Buddhism and History

What is Philosophy?

The philosophy of Indian has a long history it is originated in about 1500 B.C with Vedic philosophy. Eastern philosophy refers to the both traditions that were popular in India, Persia, China, Japan and Korea. Eastern philosophia used the term Dassana for philosophy, Dassana means to see not by naked eyes but by these eyes of mind.

Indian philosophia purposes were to real life the reality of man and universe. The word philosophy in English comes from Greek language it is combination of Philo and Sophia, Philo means lover and Sophia means wisdom. Therefore philosophy means lover of wisdom and the philosophers who engaged. Philosophy is discipline concerned with questions;

1. How we should live? = Ethic

2. What sort of things exists and what are their essential natures? = Metaphysics

3. What count as genuine knowledge? = Epistemology

4. What is the correct reasoning? = Logic

Ethic or moral philosophy is concerned with question;

How ought to behaviors?

Metaphysics according to Aristotle is the first philosophy. He said it is subject that deal with first cause and principle.

Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and even knowledge is possible.

Logic has two bough divisions, Mathematical Logic and philosophical Logic.

The history of western philosophy is divided three periods;

1. Ancient philosophy

2. Medieval philosophy and

3. Modern Philosophy

Many societies have considered philosophical question and build philosophical tradition.

Definitions of Philosophy

1. Plato = philosophy is away of living and died.

2. Aristotle = philosophy is the science which considered the truth.

3. Herbert Spencer = philosophy is concerned with everything as a universal science.

4. Karl Max = sofa philosophers have interpreted the world but the thing is to change it.

5. Cicero = philosophy is directed of our leaves, friends of verse enemy to vice.

Main Areas of Philosophy

The field of philosophy is a vase it includes everything but no philosophy can catch everything at one in order to make progress it must obey the tradition expect of philosophy. The philosophers deal with the fields of methodology, epistemology, metaphysics, ethic and special life topics such as philosophy of science, history, law and social philosophy.

Philosophy

Methodology

1. Problem

2. Hypothesis

3. Test (research = exquisitement, observation, collecting data).

4. Conclusion (Positive and negative

Epistemology

1. Human knowledge

2. Means of knowledge

3. Truth and beliefs

4. Rationality

5. Empiricism

Metaphysic

1. God

2. Heaven

3. Hell

4. Soul

5. Spirit

6. Destiny

7. Brahman

Social Philosophy

1. Philosophy of science

2. Political philosophy

3. Philosophy of Religion

Relation between Religion and Philosophy

Although different definitions are given to explain philosophy and religion basically they do not contradict each, they are complement each other;

1. Religion depends on philosophy

2. Philosophy depends on Religion

3. Religion includes philosophy aspects

4. Philosophy includes religion aspects.

Philosophy and Religion may differ to some extends but in face they are complementaries to each other. Both religion and philosophy arise the life of human society to a higher level a man meets a billet philosophy and a billet religion. Philosophy and religion have only purpose that is seeking duty through in philosophy purpose it is a pieces attachment and salvation. Philosophy and religion do with the same ideal such as soul it is origin and destiny god and creation at all levels we see that the relation between religion and philosophy are most intimated.

The term philosophy of religion has persisted in our language as the name for scientific of study of religion it is an intellectual and logical interpretation of religion experience antidote to all dogmatism, irrationalism and superstitions in religion. The philosophy of religion merged in philosophy so far as it is philosophical thinking about religion it concerned philosophical taught it always personal and very deeply intellectual this is a rationalist of religion experience all it problem, God, faith, worship, prayer tradition and immorality other determine factors of religion experience can not be explained by intellectual with the used of figure ample analogic.

The philosophy of religion is not an organ of religious teaching. Religious practice, ritual worship, prayer …..Etc need not be undertaken from the Theist point of philosophy of religion all these are those activities of religion like religious teaching but in philosophy of religion we have to observe the philosophical aspects of all these organs of religion not only the Theist and Atheist and Agnostic can philosophize about religion. The philosophy of religion is not necessary a breach of Theology the theory of religious belief but a breach of philosophical however it studies a concept proposition and argument Theologist.

The Problem of God

1. Theist = belief in Gods or Goddesses

2. Pantheism = belief that God is present in everything.

3. Deism = belief in God but not in divine

4. Panetheism =

5. Monotheism = belief only one God

6. Polytheism = belief many Gods and Goddesses

7. Atheism = who do not believe on Gods

8. Agnosticism = who do not believe on God and Goddesses

9. Retreism =

10. Dualism = who believe both things

11. Monism = who believe one God.

The question what is God it is a philosophical question most philosophers expect some short of definitions as an answer to this question. Western philosophers typically concerned themselves with the God of Monotheist religion but discussion also concerns themselves with other conception of divine among those people whom believed in supernatural being, some people believed there is thus one God while others such as Hindu believe in many different deities Hindu also have a Monotheistic philosophy that can be neither Monotheistic nor polytheistic. Buddhist generally does not believe in the existence of a creator God but accepts different kinds of heavenly Realms.

According to Monotheistic religion God’s attitudes have been matter of absolute they are called Omni attitudes this is defined as totally unlimited his attitudes are concerned with being;

Eternal

Omnipotence

Omniscience

Omnipresent

Omnibenevelence

Goodness

Creatorhooh

There are many other English names for this deity which always capitalized example, Lord, Holy, Father, The Sacred, Yehewh. The capitalization of the name disguised this Christian God from the God of other religious even though some of them referred to English by native name “Vishnu, Shiva, Allah, Brahman” rather then God closely to Christian God. We are argument for existence of God.

The causal called to prose of God existences are of two kinds;

1. Independent Logical exercise

2. Practical conclusion

A practical argument recommend as way of speaking about what the disclosure discloses the existence of an absolute or supreme value has never been concluded as a result of an isolate logical excurse the followings are some traditions argument for the existence of God.

The Ontological

The Ontological argument of St. Anslem takes fresh (that then which nothing greater can be conceived) and uses it as technical for disclosures directing one without limited to an ever increasing perfective. Therefore the fresh, necessary view will be used to development top talk of God.

The Cosmological

The cosmological uses as technical for the disclosure such question as why is this does. Or why is there anything at all? In receiving replied to this question in causal term the cosmological argument build an ever increasing causal spread until disclosure occurs the fresh was first cause specify what is disclosure and at vacated third way of talking.

This argument is called the first cause Theology

1. Everything has a cause

2. The cause is God

3. God has no cause

The argument from design takes a story with probability for example the interrelate path of watch and uses this analogy as prose of the existence of the God relation to which one speaks of God in term for example of external purpose.

Theological

Here method clan of that cosmic designer is required to explain the design we find in the word (Aquinas) in term of theological concept in which all physicals process were explained by irritation to goal state. For example each time of as seeking or proper plane in the universe it is called the argument from designing of patience. For example

interrelated path of a watch the eyes of man.

The argument from religious experience fro existence of God can’t be disproved because it is a subjective knowledge some Theologies have claimed that they have experience God, have seen God, have talked with God this clan can’t be proved because they are not empirical but they are still value because it considered a kind of knowledge of human being.

Nature of Religious Experience

Philosophy is interested in religious experience as a possible source of knowledge of the existence, nature and doing of God many philosophers think that such experiences are never what they have seen these experiences are innocence until proved and guilty.

There are critics who think that they have sufficient reason to the contrary in the case of religious experience. The term religious experience is properly used for any experience one has unconnected with one’s religious life including a sense of guilt or realize, joy, fears, a sense and so on but the consensus, philosophical with religious experience has a much narrow over it is concerned with the experiences taken by the subject to be ended experience a wariness of God. Firstly the wariness of God is experience. Secondly this experience directs. The thirdly this experience is completely lacking insecurely contained, final this is focus experience.

Mystical Experience

The chief philosophy interests in mystical experience concerns the possibility that is served as source of knowledge or justifies belief about God.

Those who have such experience difficulty take themselves who have learned both from them as well as receiving additional conformation of belief already help. Usually they suppose only a limited set of belief to be justified in this way. The mystical experience is subjective therefore, they can’t verify therefore, this includes the belief that God exists, certain belief about the followers at the moment, comforting condemning communicating a certain message.

The fact that subject takes themselves to acquire knowledge of God from mystical perception doesn’t guaranty that they do. One can be mislead even by sense experience, one can suppose that one shows at dust that there was a car in the distance when it was actually a cow with both sense experience and mystical experience contradiction between reports prevent us from taking all of them to be verified as for mystical experience. We need look no further than the many cases in which someone supposes that God commanded the murder of as many people of certain sort.

Reasons for the positive answer can be divided into theological and philosophical ones the former comprises any components of the belief system of given religion that gives us reason for thinking either that God is in principle accessible to human experience or that particular persons have experience God’s presents on one or other occasions. Theological considerations are out of bond here. The most importance one perhaps, the only importance one goes as following: any suppositions that one perceives something to be the case can be justified, example there is an elephant in front of you and God is forgiving.

The first reason for negative assessment concerns certain different between sense experience and mystical experience. Sense experience is common possession of all human beings whereas mystical experience is not. A second common charges that the mystic is simple reading belief into an indifferent experience. A third reason for partially is the supposition that mystical experience can be explained in purely naturistic terms. A fourth importance different between sensory and mystical perception there are effecting texts for accuracy in the case of former but not the letter still it must be admitted that the unresolved problem regarding mystical perception. Therefore, mystical experience is still under investigation.

Marxist Approaches to Religion

Karl Marx together with Fedrict Engle presented a materialistic philosophy. In materialism is no belief in the supernatural realm Karl Mar asserts that (man makes religion, religion doesn’t make man, religion is the self-consciousness or has self-esteem of man who has either not yet found himself or has already lost himself again). This is the nature of religious Alienation in short what Marx propose is that religion doesn’t reflect man through consciousness religion as Marx sees a false consciousness religion is the product of man, the product those in power those who control the productive process.

Marx’s theory of religion is a criticism on religion Marx and Engle must be viewed as an aspect of their general theory of society like many others in his area Marx too most critical of religion unlike them Marx didn’t see to criticize the logic of religion as a set of belief rather he proposes that religion reflects society therefore, any criticism of society itself is a criticism of religion.

Marx and Engle wrote a book Entitle “on religion” here they give a definition for religion in this way (Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and also the protest again real distress religion is the sigh of the oppressed creatures, the heart of heartless world. It is the spirit of a spiritless condition. It is opium of the people”. Here they clearly show the function of religion in the practical world therefore, they had a pragmatic view on religion.

Marx’s argument that the religion was a vehicle ruling was Ideology has a considerable influence his view that religion mirrors economical circumstance provides a helpful a starting point for social scientific analyses. People need food in their belief before religion education arts….etc.

Marx saw how institutional religion in the service of powerful economic and political elites. If the poor accepts their lord in return for a better here after they will stop seeking social justifies here on earth they will be from Marxist’s perspective imbibe spiritual gin instead of putting food on the table.

A belief in better here after also serves as comfort to the poor and oppressed people. Religion thereby functions as portent form of social control by keeping the poor in their place Marx sat down to strive away what he regarded as the illusory nature of religion and to expose it as an Ideological tool of the ruling classes.

Marx’s main objective was to liberate the working classes from the oppression of capitalism anything that severs capital is interested including the social control functions of religion have to be critic de-mystified contested and ultimately gets up rid of religion in the hand of ruling classes if it legitimates a social order based on equality implied that this is ordered by divine will. Marx affords and alternative protect a humanist social based on socialism and ultimately communism.

Although, an Atheist Marx was more again institutional religion than religion in its pure form the clergy was usually membered of ruling classes with interested in keeping the poor in their place he longed for the erosion of super nature belief and was convinced that secularization would liberate people from mystified forms of social oppression he and his co-writer and friend Fredrid Engles claim that the poor was not interested in any form of institutional religion but some traditions of Marx and Engles prove to be fear to Marxism and on this point “religion has completed and multi-dimensional aspect to it relationship with society”.

Post-Modernist Approaches to Religion

Post- modernism has been defined in the number of different ways these definition depend on completing contest of definition post-modernist argue that modernist uses reason to exclude people when people apply reason to religion someone’s reality is been branded false this is not including first question other’s belief implies that we can refer to end eternal objective reality by trying to apply rationality to religion we are tried to impose European enlightenment on to others by challenging the true clam of other religions we devalue the person who is the source of his own truth.

Therefore, under inclusiveness post-modern thinkers include all one group. According to post-modernist fundamentalists are those who believe religious teachings are true or false, not just within their own feeling but over all feeling.

Modernism Post-modernism

1. Acceptance master narrations and Meta narrations

2. Faith in Grand theory

3. Hierarchies of Social class and Ethnic Value

4. Idea of the family

5. Sense of individualism6. Mass culture and Marketing

7. Art is a unique

8. Broadcast media

1. Rejection of master narrations and Meta narrations

2. Reject of Totalizing theory

3. Social and Cultural

Pluralism

4. Alternative family unit

5. Sense of Multiple

6. Smaller group identities

7. Art as process

8. Digital media

One of essential element of Post-modernism is that it constituted and attack against theory and methodology. It substitutes an anti-rules partner disperses disclaim. However, there are two methodology characteristics of Post-modernism. There are interring dependent in that interpretation is inherent in deconstruction. Deconstruction embraces negative critical capacity is in wall demystifying attacks to reveal internal attribute by examining the magic of attaining the refer of deconstruction examining what is reflected and what it doesn’t set for Post-modernist there are numeral of interpretations. They are argued that everything interpretation there is no final meaning for any protectual sighness.

Religion has suspected all the tensions century from modern yet people are today interested in spiritual thing as ever reasonably sociologies have shown that 95 perceptions of deal belief in God or universal spirit while people are dream interested in spirit thing today the kind of spiritual.

Commanding spirit has changed vary in reason yet the literature of discovering moment teacher that it is in appropriate to question other persons higher power because discovering is tied to their belief in power of the God of their understanding. Post-modern thought also devoted other figures of religious consciousness the way consciousness can create or alter in new way religion mental imagine can create new reality not unlike the way of formative Post-modernist hopes to create new reality although new realities have no demarcated against the political power thinking Post-modern circum. They also fear oppress triple’s people as more opium than Western culture.

Most religious leaders said that personal experience is the key to understand religion. Most of them called for disassociation the prefix to the religious experience it is lost of conscious awareness of real world specifically Post-modernist ritualness called for people to live all reasonal categories behind before assisting thus they see one thing the supreme burial to deep religion reason and truth they all aggress that we must first live our sense before trying to know spiritual thing observe of religious aware intrinsic relativism in Eastern mystical tradition as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism these religions teach that is everything part one sense all these traditions not only reject reason as tool for discovering truth they even duty life construction on reasonal level to try learner deeply understanding either Eastern no Post-modernism accepted the reality of the world we observed in an objective sense. Therefore, Post-modernism has a relationship with Eastern thought. Anyhow, with their methodology Post-modernism criticized the traditional religion it text tool and religious founder.

Religion and Modern World

Today society becomes more industrial and global life. Therefore, the religion holds less social sanctification over culture where they differed in their interpretation of what happens next in modern society a scholar knew this advance of the pluralistic religious market place there are a lot of religions to choose from these days still the nature religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism they don’t have unify as they want it but their devotees are still religion. Modernism has a spirit a universal church into denomination.

Seeks moved into the social sphere thus created and developed religious sub-culture some of these prospers and still do other creates such a while gulls between their views and main stream culture that they attacked few converts there survival is depended on socialist their own children into the faith there new trains in religious pluralism has been named NRM (New religious moment) but this term can be confusing because certain cancel kinds are Old and certain kinds are New.

Vocation Second Term of BPU 23/07/2010

18^th/08/2010

Religion and Morality

The relationship between religion and morality have been a special concern to philosopher the impact of religion on moral selfhood has also being much these views religious thinkers have responded by exploring the way in which one’s nonsense of moral materiality is shepherd by one’s large world views it we believe that there is a God who has provided us with importance moral information then this will be influence the way we understand what is to count as a mature rational appropriate to moral discussion making.

Religious moral philosophers have had a special interior in the way in which world view shape our understanding moral question this interest has been necessary by the fact of diversity which in religious community in Christianity different moral tradition co-exists for example correspond to the rich diversity of theological perspective and the plurality of cultural shaping in which Christian believers have taken shape this complicity has provided some resources for dealing with the post modern fascination with moral relativism and moral skepticism the relationship between religion and morality are also importance for question of practical moral decision religion ethical assistances have developed with on eye preach ability that moral philosophers have a long record of attempting to relate theory to preach in moral discussion of religiously bases moral perspectives have on note only four cases on divide maturity this objection takes many forms some have assumed that moral bases on object to divide other see it as pre-human these various formulation embodied a common objection that the posture of opinion to a will is external moral maturity require the development of healthy science of freedom.

What is Philosophy?

1. How we should live? = Ethic

2. What sort of things exists and what are their essential natures? = Metaphysics

3. What count as genuine knowledge? = Epistemology

4. What is the correct reasoning? = Logic

Ethic or moral philosophy is concerned with question;

How ought to behaviors?

Metaphysics according to Aristotle is the first philosophy. He said it is subject that deal with first cause and principle.

Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and even knowledge is possible.

Logic has two bough divisions, Mathematical Logic and philosophical Logic.

The history of western philosophy is divided three periods;

1. Ancient philosophy

2. Medieval philosophy and

3. Modern Philosophy

Many societies have considered philosophical question and build philosophical tradition.

Definitions of Philosophy

1. Plato = philosophy is away of living and died.

2. Aristotle = philosophy is the science which considered the truth.

3. Herbert Spencer = philosophy is concerned with everything as a universal science.

4. Karl Max = sofa philosophers have interpreted the world but the thing is to change it.

5. Cicero = philosophy is directed of our leaves, friends of verse enemy to vice.

Main Areas of Philosophy

Philosophy

Methodology

1. Problem

2. Hypothesis

3. Test (research = exquisitement, observation, collecting data).

4. Conclusion (Positive and negative

Epistemology

1. Human knowledge

2. Means of knowledge

3. Truth and beliefs

4. Rationality

5. Empiricism

Metaphysic

1. God

2. Heaven

3. Hell

4. Soul

5. Spirit

6. Destiny

7. Brahman

Social Philosophy

1. Philosophy of science

2. Political philosophy

3. Philosophy of Religion

Relation between Religion and Philosophy

Although different definitions are given to explain philosophy and religion basically they do not contradict each, they are complement each other;

1. Religion depends on philosophy

2. Philosophy depends on Religion

3. Religion includes philosophy aspects

4. Philosophy includes religion aspects.

The Problem of God

1. Theist = belief in Gods or Goddesses

2. Pantheism = belief that God is present in everything.

3. Deism = belief in God but not in divine

4. Panetheism =

5. Monotheism = belief only one God

6. Polytheism = belief many Gods and Goddesses

7. Atheism = who do not believe on Gods

8. Agnosticism = who do not believe on God and Goddesses

9. Retreism =

10. Dualism = who believe both things

11. Monism = who believe one God.

According to Monotheistic religion God’s attitudes have been matter of absolute they are called Omni attitudes this is defined as totally unlimited his attitudes are concerned with being;

Eternal

Omnipotence

Omniscience

Omnipresent

Omnibenevelence

Goodness

Creatorhooh

The causal called to prose of God existences are of two kinds;

1. Independent Logical exercise

2. Practical conclusion

The Ontological

The Cosmological

This argument is called the first cause Theology

1. Everything has a cause

2. The cause is God

3. God has no cause

Theological

interrelated path of a watch the eyes of man.

Nature of Religious Experience

Mystical Experience

The chief philosophy interests in mystical experience concerns the possibility that is served as source of knowledge or justifies belief about God.

Marxist Approaches to Religion

Post-Modernist Approaches to Religion

Modernism Post-modernism

1. Acceptance master narrations and Meta narrations

2. Faith in Grand theory

3. Hierarchies of Social class and Ethnic Value

4. Idea of the family

5. Sense of individualism6. Mass culture and Marketing

7. Art is a unique

8. Broadcast media

1. Rejection of master narrations and Meta narrations

2. Reject of Totalizing theory

3. Social and Cultural

Pluralism

4. Alternative family unit

5. Sense of Multiple

6. Smaller group identities

7. Art as process

8. Digital media

Religion and Modern World

Vocation Second Term of BPU 23/07/2010

18^th/08/2010

Religion and Morality

The Special English Program

01. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Today I will tell about expressions using numbers. Let us start with the number one. Number can be tricky. On the one hand, they are simply numbers. On the other hand, they have meanings. I for one use these expressions a lot. Many people consider themselves number one, the most important person. They are always looking out for number one and taking care of number one. It is as if they are the one and only person on earth. Some people however, are not so self-centered. My brother is such a person. It is true-no joke. I am not trying to pull a fast one on you.

First, you have to understand that my brother is one in a million. He is such a nice person. All his friends like him. They consider him one of the boys. Recently, my brother had a bad day at the office. It was just one of those days. Nothing went right. So he stopped at a local bar—a drinking place—after leaving work. My brother planed to have a glass of beer with his friends—a quick one—before he went home. But a quick one turned into one or two, and soon those became one too many.

As my brother was leaving, he ordered a last drink—one for the road. His friend became concerned. One by one, they asked him if he was able to drive home safely. Now my brother is a wise and calm person. He is at one with himself. Recognizes when he has had too much alcohol to drink. So he accepted an offer for a ride home from a female friend.

At one time in the past, my brother had been in love with this woman. She is a great person—kind, thoughtful and intelligent—all good qualities rolled up into one. But sadly their relationship did not work. He always used to say “one of these days, I am going marry this girl.” But that never happened.

For one thing, she did not love him as much as he loved her. It was just one of those things. The situation was regrettable and my brother had to accept it. But even now, he considers her the one that get away.

However, they are still friends. And because my brother had been kind to her, she felt that one good turn deserves another. He was good to her and she wanted to help him in return. So she drove him home.

If my brother had driven home from the bar that right, his number would have been up. Something bad would have happened. Thankfully he made it home safely. And, he and the woman are back to square one. They are back to where they started-being friend.

02. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

They are many American expressions that use part of the body. These include the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and even the heart. Today we will tell you some expressions that use other body parts-- the back, shoulder and chest.

When I am facing a lot of pressure at work, my back and neck will start to hurt. Sometimes, this tension is the result of too much work. I have too many things to do because my supervisor is on my back all the time. In other words, my employer is always telling me to do things.

Sometimes, I want to tell my employer to get off my back! I want her to stop criticizing me and making too many demands on my time. I can not say this, however. I would never turn my back on her and refuse to help when there is a need. If I did refuse to help, my supervisor might say bad things about me behind my back. She might criticize me when I am not present. This would surely be a stab in the back. It is never kind to unfairly harm or say bad things about other people.

Sometimes, when I am very productive in my job, my employer gives me a pat on the back. She praises my work. She might even say “I will scratch your back if you will scratch mine.” This means she will do something for me, if I do something helpful for her in exchange. Such an offer usually comes straight from the shoulder. My supervisor has very direct, open and honest way of speaking.

I know that my employer carries a lot on her shoulders. She is responsible for many things at the office. And because she is so important, she sometimes gets to rub shoulders with the top officials. She gets to spend time with some very important people. I believe the top official values my supervisor. He never gives her the cold shoulder. He is never unfriendly to her. He always treats her like she is an important part of the organization.

