0:00

endeavor. What you think. VOA Weather Hits. Welcome

0:03

to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of

0:12

America. I'm Dan Friedel.

0:15

And I'm Katie Weaver. This

0:18

program is aimed at

0:20

English learners. So

0:22

we speak slowly and we

0:25

use words and phrases

0:27

especially written for people learning

0:29

English. Today

0:36

on the program I'll be joined by

0:38

Dan Novak, Brian Lin, and Anna Mateo.

0:41

You'll hear from Dan about a

0:43

new demonstration of a special camera

0:45

you can swallow like a pill.

0:48

Brian tells us about a problem

0:50

with some important Chinese cities. They

0:54

are sinking and he

0:56

tells us what engineers are trying to do

0:58

about the problem. They may

1:00

take some lessons from Japan. Then

1:03

Anna and I bring you the Higher

1:05

Education Report. It is

1:07

almost time for graduation ceremonies in the

1:09

US but many schools

1:11

are worried about protests. Anna

1:14

also visits me to talk about one

1:17

way to describe a person who

1:19

does not beat around the bush. We

1:22

hope you enjoy the show. Now here's

1:24

Dan. A

1:28

new small robotic camera designed

1:31

to be swallowed for use

1:33

in medical examinations was

1:36

recently demonstrated at a conference

1:38

in Canada. The

1:40

device called pillbot can be

1:42

guided through a body remotely,

1:45

meaning electronically from outside.

1:48

Its creators hope the device

1:50

will replace traditional endoscopies. An

1:53

endoscopy is when a camera attached

1:56

to a wire is

1:58

directed down the throat and into

2:00

a sleeping patient's stomach. The

2:04

company Endiatix, based in

2:06

Hayward, California, developed the

2:08

device. The

2:10

research hospital Mayo Clinic in

2:13

Rochester, Minnesota is a

2:15

partner in the project. The

2:18

pill bot is designed to

2:20

be the first motorized endoscopic

2:22

camera. Here is

2:25

how developers say it works. A

2:28

patient does not eat for one day,

2:30

then swallows the pill bot with

2:32

lots of water. The

2:35

pill bot acts like a small

2:37

submarine controlled by a wireless remote

2:39

control. When the

2:42

exam is complete, the body

2:44

will expel the pill bot in

2:46

the same way it expels other

2:48

solid waste. Dr.

2:51

Vivek Kumbari is co-founder

2:53

of the company. He

2:56

is professor of medicine and

2:59

chairman of gastroenterology and hepatology

3:01

at the Mayo Clinic. It

3:05

is the latest step toward his

3:07

larger goal of making complex medicine

3:09

more accessible. If

3:12

endoscopies can be moved from a hospital

3:15

setting to a patient's home, he said,

3:18

then I think we have achieved that

3:20

goal. Use

3:22

of the device would require fewer

3:24

medical workers and no

3:26

anesthesia, he said. The

3:29

device provides a safer, more

3:31

comfortable approach, he added. Kumbari

3:34

also said the technology is

3:36

more efficient and permits

3:39

people to get treatment earlier in

3:41

the progress of a disease. Alex

3:45

Lubke is the co-founder of

3:47

Endiatics. He said the

3:49

pill bot can help people in rural

3:51

areas where medical centers

3:53

and treatments are lacking. Especially

3:57

in developing countries, there is no access to

3:59

medical care. access to complex medical care,"

4:01

he said. So being

4:04

able to have the technology, gather

4:06

all that information, and

4:08

provide you the solution even in

4:10

remote areas, that's the way to do

4:12

it. The

4:15

micro-robotic pill is undergoing testing.

4:19

It could come before the

4:21

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

4:23

for consideration in the coming

4:25

months. If approved,

4:27

the pill box could be available by

4:29

2026. Kumbari

4:32

hopes the technology can be

4:35

expanded to the bowels, vascular

4:37

system, heart, liver, brain, and

4:39

other parts of the body.

