use a gerund or an infinitive after a verb. Here’s an example. Which sentence is correct? Sentence one: I suggested going to dinner. Sentence two: I suggested to go to dinner. Sentence one, with the gerund, is correct. “I suggested going to dinner.” Why? You can only use a gerund after the verb “suggest.” Let’s take the word “like.” You can say “I like" running” or “I like to run.” Both sentences have the same meaning. You can use either a gerund or an infinitive after “like.” Now let’s try “enjoy.” We can say, “I enjoy running.” But we cannot say, “I enjoy to run.” Why? Only a gerund can follow the verb “enjoy.” Are you confused yet? You’re not alone. Gerunds and infinitives confuse even very advanced English learners. Basically, some verbs are followed by gerunds, some verbs are followed by infinitives, and some verbs can be followed by gerunds or infinitives. Native speakers do not think about the difference. But English learners have to memorize the hundreds of different verb combinations. Here are a few tips. Tip number one: you almost always find a gerund after a preposition. For example, “She is afraid of flying.” In this sentence “of” is the preposition and “flying” is the gerund. You cannot say “She is afraid of to fly.” An infinitive cannot be the object of a preposition, only a gerund can. You could say, “She is afraid to fly,” but in this sentence, the preposition “of” is gone. Tip number two: When you are talking about an activity, you usually use a gerund. For example, “I stopped smoking.” You can describe many activities by using “go” before a gerund. “Let’s go shopping,” or “We went skiing.” Let’s see how much you know. Try to complete these sentences using the verb “study.” Ready? I’ll read the first part of the sentence and you finish it. I enjoy … (studying) I considered … (studying) I managed … (to study) I hope … (to study) I suggested … (studying) I like… … (studying) or … (to study) This is only a simple introduction to a complicated grammar topic. There is no quick and easy way to learn gerunds and infinitives. It takes years of practice and familiarity with the English language. Next time you read or listen to a VOA Learning English story, pay attention to use of gerunds and infinitives. Over time, you will begin to hear the right verb combination. Below is a helpful reference list for using gerunds and infinitives. I’m Jonathan Evans. And I’m Ashley Thompson. Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Dr. Jill Robbins was the editor. ______________________________________________________________Words in This Story gerund - n. an English noun formed from a verb by adding -ing infinitive - n. the basic form of a verb; usually used with to except with modal verbs like should and could and certain other verbs like see and hear preposition - n. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object Now it’s your turn. In the comment section, write one sentence that uses a verb followed by a gerund or an infinitive. We’ll respond with feedback about your usage. ______________________________________________________________
Only a gerund can follow these verbs: admit, advise, avoid, be used to, can’t help, can’t stand, consider, deny, discuss, dislike, end up, enjoy, feel like, finish, forget, get used to, give up, go on, have difficulty, have problems, have trouble, imagine, it’s no use, it’s worthwhile, keep, look forward to, mention, mind, miss, recommend, remember, quit, spend time, stop, suggest, understand, waste time, work at Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs, and there is no change in meaning begin, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, start Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs, but the meaning may change: forget, remember, stop An infinitive follows these verbs: afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, care, decide, demand, expect, fail, forget, hope, learn, manage, mean, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, remember, seem, stop, volunteer, wait, want, wish A noun or pronoun and an infinitive follow these verbs advise, allow, ask, cause, challenge, command, convince, expect, forbid, force, hire, instruct, invite, order, pay, permit, program, remind, teach, tell, urge, want, warn
viernes, 3 de abril de 2015
Ceramic Guitar Proves Good for Rockin'
Musicians have been using clay, or ceramic, wind and percussion instruments for a long time. But a rock guitarist in Spain is now attracting audiences with not only his music, but his unique ceramic guitar. Luis Martin is the guitarist and lead singer in the Spanish band "Lobos Negros." He says that widespread success does not come easy for rock guitarists. Mr. Martin says guitarists need something to set themselves apart from all others. He says, "I wanted to achieve a different sound that everybody wants to use to play their music, whether the style is rock n' roll, rockabilly, blues, reggae or whatever." The idea to use a ceramic guitar came from Luis Martin’s hometown of Talavera de la Reina in central Spain. The town is known for the ceramic art found in many houses there. Manuel Carrillo makes ceramic guitars in Talavera de la Reina. He says it took him some time to master the process of making a guitar body without any cracks or deformities. He says, "A very thin wall of clay is made for the outside of the body, then we get rid of the leftover liquid. Then we make openings in the body, so the guitar maker can assemble everything he needs. And then, once the clay is baked, it is glazed and decorated." Luis Martin says that, back in the 1950s, rock musicians in the United States discovered the unique quality of bouncing sound off ceramic material. He says, "In the 50s, voices and a lot of guitars used to be recorded in bathrooms with a microphone in the middle. The ceramic tiles in the bathrooms created a special sound." A ceramic guitar costs about $3,000 and weighs 3.5 kilograms. Each one is unique and has different decorations. Luis Martin and his band now plan to travel around Spain hoping to attract fans with their new ceramic sound. I’m Jonathan Evans. George Putic reported this story from Washington. Jonathan Evans wrote it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
ceramic – adj. made of clay that has been heated to a very high temperature so that it becomes hard
decorate – v. to make something more attractive usually by putting something on it
deformity – n. a condition in which part of something does not have the normal or expected shape
glaze – v. to give a smooth and shiny coating to something unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else
miércoles, 18 de marzo de 2015
What Causes Jet Lag and How to Avoid It
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.