I also value my supervisor. In fact, I think she is very effective in her job. Of course, I could yell my opinion at the top of my lungs, or as loudly as I possibly could. It might even fell good to get my emotions off my chest. It is always helpful to tell people how you fell so that your emotions do not trouble you. But it is not necessary for me to praise my supervisor. Most of my co-workers fell the exact same way about her. So I think I will just save my breath. I will keep silent because talking or repeating me will not do any good.

03. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Many professions have their own words and expressions. This is true for the medical profession. Doctors use many technical terms that most people do not understand. But there are also expressions we use every day to tell about a person’s health. Let me explain.

Last month, I was not feeling well. I was under the weather. I thought I had caught a cold. I had a runny nose, itchy eyes, a sore throat and a cough. I felt tired and run down. I was in poor condition because I had not been getting enough rest. My body hurt all over. I also had severe head pains—a real splitting headache. And I was running a fever. My body temperature was higher than animal.

At one point, I blacked out. That’s right, I was out cold. I lost consciousness and my friend had to bring me around. He used cold water on my face to restore my consciousness.

I grew concerned that I might take a turn for the worse. I did not want to become sicker because then surely I would be at death’s door.

My friend took me to the doctor. I told the doctor I thought I had come down with a cold. When the doctor saw me, she immediately wanted to run some tests. She said that medical tests would help her discover why I was sick. The doctor also asked when I had my last physical. I do not get yearly check-ups. But I probably should get a medical exam by a doctor every year.

Then the nurse drew my blood. She used a needle to take a small amount of blood from my arm. She sent it to a laboratory for tests. The nurse also took my temperature. She used a thermometer to measure my body temperature. The doctor told me I had influenza, or the flu. But she told me I would recover soon. She said I was over the worst of the disease. She told me to rest at home and to stay away from other people because the flu can spread. It is contagious.

Thankfully, I did not have to go under the knife. I did not need an operation. Instead, I did just what the doctor ordered. I went home and did exactly what was needed to become health again. Soon, I was in the mend. I was pulling through and recovering from my sickness.

Now, I am back on my feet. I am physically health again. Even better, the doctor has given me a clean bill of health. She says that I am one-husband present-cured. I am back to normal and I feel great. In fact, I feel on top of the world. My friends say I now look like the picture of health.

04. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

There are many American expressions about insects—like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They always appear to be busy moving around their homes. Or hives, so you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. Right away, when we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn.

Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the nineteen twenties. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. If fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!

If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet. If someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax.” This means none of your business.

Speaking of person questions, there is an expression people sometimes use when their children ask, “where do babies come from?” parents who discuss sex and reproduction say this is talking about the birds and the bees.

Hornets are bee-like insects that sometimes attack people. It you are really angry, you might say you are made as a hornet. And if you stir up a hornet’s nest, you create trouble or problems.

Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also want to have ants in your pants. This is, to be restless and unable to sit still.

Here are some expressions about plan old bugs, another word for insects. If a friend keeps asking you to do something you do not want to do, you might ask him to leave you alone or “stop bugging me.” A friend also might tell you again and again to do something. If so, you might say he put a bug in your ear.

If you were reading a book in your warm bed on a cold winter’s day, you might say were snug as a bug in a rug. And, if you wish someone good night, you might say, “Sleep tight—don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

05. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Every week at this time we tell the story of word and expressions used in American English. Some of them are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people. Some popular expressions are a mystery. No one is sure how they developed. One of these is the expressions; carry a chip on your shoulder. A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems to be expecting trouble. Sometimes he seems to be saying, “I’m happy about anything, but what are you going to do about it?”

A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a person’s shoulder? Well, experts say the expression appears to have been first used in the United States more than one hundred years ago.

One writer believes that the expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against striking too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good device. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying becomes a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.

Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try to hit it off.

The word chip appears in a number of special American expressions. Another is chip off the old block. This means that a child is exactly like a parent.

This expression goes back at least to the early sixteen hundreds. The British writer of plays, George Colman, wrote these lines in seventeen sixty-two. “You’ll find him his father’s own son, I believe. A chip off the old block, I promise you!”

The word chip can also be used in a threatening way to someone who is suspected of wrongdoing. An investigator may say, “We’re going to let the chips fall where they may.” This means investigation is going to be complete and honest. It is also a warning that no one will be protected from being found guilty. Chips are often used in card games. They present money. A poker player may, at any time, decide to leave the game. He will turn in his chips in exchange for money or cash.

This lead to another meaning, a person who finished or died was said to have cashed in his chips. Which is a way of saying it is time for me to finish this program.

06. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. It comes from the sport of baseball.

There are four bases in baseball—first, second and third. The fourth is home plate. Together, the bases form a diamond shape. When a baseball player hits the ball, her must run to each base—in order—and touch it with his food. It is the only way to score a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted. The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the nineteen seventy-four baseball season.

Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hitting the most home runs. A home run is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one home run to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. He sent the ball over the wall that surrounded the playing field. That gave him seven hundred and fourteen home run—the same as Babe Ruth.

After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time it was Hank Aaron’s turn to hit. When would he hit home run number seven hundred and fifteen?

The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth’s record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. If he did not, the home run would not have counted. There would have been no new record. So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity. The expression is used in business and politics. No business deal the issues all the involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases.

Even professional diplomats use this expression, as well as other that come from baseball.

A diplomat in reporting on negotiation with diplomats from different counties may say they “touched all bases” during many hours of talks. This means they explored all issues involved in the situation. Perhaps they did this after expressing hope that they could play ball with each other, meaning that they could learn to cooperate. Sport reporters write about fast-moving, lively events. They much develop a way of writing that goes straight to the point. Their duty is to give the reader a complete picture of the event in as few words as possible. They must touch all bases as quickly as they can.

07. I’m Phil Murray with words and their stories,

A program in Special English on the Voice of America. Today we tell about some American expressions that are commonly used in business.

Bells sound. Lighted messages appear. Men and Women work at companies. They talk on the telephone. At time they should and run around. This noisy place is a stock exchange. Here expert salespeople called brokers buy and sell shares of companies. The shares are known as stocks. People who own stock in a company, own part of that company, people pay brokers to buy and sell stocks for them. If a company earns money, its stock increases in valve. If the company does not earn money, the stock decreases valve.

Brokers and investors carefully watch for nay changes on the big board. That is the name given to a list of stocks sold on the New York Stock exchange.

The first written use of the word with that meaning was in a newspaper in Illinois in eighteen thirty-seven. It said: “the sales on the board were one thousand seven hundred dollars in American gold.”

Investors and brokers watch the big board to see if the stock market is a bull market or a bear market. In a bear market, prices go down. In a bull market, prices go up. Investors in a bear market promise to sell a stock in the future at a set price. But the investor does not own the stock yet. He or she waits to buy it when the price drops.

The meaning of a bear market is thought to come from an old story about a man who sold the skin of a bear before he caught the bear. An English dictionary of the sixteen thousands say, “to sell a bear is to sell what one has not.” Word experts dispute the beginnings of the word bull in the stock market. But some say it came from the long connection of the two animals—bull and bears—in sports that were popular years ago in English.

Investors are always concerned about the possibility of a company failing. In the modern world, a company that does not earn enough profit is said to go belly up. A company that goes belly up dies like a fish. Fish turn over on their backs when they die. So they are stomach, or belly up.

Stock market investors do not want that to happen to a company. They want a company whose stock they own to earn more profit than expected. This would sharply increase the value of the stock. Investors are hoping for a windfall. The word windfall comes from England of century ago. There, poor people were banned from cutting trees in forests owned by rich land owners. But, if the wind blew down a tree, a poor person could take the wood for fuel. So a windfall is something wonderful that happens unexpectedly.

08. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Every people have its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. American often uses it to express heart. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song-Mood Indigo about the deep blue color, Indigo. In the words of the song: “you aren’t been blue till you have had that Mood Indigo.” Someone who blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger in a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, liked a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some business refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

In some cases, colors describe a situation. A brown out is an expression for a reduction in electric power. Brown out happen when there is too much demand for electricity. The electric system is unable to offer all the power needed in an area. Black outs were common during World War Two Officials would order all lights in a city turned off to make it difficult for enemy planes to find a target in the dark of night.

09. Now, the special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

The hand has been a symbol through the ages and in many cultures.

There are hundreds of expressions and combinations of words using hand in the English language. Let us examine some of the expressions that the hand.

We will get a hand in this way. To get a hand in is to begin a job, to begin to know something about it. When we learn the job completely, it will be easy for us. We will be able to do its hands down. If we do the job well, we may end up with the upper hand. And that means to be in control, or to have gained complete understanding of a situation. On the other hand, if we situation gets out of hand. Then it is out of control. We must act quickly to regain the upper hand over these expressions. But, wait. We still do not have the upper hand in this business.

We must consider another way of expressing praise, to hand it to someone. For example: I must hand it to you for understanding what we have discussed this far. You can also lend a hand to someone, but without really giving up you hand. You lend a hand when you help someone. You offer then a helping hand.

If someone is kind enough to lend us a hand, then we surely do not want to bite the hand feeds us. We do not want to reply his kindness by treating him badly.

Now, with that out of the way, we have a free hand to continue examining other hand expressions. To have a free hand in a situation is good. Ti means you are free to act without getting permission from someone else.

If we continue moving along, we will make progress hand over first, or very rapidly. This expression began in the early seventeen hundreds. It reportedly comes from a sailing expression hand over hand, the way of quickly raising or lowering a sail. Maybe you can find a friend who wants to take a hand in our project. It would have to be someone who is interested in these expressions.

Your friend may want to work hand in glove with us. That is good, because that means he wants to work as closely with us as a glove covers the hand. Of course there is a danger that he may look at our project and decide to take it in hand. That means he wants to take it over.

If that happens, we may throw up our hands because the situation seems hopeless. In fact, we may decide that it is time for us to end this project, to wash our hands of hand expressions.

10. I’m Susan Clark with words and their Stories,

A program in Special English on the Voice of America.

Almost every language in the world has a saying that a person can never be too rich. Americans, like people in other countries, always want more money. One way they express this is by protesting that their jobs do not pay enough. A common expression is, “I am working for chicken feed.” It means working for very little money. The expression probably began because seeds fed to chickens made people think of small change. Small change means metal coins of not much value, like nickels which are was five cents.

An early use of the word chickenfeed appeared in an American publication in nineteen thirty. It told about a rich man and his son. Word expert Mitford Mathews says it read, “I’ll be neither the kid nor his father ever saw a nickel or a dime. They would not have been interested in such chickenfeed.”

Chickenfeed also has another interesting meaning known to history expert and World War Two spies and soldiers.

Spy expert Henry S. A. Becket writes that some German spies working in London during the war also worked for the British. The British government had to make the Germans believe their spies were working. So, British officials gave them mostly false information. It was called chickenfeed. The same person who protects that he is working for chickenfeed may also say, “I am working for peanuts.” She means she is working for a small amount of money. It is a very different meaning from the main one in the dictionary. That meaning is nuts that grow on a plant. No one knows for sure how a word for something to eat also came to mean something very small. But, a peanut is a very small food.

The expression is an old one. Word expert Mitford Mathews says that as early as eighteen fifty-four, American publication used the word peanut agitators. That meant political troublemakers who did not have a lot of support.

Another reason for the saying about working for peanuts may be linked to elephants. Think of how elephants are paid for their work in the circus. They receive food, not money. One of the foods they like best is peanuts. When you add the word gallery to the word peanut you have the name of an area in an American theater. A gallery is a high seating area or balcony above the main floor.

The peanut gallery got its name because it is the part of the theater most distant from where the show takes place. So, peanut gallery tickets usually cost less than other tickets. People pay a small amount of money for them.

11. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies word. Maybe that is why there are so many expressions that use the word cold.

For centuries, the baby’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, for example, are said to be cold-blooded. Cold-blooded people act in cruel ways. They may do brutal things to others, and not by accident. For example, a newspaper says the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. The killer murdered someone, not in self-defense, or because he was reaching to anger or fear. He seemed to kill for no reason, and with no emotion, so if taking someone’s life meant nothing.

Cold can affect other part of the body. The feet, for example, heavy socks can worm your feet, if your feet are really cold. But there is an expression – to get cold feet --that has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you had decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned. All the work for organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation. Cold can also affect your shoulder.

You give someone the cold-shoulder when you refuse to speak to them. You treat them in a distant, cold way. The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face-to-face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.

A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and show no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.

Sometime who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. A cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feeling, broke the heart of their lovers. Out in the cold is an expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise that he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.

This VOA Special English program, words and their stories, was written by Marilyn Rice Christiana. Maurice Joyce was the narrator. I’m Shirley Griffith.

12. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States. The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago. “I studied English before I left home.” She said. “But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.” Her problem is easy to understand. Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere. They have a language of their own. Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work. Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry. One such saying is getting your act together.

When thing go wrong in a business, an employer may get angry. He may shout, “Stop making mistakes. Get your act together.” Or, if the employer is calmer, he may say, “Let us get our act together.” Either way, the meaning is the same. Getting your act together is getting organized. In business, it usually means to develop calm an orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began. But, it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry. Perhaps one of the actions was nervous and made a lot of mistakes. The director may have said, “Calm down, now get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late nineteen seventies. Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it is nineteen seventy-eight. The newspaper said reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now, this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet. One company even called its yearly report, “Getting our act together.” The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people. It is cut to the chase. She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company. One official was giving a very long report. It was not very interesting; in fact, some people at the meeting were falling asleep. Finally, the president of the company said, “cut to the chase.” Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material. Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally, this saying was started by people who make movies. Hollywood Movies producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies. May of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars. Or in airplanes or on foot. Cut is the director’s word for stop. The director means to stop filming. Leaves out some material, and get to the chase scene now. So, if your employer tells you to cut to the chase. Be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

13. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Every language has its own special words and expressions. And a story can be told about each of them. Hot is a simple, easily-understood word. So are most of the expressions made with the word hot. But not always, are we shall see.

The words hot potatoes, for example, give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato. The potato is a popular vegetable in the United States. Many people like baked potatoes, cooked in an oven or fire. Imagine trying to carry a hot, baked potato in your hand. It would be difficult, even painful, to do so.

Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato. Some publicly-disputed issues are highly emotional. The issues must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if an elected official has to deal with them. As difficult and painful as holding a hot potato. One such hot potato is taxes.

Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a politician. And yet, if taxes are not raised, some very popular government programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. So the question must be dealt with carefully…the same way you should handle any other hot potato.

Another expression is not so hot. If you ask someone how she feels, she may answer. “Not so hot.” What she means is she does not feel well. Not so hot also is a way of saying that you do not really like something. You may tell a friend that the new play you saw last night is not so hot. That means you did not considered it a success. A hot shot is a person—often a young person – who thing he can do anything. At least he wants to try. He is very sure he can succeed. But often he fails. The expression was born in the military forces. A hot shot was a soldier who fired without aiming carefully. Hot is a word that is often used to talk about anger.

A person who becomes angry easily is called a hothead. An angry person’s neck often becomes red. We say he is hot under the collar. You could say that your friend is no hothead. But he got hot under the collar when someone took his radio. In nineteen sixty-three, hot line appeared as a new expression.

The hot line was a direct communications link between the leader of the Soviet Union and the United States. The hot line had an important purpose: to prevent accidental war between the two competitions during the period known as the Cold War. The American president and the Soviet leader were able to communicate immediately and immediately on the hot line. This helped prevent any conflict during an international crisis.

14. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Some popular American expressions come from areas of the United States where people experience problems of living in cold winter weather. Winters in the northern United States are cold and snowy. Sometimes, heavy snow is brought by violent storms with high winds and extremely low temperatures. American called these storms, blizzards. Blizzards are usually described as blinding, because no one can see through the blowing snow. Until about one hundred twenty years ago, the word blizzard had nothing to do with snow. It had several other meanings. One was a sharp blow, like hitting a ball with a stick. Another meaning was a gun shot. A third was any sort of statement or event that was the most extreme of its kind.

An especially violent and heavy snowstorm struck the state of Iowa in eighteen seventy. The newspaper editor in one small town called the terrible storm a blizzard, because it was the worst winter storm in a long time. This use of the word spread across the country in the next few years. Soon, any especially bad winter storm was called a blizzard.

Although no one likes a blizzard, many people love snow. It changes the appearance of everything around us. When snow is falling, the world seems somehow soft, peaceful and quiet. Snow, especially in large amounts, covers everything.

But too much snow is a real problem. Heavy, deep snow is difficult to move. Clearing snow from roads and sidewalks is hard work. Someone who is snowed under has a lot of snow to clear.

That expression, snowed under, also has another meaning. Anyone who has too much work to do is snowed under. You might explain to a friend that you cannot see her tonight, because you are snowed under with work.

It also is possible to snow someone under with works. The idea is to change someone’s mind by making a great many pleasant, but false, statements or claims. That is a snow job.

A boy may use a snow job, for example, to try to get a girl to go out with him. The pretty words of his snow job are like the snow flakes that cover the real world around us. However, snow jobs, unlike blizzards, are easily seen through.

We hope you have enjoyed our attempts to explain some popular American winter expressions. And that wish is no snow job.

15. I’m Susan Clark with words and their stories, a program in special English on the Voice of American.

People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants thing done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power.

Ask anyone in a business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because the jungle is filled wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people. Sometimes people in business feel competing businesses are as dangerous as wild animals. And they feel that unknown dangers in the business world threaten the survival of their business.

People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real.

Nobody is sure how the world got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the eighteen hundreds. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. The newspaper said Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would flee from town. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal’s name Borghese, to bogus. People trying to earn money also must be aware of being ripped off. A person who is ripped off has had something stolen, or al least has been treated very unfairly. A writer for the magazine “American speech” said he first saw the expression used in nineteen seventy-one. It was on a sign that a student carry during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt ripped off, or cheated.

Perhaps the best way to prevent getting ripped off in business is to not try to get rich quickly. To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks.

This expression means to get to the bottom or most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk and talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sound good, but how much does it cost.” Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean a bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the brass tacks, the copper pieces that hold the boat together.

So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too.

16. Now, words and their stories- a VOA special English program about American expressions. I’m rich Kleinfeldt with some expression containing the word hit. Hit is a small word but it has a lot of power. Baseball players hit the ball. Missiles hit an airplane. A car hits a tree.

Hit also joins with other words to create many colorful expressions. One is hit the road. It means to travel or to leave a place, as suggested in this song, “Hit the road.”

Another common expression is hit the spot. At first it meant hitting a spot at the center of a target with an arrow. Someone who did so was satisfied with his shooting. Now, hitting the spot usually means that a food or drink is especially satisfying.

Many years ago, Pepsi Cola sold its drink with a song that began, “Pepsi Cola hits the spot, twelve full ounces, that’s a lot… “Another expression involving hit is hit bottom. Something that has hit bottom can go no lower. If the price of shares of a stock hit bottom that might be the time to buy it. Its value can only go up.

A student who tells you his grades have hit bottom is saying he has not done well in school.

When a student’s grades hit bottom it is time to hit the books. Hit the books is another way to saying it is time to study. A student might have to tell her friend she can not go with them to the movies because she has to hit the books.

Not hitting the books could lead to an unpleasant situation for a student. The father or mother may hit the ceiling when they see the low grades. Someone who hit the ceiling, the top of the room, is violently angry. A wife may hit the ceiling because her husband forgot their wedding anniversary.

To build something of wood, you usually need a hammer. That is what you use to hit nails into the pieces of wood to hold them together. When you hit the nail on the head, exactly on its top, it goes into the wood perfectly. And when someone says your words or actions hit the nail on the head, he means what you said or did was exactly right.

If you are tried after hitting all those nail on the head, then it is time to hit the hay. That expression comes from the days when people slept on beds filled with dried grass or hay. Some people slept on hay in barns where they kept their farm animals. Hitting the hay simply means going to bed. That is a good idea. I think I will hit the hay now.

17. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today, we finish telling about the interesting nicknames that have been given to the fifty American states. The state of Ohio is in the Midwest. It is named The Buckeye State after a tree that produces nuts similar to chestnuts.

The Great Plains state of Oklahoma is called the Sooner State, that is because of a sale of land in eighteen eighty-nine. Some people arrived in the territory to claim their land earlier than they were supposed to. They cheated and got there “sooner.”

Pennsylvania’s nickname is the Keystone Stats. Just as a keystone holds together a stone arch, Pennsylvania was seen as holding together the young American republic. Pennsylvania is also sometimes called the Quaker State. Its founder, William Penn, and most of his followers, were members of the protestant Quaker religion. Rhode Island’s nickname is little Rhody because of its size. The state is smaller than the area around Los Angeles, California.

Tennessee got its nickname—the Volunteer State—because of the bravery of its citizens. They volunteered to join Tennessean Andrew Jackson to defend the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, against the British army in the War of Eighteen Twelve. Texas is called the Lone State. It gets its nickname from the single star on its flag. This represents the short time Texas was an independent nation battling Mexico for self-rule.

The Beehive State of Utah has no more beehives than any other state. The nickname is from the Mormon Church’s symbol for hard work.

The eastern state of Vermont is proud of its beautiful Green Mountains so it calls itself the Green Mountain State. The southern state of Virginia is called the Old Dominion. Long age, King Charles the second of England added the colony’s coat of arms to his shield. It joined his other dominions of England, Ireland, and Scotland.

West Virginia broke away from Virginia in the eighteen sixties. It is called simply the Mountain State for the ancient Appalachian Mountains. And we have saved perhaps the most American nickname for last. The western state of Wyoming was once an area where cattle were transported east. And where there are cattle, there are men- - and now women- - to move them. So Wyoming is the Cowboy State.

This VOA Special English program was written by Ted Land hair. I’m Barbara Klein. We hope you enjoyed these programs about states and their nicknames. You can find more Words and their stories at voaspecialenglish.com.

18. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today, we tell about more interesting nicknames of American states.

The mid-Atlantic state of Maryland is called the Free State. A Baltimore newspaper first called it that during the nineteen twenties when the manufacture and sale of alcohol were banned for a time. Maryland said it wanted to be free from this prohibition.

Mississippi is the magnolia state. It is named for a tree with big, beautiful white flowers that grows in that hot, southern state. The Midwestern state of Missouri is called the show Me State. The people of that frontier state were once famous for not believing everything people told them.

If you visit the western mountain and plains state of Montana you will know why it is known as Big Sky Country. Nebraska is the only state to have a nickname that honors sports teams! The state university’s athletic-teams are nicknamed Cornhuskers in recognition of one of area’s chief crops. The state borrowed the Cornhusker nickname from the university.

The wester5n dessert state of Nevada is called The Silver State. It was once home to many silver mines and towns that grew up around them. Today, most of them are empty “ghost towns.”

New Hampshire, in the northeast area called New England, is the Granite State because of that colorful rock. New Jersey is between the big cities of New York, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It got its nickname, the Garden State, because New Jersey truck farms once provided vegetables to those big cities.

New York, which always thinks bog, was called The Empire State because of its natural wealth. The most famous Manhattan skyscraper got its name from the state. It is, of course, the empire state Building. If you get a chance to see a red sunset over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, you will know why that southwestern state is called The Land of Enchantment.