4:42

I'm Dan Novey. A

5:00

new study suggests that

5:02

nearly half of major

5:04

cities in China show

5:07

signs of sinking. The

5:10

study is based on recent

5:12

satellite data. It

5:14

estimated that 45 percent

5:17

of land in China's

5:19

biggest cities currently

5:21

suffers moderate to severe

5:24

levels of sinking. Researchers

5:29

say the situation puts millions

5:31

of people at risk of

5:34

flooding, especially as

5:36

sea levels continue to

5:38

rise. Writers

5:41

of the study estimated

5:43

nearly half of areas

5:45

around Chinese cities were

5:47

sinking at a rate

5:49

of at least three

5:51

millimeters per year, and

5:54

about 16 percent of land around

5:57

cities was found to be sinking at a rate of

5:59

about a million. a rate of 10 millimeters

6:02

per year, the

6:04

researchers say. The

6:07

team noted the sinking

6:09

is linked largely to

6:11

groundwater extraction and

6:13

the weight of buildings. Researcher

6:17

Ao Zu-rei and others

6:19

at China's South China

6:22

Normal University in

6:24

Guangzhou led the study. Reports

6:28

of the research recently appeared

6:30

in the publication Science. Ao

6:34

told Reuters news agency that more

6:36

than 900 million

6:39

people live in

6:41

Chinese cities. The

6:44

sinking problems, he said,

6:46

represent a growing threat to

6:48

people in those areas.

6:52

The study notes that sinking already

6:54

costs China more than $1 billion

6:56

in yearly losses. And

7:01

within the next century, nearly 25

7:05

percent of coastal land

7:07

could drop below sea

7:09

levels. That

7:11

would leave hundreds of millions of

7:13

people at high risk of

7:16

flooding. China's

7:18

northern city of Tianjin has

7:20

a population of 15 million

7:24

people. It

7:26

was identified as one of the

7:28

worst hit areas. Last

7:31

year, 3,000 people had to

7:33

leave the city after

7:35

a sudden geological disaster

7:37

linked to sinking. Researchers

7:42

blamed the problem on water

7:44

loss as well as

7:47

the building of geothermal energy

7:49

systems. It

7:51

really brings home that this

7:54

is for China a national

7:56

problem and not a problem

7:58

in just one. or

8:00

two places," said Robert

8:03

Nichols. He is

8:05

with the Tindall Center for

8:07

Climate Change Research at

8:10

Britain's University of East

8:12

Anglia. "'And it

8:14

is a microcosm of what is

8:17

happening around the rest of the

8:19

world,' Nichols added. A

8:22

microcosm is an event or

8:25

situation that is seen as

8:27

a small version of something

8:30

much larger." Another

8:33

study published in February found

8:35

that around 6.3 million

8:39

square kilometers of

8:41

land worldwide was

8:43

at risk of continued sinking.

8:47

One of the most affected nations

8:49

is Indonesia. Large

8:51

parts of the capital, Jakarta,

8:54

are now below sea level.

8:57

Nichols said at-risk cities could

9:00

learn lessons from Tokyo. The

9:03

Japanese capital city sank by

9:06

about five meters until

9:08

officials banned groundwater

9:11

extraction in the 1970s. Nichols

9:16

added that in some places,

9:18

city officials will have to

9:20

fight the problem by building

9:23

systems to prevent flood damage.

9:26

Of the 44 major coastal

9:28

cities currently suffering from the

9:31

problem, 30 were in Asia.

9:35

That information comes from a 2022 study. Matt

9:40

Way is a geophysics expert

9:42

at the University of Rhode

9:45

Island. He

9:47

told Reuters the problem

9:49

is directly related to

9:51

continued development and

9:54

population growth in cities.