Our bodies react to daylight. In fact, light is the most powerful environmental signal for re-setting our biological clock. Part of the job of the biological clock is to control when we sleep and when we wake.
Light has a similar effect on a common insect: the fruit fly. So says Logan Roberts, a PhD student at the University of California, Irvine. He was the lead writer of a report on the subject.
A long flight can affect one’s biological block, sometimes for days. Air travelers can get very tired and develop unpleasant feelings when they fly great distances across time zones. The natural order of things can become unbalanced on long, overseas trips from east to west or from west to east.
In experiments, Logan Roberts and other researchers removed the brains of genetically-engineered flies. The insects’ genes were changed for the purpose of this study. The researchers kept the brains alive in a laboratory. They used bursts of light to change their circadian rhythm by two hours.
A circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle, a series of events or actions that happen in the same order, over and over again.
This natural system tells our bodies when to sleep and helps to control many other processes. This internal body clock is affected by environmental signals, like sunlight and temperature.
The researchers studied how the brains of the fruit flies reacted. Mr. Roberts says that by using a low-light-sensitive camera, they could see activity in individual neurons.
"The activity is measured by the amount of light these single neurons emit. They have a firefly gene engineered into these flies, so that when these cells are active, they actually, literally light up in the brain and we can measure that activity."
The new report was published in the journal Current Biology. The study is the first to document in real-time how neurons react to changes in lighting like those affecting the jet-lagged traveler.
Logan Roberts uses the word desynchronized when talking about the study and jet lag. This means to cause a process that takes place at times or in cycles independent of another process. In unscientific terms, you might say “out of sync” or “out of whack.”
"And we can see that some of these cells change their activity when a light is shown directly on them. They actually become desynchronized amongst the groups and within the groups. So that sense of de-synchronization - or … when you feel out of whack with the environment after you experience jet lag - your nervous system actually reflects that same thing in becoming de-synchronized within itself."
In this state of de-synchronization, he adds, communication between some neurons weakens. He says using light to temporarily reset your biological clock before you travel could help to reduce symptoms when you arrive at your final stop.
"We believe that if we can harness that and actually use that to actually induce this de-synchronization, this weakening of communications between these cells before jet lag, before, say, you would travel rapidly across time zones, we believe that could actually accelerate recovery from jet lag."
Mr. Roberts says the model used to study jet lag in fruit flies can be used in the study of other human conditions. He says that when our body clock is out of sync, we can be at greater risk for diabetes, cancer and diseases of the nervous system.
Tips to avoid jet lag
Light therapy is not the only treatment for jet lag. There are other things you can do to feel less tired the next time you travel. Sleep experts at the medical website WebMD have these suggestions on how to fight jet lag.
1. Try changing your meal and sleep times before you go
Several days before you travel, start moving your bedtime and hours for meals closer to the times you plan to eat and sleep on your trip.
2. Start making small changes while in flight
Change your watch when you get on the airplane. This is playing a trick on the mind. But it can help you to start thinking of the time at the other end of the flight.
Try to sleep on the plane if it is nighttime in the place where you are going. Try to stay awake if it is daytime.
3. Arrive early
If you are traveling for work or for a personal reason, try to arrive a few days early, if possible. This will give your mind and body more time to correct to the new hours.
4. Drink water
Drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine a few hours before you plan to sleep. Alcohol and caffeine can interfere with sleep.
5. Move around
During your flight, get up and walk around or stretch every so often. But after you land, avoid heavy exercise near bedtime. Exercise near bedtime can delay sleep, whether on an overseas trip or at home.
And that’s the Health & Lifestyle Report, I’m Anna Matteo.
If you travel, what are some tips you use to make it more enjoyable?
VOA's Rosanne Skirble researched and prepared this story. Ideas for fighting jet lag came from the medical website WebMD. Anna Matteo wrote this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Light has a similar effect on a common insect: the fruit fly. So says Logan Roberts, a PhD student at the University of California, Irvine. He was the lead writer of a report on the subject.