North and South Carolina were one colony until seventeen twenty-nine. South Carolina’s nickname is the easier of the two: it is The Palmetto Staten because of a fan-leafed palm tree that grows there. North Carolina is the Tar Heel State. That is because many of the men who worked to gather substances from wore no shoes. They would make turpentine from tar and get the back, sticky tar on the heels of their feet.

Next week, we will finish telling about the colorful nicknames of American states.

19. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

As we told you last week, every American state has a nickname. Here are some more of them.

Idaho is known as The Gem State. This is not because it has diamonds but because it believes it is the jewel of the western Rocky Mountains. Illinois is The Land of Lincoln. It is named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president who led the nation through the Civil War in the eighteen sixties. The Midwestern state of Indiana is called the Hoosier State, but nobody is quite sure why.

One story is that the word was used to mean poor farmers or uneducated people. No wonder the state legislature instead calls Indiana the Crossroads of America. Iowa’s nickname, the Hawkeye State, is in honor of Black Hawk, an Indian chief who spend most of his life in neighboring Illinois! Kansas also has a “hawkish” nickname: The Jay hawk State. Jayhawkers were free-state guerilla fighters opposed to the pro-slavery fighters in the years before the Civil War. Kentucky is The Bluegrass State. Bluegrass is really bright green but looks bluish from a distance. Louisiana is The Bayou State. A bayou is a slow-moving stream. Hundreds of them flow through this southern state, and many are full of alligators!

Maine, in the nation’s northeast, is The Pine Tree State because it is covered in evergreen woods. And directly across the country, on the Pacific Coast, is the state of Washington. It also has lots of evergreen trees so, not surprisingly, it is The Evergreen State.

The eastern state of Massachusetts is the Bay State. This body of water separates most of the state from famous Cape Cod. Six state nicknames are taken from native animals. Michigan is the Wolverine State. A wolverine is a small, fierce mammal. The badger is a similar and equally fierce creature and Wisconsin is The Badger State.

Neighboring Minnesota, The Gopher State, is named for a much nicer animal that builds hills and tunnels. However, The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes is written on Minnesota’s vehicle license plates.

North Dakota gets its nickname, The Flickertail State not from some bird, but from a little squirrel. South Dakota takes its nickname, The Coyote State, from an animal that thinks flickertails are good to eat And Oregon, The beaver State, borrows its nickname from the large, flat-tailed rodent that uses trees to build dams. Next week, we will tell you about more state nicknames, including one that is about people’s feet!

20. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

A nickname is a shortened form of a person’s name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing; America’s fifty states have some of the most historically interesting nicknames.

Alabama is known as the Heart of Dixie because it is the very middle of a group of states in the Deep South. “Dixie” itself is a nickname for the American South. It started when Louisiana printed notes with the French word for “ten” on them. “Dice,” or “D-I-X,” led to “Dixie.”

Way up north, Alaska is called the Last Frontier for understandable reasons. Near the Arctic Circle, it was the final part of the nation to be explored and settled.

Arizona is the Grand Canyon State because of the famous winding canyon carved by the Colorado River. The southern state of Arkansas is the Land of Opportunity. The state legislature chose this nickname. Arkansas is rich in natural resources and has become a favorite place for older people to retire.

In a popular Spanish book, a fictional island called “California” was filled with gold. Sure enough, plenty of it was discovered in the real California, in eighteen forty-eight. This started a goal rush unlike any other in American history in the Golden State. You would think Colorado would be known as the Rocky Mountain State. But it nickname is the Centennial state. That is because it because a state in eighteen seventy-six, exactly one hundred years after the nation declared its independence.

Connecticut is called the Nutmeg State after a spice. Connecticut Yankees, as people in this northeast state are called, are known to be smart in business. So smart that it was said they could sell wooden, meaning false, nutmegs to strangers. Little Delaware is called the First State because it was the first state—the first to approve the new United States Constitution. The southern state of Florida likes to tell about its sunny days and fine beaches. So Florida is the Sunshine State. Florida’s neighbor to the north grows some of the sweetest fruit in America. So Georgia is the Peach State.

Hawaii, far out in the Pacific Ocean, is the Aloha State. That is the friendly greeting that means both “hello” and “goodbye” in the native Hawaiian language. So, aloha for now. Next week we will tell you about the nicknames of more American states.

21. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Most people enjoy working for several reasons. Their job might be fun, or they like employer and the other people at work. Most people I know, however, work for the money. I do not know anyone who is loaded, or extremely rich. Most of my friends work to earn enough money to live. They have to make ends meet. They have to earn enough money to pay for the things they need. Some even live from hand to mouth. They only have enough for the most important things.

They struggle to earn enough money to bring home the bacon. It can be difficult to earn enough money for a family to survive. Sometimes, poor people even get caught short. They do not have enough money to pay for what they need. Or they have to spend or lay out more money than they want for something. When this happens, poor people have to tighten their belts and live on less money than usual. I hate when I have to live on less money. It takes me longer to get back on my feet, or return to good financial health.

However, other people are on the gravy train. They get paid more money than their job is worth. These people make a bundle. They really rake in the cash. In fact, they make so much money that they can live high off the hog. They own the best of everything and live in great ease. Sometimes they pay an arm and a leg for something.

Because money is no object to wealthy people, they will pay high prices for whatever they want. Sometimes, they even pay through the nose. They pay too much for things.

I am not rich. I did not make a killing in the stock market when my stocks increased in value. Yet, I am not poor either. When I go out with friends, I do not want to shell out or pay a lot of money. Often, my friend and I will chip in or pay jointly for a fun night out. When we go to restaurants the meal is Dutch treat. Each person pays his or her own share.

Once, the owner of a restaurant gave us a dinner on the house. We did not have to pay for our meals. However, I admit that we had to grease someone’s palm. We have to pay money to the employee who let us to our table. The money was for a special request. Yes, it was a buy off. The employee but us at the top of the list for a table instead of making us wait like everyone else. We had a great time that night and the meal did not set me back at all. I did not have to pay anything.

Because of that experience, I will always remember that nice thing still happen I a world that is driven by money. But, that is just my to cents worth. It is just my opinion.

22. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Many people believe that money makes the world go around. Others believe that money buys happiness. I do not agree with either idea. But I do admit that money can make people to strange things. Let me tell you about a person I once knew who liked to play card games for money. He liked to gamble.

My friend Bob had a problem because he liked to gamble at all cast. He would play at my time and at any price. To take part in a card game such as poker, my friend would have to ante up. He would have to pay a small amount of money at the beginning of the game. Bob always play with cold, hard cash—only coins and dollar bills. Sometimes my friend would clean up. He would win a lot of money on one card game. He likes to tell me that one day he would break the bank. What a feeling it must be to win all of the money at a gambling table.

Other times my friend would simply break even. He neither won nor lost money. But sometimes Bob would lose his shirt. He would lose all the money he had. He took a beating at the gambling table. When this happened, my friend would have to go in the hole. He would go into debt and owe people money.

Recently, Bob turned to crime after losing all his money. In his job, he kept the books for a small business. He supervised the records of money earned and spent by the company. Although my friend was usually honest, he decided to cook the books. He illegally changed the financial records of the company. This permitted him to make a fast buck. My friend made some quick, easy money dishonestly. I never thought Bob would have sticky fingers. He did not seem like a thief who would steal money. But, some people will do anything for love of money.

Bob used the money he stole from his company to gamble again. This time, he cashed in. ha made a lot of money. Quickly he was back on his feet. He hard returned to good financial health. His company, however, ended up in the red. It lost more money than it earned. The company was no longer profitable. It did not take long before my friend’s dishonesty was discovered. The company investigated and charged him with stealing. Bob tried to pass the buck. He tried to blame someone else for the deficit. His lie did not work; however, he ended up in jail. Today, I would bet my bottom dollar that my friend will never gamble again. I would bet all I have that he learned his lesson about gambling.

24. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Computer technology has become a major part of people’s lives. This technology has its own special words. One example is the word mouse. A computer mouse is not a small animal that lives in buildings and open fields. It is a small device that you move around on a flat surface in front of a computer. The mouse moves the pointer, or cursor, on the computer screen. Computer expert Douglas Engelhard developed the idea for the mouse in the early nineteen sixties. The first computer mouse was a carved black of wood with two metal wheels. It was called a mouse because it had a tail at one end. The tail was the wire that connected it to the computer.

Using the computer takes some training. People who are experts are sometimes called hackers. A hacker is usually a person who writes software programs in a special computer language. But the word hacker is also used to describe a person who tries to steal information from computer systems.

Another well known computer word is Google, spelled g-o-o-g-l-e. It is the name of a popular search engine for the Internet. People use the search engine to find information about almost any subject on the Internet. The people who started the company named it Google because in mathematics, googol, spelled g-o-o-g-o-l, is an extremely large number. It is the number one followed by one hundred zeros.

When you Google a subject, you can get a large amount of information about it. Some people like to Google their friends or they to see how many times their name appear on the Internet.

If you Google someone, you might find that person’s name on a blog. A blog is the shortened name for a Web log. A blog is a personal Web page. It many contain stories, comments, picture and links to other Web sites. Some people add information to their blogs every day. People who have blogs are called blonggers.

Blogs are not the same as spam. Spam is unwanted sales messages sent to your electronic mailbox. The name is based on a funny joke many years ago on a British television show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Some friends are at an eating place that only serves a processed meat product from the United States called SPAM. Every time the friends try to speak. Another group of people start singing the word SPAM very loudly. This interferes with the friends’ discussion- just as unwanted sales message interfere with communication over the Internet.

25. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meaning. The expression to be in hot water is one of them. It is a very old expression hot water was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing boiling water down on enemies attacking a castle.

That is no longer the custom. But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble—serious, and not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he comes into the house with dirty, wet shoes.

Being in deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in difficulty. Imagine a swimmer in water over his head who cannot reach the shore. You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep for you. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.

To keep your head above water is a colorful expression that means staying out of dept. a company that can keep its head above water can survive economic hard time. Water over the dam is an expression about a past event. It is something that is over and done with. It cannot be change. The expression comes from the idea that water that has fallen over a dam cannot be brought back again.

When a friend is troubled by a mistake he has made, you might tell him to forget about it. You say it is water over the dam.

Another common expression, to hold water, is about the strength or weakness of an idea, opinion or argument. It probably comes from the way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong. The expression is used the same way to describe an idea or argument. If the argument can hold water, it is solid and strong without any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and cannot be proved. Throwing cold water also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means not to like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new computer, so you can do some of your work at home. But your wife throws cold water on the idea, because the computer casts too much.

26. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Monkeys are very similar to us in many ways. Most have ten fingers and ten toes, and brains much like ours. We enjoy watching them because they often act like us. In fact, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution says that monkeys and humans share a common ancestor.

Songwriter William Gilbert, in the musical “Princess Ida”, wrote:

“Darwinian man, though well-behaved, at best is only a monkey shaved.” His words—to Sir Arthur Sullivan’s music—make listeners smile. Well, monkeys make us smile, too, because they are creatures full of playful tricks.

This is why many monkey expressions are about tricky people or playful acts. One of these expressions is monkeyshines, meaning tricks or foolish acts.

The meaning is clear if you have ever have watched a group of monkeys playfully chasing each other: pulling tails, stealing food, doing tricks. So, when a teacher says to a group of students: “Stop those monkeyshines right now!” you know that the boys and girl are playing, instead of studying.

You might hear that same teacher warn a student not to monkey around with a valuable piece of equipment. You monkey around with something when you do not know what you are doing. You are touching or playing with something you should leave alone. Also, you can monkey around when you feel like doing something, but have no firm idea of what to do. For example, you tell your friend you are going to spend the day monkeying around with your car. You do not have any job or gold in mind. It is just a way to pass the time.

Monkey business usually means secret, maybe illegal, activities. A news report may say there is monkey business involved in building the new airport, with some officials getting secret payments from builders.

You may make a monkey out someone when you make that person look foolish. Some people make a monkey out of themselves by acting foolish or silly. If one monkey has fun, imagine how much fun a barrel of monkeys can have. If your friend says he had more fun than a barrel of monkeys at your party, you know that he had a really good time. Monkey suits are common names for clothes or uniforms soldiers wear.

In earlier years many American cities, you would find men playing musical hand organs on the street. Dancing to the music would be the man’s small monkey stressed in a tight- fitting, colorful jacket similar to a military uniform. So, people began to call a military uniform a monkey suit.

27. Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

From birth to death, the word kick has been given an important part in expressing human experience. The proud and happy mother feels the first signs of life kicking inside her womb. And that same life—many years later—comes to its end in a widely-used expression, to kick the bucket meaning to die.

The expression to kick the bucket is almost two hundred years old. One belief is that it started when an English stableman committed suicide by hanging himself while standing on a pail, or bucket. He put a rope around his neck and tied it to a beam in the ceiling, and then kicked the bucket away from under him. After a while, to die in any way was called kicking the bucket.

Another old expression that comes from England is to kick over the traces, meaning to resist the commands of one’s parents, or to oppose or reject authority. Traces were the chains that held a horse or mule to a wagon or plow. Sometimes, an animal rebelled and kicked over the traces.

The word kick sometimes is used to describe a complaint or some kind of dissatisfaction. Workers, for example, kick about long hours and low pay.

There are times when workers are forced to kick back some of their wages to their employers as part of their job. This kickback is illegal. So is another kind of kickback: a secret payment made by a supplier to an official who buys supplies for a government or company.

Kick around is a phrase that is heard to often in American English. A person who is kicked around is someone who is treated badly. Usually, he is not really being kicked by somebody’s foot. He is just not being treated with the respect that all of us want.

A person who has kicked around for most of his life is someone who has spent his life moving form place to place. In this case, kicking around means moving often from one place to another. Kick around has a third meaning when you use it with the word idea. When you kick around an idea, you are giving that idea some thought.

There is no physical action when you kick a person upstairs, although the pain can be as strong. You kick a person upstairs by removing him from an important job and giving him a job that sound more important… but really is not.

Still another meaning of the word kick is to free oneself of a bad habit, such as smoking cigarettes. Health campaigns urge smokers to kick the habit.

28. Hello, I’m Phil Murray with WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, a program in special English.

“You do not need to be a rocket scientist,” Americans hear these words often. People say them in schools, offices and factories. Broadcasters on radio and television use them. This is how you might hear the words used.

Workers in an office are afraid to try to use their new computer system. Their employer tells them not to be foolish. “You do not need to be a rocket scientist to learn this,” he says.

Or high school students cannot seem to understand something their teacher is explaining. “Come on,” she says. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand this. “Or, a company that makes soap is trying to tell its product on television, “You do not need to be a rocket scientist to see that our soap cleans better,” the company says. These words send a strong message. They say that you do not need to be extremely intelligent to understand something.

How did the expression begin?

No one seems to know for sure. But an official of the American space agency, NASA, says the expression just grew. It grew, he says, because rocket scientists probably are the most intelligent people around. Not everyone would agree. Some people might be considered more intelligent than rocket scientists. For example, a person who speaks and reads fifteen languages, or a medical doctor who operates on the brain. Still, many people would agree that there is something specials about scientists who build rockets. Maybe it has to do with the mystery of space travel.

Moving picture from before World War Two showed a man named Buck Rogers landing on the planet Mars. He was a hero who could defeat any enemy from outer space.

The rocket scientist is a different kind of hero. He or she makes space travel possible. Rocket scientists, however, can help problems just like everyone else. A Washington rocket scientist tells about a lunch that was postponed many, many time, finally, everything seemed right. Mechanical failures had been repaired. The weather was good.

The scientists had planned that part of the rocket world fall into the ocean after the lunch. All ships and boats within many Kilometers of the danger area had been warned. But in the last few seconds a small boat entered the area. Once again, the lunch was postponed. When the work goes well, most rocket scientists enjoy their jobs. One scientist said, “As a child I loved to build rockets. Now I am grown. I still love to build rockets. And now I get pay for it.”

29. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today, we tell about the word wild eat.

Humans have always depended on animals. From the beginning of human history, wild animals provided food, closing and sometimes medicine. We may not depend as much on wild animals now. But we hear about them every day. Americans use the names of animals in many ways. Many companies use the names of animals in many ways. Many companies use animals to make use want to buy their goods. Automobile companies, for example, love to show fast horses when they are trying to sell their cars. They also name their cars for other fast powerful animals.

Automobile manufacturers and gasoline companies especially like to use big cats to sell their products. They like lions, tigers and wildcats. When Americans say wildcat, they usually mean a lynx, an ocelot or a bobcat. All these cats attack quickly. So wildcats represent something fast and fierce. What better way is there to sell a car than to say it is as fast as a wildcat? Or, what better way is there to sell gasoline than to say that using it is like putting a tiger in your tank.

An early American use of the word wildcat was quite different. It was used to describe member of Congress who declared war on Britain in eighteen twelve. A magazine of that year said the wildcat congressman went home. It said they were unable to face the responsibility of having involved their country in an unnecessary war.

Wildcat also has been used as a name for money. It was used this way in the eighteen hundreds. At that time, some states permitted banks to make their own money. One bank in the state of Michigan offered paper money with a picture of a wildcat on it.

Some bank, however, did not have enough gold to support all the paper money they offered. So the money had little or no value. It was called a wildcat bill or a wildcat bank note. The bank who offered this money was called wildcat banks. A newspaper of the time said those were the days of wildcat money. It said a man might be rich in the morning and poor by night.

Wildcat was used in another way in the eighteen hundreds. It was used for an oil well or gold mine that had almost no oil or gold in it. Dishonest developers would buy such property. Then they would sell it and leave town with the money. The buyers were left with worthless holes in the ground. Today, wildcat oil wells are in areas that are not known to have oil.

Yet another kind of wildcat is the wildcat strike. That is a strike called without official approval by a union. During world war two, an American publication accused wildcat strikers of slowing government production.

30. Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and their stories.

Every language has its way of expressing strong emotions—surprise, shock, anger.

The expressions range from mild to strong, from exclamations and oaths, to curses and swear words. The ones that are accepted in public speech change through the years as social rules change. At times, only very mild expressions are socially accepted.

Some of the most popular expressions are those that are guaranteed not to offend anyone. Most of these exclamations have survived from earlier days. And their original meanings are long since forgotten. Great Scott! Is a good example. It expresses surprise or shock. You might say to someone, “Great Scott! I did not know she was married!”

Language expert Webb Garrison tells an interesting story about the expression.

Just before the Civil War, the Whig political party was making a last effort to remain a part of American political life. For the election eighteen fifty-two, the Whig wanted to offer a colorful candidate for president. They thought that Winfield Scott would be the right candidate.

In his thirty years as a general, Winfield Scott had become one of the best-known military leaders in the country. During the War with Mexico, he had captured Vera Cruz and occupied Mexico City. So, party leaders thought that if any Whig could be elected president, it was Winfield Scott.

General Scott quickly accepted the nomination and began campaigning. It did not take long for the public to realize that General Scott really liked General Scott! His speeches were full of praise for himself. It was evident that he thought he was the general candidate who had ever lived. Soon his political opponents began to make fun of him. They called him, Great Scott.

General Scott did not come close to winning the presidency. But his name still lives as part of the English language. Other popular exclamations combine holy with other word.

Holy Mackerel! Is one that expresses surprise or wonder? It comes from earlier days when the Roman Catholic Church ruled that Catholics must not eat meat on Fridays. Some mackerel was a common and cheap fish in the United States; it was often eaten for dinner in Friday. Then there is Holy Toledo! It is another expression of surprise. It refers to the city of Toledo Spain, An important religious center in medieval times. Toledo was a holy city for both the Roman Catholics and the Muslim Moors of Spain.

31. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Every people have its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. There are the living speeches of a people. And a story can be told about each of them, the white swan-- with its long. Graceful neck- is among the most beautiful of birds. The swan is mostly silent through its life. It floats quietly on the water, unable to sing sweet songs like most other birds. In ancient times, however, people believed that the swan was given a special gift of song at the end of its life. They believed a swan sings a most beautiful song… just before it dies.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates talked of this two thousand three hundred year ago. Socrates explained that the swan was singing because it was happy. The bird was happy because it was going to serve the Greek good Apollo. Swans were holy Apollo, the god of poetry and song.

The story of the swan’s last song found a place in the works of other writers, including the early English writers Chaucer and Shakespeare.

And, the expression swan song has long been a part of the English language. At first, swan song meant the last work of a poet, musician or writer. Now, it means the final effort of any person. Someone’s swan song usually is also considered that person’s finest work.

A political expression with a similar meaning is the last hurrah. The expression may be used to describe a politician’s last campaign, his final attempt to win the cheers and votes of the people. The last hurrah also can mean the last acts of a politician, before hi term in office ends.

Writer Edwin O’Connor made the expression popular in nineteen fifty-six. He wrote a book about the final years in the political life of a ling-time mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. He called his book, the last hurrah.

Some language experts say the expression came from a name given to noisy supporters of Andrew Jackson…America’s seventh president. They cheered hurrah so loudly for Andrew Jackson during his presidential campaign that they became known as the hurrah boys. Jackson’s hurrah boys also played a part in the election to choose the next president. Jackson’s choice was his vice president, Martin VanBuren.

A newspaper of the time reported that VanBuren was elected president, in its words: “…by the hurrah boys, and those who knew just enough to should hurrah for Jackson.” So, president Jackson really heard his last hurrahs in the campaign of another candidate, the man would replace him in the in the White House.

32. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today’s word is belittled. It was first used by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.

Many years ago, a French naturalist, the Count de Buffon, wrote some books about natural history. The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them. Some critics said, “Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist.”

Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World. It seems to Jefferson that the Count had gone out of his way to speak of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant. This troubled Thomas Jefferson. He, too, was a naturalist, as well as a farmer, inventor, historian, writer and politician. He had seen the natural wonders of Europe. They were no more important than those of the New World.

In seventeen eighty-eight, Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state, Virginia. While writing, he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of Count de Buffon. At that moment, Jefferson created a new word- belittle. He said, “The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic.” Noah Webster, the American word expert, liked this word. He put it in his English language dictionary in eighteen-oh-six. ‘Belittle- to make small, unimportant.’

Americans has already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it. In seventeen ninety-seven, the independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported. “He is an honorable man,” the paper wrote, “so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please.”

In eighteen forty-four, the Republican Sentinel of Virginia wrote this about the opposition party. “The Whigs may attempt to belittle our candidate …that is a favorite game of theist.”

In eighteen seventy-two, a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word. He said, “Belittle has no chance of becoming English. And as more critical writers of America, like those of Britain, feel no need of it, the sooner it is forgotten, the better.”

This expert failed to kill the word. Today, belittle is used, not only in the United States and England, but in other countries where the English language is spoken. It seems that efforts to belittle the word did not stop people from using it.

33. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Hang is a simple word. But there are many meaning for hang. Especially when it is used with other words. Two often-hard expressions are to hang tight and to hang loose. When a friend says to hang tight, he is advising you to wait a little longer, not to give up. He might say, for example, “Hang tight keeps studying. You can still pass the course.”

But if that same friend tells you to hang loose, he is telling you to take it easy, not to get excited. He could say, “Hang loose. You probably passed the English test.”

Hang around in an expression with several meanings. Usually, it means to spend your time doing nothing. You may need time to just hang around if you have been working too hard. Hang round also can mean spending time with friends. You hang around with your friends, for example, because you share a common interest in sports.