9:57

It is also related to increased oil

9:59

consumption. water extraction for

10:01

human uses. I'm

10:04

Brian Lynn. New

10:28

York City police recently arrested

10:31

students at Columbia University who

10:33

were protesting the war

10:35

between Israel and Hamas. The

10:38

University of Southern California,

10:40

USC, in Los Angeles

10:43

canceled a graduation speech by

10:46

the school's valedictorian, who is

10:49

Muslim. And

10:51

demonstrators set up camps

10:53

on the grounds of the University of Michigan,

10:56

the Massachusetts Institute of

10:58

Technology, MIT, and

11:01

Yale University in Connecticut. Harvard

11:04

University near Boston closed

11:07

Harvard Yard to outsiders. University

11:10

leaders are worried the

11:13

unrest will disrupt the

11:15

usual celebrations surrounding graduation.

11:19

Since the war between Israel and

11:21

Hamas started after Hamas's

11:23

attack on Israel last October 7,

11:27

college leaders have struggled. They

11:30

are unsure how to protect students and

11:32

their freedom of speech. Recently,

11:35

Columbia's President Minouche

11:37

Shafik said the

11:40

conflict in the Middle East is causing pain

11:42

to both Jewish students and

11:44

those who support Palestinians. But

11:47

we cannot have one group

11:50

dictate terms and

11:52

attempt to disrupt important

11:54

milestones like graduation to

11:57

advance their point of view. She

11:59

wrote in message to the community.

12:03

College graduation ceremonies, known

12:06

as commencements, have

12:08

been marked by protests in the

12:10

past. Last

12:13

year, students at Boston University

12:16

turned their backs on

12:18

speaker David Soslov in

12:21

a show of support for Hollywood

12:23

writers who were on strike. In

12:26

1990, students at the all-woman

12:31

Wellesley College in Massachusetts

12:34

protested then first

12:36

Lady Barbara Bush. They

12:39

said the school should have invited

12:41

a speaker known for her accomplishments,

12:44

not those of her husband. While

12:48

those protests were peaceful, some

12:51

university leaders are concerned

12:53

about possible violence this

12:55

year. Some

12:58

Jewish students say they feel

13:00

unsafe at their schools. The

13:04

University of Chicago, Project on

13:06

Security and Threats, published

13:08

a report in March about

13:11

fear at U.S. colleges. The

13:15

report said that more

13:17

than half of Muslim and

13:19

Jewish students felt personal danger

13:21

in the past year. The

13:25

Anti-Defamation League is a

13:27

nonprofit organization that

13:30

fights hatred of Jews. The

13:33

group recently sent a letter

13:35

to college and university presidents

13:38

asking them to take clear

13:40

and decisive action to

13:43

make sure graduation ceremonies

13:46

succeed. One

13:49

of the commencement speakers who might

13:51

face protesters is

13:53

President Joe Biden. He Is

13:56

expected to speak at Morehouse

13:58

College in Atlanta. Into Georgia.

14:01

And the Us Military Academy

14:04

at West Point in New

14:06

York State. Statements.

14:09

From University Leaders. Policy.

14:12

Changes to prevent student

14:14

protests. And even arrests

14:16

have not made. A difference.

14:20

One. Expert believes that students

14:22

are correct to be upset

14:24

about the actions of their

14:26

university leaders. Edward

14:29

on admit soul is a

14:32

lawyer and and official with

14:34

the Council On American Islamic

14:36

Relations. Mitchell.

14:38

Spoke about the cancellation of the

14:41

students speech at U S C.

14:44

He. Said he was concerned

14:46

that the school would not

14:49

choose a qualified visibly Muslim

14:51

students. Who. Advocates for

14:53

Palestine. To avoid what happened

14:56

at U S C. At.

14:59

Us see the news that

15:01

asa troublesome. A

15:03

South Asian American Muslim. Would.

15:05

Not be permitted to give her commencement

15:07

speech on May tenth. Led

15:10

to days of protests. Than

15:12

on April Twenty serve Us. He said

15:14

it would cancel the main part of

15:17

it's graduation ceremony. Where. To

15:19

bar some would have spoken and

15:21

other well known people would have

15:23

appeared. The rest of the graduation

15:25

activities will happen as planned. the

15:27

school said. Schools

15:29

are going to do more harm than

15:32

good if they try to censor and

15:34

silence. Commencement speaker is Mitchell. Added. Other

15:38

protests are demanding that schools

15:40

cut ties to Israel or

15:42

companies that support Israel's war

15:44

effort. This. Includes

15:46

companies that manufacture weapons sold

15:49

to Israel. Students

15:51

Also one professors to stop

15:53

taking money from the Israeli

15:55

government. If. Their research

15:57

to be used for military technology.