A long flight can affect one’s biological block, sometimes for days. Air travelers can get very tired and develop unpleasant feelings when they fly great distances across time zones. The natural order of things can become unbalanced on long, overseas trips from east to west or from west to east.
In experiments, Logan Roberts and other researchers removed the brains of genetically-engineered flies. The insects’ genes were changed for the purpose of this study. The researchers kept the brains alive in a laboratory. They used bursts of light to change their circadian rhythm by two hours.
A circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle, a series of events or actions that happen in the same order, over and over again.
This natural system tells our bodies when to sleep and helps to control many other processes. This internal body clock is affected by environmental signals, like sunlight and temperature.
The researchers studied how the brains of the fruit flies reacted. Mr. Roberts says that by using a low-light-sensitive camera, they could see activity in individual neurons.
"The activity is measured by the amount of light these single neurons emit. They have a firefly gene engineered into these flies, so that when these cells are active, they actually, literally light up in the brain and we can measure that activity."
The new report was published in the journal Current Biology. The study is the first to document in real-time how neurons react to changes in lighting like those affecting the jet-lagged traveler.
Logan Roberts uses the word desynchronized when talking about the study and jet lag. This means to cause a process that takes place at times or in cycles independent of another process. In unscientific terms, you might say “out of sync” or “out of whack.”
"And we can see that some of these cells change their activity when a light is shown directly on them. They actually become desynchronized amongst the groups and within the groups. So that sense of de-synchronization - or … when you feel out of whack with the environment after you experience jet lag - your nervous system actually reflects that same thing in becoming de-synchronized within itself."
In this state of de-synchronization, he adds, communication between some neurons weakens. He says using light to temporarily reset your biological clock before you travel could help to reduce symptoms when you arrive at your final stop.
"We believe that if we can harness that and actually use that to actually induce this de-synchronization, this weakening of communications between these cells before jet lag, before, say, you would travel rapidly across time zones, we believe that could actually accelerate recovery from jet lag."
Mr. Roberts says the model used to study jet lag in fruit flies can be used in the study of other human conditions. He says that when our body clock is out of sync, we can be at greater risk for diabetes, cancer and diseases of the nervous system.
Tips to avoid jet lag
Light therapy is not the only treatment for jet lag. There are other things you can do to feel less tired the next time you travel. Sleep experts at the medical website WebMD have these suggestions on how to fight jet lag.
1. Try changing your meal and sleep times before you go
Several days before you travel, start moving your bedtime and hours for meals closer to the times you plan to eat and sleep on your trip.
2. Start making small changes while in flight
Change your watch when you get on the airplane. This is playing a trick on the mind. But it can help you to start thinking of the time at the other end of the flight.
Try to sleep on the plane if it is nighttime in the place where you are going. Try to stay awake if it is daytime.
3. Arrive early
If you are traveling for work or for a personal reason, try to arrive a few days early, if possible. This will give your mind and body more time to correct to the new hours.
4. Drink water
Drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine a few hours before you plan to sleep. Alcohol and caffeine can interfere with sleep.
5. Move around
During your flight, get up and walk around or stretch every so often. But after you land, avoid heavy exercise near bedtime. Exercise near bedtime can delay sleep, whether on an overseas trip or at home.
And that’s the Health & Lifestyle Report, I’m Anna Matteo.
If you travel, what are some tips you use to make it more enjoyable?
VOA's Rosanne Skirble researched and prepared this story. Ideas for fighting jet lag came from the medical website WebMD. Anna Matteo wrote this report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
QUIZ
Question 1 / 4
What is Logan Roberts studying at the University of California, Irvine?
ANSWER 1/4:
What is Logan Roberts studying at the University of California, Irvine?
QUESTION: 2/4
How do the researchers see brain activity?
ANSWER: 2/4
How do the researchers see brain activity?
"The
activity is measured by the amount of light these single neurons emit.
They have a firefly gene engineered into these flies, so that when these
cells are active, they actually, literally light up in the brain and we
can measure that activity."
Question 3 / 4
What happens in the brain when light patterns are not regular?
What happens in the brain when light patterns are not regular?
Logan
Roberts uses the word desynchronized when talking about the study and
jet lag. This means to cause a process that takes place at times or in
cycles independent of another process. In unscientific terms, you might
say “out of sync” or “out of whack.”
QUESTION 4/4
What advice does the article give to jet travelers?
What advice does the article give to jet travelers?
In
this state of de-synchronization, he adds, communication between some
neurons weakens. He says using light to temporarily reset your
biological clock before you travel could help to reduce symptoms when
you arrive at your final stop.
jueves, 5 de marzo de 2015
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