Hanging out is similar to hanging around. You may hang out with the same group of friends and always do things together. A similar-sounding expression, however, has a very different meaning. The expression is let it all hang out. Well, when you let it all hang out. You are being completely open and honest. You do not keep your opinions hidden, even if they may because you trouble.

Sometimes, a person may suffer from a hang-up. Well, a hang-up is emotional difficulties that cause a problem for a person. You may know someone, for example, whose hang-up is shyness. They have a problem talking with people they do not know well. A hangover is the can be a very painful condition. A hangover is the headache, upset stomach and other disorders that result from drinking too much alcohol.

Another common expression is to get the hang of something. It means to understand how a device works or how to do a job. An office worker might say that she cannot get the hang of using a computer. But after a few days, she may tell you that she finally got the hang of it. Once of the early heroes of the American republic, Benjamin Franklin, gave a warning to the other signers of the Declaration of Independence. The warning contained two different meanings of the word hang.

“We must all hang together,” Franklin said, “or surely, we shall all hang separately.” The other signers took Franklin’s advice. They hung together, remained united. As a result, the American colonies won their independence. And none of the signers of the declaration was hanged as a revolutionary by the king of England.

34. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Some unusual words describe how a person spends his or her time. For example, someone who likes to spend a lot of time sitting or lying down while watching television is sometime called a couch potato. A couch is a piece of furniture that people sit on while watching television.

Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term couch potato in nineteen seventy-six. Several years latter, he listed the term as a trademark with the United States government. Mister Armstrong also helped write a funny book about life as a full-time television watcher. It is called the “Official Couch Potato Handbook.”

Couch potatoes enjoy watching television just as mouse potatoes enjoy working on computers. A computer mouse is the device that moves the pointer, or cursor, on a computer screen. The description of mouse potato because popular in nineteen ninety-three. American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time using computers.

Too much time inside the house using a computer or watching television can cause someone to get cabin fever. A cabin is a simple house usually built far away from the city. People go to a cabin to relax and enjoy quiet time.

Cabin fever is not really a disease. However, people can experience boredom and restlessness if they spend too much time inside their homes. This is especially true during the winter when it is too cold or snowy to do things outside. Often children get cabin fever if they cannot go outside to play. So do their parents. This happens when there is so much snow that schools and even offices and stories are closed.

Some people enjoy spending a lot of time in their homes to make them nice place to live. This is called nesting or cocooning. Birds build nests out of sticks to hold their eggs and baby birds. Some insects build cocoons around themselves for protection wile they grow and change. Nests and cocoons provide security for wildlife. So people like the idea of nests and cocoons, too. The term cocooning and nesting became popular more than twenty years ago. They describe people buying their first homes and filling them with many things. These people then had children.

Now these children are grown and left the nest. They are in college. Or they are married and starting families of their own far away. Now these parents are living alone without children in their empty nest. They have become empty nesters.

35. I’m Susan Clark with the special English program, Words and their Stories.

The Italians have an old saying, “Il dolce far niente.” The words mean it is sweet, or enjoyable, to do nothing. On weekends and during holidays, many of us enjoy doing nothing. But most of the time we have to work. And, to keep our jobs, we must work hard. Our employer will not like it if we do nothing. American workers often call their employer bosses. The word boss comes from the Dutch word, baas, meaning master. Sometimes company bosses are called the brass. They also are sometimes called top brass, or brass hats.

Experts disagree about how these strange expressions started. But, they may have come from Britain. Leaders of the nineteenth century British army wore piece of metal called oak leaves on their hats. The metal, brass, has a color similar to that of gold. So a leader or commander came to be called a member of the brass. Or he might have been called a brass hat. Or, even the top brass.

By the nineteen forties, the expression had spread beyond military leaders. It also included civilian officials. A newspaper in the American city of Philadelphia used the term in nineteen forty-nine. It called the most important police officials, top brass. Other expressions that mean boss or employer have nothing to do with brass or hats. Once of these is big cheese. A cheese is a solid food made from milk.

The expression probably started in American in the late nineteen century. Some experts believe it comes from a word in the Eurasian or Urdu languages—chizz. The meaning is a thing. So the meaning of big cheese may be a big thing. Other experts say the word cheese in this expression was really an incorrect way of saying chief. The word chief means leader. So the expression may mean big leader. An employer usually does not object to being called boss. But most workers would not call their employer big cheese, top brass or brass hats to their faces. These words are not really insulting. But neither do they show great respect.

Employers also have expressions to describe their workers. One of them that describe good worker is that he or she works like a Trojan. This expression probably comes from the ancient writings of the Greek poet homer. He wrote about the Trojans who lived in the city of Troy. He said Trojans worked very hard to protect their city. Now, expression often is used to describe an employee who works hard for a company. A loyal, hard-working employee is said to work like a Trojan.

So be happy if your company’s brass hats say you work like a Trojan. They may consider you valuable enough to increase your pay.

36. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Baseball is America’s national sport. So it is not unusual that popular expression come from baseball. But first, let me explain a little about the game. Each baseball team has nine players. The pitcher of one team throws the ball to the batter from the other team. The batter attempts to hit the ball. If he misses, it is called a strike. If a batter gets three strikes, he loses his turn at bat and is called out. The batter also is out if he hits the ball in the air and an opposing player catches it. But if the batter hits the ball and it is not caught, the batter tries to run to one or more of the four bases on the field. The batter can run to all four bases if he hits the ball over the fence or out of the ballpark. Such a hit is called a homerun.

Now, here are some common expressions from baseball. Someone who is on the ball is intelligent and able to do a good job. But a person who threw a curve ball did something unexpected. Someone who steps up to the plate is ready to do his or her job. A pinch hitter takes the place of someone else at a job or activity.

A person who strikes out or goes down swinging attempted something but failed. We also might tell the person that three strikes and you are out. But someone who hit a homerun or hit it out of the park did something extremely well.

Sometimes I have to give information quickly, without time to think it over. Then I would say something right off the bat. If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful, you might say he or she is batting one thousand.

If I say I want to touch base with you, I will talk to you from time to time about something we plan to do. I might say I couched all the bases if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I covered my bases I was well prepared. However, someone who is way off base did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral. A person with strange ideas might be described as out in left field.

Let us say I want to sell my car but I do not know exactly how much it is worth. If someone asks me the price, I might give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate.

If someone offers me an amount that is close to my selling price, I might say the amount is in the ballpark. However, if I say we are not in the same ballpark, I mean we cannot agree because my ideas are too different from yours. Finally, when a situation changes completely, we say that is a whole new ballgame.

37. Now, Special English program, words and their stories.

Making choices is necessary, but not always easy. Many of our expressions tell about this difficulty.

One of these expressions is Hobson’s choice. It often is used to describe a difficult choice. But that is not what it really means. Its real meaning is to have no choice at all. The Hobson in the expression was Thomas Hobson. Mister Hobson owned a stable of horses in Cambridge, England.

Mister Hobson often rented horses to the students at Cambridge University. But, he did not really trust them to take good care of the horses. So, he had a rule that prevented the students from riding his best horses. They could take the horse that was nearest the stable door. Or, they could not take any horse at all. Thus, a Hobson’s was really no choice.

Another expression for having no real choice is between a rock and a hard place. It is often used to describe a difficult situation with few choices, none of them good.

For example, your boss may ask you to work late. But you have plans to go to a movie with your girlfriend. If you refuse to work, your boss gets angry. But if you do not go to the movie with your girlfriend, she gets angry. So what do you do? You are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Another expression, between the devil and the deep blue sea, also gives you a choice between two equally dangerous things.

Its meaning seems clear. You can choose the devil and his burning fires of hell. Or, you can choose to down in the sea. Some word experts say the expression comes from the days of wooden ships.

The devil is a word for a seam between two pieces of wood along the water-line of a ship. If the seam or crack between the two pieces of wood beings to leak, then a sailor must fix it. The sailor ordered to make the repairs was in a dangerous situation. He was hanging over the side of the ship, working between the devil and the deep blue sea.

There is still another expression that describes a situation with only bad choices, being on the horns of a dilemma.

The dictionary says a dilemma is a situation in which you must make a decision about two equally balanced choices. When your dilemma has horns, a choice becomes impossible. When you are on the horns of a dilemma, no matter which horn you choose, something bad will happen.

38. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Each week, this program explains the many meanings of English expressions. Today’s expressions include a very important word- “heart.” We will try to get to the heart of the matter to better understand the most important things about words and their stories. So take heart. Have no fear about learning new expressions. Besides, popular English words can be fun. There is no need for a heavy heart. Such feelings of sadness would only break my heart, or make me feel unhappy and hopeless.

Now, let us suppose you and I were speaking freely about something private. We would be having a heart to heart discussion. I might speak from the bottom of my heart, or say things honestly and truthfully. I might even open up my heart to you and tell a secret. I would speak with all my heart, or with great feeling.

When a person shares her feelings freely and openly like this, you might say she wears her heart on her sleeve, or on her clothing. Her emotions are not protected.

If we had an honest discussion, both of us would know that the other person’s heart is in the right place. For example, I would know that you are a kind-hearted and well-meaning person. And, if you are a very good person, I would even say that you have a heart of gold. However, you might have a change of heart based on what I tell you. Our discussion might cause you to change the way you feel about something.

But, let us suppose you get angry over what I tell you. Or worse, you feel no sympathy or understanding for me or my situation. If this happens, I might think that you have a heart of stone. And, if you say something to make me frightened or worried, my heart might stand still or ship a beat.

Yet, even though you may be angry, I would know that at heart, you are a kind person. In really, you do care. And any argument between us would not cause me to lose heart or feel a sense of loss.

My heart goes out to anyone who loses a friend over an argument. It really is a sad situation, and I feel sympathy for the people involved.

I promise that what I have told is true-cross my heart.

I really wanted to play some music at the end of this feature. In fact, I had my heart set on it. So here it is, a song called “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart” by Elton John.

39. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

A person’s name is important. Some names also special meaning in popular American expressions. To better understand what I mean, sit back and listen. You might even want to get a cup of Joe, I mean, a cup of coffee.

One day, an average Joe was walking down the street. An average Joe is a common person- either male or female. This average was Joe lost. He did not know jack about where he was going. By this, I mean he did not know anything about where to find things in the city. So average Joe asked John Q. Public for directions to the nearest bank. John Q. Public is also a common person- male or female.

“Jeez Louise,” said John Q. Public. This is an expression surprise. “Jeez Louise, don’t you know that all banks are closed today? It is Saturday.”

“For Pete’s sake,” said average Joe. This is also an expression used to show a feeling like surprise or disappointment. “For Pete’s sake. I do not believe you,” said average Joe. He was being a doubting Thomas, someone who does not believe anything he is told.

At that moment, Joe Blow was walking down the street with a woman. Joe Blow is also an expression for a common man. Now this Joe Blow was NOT walking next to a plain Jane. A plain Jane is a woman who is neither ugly nor pretty. She is simply plain. No, the woman with Joe Blow was a real Sheila- a beautiful woman.

Average Joe asked the woman if all banks were closed on Saturday. “No way, Jose,” she answered. This is a way of saying “no.” “No way,” Jose. Many banks are open on Saturdays.”

Average Joe did not know either of these two people from Adam. That is, he did not know them at all. But he followed their directions to the nearest bank. When he arrived, he walked to the desk of the chief bank employee. Now this man was a true Jack of all trades. He knew how to do everything.

“I am here to withdraw some money so I can pay my taxes to Uncle Sam,” said average Joe. Uncle Sam represents the United States government. The banker produced some papers and told average Joe to sign his John Hancock at the bottom. A John Hancock is a person’s signed name- a signature. Historically, John Hancock was one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. Hancock had a beautiful signature and signed his name larger than all the others.

As average Joe left the bank began to sign. But sadly, average Joe was not a good signer. He was a Johnny one note. He could only sing one note.

40. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

There are many special terms in the world of business. The following story is about a sweetheart deal which I made last week. I made the deal with a friend. And we both made a profit.

I had started a small company several years ago. I worked hard to make it successful. It was a sign-making business. It was a small company, not a blue chip company. It was not known nationally for the quality of its signs. It did not make millions of dollar in profits. And it was private. It was not a public company with shares traded on the stock market.

Still, I worked hard building up my business. I did not work only a few hours each day—no banker’s hours for me. Instead I spend many hours each day, seven days a week, trying to grow the company. I never cut corners or tried to save on expenses. I made many cold calls. I called on possible buyers from a list of people I had never seen. Such calls were often hard sells. I had to be very firm.

Sometimes I sold my sign at a loss. I did not make money on my product. When this happened, there were cut backs. I had to use fewer supplies and reduce the number of workers. But after several years, the company broke even. Profits were equal to expenses. And soon after, I began to gain ground. My signs were selling very quickly. They were selling like hotcakes. I was happy. The company was moving forward and making real progress. It was in the bank, not in the red. The company was making money, not losing it.

My friend knew about my business. He is a leader in the sign-making industry-a real big gun, if you know what I mean. He offered to buy my company. My friend wanted to take it public. He wanted to sell shares in the company to the general public.

My friend believed it was best to strike while the iron is hot. He wanted to take action at the best time possible and not wait. He offered me a ball park estimate of the amount he would pay to buy my company. But I knew this uneducated guess was low. My company was worth much more. He asked his bean-counter to crunch the numbers. That is, he asked his accountant to take a close look at the finances of my company and decide how much it was worth. Then my friend increased his offer.

My friend’s official offer was finally given to me in black and white. It was written on paper and more than I ever dreamed. I was finally able to get a break. I made a huge profit on my company, and my friend also got a bang for the buck. He got a successful business for the money he spent.

41. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word mouth. But some of them are not so nice.

For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell.

The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.

Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person my protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.” Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friend talking to each other. “How did you here about that new movie?” someone might ask. “Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece. This is an official spokesperson. Government-run media could also be called a mouthpiece.

Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that is friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth.” Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth.” Or the person might have had a very frightening experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say: “I had my heart in my in mouth.” Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”

This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.

Parents my sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off. But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.

42. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

A person’s nose is important for breathing and smelling. The nose is also used in many popular expressions. Some people are able to lead other people by the nose. For example, if a wife leads her husband by the nose, she makes him do whatever she wants him to do.

Some people are said to be heard-nosed. They will not change their opinions or positions on anything. If someone is heard-nosed, changes are he will never pay through the nose, or pay too much money, for an object or service. It is always helpful when people keep their nose out of other people’s business. They do not interfere. The opposite of this is someone who noses around all the time. This kind of person is interested in other people’s private matters. He is considered nosey.

Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone works very hard. This can help a worker keep his nose clean or stay out of trouble. One unusual expression is that is no skin off my nose. This means that a situation does not affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person cuts off his nose to spite his face. That is, he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry.

More problems can develop if a person looks down his nose at someone or something. The person acts like something is unimportant or worthless. This person might also turn up his nose at something that he considers not good enough. This person thinks he is better than everyone else. He has his nose in the air. In school, some students thumb their nose at their teacher. They refuse to obey orders or do my work. Maybe these students do not know the correct answers. My mother always told me, if you study hard, the answers should be right under your nose or easily seen.

I think we have explained the nose expressions. What about ears? Well, I hope you are all ears or very interested in hearing more expressions. We might even put a bug in your ear or give you an idea about something. We also advise you to keep your ear to the ground. This means to be interested in what is happening around you and what people are thinking.

If you are a good person, you will lend an ear to your friends. You will listen to them when they have a problem they need to talk about. Our last expression is to play it by ear. This has two meanings. One is to play a song on a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music. Play it by ear also means to decide what to do at the last minute instead of making detail plans.

43. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today’s program is all about eyes. When it comes to relationships, people’s eyes can be a window into their hearts. This means that their eyes can tell a lot about how they feel. We tell a story about a man and woman who are teachers at the same school. The woman is interested in the man. She uses many methods to catch his eye, or get him to notice her. Once he sets eyes on her, or sees her, she might try to get him interested in her by acting playful. In other words, she might try to make eyes at him or give him the eye.

Let us suppose that this man get hit between the eyes. In other words, the woman has a strong affect on him. He wants to spend time with her to get to know her better. He asks her out on date.

She is so happy that she may walk around for days with stars in her eyes. She is extremely happy because this man is the apple of her eye, a very special person. She might tell him that she is the only person she wants, or “I only have eyes for you.” On their date, the couple might eat a meal together at a restaurant. If the man is really hungry, his eyes might be bigger than his stomach. He might order more food than he can eat. When his food arrives at the table, his eyes might pop out. He might be surprised by the amount of food provided. He might not even believe his on eyes. If fact, all eyes would be watching him if he ate all the food. This might even cause raised eyebrows. People might look at the man with disapproval.

During their dinner, the couple might discuss many things. They might discover that they see eye to eye, or agree on many issues. They share the same beliefs and opinions. For example, they might agree that every crime or injury should be punished. That is, they firmly believe in the idea of an eye for an eye. They might also agree that it is wrong to pull the wool over a person’s eye. This means to try to trick a person by making him believe something that is false. But the man and woman do not believe in the evil eye, that a person can harm you by looking at you.

The next day, at their school, the woman asks the man to keep an eye on, or watch the young students in her class while she is out of the classroom. This might be hard to do when the teacher is writing on a board at the front of the classroom. To do so, a teacher would need to have eye in the back of his head. In other words, he would know what the children are doing even when he is not watching them.

44. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

I’m Rich Kleinfeldt. Today we tell about the word fireworks.

The expression firework gets its meaning from the fireworks that people shoot into the sky when they are celebrating a great event. Rockets explode to fill the dark, night sky with bright reds and blues, with yellows and greens and whites. The expression also means a great show of noisy anger, or something exciting. For example, a defense lawyer in a court trial may become very emotional in arguing with the government lawyer about evidence affecting the accused. The judge finally stops the loud argument and calls the two lawyers forward. He tells them, “I want no more of these fireworks in my courtroom.

Another kind of fireworks can be any event or activity that is especially exciting. One such is falling in love. If anything can produce fireworks, it is a sweetheart’s kiss or the touch of a lover’s hand. Often movie or television cartoons show fireworks to represent the excitement of a kiss.

People use the expression fireworks throughout the year. But if you live in the United States and want to see real fireworks, the best time of the year is about now. The fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. Americans traditionally celebrate their nation’s freedom with giant public parties and fireworks at night. In Washington, for example, large crowds gather near the Washington Monument to listen to music and watch a huge fireworks show. In other cities and smaller towns, local people listen to band concerts and watch fireworks explode in a dark sky.

Many other countries around the world also enjoy the tradition of exploding fireworks on special days. In Australia, the city of Sydney begins each New Year with a fireworks show at midnight. China is the birthplace of fireworks. Large fireworks shows were help often during earlier time in china. Now, people use small fireworks to help celebrate weddings and birthdays.

France also has a great fireworks tradition. A large fireworks show always takes place on Bastille Day, which celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution. The French city of Cannes holds an international fireworks competition each year in July and august. In India, people have been using fireworks for more than five hundred years. A great Indian fireworks show takes place during the religious celebration of Diwali, every autumn.

Fireworks shows are popular around the world. But, if I do not end this program right now, there will be fireworks from my producer.

45. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Last week, I explained some English expressions about clothes. Everything I told you was true. I did not talk through my hat or say something without knowing the facts.

Everyone knows there are many English expressions about clothes. There is no need to keep it a secret, or to keep it under your hat. In fact, if I keep talking, soon enough you will start to think I am an old hat about this—a real expert. Do not be fooled, though. My friends sometimes call me a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is someone who acts like a good person, but is really a bad person.

I’m not really a bad person. But I do love clothes. It is always fun to get dressed up. I look great in my best clothes. When I put them on, I feel decked out. You might say when I ware my best clothes; I am dressed to the nines or dressed to the teeth. In fact, my husband says I look dressed to kill. Of course, I would never kill anyone. But, there is something special about putting on clothes that are pleasing to the eye. My best clothes are not modern or fashionable. Maybe someday they will come into fashion. But I really do not care. They certainly look better on me than my birthday suit. Did you know that everyone has a birthday suit? You wear it when are wearing no clothes at all. Babies are born wearing their birthday suit.

I am very careful with my clothes. I handle them with kid gloves. I try not to get them dirty or torn. Most of my clothes fit like a glove. They fit perfectly. But when I eat too much, I feel like my clothes might burst at the seams. My clothes feel too restrictive and tight. Some of the clothes I like best are hand-me-down. My older sister gave them to me when she no longer wanted them. Hand-me-down are great because clothes often cost too much money. I live on a shoestring. I have a very small budget and little money to spend on clothes. However, my sister has a lot of money to spend on clothes. Maybe someday the shoe will be on the other foot. The opposite will be true. I will have a lot of money to buy clothes and my sister will get hand-me-downs from me.

I admit dream of being rich. I dream that someday I will be able to live like a rich person. I will know that it is like to walk in another person’s shoes. Some of my friends got rich by riding someone else’s coat tails. They are successful today as a result of someone else being successful. But, I believe you should never criticize others for something you would do yourself. What is said about someone else can also be said about you. Remember, if the shoe fits, wear it.

46. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s see if I can name a few off the cuff, or without any preparation. People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have ants in their pants. They might also fry by the seat of their pants. They use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes, people may get catch with their pants down. They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.

Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt. You may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But one you have succeeded in budgeting your money, you will have that skill under your belt.

I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat- immediately, without waiting. And sadly, you cannot pull money out of a hat. You cannot get money by investing or imagining it. Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important then they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that. Yet, truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you fill their shoes or replace them with someone equally effective.

My father is an important person. He runs big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real stuffed shirt. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve. He shows his feelings openly. And, he knows how to keep his shirt on. He stays calm and never gets angry or too excited.

Also, my father has never lost his shirt in a business deal. He is too smart to lose all or most of his money. This is because my father rolls up his sleeves and prepares to work hard. He often has a special plan or answer to a problem that he can use if he needs it. He is like a person who does magic tricks. We say he has a card up his sleeve.

47. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today we explain some expression about birds. For example, if something is for the birds, it is worthless or not very interesting. Someone who eats like a bird eats very little. And a birds-eye view is a general look at an area from above.

Did you know that if you tell a young person about the birds and bees you are explaining about sex and bird? Have you ever observed that birds of a feather flock together? In other words, people who are similar become friends or do things together. Here is some good advice: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This means you should not risk losing something you have buy trying to get more of something you do not have sometimes I can do two things by performing only one action. This is called killing two birds with one stone. But I would never really kill any birds. I love all kinds of animals. This is a real feather in my cap. It is something to be proud of.

Most of the people I work with are early birds. They believe that the early bird catches the worm. They think that a person who gets up early in the morning for work has the best chance of success. Everyone in my office works hard. But some people have hard their wing clipped. Their jobs have been limited. This is because the office is organized pecking order. People with more years and experience are given more responsibility. Some bird expressions are about crows, chickens and ducks. For example, when I am driving, I always travel as the crow flies. I go the most direct way. Anyone who eats crow has to admit a mistake or defeat.

Now let’s talk about my sister. She is not very young. She is no spring chicken. She will work any job for chicken feet - - a small amount of money. She is easily frightened. For example, she is too chicken-livered to walk down a dark street alone at night. Often she will chicken out-she will not go out alone at night. My sister was an ugly duckling. She looked strange when she was a child, but she grew up to be a beautiful woman. Sometimes she thinks too much about having something in the future before she really has it. She counts her chickens before they are hatched. Sometimes her chickens come to roots. That means her actions or words cause trouble for her. However, my sister does not worry about what people say about her. Criticism falls off her like water off a duck’s back.