16:01

Mack. Mood Kallio. Is. A

16:04

student protests leader at Columbia

16:06

University. He said students

16:08

have been asking the university to

16:10

sell it's investments related to Israel

16:12

since two thousand and two. Some.

16:15

Pro Palestine protesters at M

16:17

I T said the university

16:20

has received eleven million dollars

16:22

from Israel's Defense Ministry and

16:24

the last ten years. Quinn.

16:27

Perry in. Is a second

16:30

year student at Mit. And

16:32

the leader of a Jewish student group

16:34

calling for a ceasefire. Perry.

16:36

And called Mit complicit.

16:39

Adding that colleges should be held responsible

16:41

for the part they play in the

16:44

war. At

16:46

the University of Michigan. Students.

16:49

Said the university invests with

16:51

company is that then invest

16:54

in Israeli businesses. The.

16:56

University Sad. Only

16:58

a small percentage of the money

17:00

it invests goes to Israeli businesses.

17:03

And. Most of it has done in directly.

17:07

Students. At Yale, Harvard,

17:09

and Emerson College in

17:11

Boston. Are all asking

17:13

that their schools make their investments

17:15

public? They. Want to

17:17

know where the schools money goes? And.

17:20

Whether it supports Israel's military.

17:24

Oh and bucks and studies movies

17:26

at Emerson College. Buxton.

17:28

Was one of about eighty people

17:30

presence at a protest on school

17:32

grounds. He recently spoke

17:34

to the Associated Press saying he

17:36

did not plan to leave the

17:39

protest. I. Would love

17:41

to go home and have a shower. bucks and sad.

17:44

But. I will not leave until we reach

17:46

our demands or I am dragged out by

17:48

police. I'm the and

17:50

free Dell. And I'm on.

17:52

I'm a tail. And

18:01

now, words and their

18:04

stories from VOA Learning

18:06

English. Sometimes

18:12

in life we have to break

18:14

bad or difficult news to

18:16

friends, family members, work

18:19

partners, and sometimes even strangers.

18:24

Some people may do this indirectly.

18:27

They may want to soften the immediate

18:29

effect the news will have on the

18:31

person. We

18:34

might tell only part of the truth.

18:37

When we do this, we are pulling

18:39

our punches. But

18:42

there are other times when we do the

18:44

opposite. We

18:47

speak directly, presenting the

18:49

hard facts and little

18:51

else. We

18:53

might do this in emergencies, when

18:56

facing danger, or other

18:58

times when the complete truth

19:00

is required. In

19:03

these cases, we are not pulling

19:05

any punches. When

19:08

someone does not pull any punches,

19:11

they say things that might be

19:13

hurtful or frightening. They

19:16

know the information may be troubling, but

19:19

the information is usually thought to

19:22

be more important than the unease

19:24

it may cause. If

19:28

you don't pull punches, you

19:30

speak your mind. You

19:32

tell it like it is. You

19:35

don't mince words or sugarcoat

19:37

the truth. Minsing

19:40

words means to soften or weaken

19:42

your words, especially for the sake

19:44

of being polite. Some

19:47

people mince words when they are afraid

19:49

to tell someone the truth. And

19:53

if you sugarcoat something, you

19:56

make it sound more pleasant or

19:58

acceptable than it really is. is.