Politicians are sometimes considered lame ducks after losing an election. They have little time left in office and not much power. Congress holds a lame duck session after an election. Important laws are not passed during this period.

48. Now, the VOA special English program, words and their stories.

Most dogs in the United States seem to have an easy life. They sleep a lot and get fed often. People take their dogs for a walk two times a day and also let them play outside. Dogs get medical care when they are sick or injured. What a great life! Right? Well, we say people with a similar, carefree existence enjoy a dog’s life. They have no trouble or responsibilities. They can come and go as they please, sleep all day, and never have to work.

But not everyone has it so easy. In fact, some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new trick. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner that a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. However, sometimes a person appears to be mean and threatening but is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.

A junkyard is not a fun place for a dog. Many dogs in the United States sleep in safe little houses near their owner’s home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in the winter.

Husbands and wives use doghouse term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home later or forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is in the doghouse. She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.

Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

49. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Last week, I told about the number one. Today, I will about expressions using other numbers.

Some problems are difficult to solve. But there are a lot of number expressions that can help. For example, if we put two and two together, we might come up with the right answer. We know that two heads are better than one. It is always better to work with another person to solve a problem.

Sometimes there are no two ways about it. Some problems have only one solution. You cannot be of two minds over this. But with any luck, we could solve the problem in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. We could have our answers quickly and easily.

Sometimes we can kill two birds with one stone. That is, we can complete two goals with only one effort or action. But we must remember that two wrongs don’t make a right. If someone does something bad to you. You should not do the same to him. If you are going out with your girlfriend, or boyfriend, you do not want another friend to go along on your date. You can just say to your friend: two’s company, three’s a crowd.

When I was a young child in school, I had to learn the three R’s. These important skills are reading, writing and arithmetic. These three words do not all start with the letter “R.” but they have the sound of “R.” my teachers used to give three cheers when I did well in math. They gave praise and approval for a job well done. Some of my friends were confused and did not understand their schoolwork. They were at sixes and sevens. In fact, they did not care if they finished high school. They saw little difference between the two choices. Six of one, half a dozen the other-that was their position. But they were really happy when they completed their studied and graduated from high school. They were in seventh heaven. They were on cloud nine.

Nine times out of ten, students who do well in school find good jobs. Some work in an office doing the same things every at nine-t0-five jobs. You do not work to dress to the nines, or wear your best clothes, for this kind of work.

Last year, one of my friends applied for a better job at her office. I do not think she would get it. I thought she had a hundred to one shot at the job. Other people at her office thought her chances were a million to one. One reason was that she had been caught catching forty winks at the office. She slept at her desk for short period during the day. But her supervisor appointed her to the new job at the eleventh hour – at the very last minute. I guess her lucky number came up.

50. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Some expressions describe people who are important, or at least you think they are. One such expression is bigwig.

In the seventeenth century, important in Europe began to wear false hair, called wigs. As year passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man’s wig depended on how important he was. The more important he was - - or thought he was - - the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man’s shoulders or back.

Today, the expression bigwig is used to make fun of a person who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the expression behind his back.

Big wheel is another way to describe an important person. A big wheel may be head of a company, a political leader, a famous doctor. They are big wheel because they are powerful. What they do affects many persons. Big wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big wheel makes the little wheels turn.

Big wheel became a popular expression after World War Two. It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix the mechanical part of cars and trucks. They said a person “rolled a big wheel” if he was important and had influence.

The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression is top banana. A top banana is the leading person in a comedy show. The best comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana. And so on. Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object shaped like a banana fruit.

Top banana still is used mainly in show business. But the expression also can be used to describe the top person in any area.

A kingpin is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project will likely fail. Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation.

51. Now, words and their stories, a program in special English by the voice of

America

It is surprising how many expressions that Americans use every day came from the card game of poker. For example, you hear the expression, ace in the hole, used by many people who would never think of going near a poker table. An ace in the hole is an argument, plan or thing kept hidden until needed. It is used especially when it can turn failure into success.

In poker and most card games, the ace is the highest and most valuable card. It is often a winning card. In one kind of poker game, the first card to each player is given face down. A player does not show this card to the other players. The others card are dealt face up. The player bet money each time they receive another card. No one know until the end of the game whose hidden card is the winner. Often, the ace in the hold wins the game. Smart card players, especially those who play for large amount of money, closely watch the person who deals the cards. They are watching to make sure he is dealing honestly. They want to be sure that he is not dealing off the bottom of the stack of cards. A dealer who is doing that has stacked the deck. He has fixed the card so that he will get higher cards. He will win and you will lose.

The expression, dealing off the bottom, now means cheating in business, as well as in cards. And when someone tells you that the cards are stacked against you, he is saying you do not have a dance to succeed.

In a poker game you do not want to let your opponents know if your cards are good or bad. So having a poker face is important. A poker face never shows any emotion, never expresses either good or bad feelings. No one can learn- by looking at your face- if your cards are good or bad. People now use poker face in everyday speech to describe someone who shows no emotion. Someone who has a poker face usually is good at bluffing. Bluffing is trying to trick a person into believing something about you that is not true.

In poker, you bluff when you bet heavily on a poor hand. The idea is make the other players believe you have strong cards and are sure to win. If they believe you have strong cards and are sure to win. If they believe you, they are likely to drop out the game. This means you win the money they have bet.

You can do a better job of bluffing if you hold your cards close to your vest. You hold your cards close to so no one can see what you have. In everyday speech, holding your cards close to your vest means not letting other know that you are doing or thinking. You are keeping you plans secret.

We are not bluffing when we say we hope you have enjoyed today’s program.

52. I’m Susan Clark with the Special English program, words and their stories.

Susan Cleveland is the young president of a candy company in the city of Chicago. Her father began the company in the nineteen sixties. He died three yeas ago. Now, the company belongs to Susan. Many of her father’s employees were concerned when Susan took control. Susan’s father had worked many years for other candy companies before starting this one. He had known a great deal about business. Susan, however, did not have any jobs before becoming head of the company. She just finished college. The employees became even more concerned during Susan’s first months on the job. Mr. Cleveland had been a strong leader. But Susan permitted many employees to make their own decisions. One employee said: “Old Mister Cleveland always told us what to do. He kept people on a short leash. But the company did well.” What does a short leash mean? A leash is a kind of rope. We use a leash to walk our pet dogs. The leash keeps the dog from running away or getting into trouble. Keeping a person on a short leash means keeping him or her under close control. The person cannot make money decisions for himself or herself. Word expert James Rogers found a similar saying used more than four hundred years ago. In fifteen sixty, writer Thomas Becon said in a religious book: “For God hath them in leash. Yea, they are his slaves.” Miz Cleveland does not keep her workers on a short leash. Instead, she urges them to create better ways to do business. For example, her secretary proposed an idea. She said the company should give a prize to the best student in the high school near its factory. The winner could use the prize money to study at a university. Miz Cleveland approved of the idea. After the prize was announced, people who lived in the area of the factory began to buy more of the company’s candy. Local newspapers wrote about the competition. Business improved. Miz Cleveland made her secretary the company's first director of public relations. The former secretary was very pleased. She said: “My old job had become Mickey Mouse. Now I have a much more creative one.” “Mickey Mouse, of course, is Walt Disney’s famous animal drawn for movies, telephone and comic picture books. But what does a mouse have to do with a job?

In modern speech, anything that is Mickey Mouse is unimportant. Many word experts say the new meaning came from the United States navy. The Navy had a special school for new sailors who did not co-operate. It was called M-I-C, short for Military indoctrination Center. Sailors began to say that rules which did not seem important were MIC. MIC became Mickey Mouse -- something that lacks meaning.

53. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Every week at this time, the Voice of America tells about popular words and expressions used in the United States. Some expressions have made a jump from sports events to everyday life. One such expression is fall guy. A fall guy is the person who someone decides will be the loser or victim.

The first fall guys were men who wrestled for money. At the end of the nineteenth century, wrestling was a very popular sport in the United States. Wrestling competitions were held not in big cities, but also at country fairs and traveling shows. As the sport became more popular, it became less and less of a sport. Many of the matches were fixed. The wrestlers knew – before the match – which one of them would be the winner.

The goal in wrestling is to hold your opponent’s shoulders down against the floor. This is called a fall. Sometimes, one of the wrestlers would be paid before the match to take the fall. He would agree to be the loser…the fall guy.

Today, a fall guy is anyone who is tricked into taking the blame for the crime or wrongdoing of someone else. There are fall guys in many situations -- people who publicly take the blame when something goes wrong. A fall guy takes the rap for something wrong or illegal. He accepts responsibility and punishment for what someone else did. The fall guy may have been involved in the situation, but was not the person who should be blamed.

The word rap has meant blame for several hundred years. The expression to take the rap first was used about one hundred years ago. Another similar expression is bum rap. A person receives a bum rap if he is found guilty of a crime…but is really innocent. Sometimes, a fall guy may not realize he is the fall guy until he is the victim of a bum rap. In that case, he may feel that he has been framed. To frame someone is to create false evidence to make an innocent person seem guilty.

Some word experts say the expression to frame someone comes from the way wood must be fitted closely around a painting or photograph to frame it. In the same way, evidence must be designed perfectly if it is to frame an innocent person to make him or her seem guilty.

54. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Today we tell about the word buff.

The word buff has several meanings. Buff is a light yellow color. Buff is also a soft cloth used to rub a surface until it looks bright and shiny.

Yet, these meanings are old, and their history is not known. The meaning of buff that we do know about is one the describes a person. A buff is someone who has a strong, special interest in something. For example, someone who loves jazz music is a jazz buff. Someone who is deeply interested in the American Civil War is a Civil War buff.

This meaning of the word is known to be American. Its used started almost two hundred years ago in New York City.

At that time, New York was a growing city. There were no huge tall building of steel and stone. Buildings then were made of wood and brick. Many were old and fires often broke out in them. The city did not have well-organized fire departments. So, when a fire alarm bell rang, men near the sound of the fire bell dropped what they were doing and rushed out to fight the fire.

Later, fire companies were organized with men who were trained to fight fires. They were not paid to do this. They earned their money at other jobs, but dropped what they were doing when the fire bell rang.

In cold weather, many of these young volunteer firefighters wore coats made of the skin of buffalo to keep them warm and dry. Often, when the fire bell rang, other men in the city rushed to help put out the fire. They also wore coats of buffalo skin. In time, any man who rushed to fight a fire became known as a fire buff because of the buffalo coat he wore.

Time, however, has a way of bringing changes. Cities organized fire departments. Firemen became professionals. They are paid to do their job. Yet, even today, we still have fire buffs that seem to appear at every fire in an area. Sometimes they prevent firemen from doing their jobs.

A leading New York newspaper published a story with the heading, “Fire Buffs Barred from Blaze.” The story was about an order from New York’s fire commissioner. He was angry. He told reporters that his firefighters were having trouble getting near the fire, because fire buffs who wanted to help were really getting in the way. So, he said, he did not want anyone but firefighters to go to a fire. Fire buffs are still around, but the word has taken some activity. And, so we can thank the American buffalo that once wondered the open plains for this meaning of the word buff.

55. Now, words and their stories – a VOA Special English program about American expressions. I’m Rich Kleinfeldt with expressions that include the word face.

The first is facing the music. It means to accept the results of what you have done.

Here is an example from a Reuter’s news report: Britain’s highest court had ruled that former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as legally arrested. Opponents of General Pinochet welcomed the news. One of them said, “We have waited for years for this man to face the music.” Now one is sure how the expression began. One story is that it came from a military ceremony held when a soldier was forced out of an army.

The buttons were cut from the soldier’s clothing. He was put on a horse, facing the back of the horse and led away. As he left, he faced the music of a military band and the soldiers he had served with.

Another story says the expression began in the theater. New actors, shaking with fright, were told that the only cure was to go out and face the music. The music was played by the orchestra seated in front of the stage.

A similar expression is face up to. It means to accept something that is difficult or painful. For example, a man must face up to the fact that he lied about a business deal and will lose his job. Or, a child must learn to face up to her responsibilities and complete her schoolwork.

Meeting someone face-to-face can be exciting, especially if the other person is famous. It is an expression one might use after visiting the White House and meeting the president face-to-face. Or a teacher might ask for a face-to-face meeting with the parents of a student in trouble. It means to talk to someone in person, not by telephone. Another expression is as plain as the nose on your face. It means that something is as clear as it can possible be.

Shakespeare used the words almost five hundred years ago for a joke in his play Two Gentlemen of Verona. Valentine secretly loves Lady Sylvia. His servant jokes that Valentine’s love for her is as hard to see as the nose on a man’s face. Of course, a man’s nose cannot be hidden.

A more recent use of the expression appeared in a report in Newsday magazine. It was about a dispute between the United States and Europe over agriculture. The United States had criticized Europeans for protecting their soybean farmers. The organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in return criticized the United States for huge budget deficits the report said the OECD seemed to be saying, “For God’s sake, it is plain as the nose on your face that you must raise taxes.”

56. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Some of the most exciting information comes by way of the grapevine. That is so because reports received through the grapevine are supposed to be secret. The information is all hush. It is whispered into your ear with the understanding that you will not pass it on to others.

You feel honored and excited. You are one of the special few to get this information. You cannot wait. You must quickly find other ears to pour the information into. And so, the information-secret as it is- begins to spread. Nobody knows how far. The expression by the grapevine is more than one hundred years old.

The American inventor, Samuel F. Morse, is largely responsible for the birth of the expression. Among others, he experimented with the idea of telegraphy –sending messages over a wire by electricity. When Morse finally completed his telegraphic instrument, he went before Congress to show that if worded. He sent a message over a wire from Washington to Baltimore. The message was: “What hath God wrought?” this was on May twenty-fourth, eighteen forty-four.

Quickly, companies began to build telegraph lines from one place to anther. Men everywhere seemed to be putting up poles with strings of wire for carrying telegraphic messages. The workmanship was poor. And the wires were not put up straight. Some of the results looked strange. People said they looked like a grapevine. A large number of the telegraph lines were going in all directions, as crooked as the vines that grapes grow on. So was born the expression, by the grapevine. Some writes believe that the phrase would soon have disappeared were it not for the American Civil War. Soon after the war began in eighteen sixty-one, military commanders started to send battlefield reports by telegraph. People began hearing the phrase by the grapevine to describe false as well as true reports from the battlefield. It was like a game. Was it true? Who says so?

Now, as in those far-off Cold War days, getting information by the grapevine remains something of a game. A friend brings you a bit of strange news. “No,” you say, “it just can’t be true! Who told you?” come the answer, “I got it by the grapevine.”

You really cannot know how much – if any – of the information that comes to you by the grapevine is true or false. Still, in the words of an old American saying, the person who keeps pulling the grapevine shakes down at least a few grapes.

57. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something – usually something someone says – that is false or wrong or foolish.

Baloney sausage comes from the name is the Italian city, Boloney. The city is famous for its sausage, a mixture of smoked, special meat from cows and pigs. But, boloney sausage does not taste the same the same as beef or pork alone.

Some language experts think this different taste is responsible for the birth of the expression baloney. Boloney is as idea or statement that is nothing like the truth…in the same way that baloney sausage tastes nothing like the meat that is used to make it. Baloney is a word often used by politicians to describe the idea of their opponents.

The expression has been used for years. Fifty years ago, a former governor of New York State, Alfred Smith, criticized some claims by President Franklin Roosevelt about the successes of the Roosevelt administration. Smith said, “No matter how thin you slice it, it is still baloney.” A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney. It began in Ireland about sixteen hundred.

The lord of Blarney castle, near Cork, agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And, he made them sound like very good excuses, “This is just more of the same blarney.” The Irish castle now is famous for its Blarney stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special powers of speech. One, who has kissed the Blarney stone, so the story goes, can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you believe them, even when you know they are false. A former Roman Catholic bishop of New York City, Fulton Sheen, once explained, “Baloney is praise so thick it cannot be true. And blarney is praise so thin we like it.”

Another expression is pulling the wool over someone’s eyes. It means to make someone believe something that is not true. The expression goes back to the days when men wore false hair, or wigs, similar to those worn by judges today in British courts. The word wool is a popular joking word for hair. If you pulled a man’s wig over his eyes, he could not see what was happening today, when you pull the wool over someone’s eyes, he cannot see the truth.

58. Now, the VOA Special English program. Words and their stories. Today, we tell about American expression using the word “Dutch.”

Many of the Dutch expression heard in American English were first used in England in the seventh century. That was a time of fierce naval competition between England and the Netherlands. At that time, the British used Dutch as a word for something bad, or false or mistaken. A Dutch agreement was one made between men who had drunk too much alcohol. Dutch courage was the false courage produced by the effects of drinking alcohol. And, Dutch leave was what a soldier took when he left his base without permission. Some of these old expressions are still used today, with a little different meaning.

Dutch treat is one example. Long age, a Dutch treat was a dinner at which the invited guests were expected to pay for their own share of the food and drink. Now, Dutch treat means that when friends go out to have fun, each person pays his own share.

Another common expression heard a few years ago was in Dutch. If someone said to you, you were in Dutch they were telling you that you were in trouble. An important person – a parent or leader, perhaps – was angry with you. Some of the Dutch expressions heard in American English have nothing to do with the Dutch people at all.

In the seventeen hundreds, Germans who moved to the United States often were called Dutch. This happened because of mistakes in understanding and saying the word Deutsch. The German word for German. Families of these German people still live in the eastern United States, many in the state of Pennsylvania. They are known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. During the American Civil War, supporters of the Northern side in the central state of Missouri were called Dutch because many of them were German settlers. In California during the gold rush, the term Dutch was used to describe Germans, Swedes and Norwegians, as well as people from the Netherlands.

President Theodore Roosevelt once noted that anything foreign and non-English was called Dutch. One expression still in use - to talk to someone like a Dutch uncle did come from the Dutch. The Dutch were known for the firm way they raised their children. So if someone speaks to you like a Dutch uncle he is speaking in a very severe way. And you should listen to him carefully!

59. This is Phil Murray with words and their stories, a program in Special English on the Voice of America. We tell about some common expression in American English.

A leatherneck or grunts do not sound like nice names to call someone. Yet men and women who serve in the United States armed forces are proud of those names. And if you think they sound strange, consider doughboy and GI Joe.

After the American Civil war in the eighteen sixties, a writer in a publication called Beadle’s Monthly used the word doughboy to describe Civil War soldiers. But word expert Charles Funk says that early writer could not explain where the name started. About twenty years later, someone did explain. She was the wife of the famous American general George Custer. Elizabeth Custer wrote that a doughboy was a sweet food served to Navy men on ships. She also said the name was given to the large buttons on the clothes of soldiers. Elizabeth Custer believed the name changed over time to mean the soldiers themselves. Now, we probably most often think of doughboys as the soldiers who fought for the Allies in world war one.

By world war two, soldiers were called other names. The one most often heard was GI, or GI Joe. Most people say the letters GI were a short way to say general issue or Government Issue. The name came to mean several things. It could mean the soldier himself. If could mean thing given to soldiers when they joint the military such as weapons, equipment or clothes. And, for some reason, it could mean to organize, or clean. Soldiers often say, “We GI’d the place.” And when an area looks good, soldiers may say the area is “GI.” Strangely, though, GI can also mean poor work, a job badly done. Some students of military words have another explanation of GI. They say that instead of Government Issue or general issue, GI came from the words galvanized iron. The American soldier was said to be like galvanized iron, a material produced for special strength. The dictionary of soldier Talk says GI was used for the words galvanized iron in a publication about the vehicles of the early twentieth century. Today, a doughboy or GI may be called a grunt. Nobody is sure of the exact beginning of the word. But, the best idea probably is that the name comes from the sound that troops make when ordered to march long distances carrying heavy equipment.

A member of the United States marines also has a strange name – leatherneck. It is thought to have started in the eighteen hundreds. Some say the name comes from the thick collars of leather early marines wore around their necks to protect them from cuts during battles. Others say the sun burned the marines’ necks until their skin looked like leather.

60. I’m Susan Clark with the Special English program words and their stories.

In the nineteen thirties, a song, “Brother, Can you spare a Dime?” was very popular in the United States. It was the time of the big Depression. The song had meaning for many people who had lost their jobs. A dime is a piece of money whose value is one-tenth of a dollar. Today, a dime does not buy much. But it was different in the nineteen thirties. a dime sometimes meant the difference between eating and starving.

The American economy today is much better. Yet, many workers are concerned about losing their jobs as companies re-organize.

Americans have special ways of talking about economic of troubles. People in businesses may say they feel the pinch. Or they may say they are up against it. Or, if things are really bad, they may say they have to throw in the towel. A pinch is painful pressures. To feel the pinch is to suffer painful pressure involving money. The expression, feel the pinch, has been used since the sixteen century. The famous English writer William Shakespeare wrote something very close to this in his great plays “King Lear.” King Lear says he would accept necessity’s sharp pinch. He means he would have to do without many of the things he always had.

Much later, the time of London newspaper used the expression about bad economic times during the eighteen sixties. It said, “so much money having been spent… all classes felt the pinch. “Worse than feeling the pinch is being up against it. The saying means to be in a lot of trouble.

Word expert James Rogers says the word “it” in the saying can mean any and all difficulties. He says the saying became popular in the United States and Canada in the late nineteenth century. Writer George Ade used it in a book called “Artie.” He wrote, “I saw I was up against it. “Sometimes a business that is up against it will have to throw in the towel. This means to accept defeat or surrender. Throwing in the towel may mean that a company will have to declare bankruptcy. The company will have to take legal steps to let people know it has no money to pay its debts.

Word expert Charles Funk says an eighteen seventy-four publication called the Slang Dictionary explains throwing in the towel. It says the words probably come from the sport of boxing, or prizefighting. The book says the saying began because a competitor’s face was cleaned with a cloth towel or other material. When a boxer’s towel was thrown, it meant he was admitting defeat.

61. Now, words and their stories.

A VOA Special English Program about American expressions. I’m rich Kleinfeld with some financial words and expressions used in business and the stock market. Our first expression is in the red. It is another way of saying that a business in losing money. In the past, numbers in the financial records of a company were written in red ink to show a loss.

A business magazine recently published a report about a television company the report said before. A profit by a business is written in black numbers. So a company that is in the black is making money. An international news service reported that a private health insurer in Australia announced it was back in the black with its first profit in three years.

Another financial expression is run on the bank. That is what happens when many people try to withdraw all their money from a bank. A run on the bank usually happens when people believe there is danger a bank may fail or close.

Newspaper reports about a banking crisis in Russia used that is what happens when said the government acted because of fears that the crisis would cause a run on the banks. When the run on the banks was starting, there was not much they could do, said a banking expert. Day trading is a new expression about a system that lets investors trade directly on an electronic market system. The system is known as NASDAQ, short for the National Association of Securities Dealers automated Quotation. It was the first completely computerized stock market. It sells stocks of companies not listed on any stock exchange. Many high technology companies are listed on it.

Day trading companies provide a desk and a computer system to an Investor who wants to trade. Individuals must provide fifty thousand dollars or more to the trading company to pay for the stock they buy. Thousands of other investors do day trading from computers in their homes.