20:02

People who don't pull punches

20:04

can also be called straight-talking,

20:07

blunt, or frank. In

20:11

fact, sometimes we use

20:13

blunt and frank when

20:16

we break bad or difficult news to

20:18

someone. We might

20:20

say, look, I need to

20:23

be frank with you, or I hate

20:25

to be blunt, but… and

20:28

then you're blunt. You don't

20:30

pull your punches. When

20:34

talking with this kind of person, we always

20:37

know where we stand. We

20:39

never have to guess. This

20:42

can be a good

20:44

thing. However, when we

20:46

are on the receiving end of a

20:49

person who doesn't pull any punches, we

20:52

also need a thick skin. Much

20:55

of what we may hear might hurt

20:58

a little or a

21:00

lot. Just

21:02

as a thick skin protects some

21:04

animals from attacks, it

21:07

also protects people from hard-cold

21:09

truths that are hard to

21:11

hear. But

21:13

with a thick skin, we can

21:15

better absorb the punch of tough

21:18

news. When

21:21

you don't pull any

21:23

punches, you also act

21:25

without restraint or limitations.

21:27

You don't hold back. You

21:30

are all in. The

21:33

phrase to not pull any punches

21:36

comes from boxing. If

21:39

you pull a punch in the boxing ring,

21:41

it means you restrain your power.

21:45

You purposely hit your opponent

21:47

with less force than is

21:49

possible. Word

21:52

experts say that in the 1930s, people

21:55

began to use this phrase

21:57

more widely. These

22:00

days you can pull your punches or

22:03

not pull any punches in

22:05

just about any situation Now

22:09

let's hear two friends use

22:11

this phrase and related terms

22:13

in a short conversation Okay,

22:17

here is my movie script. Oh,

22:19

wow, you finished it Congrats Now

22:23

I really need some outside opinions.

22:25

I'm way too close to the

22:27

material That is a

22:29

great idea But I don't think I'm

22:31

the person to ask why you have

22:34

really good taste in films and I know

22:36

you'll tell me like it Is that's

22:39

the problem. I am

22:41

brutally honest. It's impossible for me

22:43

to pull any punches That's

22:46

exactly what I need honesty

22:49

Tell me what you really think

22:51

don't hold anything back You

22:54

say that now, but when you hear my

22:56

criticisms you may feel differently No

22:59

way. I have a really

23:01

thick skin. It's impossible for

23:03

a little criticism to hurt my feelings

23:07

Okay, I'll read it and give you my notes.

23:09

But the last person who asked me to read

23:11

her manuscript still isn't talking to me. Oh

23:15

Wow You really

23:17

don't pull any punches. Do you you've

23:20

been warned? Do

23:23

you have a similar expression in your language?

23:26

Let us know in the comment section or send

23:30

us an email at learning

23:32

English at VO a news.com and

23:35

That's all the time we have for this words in

23:37

their stories Until next

23:40

time I'm on a matter Thanks,

23:53

Anna, we'll be back back

24:00

in just a moment to hear a little

24:02

bit more about this interesting English phrase. VOA

24:05

Learning English has launched a

24:08

new program for children. It

24:11

is called Let's Learn English

24:13

with Anna. The new course

24:15

aims to teach children American

24:18

English through asking and answering

24:20

questions and experiencing

24:22

common situations. For

24:25

more information, visit our website, Learning

24:28

English VOA News. I'm

24:34

Dan Friedel and you're listening to

24:36

the Learning English podcast. Anna Mateo

24:38

is here today to tell us

24:40

about people who do not mind

24:42

telling the truth. Isn't that right,

24:44

Anna? That's right,

24:46

Dan. This week we are

24:48

talking about pulling your punches,

24:52

or in this case, not pulling

24:54

your punches. When

24:56

we use this expression, however, we

24:58

often say, don't pull

25:00

any punches. Anna,

25:03

we have talked about a lot of things

25:05

on the Learning English podcast over the years,

25:07

but I'm not sure if

25:09

we've talked about punching. Where

25:11

does this phrase come from? Well,

25:14

experts believe that this expression

25:16

goes back almost a hundred

25:18

years when boxing was

25:21

really popular. People

25:23

started saying boxers who

25:25

delivered their punches without full

25:28

effort were pulling

25:30

their punches. This

25:33

means they were punching but not

25:35

as hard as they could. They

25:37

weren't going for the knockout punch.