A day trader watches stock prices carefully. When he sees a stock rise in price, he uses the computer to buy shares of the stock. If the stock continues to rise in price in the next few minutes, the day trader sells the shares quickly to make a small profit. Then he looks for another stock to buy. If a stock goes down instead of up, he sells it and accepts the loss. The idea is to make a small profit many times during the day. Day traders may buy and sell stocks hundreds of times each day. Many day traders lose all their money in a week or so. Only about thirty percent succeed in earning enough from their efforts to continue day trading.

62. Now, the Special English program, words and their stories.

Our expression today is Santa Claus. Santa Claus is someone who will remain in the hearts of children forever. He is the make-believe person who brings toys and other gifts to children at Christmas. To grown-ups, he is a special symbol of goodwill and selfless giving. Santa Claus also has some other names: Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel.

Two of his names – Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas—both come from the Dutch who settled in New York long ago. The Dutch believed Saint Nicholas gave gift to children. They honored this kindly saint with a yearly festival on December sixth. The English-speaking people who lived nearby greatly enjoyed Dutch festivals. And they brought the saint and the custom of giving gift into their own celebration at Christmas time. The Dutch spoke the name “Saint Nicholas” very fast. It sounded like “Sinterklaas.” And so, when the English said this word, it sounded like Santa Claus. West of New York, in Pennsylvania, many German farmers had also heard of Saint Nicholas. But they called him Pelznickel. This word came from “Pelz,” meaning fur, and “nickel” for Nicholas. And so, to the Germans of Pennsylvania, Saint Nicholas or Pelznickel was a man dressed in fur who came once a year with gifts for good children.

Soon, people began to feel that the love and kindness Pelznickel brought should be part of a celebration honoring the Christkindl, as the Germans called the Christ child. After a time, this became Kris Kringle. Later, kris kringle became another name for Santa Claus himself.

Whatever he is called, he is still the same short, fat, jolly old man with a long beard, wearing a red suit with white fur. The picture of Santa Claus as we see him came from Thomas Nast. He was an American painter born in Bavaria. He painted picture for Christmas poems. Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa Claus. Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southern Germany. Every Christmas, a fat old man gave toys and cakes to the children. So, when Nast painted the picture, his Santa Claus looked like the kindly old man of his childhood. And through the years, Nast’s painting has remained as the most popular picture of Santa Claus.

Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during the Christmas season. Some stand on street corners asking for money to buy food and gifts for the needy. Others are found in stories and shopping centers. It is easy to find them by the long lines of children waiting to tell Santa what they want for Christmas. If one took a vote among children to learn who their favorite person was, there is no question who would win – Santa Claus.

63. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Green is as important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants. Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished.

For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today- a person who is new in a job.

About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough country. Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.

A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs. Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy. The green-eyed master is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello.”

It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not. In most places in the world, a green light is a signal to move ahead. A green light on the traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech, a green light means approval to continue with a project. We want you to know we have a green light to continue this series next week.

64. Now, the Special English program, words and their stories.

Every people have its own way of sayings, its own special expressions. Some of these expressions are easy to understand. The words create a picture in your mind.

As easy as falling off a log is one such expression. It describes a job that does not take much effort. If you ever tried to walk on a fallen tree log, you understand what the expression means. It is easier to fall off the log than to stay on it. The expression is often used today. For example, you might hear a student say to her friend that spelling test was as easy as falling off a log. There are several other expressions that mean the same thing. And their meaning is as easy to understand as falling off a log. One is, easy as pie. Nothing is easier than eating a piece of sweet, juicy pie. Unless it is a piece of cake.

Piece of cake is another expression that means something is extremely easy to do. A friend might tell you that his new job was a piece of cake. Another expression is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to shoot fish in a barrel. But, clearly, fish in a barrel would be much easier to shoot than fish in a stream. In fact, it would be as easy as falling off a log.

Sometimes, thighs that come to us easily also leave us just as easily. In fact, there is an expression – easy come, easy go – that recognize this. You may win a lot of money in a lottery, and then spend it all in a few days. Easy come, easy go. When life itself is easy. When you have no cares or problems, you are on easy street. Everyone wants to live on that imaginary street. Another “easy” expression is to go easy on a person. It means to treat a person kindly or gently, especially in situation where you might be expected to be angry with him. A wife might urge her husband to go easy on their son, because the boy did not mean to wreck the car.

If it is necessary to borrow some money to fix the car, you should look for a friend who an easy touch. An easy touch or soft touch is someone who is kind and helpful. He would easily agree to lend you the money. And one last expression, one that means does not worry or work too hard. Try to keep away from difficult situations. Take it easy until we meet again.

65. Now, the VOA Special English program, words and their stories.

Sailors seem – to those of us on land – to lead exciting, even mysterious lives. Many things are different at sea. Even the language is different. Simple words like “right” and “left” are not the same. On a ship, “right” is “starboard.” And “left” is “port.” Sailors also are responsible for many colorful English expressions. One of these is deep-sixing. It means to hide something or put it where it will not be found. You can also deep-six, or reject a proposal. One language expert says that deep six is the bottom of the ocean. “Deep,” in this case, means deepest, the “six” in the expression comes from the six feet that make up a fathom—which is a little less than two meters.

Sailors measure the depth of the water in fathoms. Thus, the deep six is the deepest fathom…the final six feet at the bottom of the ocean. A sailor who never wants to see something again will give it the deep-six. He will drop it from the ship to the ocean bottom. You can deep-six something even if you are not a sailor. All do is throw it away or put it where it will never be found. You might, for example, deep-six an unpleasant letter from a former friend.

Another expression linked to sailing is batten down the hatches. That is what sailors do to prepare their ship for a storm at sea. Battens are thin pieces of wood. Hatches are the openings in the deck. Before a storm, sailors cover the hatches with waterproof material. Them they nail on battens to hold the hatch coverings firmly in place. This keeps rain and waves out of the ship. Now, people use the expression to mean to prepare for dealing with any kind of trouble. A news report, for example, might say that people in Washington were battening down the hatches for a big winter storm. Or a newspaper might report that “defense lawyers were ‘battening down the hatches’ for testimony by someone who observed the crime. “An old expression of the sailors that is still heard is to sail under false colors.

Experts on language say the expression was born more than two hundred fifty years ago, when pirates sailed the seas, attacking and robbing trade ships. Pirate ship often flew the flag of a friendly country as they sailed toward the ship they planed to rob. They sailed pulled down the false flag, and showed their true colors.

They raised the pirate flag—with its picture of a skull and crossed bones. Today, a person, not a ship, is said to sail under false colors. Such a person

66. I’m Susan Clark with the Special English program, words and their stories.

Young Mister Smith had an idea for his employer. It was an idea for saving money for the company by increasing prices. At the same time, Smith suggested that the company sell goods of less value. If his employer liked the idea, Smith might be given more pay. Perhaps he might even get a better job with the company. Business had been very slow. So Mister Smith’s employer thought a few minutes about idea. But the she shook her heard. “I am sorry, Smith,” his employer said. “It just will not wash.” Now, the meaning of these English words should be, “It will not get clean.” Yet Smith’s idea did not have anything to do with making something clean. So why did his employer say, “It will not wash?”

Most word experts agree that “It will not wash” means it will not work. Eric partridge wrote that the saying probably developed in Britain in the eighteen hundreds. Charlotte Bronte used it in a story published in eighteen forty-nine. She wrote, “That won’t wash, miss.” Mizz Bronte seems to have meant that the dyes used to color a piece of clothing were not good. The colors could not be depended on to stay in the material. In nineteenth century England, the expression came to mean an undependable statement. It was used mainly to describe an idea. But sometimes it was used about a person. A critic once said of the poet Robert Browning, “He won’t wash.” The critic did not mean that the poet was not a clean person. He means that Browning’s poems could not be depended on to last. Today, we know that judgment was wrong. Robert Browning still is considered a major poet. But very few people remember the man who said Browning would not wash.

Happily for the young employee Smith, his employer wanted him to do well in the company. So the employer “talked turkey” to him. She said, “Your idea would be unfair to our buyers. Think of another way to save money.” A century ago, to talk turkey meant to talk pleasantly. Turkeys in the barnyard were thought to be speaking pleasantly to one another. In recent years, the saying has come to mean an attempt to teach something important. Word expert Charles Funk tells how he believes this change took place.

He says two men were shooting turkeys together. One of them was a white man. The other was an American Indian. The white man began stating reasons why he should get all the turkeys for himself. But the American Indian stopped him. He told the white man, “Now, I talk turkey to you.” Mister Smith thought of a better idea after his employer talked turkey to him. He was given an increase in pay. So if your idea “will not wash,” try “talking turkey” to yourself and come up with a better idea.

Finished words and their stories

67. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our foreign student series this week with questions form three listeners. Thu Ya Naing from Burma wants to know how many colleges and universities are in the United States. Alexander Romashchenko in Russia wonders which university in the United States in the oldest. And Mohammad Firouzi in Iran would like to know more about Harvard University.

The National Center for Education Statistics says more than four thousand two hundred colleges and universities award degrees. These include two-year schools as well as four-year schools. The oldest institution of higher learning in the country is Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was established in sixteen thirty-six as Harvard College. Massachusetts was as English colony at the time.

The school was named for a Puritan religious leader. John Harvard gave the college all his books and half his property when he died. At first, Harvard had one teacher and nine students. Today it has almost twenty thousand students. Nearly four thousand of them this past year were from outside the United States.

There are fourteen schools at Harvard. They include Harvard College and the Radcliff Institute for Advanced Study. Harvard College is the undergraduate division of the university and Radcliff is a former college for women.

So Harvard came first. Later, in seventeen eighty, the Massachusetts Constitution went into effect and officially recognized Harvard as a university. Some Harvard materials call it America’s oldest university.

But the University of Pennsylvania calls itself America’s oldest university. Penn officials note that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognized their school as a university in seventeen seventy-nine. That was one year before Harvard.

Yet the history gets a little complex. Penn considers its anniversary date to be seventeen forty. That was when the Charity School of Philadelphia was established, though it never opened. Benjamin Franklin later presented his ideas for a learning institution that included the Charity School. It opened in seventeen fifty-one and became the university. This was week number thirty-six in our series for students interested in coming to the

United States

for higher education. If you miss any of our reports, you can find our Foreign Student Series online at voaspecialenglish.com. And if you have a question, send it to and that’s the VOA Special English Education report,

Appears to be something he is not. His purpose is to get something from you. If you are careful, you will see his true colors, and have nothing to do with him.

68. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with a question from a doctor at a hospital in Vietnam. Tran Kinh Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City asks how a foreign doctor can become an American doctor. One way is to complete a medical residency in the United States. A residency is a period of hospital training for medical school graduates.

To be accepted, foreign-trained doctors need approval from the Educational Commission for foreign Medical Graduates. The process involves passing several tests. After that, foreign doctors can receive a visa to stay in the United States, at least for the training period. Practicing medicine in the United States also involves other steps.

But the first thing that foreign-trained doctors have to do is make sure they attended a recognized medical school. It has to be listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory. FAIMER is the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. If their school is not listed, then foreign-trained doctors cannot be approved for a residency. One solution is to go back to medical school – an American medical school. One hundred twenty-five schools in the United States belong to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The group says more than one thousand one hundred citizens applied for the current school year. One-fourth of them were admitted last fall.

Almost all medical schools in the United States require applicants to report scores from the medical College Admission Test. Future doctors in the United States traditionally complete four years of medical school after undergraduate school. Then, as residents, they treat patients under the supervision of experienced doctors. A residency is generally between three and seven years. The first year is called an internship. The Association of American Medical Colleges publishes a book called Medical School Admissions Requirements. The newest one is for two thousand eight-two thousand nine. The guide has details about every school as well as information for foreign students. Book costs twenty-five dollars and can be ordered through the association’s Web site. For a link to date site, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find all of the earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Bob Doughty.

69. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A student at Vietnam National University has a question for our foreign Student Series. Phuong Lan wants to earn a master’s degree in the

United States

and would like to know about journalism programs. One hundred nine programs are recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Some of the best-known include the ones at the University of Southern California, the University of Missouri and the University of North Carolina. They also include the journalism schools at Columbia University in New York City and Northwestern University in Illinois.

Northwestern, for example, has the Medill School of Journalism. Medill says it provides its graduate students with the chance to study and work in the real world. Local newspapers and television stations carry their reports on government, crime and civic issue in the Chicago area. Other subject’s include magazine publishing and Web design. And the Medill news Service offers experience reporting in Washington. Graduate students at Medill can expert to pay more than fifty-eight thousand dollars this coming school year. That includes a place to live, meals, books and costs like health insurance. Medill also has an undergraduate program.

Medill scholarships or financial aid are not available to international students. Foreign students are advised to seek aid from their home country or groups like the Inter-American Press Association Scholarship Fund. Scholarship winners from Latin America and the Caribbean spend a year at a journalism school in the United States or Canada.

Journalism schools offer professional degrees, and some offer doctorates. Students may be able to earn a joint degree with another program like law or public policies.

It is true that a value of a journalism degree has been a traditional subject of debate among people in the media. But journalism schools offer training in skills like reporting, writing and production. They also teach about legal issue like plagiarism and libel law and freedom of speech. In addition they may offer classes in other areas, including public relations. Today, more than twenty-three thousand students attend the University of Pennsylvania. Four thousand of them come from other countries.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our series about studying in the United States is online at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

70. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We are going to talk again this week about higher education for disabled students who want to study in the United States. As we noted last time, the National Federation of the Blind says there are no special colleges or universities for blind students. But there are for deaf students. One of them is Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Gallaudet says it is the world’s only liberal arts university where everything is designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing students.

About two thousand students attend Gallaudet. The cost for international students is about thirty-three thousand dollars a year.

Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships, but only after the first year of studies. Most scholarship aid goes to students in financial need who do well in their first year. One scholarship for international students is for deaf students from developing countries. Another is just for students from China.

The University also offers an English language Institute. But Gallaudet says this program does not guarantee acceptance to the university.

In the past year, students at Gallaudet protested over the administration’s choice of a new president for the university. The protests resulted in the choice of a difference president who is more popular with the students, Robert Davila.

He is a former chief executive officer of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. This technical college is in Rochester, New York. It is one of eight colleges in the Rochester Institute of Technology. More than one thousand students attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. About one hundred of them are international students. They come from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The cost is about twenty-eight thousand dollars a year for an international undergraduate student. Foreign graduate students pay about twenty thousand dollars. Both undergraduate and graduate students can receive limited financial aid. They can also take part in the student employment program. This program makes it possible for students to work at the school.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find links to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Gallaudet University at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find all of the earlier reports in our foreign student Series. If you have a question, write to special@voanews.com, and please tell us your name and country. I’m Steve Ember.

71. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A listener in Nigeria has a question about financial aid for blind and visually impaired college students in America. S.A. Ogunlowo in Ile-Ife wants to know if visually impaired foreign students can get a full scholarship as an undergraduate.

Financial aid programs in the United States, especially at the undergraduate level, do often require American citizenship. At the same time, scholarships often pay only part of the cost of an education. The National Federation of the Blind advises students to contact any school they wish to attend to ask about financial aid.

The federation is the country’s largest group for the blind. Each year it awards scholarships that do not have any citizenship requirements. Students must be legally blind. And foreign students cannot apply until a college in the United States has already accepted them.

The application deadline was much thirty-first for thirty scholarships offered for this fall. Most are three thousand dollars. The highest is twelve thousand dollars.

The United States has an estimated one million blind adults. The federation says there are no special colleges or universities for the blind. But schools do offer special services and technology to help students with disabilities.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. More information about the scholarships from the National Federation of the Blind can be found at its Web site: n-f-b dot o-r-g (nfb.org).

This was week number thirty-six in our series for students interested in coming to the United States for higher education. If you miss any of our reports, you can find our Foreign Student Series online at voaspecialenglish.com. And if you have a question, send it to and that’s the VOA Special English Education report,

72. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with two questions that we received. Anatolii Artamonov, a university student in Ukraine, would like to know about student exchange programs in the United States. Anatolii would especially like to know about the one called work and Travel USA. And fifteen-year-old Betty Xu in china wants to know about a program called ASSE.

ASSE is the American Scandinavian Student exchange. This program was established in Sweden in nineteen seventy-six to organize exchanges with the United States. It expended to include students in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Today ASSE organizes international exchanges for high school students in thirty-one countries. The students live with a family and attend school for a year. Other programs also offer high school students a chance to come to the United States. These include AFS, Youth for Understanding and the program of Academic exchange, or PAX.

For collage students, there are programs like the international student exchange program, or ISEP. This is a group of almost three hundred collages in thirty-nine countries. ISEP, is an independent organization that was supported by the United States government until nineteen ninety-six.

ISEP is a true exchange program. That means two students from different country trade places for a semester or a year.

Work and travel USA is also for collage students. But this program is not for those who want to study in the United States. It provides international students with the chance to work for up to four months while exploring American life. The state Department says they generally work in hotels, restaurants and amusement parks but may also work for other employers. An organization called CIEE administers this program. It says students must understand that the money they earn from their work may not be enough to pay all of their costs.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our foreign student series on higher education in the United States is available online, with helpful links to Web sites, at voaspecialenglish.com. Our series offers all kinds of information and advice for international students who want to attend an American collage or university.

To send us e-mail, write to special@voanews.com, and please be sure to include your full name and where you are from. I’m Faith Lagidis.

73. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Classes began again at Virginia Tech on Monday, one week after the shootings by a student. Seung-Hui Cho, an English major in his final year of college, killed thirty-two people. He also took his own life.

University officials were criticized for not acting more quickly to warn of the danger of a gunman. School administrators across the country are re-examining their security policies and communications systems. But they say privacy laws restrict how they can deal with mentally troubled people, even if there are warning signs of possible violence. Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, is a public university that has gained greater recognition in recent years. Its engineering and computer science programs, for example, are known internationally.

Seven percent of the students at Virginia Tech are international students. The Cranwell International Center at the university says there are about two thousand foreign students this year. They come from more than one hundred countries. But most are graduate students from India, China and South Korea.

Jacqueline Norringham is the Graduate School director of admissions and academic progress. She says more than four thousand foreign students applied to the graduate school for the term beginning in August. More than three thousand of those applications were for the collage of engineering.

She says she has not seen any evidence that foreign students are rejecting admission offers because of the tragedy. She says Virginia Tech is, in her words, “as strong a place as it has always been.” Graduate applications are accepted until May fifteenth. As if Wednesday, Jacqueline Nottingham said six hundred sixty-nine international students had been offered admission. Just over forty percent of them have already accepted the offers.

Norrine Bailey Spencer is the associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions. She says she has received e-mails and notes from some students who say they want to be part of Virginia Tech now more than ever.

More than three hundred international students have been offered undergraduate admission this coming fall. In the United States, undergraduates traditionally have until May first to accept or reject an offer from a college.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. This and other reports in our Foreign Student Series can be found online at voaspecailenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

74. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Two listeners, Youngman Kim in South Korea and Nestor Gastelo in Peru, would like us to talk about pharmacy education in the United States. This will be the subject today in our Foreign Student Series. “Pharmacists are health professionals who assist individuals in making the best use of medications.” That description comes from the Code of Ethics of the American Pharmacists Association. The job may include filling doctors’ orders and helping people choose medicines that can be sold without a prescription. A pharmacist might also answer questions from patients and work with medical devices and other technologies.

Community pharmacists work in drug stores. Pharmacists are also employed by hospitals and drug computers. Pharmacists in the United States must meet the professional requirements of the state where they want to work.

Many universities have a college of pharmacy. Since two thousand four, these offer only a doctor of pharmacy degree. The program takes four years. Students generally enter pharmacy school after two years of general courses. Pharmacy students must be skilled in mathematics and the sciences. They must also take the Pharmacy College Admission Test.

After they earn their degree, they must complete a residency training program in a hospital or other setting. One year is required, but a second year can be added in a specially area like cancer care or infectious diseases. After their residency, pharmacists must pass the licensing examination given by their state. Foreign students who plan to train in the United States and return home should make sure their degree will be recognized there. In the same way, foreign-trained pharmacists who want to work in the United States must be sure that degree will be recognized here. Even so, they will have to complete a residency in the United States. For more information, check with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, at ashp.org.

Foreign-trained pharmacists must also pass a certification process. More information about that is available from the National Association of Board of Pharmacy, on the Web at nabp.net.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. We will have links to these two sites at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also get the full details from VOA News about the killing Monday at Virginia Tech. I’m Bob Doughty.

75. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today we continue our discussion of the academic degrees offered by American colleges and universities. Last week, we talked about the associate, bachelors and master’s degrees.

The highest degree that a student can earn is a doctorate. Some doctorates are professional degrees, as opposed to a degree based on research. Medical students, for example, receive an M.D., from the Latin “medicine doctor.” Future lawyers receive a J.D., for “just” or “jorum” doctor, meaning a doctor of law or laws. Someone with a PhD is a “doctor of philosophy.” Many people earn a PhD, yet not many are philosophers. The name has survived since the middle Ages when many areas of study were called philosophy.

Students can receive a PhD in engineering, social work, education, music, history and a lot of other areas. Requirements can differ from one university to another and from one area of study to another. But the National Science Foundation says American doctoral education is organized around a research experience.

A PhD usually requires at least three years of full-time study after a bachelor’s degree. Some people first get a master’s degree, other do not.

PhD candidates must also pass special examinations and carry out original research. Students present their findings by writing a dissertation, a long paper that they have to defend before a group of experts.

Every year, the federal government collects information on research doctorates awarded in the United States. More than forty-three thousand students received a research doctorate in two thousand five, the most recent year reported.

Close to one-third of those doctorates went to foreign students in the United States on a temporary visa. The largest numbers came from china, South Korea, India, Taiwan and Canada. Most of them studied engineering, physical science or life science. The University of Illinois awarded the largest number of doctorates to foreign students. The other universities in the top five were Purdue, Ohio State, Texas a & M and Pennsylvania State.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our Foreign Student Series continues next week. If you missed any of our reports, you can find them at voaspecialenglish.com. And if you have a question about studying in the

United States

, send it to special@voanews.com. Please be sure to include your name and country. I’m Steve Ember.

76. This is the VOA Special English Education Report,

Today, we answer a question from Martin in Mexico City. He asks about the kinds of degrees that students can earn at an American college or university. American higher education offers degrees in many areas of study. A community college student earns an associate after two years of another two years to earn a bachelor’s degree.

An undergraduate student at a four-year school earns a bachelor’s degree. Students majoring in an area of science receive the Bachelor of Science, also known by the letters B.S. arts or humanities students get the Bachelor of Arts degree, or B.A.

Students who continue in school may earn a master’s degree after two or three more years of study. Many American earn master’s degrees at night or on the weekends while they are working. One example of this is the M.B.A., a master’s degree in business administration. Students learn to deal with all kinds of business situation. They develop skills needed by many companies.

M.B.A. programs teach about economics, finance and marketing. They also teach about the structure of organizations and other subjects. Business is a popular subject for students who come to the United States. To be admitted to an M.B.A. program, a foreign student must have a bachelor’s degree and a good score on the TOEFL. Most students also take the Graduate Management Admission Test. Most of the one thousand eight hundred M.B.A. programs around the world use these test scores.

The Graduate Management Admission Council says that foreign students should find out what different schools could do to help them find a job after they receive their degree. Representatives from many companies visit colleges to hire students. You should ask how many companies are willing to hire international students. The council says even the best schools may have fewer job placements for international graduates than for others. Our Foreign student series continues next week with a report about the highest degree a students can earn at an American university—the doctorate. Our scripts are available on the internet – with MP3 files and transcripts—at written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Shirley Griffith.

77. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A listener from China named walker would like information about agricultural programs in the United States. This is our subject today in week member thirty of our foreign student series. About one hundred colleges and universities began as public agricultural colleges and continue to teach agriculture. These are called land grant schools. They began with support from the federal government. Federal aid supported the building of most major state universities.

The idea of the land grant college goes back to a law in the nineteenth century called the Morrill Act. A congressman named Justin Smith Morrill wrote legislation to create at least one in each state. The name “land grant” came from the kind of aid provided by the government. The government wanted Americans to learn better ways to farm. So it gave thousands of hectares of land to each Northern state.

The idea was that the states would cell the land and use the money to establish colleges. These colleges would teach agriculture, engineering and military science. Congress passed the law in eighteen sixty-two. This was during the Civil War. Southern states had rebelled against the North and withdrawn from the Union. Another law created a center at each land grant college to develop new scientific ideas and to help farmers solve problems.

The agricultural college of the state of Michigan was established in eighteen fifty-five. That was seven years before the Morrill Act. It later became the first college to officially agree to receive support under that law. The college grew into what is now Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Today, the university has more than forty thousand students. These include more than three thousand five hundred students from one hundred thirty other countries. Last years the college of agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State had three hundred thirty-six foreign students. More than two hundred of them were graduate students in the areas of agricultural economics, packaging, and crop and soil sciences. Undergraduates majoring in agriculture can also study other related areas. These include agricultural education and food industry management. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. We will have a like to the Michigan State Web site at voaspecialenglish.com. We also have other helpful links along with transcripts audio files from our Foreign Student Series. I’m Steve Ember.

78. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

This week, in our series for students who want to study in the United States, we tell about the United States Military Academy at West Point.

West Point is a four-year school in New York State that educates future Army officers. The students are called cadets. They do not have to pay for their educations. But they must agree to serve on active duty in the Army for at least five years after they graduate.

A young man or woman must be nominated to the academy, usually by a federal or state lawmaker. Nominees also must satisfy the entrance requirements. These include being in excellent physical condition and getting good grades in high school.

About four thousand American cadets are at West Point this year. In addition, fifty-nine cadets from foreign countries are attending.

These international students are nominated by their home governments. They also must satisfy the physical and educational requirements. And they must do well on the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Home governments may have to pay up to sixty thousand dollars a year for each student they send to West Point. Among the countries with cadets at the academy this year are Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia.

Each year, the United States Defense Department invites countries to nominate students to West Point and to the Navy and Air Force academies. This year, one hundred fifty-nine countries were asked to nominate students for the next school year. Not all countries take part in the program. We spoke to Major Robert Romans, chief of the international affairs division at West Point, and Major Michael McBride, head of the international cadet program. They say up to sixty foreign cadets at any one time can attend the academy. And they say that interested students must seek information about the program at their local American Embassy. The embassy’s Defense Cooperation Office will know how the student can be nominated.

The West Point Web site provides some information about the international cadet program and its requirements. The address is admissions. U-s-m-a. E-d-u. Our Foreign Student Series continues next week. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Steve Ember.

79. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Our Foreign Student Series continues this week with two examples of military colleges in the United States. One is the Virginia Military Institute. V. M. I. is a public, four-year military college in Lexington, Virginia. It accepts women as well as men. Its one thousand three hundred students are called cadets.

Older cadets reach new arrivals about the honor system at V. M. I. Cadets risk expulsion if they lie, cheat or steal – or accept lying, cheating or stealing by any other cadet. V. M. I. officials say an important part of a college education is learning self-control. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart McInnis is associate director of communications and marketing at the Virginia Military Institute. He says V. M. I. this year has twenty-three cadets from countries including Britain, Egypt, Poland, Russia and Thailand. Most of them are studying engineering. The cost for one year at V. M. I. for someone from outside Virginia is about thirty thousand dollars. Graduates are not required to go into the military, but Colonel McInnis says about fifty percent do. And twenty percent make it a career.

Another public military college in the South is the Citadel, in Charleston, south Carolina. It also accepts both men and women for its four-year program. The Citadel says it offers a traditional military education to its more than two thousand students. Thirty-eight percent of its graduates choose to enter the military. This year, the Citadel has forty-nine students form twenty-four countries outside the United States. They are mainly studying business and engineering. The Citadel costs about twenty-seven thousand dollars for the first year. After that, it drops to about twenty-four thousand.

You can find links to the V. M. I. and Citadel Web sites at have dealt with the application process, college admissions tests, English language testing, financial aid and other subjects. In the weeks to come we will talk more about individual schools and programs. If you have a suggestion for our series, write to special@voanews.com. And please include your name and country.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Steve Ember.

80. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Not all college teachers are professors. In fact, not even all professors are full professors. Many are assistant or associate or adjunct professors. This week in out Foreign Student Series, we sort out academic titles at American colleges and universities.

Professors usually need a doctorate degree. But sometimes a school may offer positions to people who have not yet received their doctorate.

Such a person would be called an instructor until the degree has been completed. After that, the instructor could become an assistant professor. Assistant professors do not have tenure.

A person with tenure cannot be easily dismissed. Such appointments are permanent. Teachers and researchers who are hired with the understanding that they will seek tenure are said to be “on the tenure track.” Assistant professor is the first job in this path.

Assistant professors generally have five to seven years to gain tenure. During this time, other faculty members study the person’s work. If tenure is denied, then the assistant professor usually has a year to find another job.

Candidates for tenure may feel great pressure to get research published. “Publish or perish” is the traditional saying.

An assistant professor who receives tenure becomes an associate professor. An associate professor may later be appointed a full professor. Assistant, associate and full professors perform many duties. They teach classes. They advise students. And they carry out research. They also serve on committees and take part in other activities.

Other faculty members are not expected to do all these jobs. They are not on a tenure track. Instead, they might be in adjunct or visiting positions. A visiting professor has a job at one school but works at another for a period of time. An adjunct professor is also a limited or part-time position, to do research or teach classes. Adjunct professors have a doctorate.

Another position is that of lecturer. Lecturers teach classes, but they may or may not have a doctorate. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. This is the twenty-seventh week of our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States – with more to come. Our series is archived with audio files and transcripts at voaspecialenglish.com. And our e-mail address is speceil@voanews.com. If you write to us, please be sure including your name and country. I’m Steve Ember.

82. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Summer means the end of another school year in America. May and June are graduation season. Centuries of tradition explain the special caps and gowns that students and professors wear at commencement ceremonies. Top members of the class and invited guests offer speeches and advice. Finally the time comes for what everyone has been waiting for: one by one, the names of the students are called.

They go to the front and shake hands with school officials. They might receive their official diploma that day or maybe a few weeks later. Graduations are always emotional events. But in May, at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, a graduate named Nola Ochs received special attention. Her major area of study was history. Nothing unusual about that. But Nola Ochs is ninety-five years old.

That made her the world’s oldest graduate for the keepers of the Guinness world Records. Until now they have recognized a ninety-year-old journalism graduate from the University of Oklahoma in two thousand four. Nola Ochs’ granddaughter graduated with her. One of the commencement speakers told the students to take a lesson from Nola Ochs and never stop trying. That is good advice on which to end our foreign student Series on higher education in the

United States

. We began in September with a process of applying to an American college or university. We talked about admission tests, financial aid, online education, student exchange programs, and programs for disabled students and a lot more.

All forty-three reports can be found online at voaspecialenglish.com. Many were based on question from listeners. We invite you to continue writing us with your question about the American education system. Our foreign student series may be over for now, but we will still try to answer questions on future reports. Our e-mail address is special@voanews.com. Population experts at the Census Bureau say American colleges and universities will have an estimated eighteen million students this fall. Twenty years ago, there were thirteen million. Today there is not only more college-age Americans, but more going to college, including older people and women. At last report from two years ago, fifty-six percent of undergraduates were women. And women were fifty-nine percent of graduate students.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Steve Ember.

83. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with a report on the international Student Handbook. This publication can be a useful guide if you are interested in attending a college or university in the United States. The College Board organization publishes a new one every year. In it, students may find much of the information they need to know about higher education in America.

The international student Handbook explains the higher education system and how to apply to schools. It explains the different costs and the kinds of financial aid available to foreign students. The handbook also gives information about admissions tests.

The material is organized for undergraduate and graduate students. Information is provided about almost three thousand two-year and four-year schools.

A printed copy of the informational Student Handbook costs about thirty dollars if you purchase it through the College Board web site. You might find it for less at a site like Amazon. Or, for twelve dollars at the College Board site, you can read an electronic version and print out a copy. The online handbook also includes links to more information. The Web site is collegeboard.com.

We began our Foreign Student Series in September. So far, we have explored the American higher education system and government rules for coming to the United States. We have also talked about admission tests, the costs of an education and the different kinds of your financial aid available.

Some of our reports have been based on questions from our listeners. We welcome questions, and are happy to see all the interest in our series. But please understand that we can only answer general questions. We cannot tell you how to get into the school of your choice or what you should study to be prepared.

All we can do is suggest that students who are interested in a school should carefully read its Web site or printed materials. Then send an e-mail or letter to the admission office with any questions you have. There may also be a special office for international students.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written By Nancy Steinbach. Send your questions to special@voanews.com. And remember to include your name and country. Our series continues next week, and all of the voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

84. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Graduate students often work as teaching assistants while they study in the United States. Teaching assistants may get money or get to take classes for free, or both. A T. A. usually works about twenty hours each week. In some cases, the professors they assist have big undergraduate classes with hundreds of students. The professor gives one or two lectures a week, and teaching assistants lead smaller discussions at other times.

They also give tests, grade work, provide laboratory assistance and meet with students who need help. And they have their own educations to think about.

Labor unions have been working to organize teaching assistants who feel overworked and underpaid. Some schools have had strikes.

Another issue is the language barrier. Many states have proposed to require that teaching assistants be able to speak English well enough for students to understand them. Universities have increased their efforts to deal with this problem. Our example school this week is the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. The institute of international education says more foreign students go to USC than any other American university. The American language institute at USC provides training to help international teaching assistants improve their English. The university requires most non-native English speakers to pass a test before they can become a T.A.

Those who went to college in an English-speaking country do not have to take the test. The same is true for those who scored at least twenty-seven on the speaking part of the TOEFL internet-based test. The exam at USC is a fifteen-minute spoken test that involves two examiners. Students talk about their education and interest in the school. Then they present some issue or idea from their area of study, and answer questions about it from the examiners.

Those who do not score high enough on the test have to take classes to improve their English. Until their English is better, some departments give them jobs that do not require them to communicate with students. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Listen next week for the next part in our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States. MP3 files and transcripts of the series are at voaspecialenglish.com. if you have a question or comment, write to special@voanews.com, and be sure to include your name and country. I’m Bob Doughty.

85. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

This week in our foreign student series, we continue our discussion of college entrance exams. So far we have talked about three tests that are widely accepted by American schools. These are the SAT, the ACT and the TOEFL. The TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Now we have a question from a student in France about another test. Cire Kaba plans to enter an American college or university. The question is: when applying to a school in the United States, can the TOEFL replace the TOEFL? The TOEFL is the test of English for international communication.

The short answer to the question is no.

Admissions offices at American colleges and universities generally do not recognize TOEFL results. The same is true of scholarship and exchange programs as well. But some schools and English programs in the United States do use the test. So we thought this would be a good chance to explain the TOEFL.

ETS, the educational Testing service in Princeton, New Jersey, develops and administers both the TOEFL and the TOEIC. It says the TOEIC measures the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.

Non-native English speakers take the test to demonstrate their English language skills when applying for jobs. Organizations also use the TOEIC to measure progress in English training programs. And they use it to consider people for placement at the right level in language programs. Several thousand companies, English programs and government agencies use the TOEIC. The test is offered in about sixty countries.

The TOEFL is based on English used in the classroom. The TOEIC is based on English used in the workplace. But the Educational Testing service says the test does not require knowledge of special business works. It says the questions come from real situations like attending a company meeting.

The TOEIC measures listening and reading skills – and, beginning in December, ETS will offer speaking and writing tests. For a link to the educational Testing Service Web site, where you can get more information about the TOEIC and the TOEFL, go to voaspecialenglish.com.

You can also download MP3 files and transcripts of the earlier reports in our Foreign Student series. And if you have a general question for us, send it to special@voanews.com. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Bob Doughty.

86. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

The TOEFL is an important test for non-native English speakers who want to attend an American college or university. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language. And it is the subject this week in our Foreign Student Series. The Educational Testing Service is moving to end the use of the paper-and-pencil version of the TOEFL. And on September thirtieth ETS stopped offering its existing computer test. The new version is called the TOEFL iBT, or internet-Based Test.

The TOEFL iBT has been used since two thousand five at testing centers in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico. In March of this year, it was expanded to other countries in Europe and to Africa, Eurasia, the Middle East and Latin America. The charge for the TOEFL iBT is different in each country. Until the TOEFL iBT is offered in a country, the pencil-and-paper test will continue to be used. The TOEFL measures the ability to read, write and understand English. The new test represents about ten years of work by ETS. The Testing service redesigned it to measure not just knowledge of the language, but the ability to communicate in English. The four-hour test now includes a speaking part, in addition to reading, writing and listening. Each part of the test is worth a possible thirty points. So the highest score on the TOEFL is one hundred twenty points.

Different colleges and universities require different minimum scores on the TOEFL. So be sure to find out the score requirements of the schools that interest you. Experts say the best way to prepare for the TOEFL is to use English as much as you can. The TOEFL Web site offers advice to help you prepare. The address is toefl.org

More than six thousand schools and agencies in one hundred ten countries use the TOEFL. But students who have already earned degrees from colleges in English-speaking countries may not be required to take it.

And recently we received an e-mail asking if another English test can be used instead of the TOEFL when applying to American schools. Listen next week for the answer. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. This is the tenth week of our Foreign Student Series. You can find the earlier reports, including transcripts and MP3 files, at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

87. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

And this is the fifth week of our Foreign Student Series about higher education in the United States.

Earlier, we talked about the first steps to take if you want to study in America. We also discussed the differences between a college and a university. And we looked at online education. We said last week that students should find out if a school that interests them is accredited. But just what does that mean?

Accreditation is a process. The goal for a college or university is to show that its programs meet accepted levels of quality. The United States Department of Education does not accredit schools. Nut the law requires the secretary of education to publish a list of private accrediting agencies recognized as dependable. Accrediting agencies are nonprofit organizations. They develop educational goals, and then they examine schools to make sure those goals are met.

The first step in the process is for a college or university to request accreditation. Then the school does a study of itself to measure its performance against the requirements. The accrediting agency sends a team of specialists who decide if the school meets the standards. The agency will observe an accredited college or university every few years.

Schools must be accredited in order for students to receive government financial aid. Accreditation also makes it easier for students to move credits from one school to another. And going to an accredited school can help in getting a good job later.

One accrediting agency is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It says the United States has more than four thousand accredited colleges and universities that award degrees. More than two thousand five hundred other accredited programs do not award degrees. The agency’s Web site lists schools and programs that are accredited but recognized organizations in the United States. And it talks about when to a suspect that a program is not really accredited. The address is c-h-e-a dot o-r-g (chea.org). Again, c-h-e-a dot org.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find the earlier reports in our series at voaspecialenglishdot.com. Next week, learn about government rules for students who want to study in the

United States

. I’m Steve Ember.

88. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our series of reports about how foreign students can attend a college or university in the United States. Our subject this week is government rules and requirements for entering the United States to study.

Every foreign student who has been accepted to study in this country must have a legal document called a visa from the United States government. A visa permits a foreign citizen to travel to the United States and request permission to enter the country. The rules for getting a visa can be found on the State Department Web site. The address is unitedstatesvisa.gov. A United States visa is all one word. Another State Department Web site for students from other countries is educationusa.gov.

If you are requesting a visa for the first time, you may have to appear at the American Embassy in your country to talk to an official. Each student should communicate with the Embassy to find out if such an interview is needed and when it can take place.

It is important to apply for the visa early. State Department officials say national security is the most important issue in deciding if a person will be permitted to enter the United States. Officials must find out if a student is on any list of people with possible links to terrorists.

Embassies can not issue a visa more than ninety days before the start of the educational program in the United States. If you are a student studying in the United States for the first time, you will not be permitted to enter the country more than thirty days before the start of your classes.

Foreign students accepted at an American school will receive a document called a Certificate of Eligibility. The State Department says each student must enter the country using the certificate provided by the school he or she will be attending. It is a Violation of the law to enter the country on one school’s certificate but attend another school.

You are permitted to stay in the United States on a student visa for the length of your period of study. That means you can stay as long as are a full-time student. Your college or university will provide the government with reports about your education as long as you continue to study there. We will have more information about that next week.

Our foreign student series is online, at voaspecialenglish.com. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Mario Ritter.

89. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last week, we discussed rules for getting permission to enter the United States to study at a college or university. Now, in part seven of our foreign student series, we discuss a computer system that holds information about international students and exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS. It went into effect in January of two thousand three.

All schools in the United States must enter information about each foreign student they admit. SEVIS brings together more than ten thousand American schools and exchange visitor programs. It links them to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest investigation agency in the Department of Homeland Security.

The government uses the system to let a school know when one of the school’s students has entered the country. The school then must report within thirty days whether the student is attending classes. The school must also report if the student leaves school.

In two thousand five, law enforcement officials investigated more than eighty-five thousand possible violators. Almost six hundred of them were later arrested for violating the student and exchange visitor rules. Violations include not attending classes, being expelled or suspended from school, or those student and exchange visitors.

In two thousand four, the United States began to charge each student and exchange visitor one hundred dollars to help pay for the system. The money also helped pay for the development of the SEVIS Web site. The site now permits students and exchange visitors to examine their SEVIS information and payment record online. Information about SEVIS can be found on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Web site: www dot I-c-e dot g-o-v. Click on International Students. And you can find our Foreign Student Series at voaspecialenglish.com.

Ant that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I’m Mario Ritter.

90. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

This week, in our Foreign Student Series, we discuss the first steps to studying in the United States.

Step one is to visit an American educational advising center. There are more than four hundred of these offices around the world. You can find them through the State Department Web site for international students. We will give that address later. Or you can ask the public affairs office at a United States embassy to tell you where to find the nearest advising center. Step two is to start gathering information about the different choices in higher education programs in the United States.

Some schools, for example, offer one-year certificate programs. These are in subjects like computer programming, public relations and administrative work.

Junior or community colleges offer a two-year associate degree. These programs can prepare students for skilled jobs. Or, if students want to continue their education, many universities accept this work as the first two years toward a bachelor’s degree. To get a bachelor’s degree, students traditionally take general subjects during the first two years. These include areas like history, literature, mathematics and science. After that they take classes in their major area of study.

At the graduate school level, a master’s degree can take up to three years to complete. A doctorate can take four to six years. But some medical specialties, for example, require years more of study. Whatever you choose, educational advisers say you should began to plan at least two years before you want to start classes in the United States. The address of the State Department Web sit for international students is educationusa.state.gov.

If you would like to ask us a question about education in the

United States

, send it to special@voanews.com. We cannot help with individual cases. But we might be able to answer a general question on the air as our foreign student series continues. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Transcripts and audio flies of each report in our series will appear on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Next week, the subject is the difference between a college and a university. I’m Doug Johnson.

91. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Online education is our subject this week as we continue our foreign student Series. Our reports are for students around the world who would like to attend a college or university in the United States. Programs where students take classes by computer over the internet offer a way to earn a degree from home.

Online learning is also called distance education. Many American colleges and universities have been offering it for years. One example is New York University in Manhattan. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies began online classes in nineteen ninety-two. Its Virtual College has taught more than ten thousand students from across the

United States

and other countries.

Last year, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies launched NYU Online. It offers NYU’s first online programs to earn a bachelor’s degree. Programs are offered in three areas: leadership and management, information systems management and social sciences. University officials say classes are highly interactive, where students communicate with each other and their teachers. Some classes require students to all log in at the same time so they can attend live lectures by a professor. Students can also ask questions and work together on team projects. The university says classes are taught by NYU professors who have been trained in online teaching.

International students must take two admissions tests before they can be accepted into the program. These are the SAT and the TOEFL. We will discuss these tests later in our series.

The cost to attend NYU Online depends on how many classes a student takes. It can cost as much as fifteen thousand dollars a year. NYU offers no financial aid for international students in this program. You can get more details at nyu.edu.

Many other schools offer online education. Students should be especially careful of programs that offer a degree in return for little or no work. These are known as diploma mills, and are illegal in the United States.

Educational advisers also say that before you enter any program; make sure the work will be recognized in your country. You should also make sure the schools you are considering are accredited. That will be our subject next week. And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. More information for foreign students can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

92. This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

And this is the fifth week of our foreign student series about higher education in the United States. Earlier, we talked about the first steps to take if you want to study in America. We also discussed the differences between a college and a university. And we looked at online education. We said last week that students should find out if a school that interests them is accredited. But just what does that mean?

Accrediting agencies are nonprofit organizations. They develop educational goals, and then they examine schools to make sure those goals are met. The first step in the process is for a college or university to request accreditation. Then the school does a study of itself to measure its performance against the requirements.

The accrediting agency sends a team of specialists who decide if the school meets the standards. The agency will observe an accredited college or university every few years. Schools must be accredited in order for students to receive government financial aid. Accreditation also makes it easier for students to move credits from one school to another. And going to an accredited school can help in getting a good job later. One accrediting agency is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It says the United States has more than four thousand accredited colleges and universities that award degrees. More than two thousand five hundred other accredited programs do not award degrees.

The agency’s Web site lists schools and programs that are accredited by recognized organizations in the United States. And it talks about when to a suspect that a program is not really accredited. The address is c-h-e-a dot o-r-g (chea-org). Again, c-h-e-a dot org. and that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can find the earlier reports in our seriavoaspecialenglish.com. next week, learn about government rules for students who want to study in the

United States

. I’m Steve Ember.

Finished Special English Education Report

93AA: I’m AVi Arditih with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on WORDMASTER:

More of our conversation with Sol Steinmetz, author of the new book “Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning.” RS: take, for example, the evolution of the word girl. Centuries ago, he says, it simply meant a young person, a child of either sex.

SOL STEINMETZ: “The word boy existed long before. But you compared the boy to a ‘wench’ or to a ‘maid’ those were the two terms used in reference to a child who was a female.

Then, gradually, what happened was that wench took on a pejorative meaning, as did maid – not so much a pejorative meaning, but maid meant somebody who worked for you, somebody who was, you know…

“AA: “A housekeeper.” SOL STEINMETZ: “A housekeeper, low class, something like that. So then they needed a word for female child, and they used girl. Girl became a female child. “AA: “Instead of it being unisex originally. “SOL STEINMETZ: “Which it was, for many years.”