25:41

Okay, so I see how this phrase

25:43

makes sense during a big

25:45

boxing match at a place like Yankee

25:48

Stadium in New York City, but

25:50

why are we talking about it today? That's

25:54

because when someone describes

25:57

another person as someone

25:59

who doesn't any punches, they

26:02

mean that person tells the truth

26:05

without anything to soften the

26:07

blow. They are

26:09

blunt. They are direct. And

26:13

in some situations, this is really

26:15

important. There may

26:18

not be time to beat around

26:20

the bush or mince

26:22

your words. These

26:24

both mean you take a long time to

26:27

say what you want, or

26:29

you avoid some hard truths.

26:32

Okay, so the other day I came home

26:35

with a haircut from a new barber, and

26:37

let's say it was not

26:39

perfect. I was a

26:41

little worried that it was too short, but

26:43

when I came home and my wife saw

26:45

me, she didn't pull

26:47

any punches. Oh,

26:50

what did she say to you? Well,

26:53

it's not what she said, but it was

26:55

the look on her face. I could tell

26:57

she did not like it. She

27:00

wasn't able to keep a straight face. She

27:02

actually started laughing. Oh,

27:06

no. Yeah, it

27:08

was that bad. And

27:10

what did you do about it? Well,

27:13

I started looking for another place that

27:15

cuts hair. I needed some

27:17

help. I contacted a hair person

27:20

at a nearby salon and

27:22

explained the situation, and

27:25

he was able to help me. My

27:27

hair is now very short, but

27:29

it looks much better. That's

27:32

great. You're lucky your wife did

27:34

not mince words. Otherwise

27:36

you'd be walking around for weeks

27:39

with a really bad haircut. That's

27:42

true. I'm grateful she told

27:44

it to me straight and didn't sugarcoat

27:46

her opinion. I got it

27:49

fixed and made a date to come back for

27:51

another haircut in June. It

27:53

sounds like you're in good shape. Yes.

27:57

Now I just have to find some good clothes to

27:59

go. with my new haircut. I

28:02

hope I don't come home to more laughs after

28:04

I go shopping. We

28:06

all need someone who does not pull

28:08

any punches. They tell it like

28:10

it is. Thanks for

28:12

listening to my story, Anna. It's always good to

28:15

talk with you. You're welcome,

28:17

Dan. And good luck with the shopping

28:20

and your haircuts. Thanks,

28:23

Anna. It's always great to have

28:26

you on the show. On today's

28:28

podcast, we also heard from Dan

28:30

Novak. He told us about scientists

28:32

who recently demonstrated a small

28:35

robotic camera at a conference

28:37

in Canada. The device

28:39

is known as a pill bot, and

28:42

it acts like a small submarine

28:44

traveling through the body and taking

28:46

pictures of your digestive system. Let

28:49

us know if you would be interested in getting

28:52

this kind of look at the inside

28:54

of your body. Then we

28:56

heard from Brian Lynn, who told

28:58

us about satellite images that

29:00

show nearly half of

29:03

China's major cities are sinking. Researchers

29:05

say this puts millions of people

29:08

at flood risk. But

29:10

China is not the only place where buildings

29:12

are sinking. The problem exists

29:15

in Indonesia, too. After

29:17

that, Anna Mateo helped me with the

29:19

Higher Education Report. We

29:22

talked about concerns American

29:24

universities have about protesters

29:26

disrupting the end of year

29:29

ceremonies called graduation. Then

29:32

Anna joined me again to talk

29:34

about pulling punches. You

29:36

can find more from Anna, Ashley,

29:39

and everyone else on Instagram. Be

29:41

sure to visit us at

29:43

VOA Learning English. Thanks

29:46

to all of my VOA colleagues

29:48

who helped me with today's program.

29:51

Most importantly, thank you

29:53

for listening. I'm

29:55

Katie Weaver. And I'm

29:57

Dan Friedel.