RS: “These words tell a story. I think that’s what’s so fascinating to me as I look through the book. Do you have any favorite stories about words that have changed and given us a good story? “SOL STEINMETZ: “Well, take the word worry for example.” RS: “Worry.”

SOL STEINMETZ: “Worry. We don’t realize that the original meaning of worry was to choke, either to choke on food – and in German, if you know German, wuergen means to choke; it’s the same word, it’s a Germanic word.

It meant to choke on food or to actually choke an animal, to kill an animal by choking and so forth. “And because the choking feeling one has, anxiety one has by choking, it gradually went on to transfer to the actual feeling. How I put it, I’m looking in the book in the book right now, and I say: ‘Is it a coincidence that you get a strangling sensation in your chest when you’re worried about something? Perhaps not.

‘“RS: “As we see words that are in your book evolving, what does this say about language in general? “SOL STEINMETZ: “What it says about language is that you cannot assume that a word as it’s used in a sentence is necessarily the only way that it can be used.

If you’re a writer, you have to understand that context is very important. If you mean to use a word in a certain way, then you have to make sure that that is what it means. That’s why any good writer will have a dictionary in front of him.”

RS: “Let me ask you a question here. In the beginning of the interview, you said that you came from a multilingual family. “SOL STEINMETZ: “Yes.” RS: “How many languages do you speak?”

SOL STEINMETZ: “I don’t keep track. I actually know many languages, but fluently speaking, I speak about five or six. “RS: “So you would be an ideal person to ask what are some techniques that you would recommend to language learners – our audience, English language learners – looking at this book, or looking at words in general, how to learn them and how to study?”

SOL STEINMETZ: “Well, I think I suggested it already, that if you’re a foreign learning English, your best friend is a dictionary. Native speakers assume that the way they speak is the way it’s supposed to be spoken, the language.

A foreigner learning English should be conscious of the fact that no one word is necessarily the only – has necessarily only one meaning. “AA: “Well, let me ask you one last question here. As language changes,

Can you imagine a situation where let’s say an audience is listening to a speaker, and maybe older members of the audience are understanding certain words differently than younger people in the crowd are understanding those same words to mean, just because the meaning has evolved?

“RS: “Or doesn’t it change that quickly? “SOL STEINMETZ: “Well; it changes gradually, but you’re right, it is often generation. I mean, you can see that particularly in the slang of the African-American community, where bad can mean good. ‘He’s a bad guy,’ that can mean ‘He’s a good guy.’ Now, if you don’t belong to that community and you listen to it, you say ‘What’s he talking about?’ “These things happen all the time and people have this certain second sense about who the speaker is and what he’s trying to say. So they grasp the idea behind it, but they think to themselves ‘Oh, this fellow is misusing the word.

That’s not what it means, you know?’ “RS” Lexicographer Sol Steinmetz is a former editorial director of Random House Reference, publisher of his new book, “Semantic Antics: “How and Why Words Change Meaning. “AA: And that’s WORDMASTER for this week. With Rosanne Skirble, I’m AVi Arditti.

94. AA: I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER: a new Web site that creates lesson plans for teaching English language skills. It can save hours of work and, best of all, it’s free.

STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: Hi, my name is stephen churchville and I’m the developer of lesson Writer.com. I’ve been an EST [English as a Second language] teacher for about twenty years.

And wsith Lesson Writer.com. you can copy any text you want from any source: from a page, from a Word document, a pdf file, you can write your own. You paste it into a Web page and Lesson Writer does a linguistic analysis of the text, and it creates a complete student worksheet and teacher lesson plan in about one minute.

“AA: “And this took you how long to develop this site? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “I’ve been working on this site for almost six years, testing it all the time in the classes that I’ve been teaching. I’ve been teaching in full time while develping it, so every step of the way it’s been tested on my students.

“AA: “And your students are adults. “ STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “My students are adults. I teach for Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation in Washington Heights, in Manhattan, and we have primarily a Dominican Population. But I’ve tested it with populations from all over. I used to work with a lot of West Africans and a lot of Asians, and I’ve had good responses from student everywhere with these lessons. “AA: I understand you wrote your own dictionary to go with this? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “Yes.

There are some public domain dictionaries and we took some word from those places, but mostly we’ve identified the words from our students and words that frequently come up on the SAT test, the TOEFL test, the EIKEN Test [in Practical English Proficiency, in Japan] and put those words into our system. We’ve been writing our own definitions and sometime they’re not so great, and so we’ve set up a system that teachers can tell us where we can improve. We’re really looking for teacher feedback.

“AA: “And so this site, for a teacher to use this site is free, it’s completely free? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: it’s completely for teachers. “AA: And so you hope to make your money how? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “We hope to make our money selling it to school districts, and administrative reporting, in the future. After all the teachers in the world need it – use it, all principals will need it.

“AA: For a demonstration, Stephen Churchville goes on the Internet and finds a passage to copy into the site. He chooses a VOA profile of poet and musician Patti Smith. As one of the first steps, Lesson Writer identifies the vocabulary and calls attention to words with multiple meanings.

AA: “Ok, so now the lesson writer has pulled up some words here that I guess are perhaps going to be difficult for non-native speakers.” STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “Yes, it also picks up phrasal verbs. There aren’t any in this text. And if you notice that the word ‘even,’ which is a pretty easy word, but has multiple definitions, so we highlighted that word and offer three definitions for the word ‘even,’ so the teacher can choose what works best in this article. Here it is used to emphasize and make a meaning stronger. So we’ll select that definition. “AA: “Because the sentence, the use in context, is ‘there is even a hint of Smith’s spirit in a lot of the music Americans revere today.’ So they’re using it as an adverb there. “STEPHEN CHURCHILLE: “yes, and the other definitions - - something that can be divided two, or equal or the same, we’re going to ignore now. “AA: “O.K., so we’re now clicking here on saves and continue. So we’re moving on now to pronunciation?

“STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “Yes. It does a phonemic analysis. It goes through all the worlds in the article, identifies dominant phonemes and then suggests pronunciation exercises to accompany the lesson plan. Here we have the ‘aah’ sound in ‘bat’ and crab,’ so Lesson Writer suggests we teach that. At any rime you can override Lesson Writer’s suggestions and teach something else. “AA: “so what led you to think up Lesson Writer.com? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE:

“I always liked to use authentic materials in the classroom. I found myself teaching populations that had different interests. I wanted to find things that motivated my students and I wasn’t finding that in traditional textbooks. It was difficult to teach things that were [from] now or that my students were asking for.

“AA: “and do you know of any other applications like this on the Web that create lesson plans on the fly like this in about a minute? “STEPHEN CHURCHVILLE: “I’ve looked and looked and looked, and I never saw anything like it. If I’d seen one, I would have just bought theirs.

“AA: Stephen Churchville and Ayan Pal developed Lesson Writer.com. They debuted it last month in New York at the annual convention of TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. And it turns out, for demonstrations they use stories from voanows.com because the text is in the public domain. And that’s WORDMASTER for this week. Archives are at voanews.com/wordmaster. I’m Avi Arditti.

95. AA: I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER:

Another interview from the 2008 convention of TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, which was held this year in New York. LEE SPENCER: “My name is Lee Spencer. I’m an instructor with the Language Immersion Program at Bronx Community College, which is part of the City University of New York. Well, I’ve been teaching English for zillion years. I’ve worked in higher my whole career, both here in New York and I worked for some time in China as well.

“AA: “What part of China?” LEE SPENCER: “In Bejjing. “AA: “so tell me about your students at the City University of New York. LEE SPENCER: “This program has nine different sites and the site where I am, at Bronx Community College, in the Bronx, most of our students are Spanish speaking, out we also have students from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America as well. “A: what’s a typical day like for you?

“LEE SPENCER: “We have class from nine to three, five days a week, with the same group of students, so it’s like a big family. We work really hard, we’re very close, and we do all kinds of things. We read, write, speak, do drama, work with the computers. We study what’s called sustained content, which means we have a topic that we study for the whole semester.

“AA: “And what’s the topic this semester?

“LEE SPENCER: “Well, my class this semester studies ancient civilizations, which is interesting in a lot of ways, but I’m looking for a topic now that’s a little more relevant to people’s everyday lives. [Ancient] gods are interesting, but, you know, it’s pretty remote. “AA: “So what for you is the greatest challenge in teaching a class with such a diverse student population?”

LEE SPENCER: “Well, at our site actually it’s not so diverse because most of the students speak Spanish. So it’s a big challenge to use English as the medium of communication when it’s so much easier for all of the students to speak to each other in their native language.

However, those few students who don’t speak Spanish are challenge as well. I have a Moroccan student now who comes up with Spanish quite regularly.”

AA: “So you’re talking about encouraging your students to use English in the class, and I’m curious, that’s your philosophy about students using their first language in class.”

LEE SPENCER: “O.K., well, in our situation it’s very difficult because the students do need to practice English. And I know for many people this is a big issue.

They try to find ways to actually ‘outlaw’ first-language use in the classroom. I don’t do that. I think it’s very important for students’ identities to be affirmed. At the same time, we need to recognize that to learn English, practicing and speaking it a lot helps. We work on that, it’s challenging.”

AA: “so now our listeners overseas are English learners and English teachers, and I’m curious if you have any advice or tips you’d like to offer.

“LEE SPENCER: “Well, I think the most exciting thing is that so many people are learning English and this gives us all an opportunity to speak with each other. I think the more people who have a language that they share, the closer we can become.

“And the students in our program are immigrant students. They’ve come here, they’re working, they’re raising their families, and they’re trying to learn English so they can go to the college and get more professional jobs.” AA: “And so their ages are what?”

LEE SPENCER: “Well, most of the students are in their twenties. We get a few students that might be forty. I have someone in my class now [who] is fifty-two, a woman from Korea.

She works in a nail salon, she’s a wonderful student. She’s the oldest student I have right now. I have another student who’s eighteen. So it’s a wide range of people really.”

AA: Lee Spencer is an instructor in the Language Immersion Program at Bronx Community College, part of the city university of New York. For some insights into English teaching in other countries, visit our Web site, voanews.com/word master. And that’s all for WORDMASTER this week. Our e-mail address is word@voanews.com. I’m Avi Arditti.

96. AA: I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER: English teaching in Pakistan.

SHUJAAT HUSSAIN: “I’m Shujaat Hussain. I teach at an Islamabad college, Federal Government Postgraduate College, Islamabad. I’m working there as assistant professor of English language and literature. During the seventies and eighties there was this nationalistic [surge] and there were many people who said English should not be emphasized as much as our national language, Urdu.

“But now increasingly, after the nineteen nineties, people started realizing that the English language, after all, is now a global language, and even if we want to have this break with our colonial hangover, yet we’ve got to learn English. So the government is now hiring a lot of teachers. There is also this realization that even – I mean, my students. In public schools, in public colleges, even with their rudimentary knowledge of English, now they are able to work in call centers.

And one of my students, he once told me that all his knowledge and his learning of engineering and other things never paid him. Only English language eventually paid him. So this means there is this increasing realization that people are going for English language.

“AA: “Is English a required subject in lower grades or in high school?”SHUJAAT HUSSAIN:

“Previously it was not. Especially in government schools, they started English from sixth grade. But the new policy is to start English, even in the government schools, from grade one.”AA: “What about the madrasas, the religious schools, is English being taught in the curriculum there?

SHUJAAT HUSSAIN: “I’ve not visited any of these madrassas, but I’ve heard because one of my friends was working with this institution, they set up this new administration for madrassas where they would hire new teachers. Teachers of computer science and English teachers, and the madrassa administration, they wouldn’t have to pay for those teachers. The government would pay for those teachers.

“Madrassa students really looked forward to this, because they wanted to be integrated into the larger sections of society, into the mainstream.

So there was lot of enthusiasm. I met a few madrassa students and they told me that, we really – in fact, even in the mosque schools there have been attempts by some people to teach English. Even in the mosques. I mean, the madrassas are separate buildings that are attached to mosques, but then there are certain other schools, certain other seminaries which are inside the mosque compounds, even there they’re teaching English. So I think it will get better.

“AA: “What about, you know, around the world there are different English and they develop their own local idioms. What are some local Pakistani terms that maybe Americans or other speakers of English may not understand?”

SHUJAAT HUSSAIN: “Well, first of all, I must tell you that the word ‘cool’ is very popular in Pakistan, especially among teenagers.” AA: “Cool, c-o-o-l. “SHUJAA HUSSAIN:

“Yeah, c-o-o-l, and even the other versions, likes k-o-o-l. But, of course, if you see that Pakistan is a multiethnic society, we have Punjabis, Sindhis. So there is Pinglish, there is Sindhish.

There are all shorts of Englishes, but the dominant, I think, feature of Pakistani English is that there are many Urdu words, that [speakers] keep switching the code all the time. So even very educated Pakistanis, they’ve got to switch the code because when you go to the street you’ve got to use Urdu or your local language.”

AA: “Now but what about, let’s say, with grammar and syntax, are you seeing among the South Asian englishes, are you seeing a move away from let’s say American English and British English to its own form? Or are the teachers trying to stick to one or the other? “SHUJAAT HUSSAIN: “Well, teachers everywhere are rather a conservative group.

They want to stick to the standards and the Standard English. But practically speaking, what you said earlier – that there is a move towards a local version of English – unconsciously, people are moving towards that. It’s not; I mean the English teachers won’t be able to sort of stop this.”

AA: Shujaat hussain is an assistant professor of English language and literature at the Federal Government Postgraduate College in Sector H-8 in Islamabad.

He was in New York for the recent TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, conversation. And that’s WORDMASTER for this week. We’re online at voanews.com/wordmaster. I’m Avi Arditti.

97. AA: I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER:

English teaching in Angola. Francisco Matete is president of ANELTA, the Angolan English Language Teachers Association, which came into being five years ago and today has about four hundred members.

English language instruction currently beings in grade seven, which is later than some other countries, and he says the teaching varies greatly from place to place in Angola. But Francisco Matete told me the Ministry of Education is carrying out curriculum reform program. FRANCISCO MATETE:

“Well, the new curriculum reform seeks to teach English at all levels, because in the past we had two foreign languages, French and English, and both were elective languages.

And today we have only English, which is the core subject. It means that everyone going to school is bound to learn English from school to university.

“AA:”So English is currently required, or it will be required?”FRANCISCO MATETE: “So English will be required to be a core subject in a few years.

“AA:”And how this expansion already of English teaching, what effects has it had on Angolan economic [conditions] or just in general, have they seen any effects from this expansion of English teaching?

“FRANCISCO MATETE: “yes, we have seen some effects of English expansion in Angola. Because we have oil companies and the majority of oil companies are from overseas, the majority of employees are Americans and foreigners in general, and Angolans cannot work with foreigners if they are not English-friendly. That’s why English becomes now a milestone in the whole country.”

AA: “Has local English, a local variation of English, been developing? Are there terms that Angolan English speakers would understand that maybe other speakers of English would not understand?

“FRANCISCO MATETE: “Now we being to face problems with American accent and English. People studying English in Angola use both English and American English, and we now being to code-switch also, using Portuguese and English at the same time.

“AA: “They’re code-switching, they’re using in the same sentence or the same conversation little bits of Portuguese, little bits of English, how is that going over?”FRANCISCO MATETE: “it’s great, by the way. And we have words like ‘to chill out’ in English, which the Portuguese speakers have used as their own word. We say ‘vov chiller,’ to mean I’m going to chill out. ‘These words are playing great impact in the Portuguese also in Angola.

“AA: “Are there other examples of idiomatic terms that can be found in Angolan English? “FRANCISCO MATETE:

“Not only idiomatic terms. Nowadays, especially the young, the youth, are using ‘brother’ instead of ‘irmao.’ There are others, to say ‘dad’ instead of ‘father.’ So English has become common now in Angola amongst the young people.

“AA: “And what kinds of materials are you using in the schools to teach English? “FRANCISCO MATETE: “We are limited in terms of materials. We seldom use multimedia, neither I.T.

[Information technology] in the classrooms. Not every school has Internet. Out of a hundred, five have. There is a state program called One Computer in Every Home, and we hope that the government will work hard to bring computers to every home and people will have the chance to use Internet everywhere.”

AA: “Is English an official language in Angola?”

FRANCISCO MATETE: “No, English is not an official language in Angola. We have twelve national languages, six of which are taught at school, and these twelve languages interfere greatly in the teaching and learning of English also.

“The problem is many of our teachers have not gone through special training, and neither knows the Portuguese well.

And some who are not skilled in English think mostly in their native languages – that’s why there’s interference often – and when they want to say something in English, they can’t, neither in English nor in Portuguese, and they say it in their mother tongues.”

AA: Francisco Matete is president of the Angolan English language Teachers Association. He was in New York for the recent TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, conversation. And that’s WORDMASTER for this week. Our address is word@voanews.com. I’m Avi Arditti.

98. AA: I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER:

Another in a series of chats from the recent TESOL, or Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, conversation in New York.

AZADEH LEONARD: “My name is Azadeh Leonard and I teach English at the college of Staten Island. I’m an ESL [English as a Second Language] teacher, and I’m originally from Iran.

I came here about a year and a half ago, and since I have a master’s degree in TESOL, I started teaching here, too.

“AA: “So tell me a little bit about your students.” AZADEH LEONARD: “Well, my students, they are college students, so I would say they are between the ages of eighteen and maybe forty-five, or something like that.

“AA: “Where do your students come from? “AZADEH LEONARD: “Oh, they come from all over. They come from Egypt, China, Korea, and Colombia – where else? Lebanon. Just anywhere, anywhere you can think of.

“AA: “Do you have any advice for students back in Iran who are learning English? Any things that, now what you’ve been in the States here for a year and a half, any special advice for the students back home? “AZADEH LEONARD:

“I would say watch a lot of movies, use a lot of movies, and also listen to music, English music, ‘cause that’s how I learned English. I learned it through – I mean, movies and TV helped me a lot. Also, satellite, because Iranians in Iran do have satellites.

Although it’s illegal, they still do have it. I would just say listen, listen a lot, and then practice pronouncing the words. That’s very, very important. I always tell my students to watch movies. That’s how you learn English best.”

AA: “Is there anything else you’d like to say about being an English teacher, or being tell an Iranian English teacher, or living in New York?”

AZADEH LEONARD: “Well, I can only say that everyday is not just for my students, also for me – although I’m an English teacher and I’ve learned English, I still learning. I’m still learning new terms; I’m trying to understand them. There many things that even I still have problems [with]. I mean things that deal with the tax system or with the government. Like how you vote. There were many terms that I learned – like ‘causes.’ I had no idea what caucus meant. I hadn’t even heard it.

“AA: “It’s basically a big term for a [political] meeting where people get together and…”

AZADEH LEONARD: “Yeah, I mean the voting system here is so different from my country, and it was interesting to learn about the delegates, super delegates, and caucuses, all that, you know?”

AA: “Well, I’m curious then, are you students following the presidential campaign? I meant, do you discuss this in class?”

AZADEH LEONARD: “Yes, we do. We do discuss it and I try to make them realize that it’s very important for them to care about these things because they’re part of this country now.

As a person who lives in a certain country, no matter where you live, you have to care about what’s going on. Especially because they’re immigrants, it’s important for them to know, for example, who becomes the next president and what’s going to happen to them, you know?

AA: “Well, are there debates in class about, you know, Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama versus John McCain? I mean, do you have to kind of tell them to cool it, or do they get into debates about this?”

AZADEH LEONARD: “Yeah, sometimes. Once, we discussed about different candidates, and some of them had some ideas.

Some of them were obviously Democrats and maybe a few were Republicans. So, yeah, I did have to like tell them ‘Ok, you know, whatever your idea is, I’m sure it’s great, but you know, just let’s stop this… ‘“AA: “Go on with the class. “AZADEH LEONARD: “Let’s go on with the class, exactly.”

AA: Azadeh Leonard teaches English as a Second Language at the College of Staten Island, part of the City University of New York. And that’s WORDMASTER for this week.

If you’re learning American English, be sure to visit our Web site, voanews.com/wordmaster. And our e-mail address is word@voanews.com. I’m Avi Arditti.

99. I’m Avi Arditti and this week on WORDMASTER:

Meet Safwan Abdulsalam Kadoora. He’s the director of the English department at Karma. That’s and English and French language center that opened in Damascus, Syria, in two thousand six. SAFWAN KADOORA.

“We are basically teaching adults and during the summer we are teaching young learners. So this means adults over eighteen years old and young learners are normally six to twelve years old.

AA: “Give me an overview of English teaching in Syria. “SAFWAN KADOORA: “Well, English teaching in Syria has dramatically improved during the last few years, I would say.

So people started knowing the importance of learning English at an early age, so now most schools teach English at an early age, just like four or five years old – yeah, even kindergarten. Of course, there might be a little bit of difference between people, but anyway, all people learn English at an early age, like six years old maximum.

“AA: “And so they start at about six years old and they go on. Through all the grades is there English instruction? “SAFWAN KADOORA: “Yeah, sure, just till high school. And then even during university you have to study English, as well. “AA: “And what about other languages, beside English? Are there other languages that are also promoted in the schools?

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “Basically there is the French language, and in our school we have curriculums for English and for French. But of course I would say English is the dominant one. “AA: “And between British English and American English, has there been a shift in recent years?

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “Ah, that’s a good question. I would say that some centers really focus on American accent, while some centers like the British Council focus on a British accent.

I would say that the American accent is much more popular in the country. And the point is, even students are more interested in the American accent, and it happens that students might come to us and say

‘Well, we want a course,’ and then some teachers are having a British accent, and then they say ‘Excuse us, we just want to go.

“AA: “So what kinds of materials do the teachers use then in teaching, let’s say, American pronunciation?

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “Basically we focus on audio materials, some pronunciation programs, American-accent movies and something special. The good point is, some of our teachers have been to the United States or at least they’ve got their American friends. And sometimes we might have authentic materials, but this time they are not materials, they are real people.

So they come to our classes and they speak and then we say ‘You see, that’s how we say that in america’ and so on. “AA: “Now as I’ve read, there’s been an increase recently in American visitors to Syria. “SAFWAN KADOORA: “For study, basically. “AA: “I’m just curious, what are Americans studying when they go to Syria?

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “Most of them actually study Arabic language, and that’s why I’ve gone through many interviews, I’ve had to make many interviews with Americans who are studying Arabic language in Syria, and then they are searching for a job.

Anyway, in our center, it’s not that simple to get a job because accent is not number one. We focus on other things, just like personality skills, which is an American way, and leadership skills, communication skills, presentation skills and so many things related to methodology.”

AA: “So you’re saying when the Americans are done studying Arabic, they want to get jobs as English teachers in Syria and they have trouble finding jobs because accent isn’t the only [qualification] – they have to be trained teachers.”

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “Well, mainly they don’t have troubles, but they might have trouble in our center, just because I’m CELTA-certified, so I know about methodology. “AA: “And CELTA is?”

“SAFWAN KADOORA: “The Certificate of English language teaching for Adults.”

Safwan Abdulsalam Kadoora is a director at the Karma Language Center in Damascus, and he’s preparing for additional training in the United States. I met him earlier this month on his first visit here. He was in New York for the annual conversation of the association known as TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

And that’s WORDMASTER for this week. Our segments are online at voanews.com/wordmaster. I’m Avi Arditti.

Finished the words master

Buddhism and History

Sunday, December 26, 2010

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