English Recordings

take temperature,
physician,
regard,
dedicated,
spare no
pains,
distinguished,
not surprisingly,
found
generous

I LIKE CHEESE. I DON'T LIKE RICE,

I DON'T LIKE FISH, AND I DON'T LIKE YOGHURT.

YES! I LIKE CHEESE! THANK YOU, TINA.

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics. I’m Lisa Lerer, your host.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have finally persuaded a lot of Democrats and Republicans to agree on something: that the idea of getting a coronavirus vaccine, at least right now, seems kind of scary.

Over the past four months, the number of Americans who say they’d be willing to get a coronavirus vaccine has dropped — significantly.

According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, Americans are now evenly divided over whether they would get a vaccine to prevent Covid-19, if it were available today.

And just 21 percent said they would “definitely” get a coronavirus vaccine today, half the share who said that in May.

The growing mistrust is bipartisan: The percentages of Republicans and Democrats who said they’d get the vaccine both fell by 21 points. (A majority of Democrats still said they would take it.)

The numbers are a vivid illustration of how political posturing can transform our beliefs.

The virus, of course, hasn’t changed. About 850 people in the United States have been dying of the coronavirus, on average, every day in mid-September. That’s down from a peak of near 3,000 in April but an increase from the death rate in the early summer.

What has changed is how Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden talk about a vaccine.

On Wednesday, Mr. Biden accused the president of playing politics with a potential vaccine, saying he did not trust Mr. Trump to determine when a vaccine was ready for Americans.

“Let me be clear: I trust vaccines,” Mr. Biden said. “I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump, and at this moment, the American people can’t either.”

Shortly after Mr. Biden’s speech, Mr. Trump rebuked his own government scientists, publicly slapping down Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr. Trump has focused for weeks on convincing the public that a vaccine will be available imminently — even before Election Day — and that the worst of the pandemic is over. Those statements have heightened fears that the approval process could be rushed for political purposes, prompting Mr. Biden’s attacks on the president.

Dr. Redfield told a Senate committee on Wednesday that a vaccine would not be widely available until the middle of next year. Mr. Trump said that his top public health official had “made a mistake” and that vaccines would go “to the general public immediately.”

The president is incorrect: Scientists, companies and federal officials all say that most people won’t get a vaccine until well into next year, even in a best-case scenario.

But with no coherent federal government response, voters are left to figure out their own public health guidance. The vaccine becomes political collateral.

The whole situation is a fun-house mirror version of both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.

Mr. Trump has expressed anti-vaccine views since 2007. He has met with anti-vaccine crusaders and, as president-elect, even floated appointing them to government committees, spreading alarm among medical experts that he could be giving credence to debunked conspiracy theories about immunizations.

Now, Mr. Trump is the country’s No. 1 cheerleader for vaccine development, and is misleadingly accusing Mr. Biden of spreading “anti-vaccine theories.”

Mr. Biden, who has consistently praised the virtues of science and pushed for more funding for research, now finds himself casting doubt — out of necessity, he would argue — on the government’s handling of a potential vaccine.

When asked whether he trusted the C.D.C. and the Food and Drug Administration, Mr. Biden said he did not trust “people like the fellow that just took a leave of absence.” The comment appeared to be a reference to Michael Caputo, the top spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, who had accused government scientists of “sedition.”

While it’s true that Mr. Trump’s misleading assertions about vaccine timetables have raised concerns about a hurried, politicized process, it’s also the case that Mr. Biden stands to benefit politically if voters distrust the president and the pandemic is still raging. (Still, Mr. Biden has said that if scientists agree a vaccine is safe, he would personally take it even if it was approved under Mr. Trump’s watch.)

All this political gamesmanship is a problem. Mistrust of vaccines is an urgent — and deadly — public health issue.

Once a safe and effective vaccine is available, if enough people refuse to get it, the country’s ability to reach widespread immunity will suffer. And all of this could exacerbate mistrust of other, well-established vaccines — a worrisome trend that was already underway before the pandemic.

Pharmaceutical companies have tried to restore public trust by pledging to thoroughly vet any coronavirus vaccine candidates.

But, I suppose, the public’s skepticism makes sense, in a depressing sort of way. Distrust of our institutions is at record highs. Why should anyone feel differently about a now highly politicized vaccine, until it’s proved safe?

The system is much too complicated.
You’re driving much too fast.
Jane is much better.
She is much too nice.
I paid much more than I should.
There's far less water in the pond than usual.
There were many more people than I expected.
We've got far more books than we ordered.
No sooner had she opened the drawer than she found the letter
which she thought she had lost before.
No sooner had Ann come back home than she realized her mistake.
No sooner had I poured out a cup of tea than my phone rang.
Hardly had the car approached the house
when the entrance of the house left the person wearing spectacles.
My parents were very angry with me.
She was cross with me for being late.

Spies

Basically, anyone who works in the world of espionage
could be called a spy ,Many of the world's spies work for government intelligence agencies such as the American CIA, the British MI-6, and the former Soviet KGB.

A spy's primary job is to collect valuable information for their agency. to do this, an ideal spy doesn't stand out in the crowd. In fact most real spies at first may seem to be very boring people that would never want to talk to. Real spies do not dress in expensive clothes, carry guns in their pockets, or drive expensive cars.

Why fathers want to look after the baby (yes, really)

One of the most extensive surveys of fathers has now shown that, far from the stereotype, most men would like to share childcare duties with their partners or wives.

The survey мейд by the Equal Opportunities Commission shows a modern type of father: the New Dad. He takes part in day-to-day childcare and does not mind helping with the vacuuming and washing-up - if only when his partner asks him to. The EOC interviewed sixty-four fathers and their partners about their home and work life. Most fathers agreed that it was important to 'be there' for their children for key events such as school sports day, their first appearance in the school play and for at least one meal a day. Many agreed that parenting classes would be a good way to give them more confidence around the home.

Based on the survey results, four types of fathers were defined, from the traditional type of dad to the perfect New Dad, who is as much involved in taking care of the children as the mother. The survey found that the majority of men were somewhere between these two types.

In the first category comes Enforcer Dad, the old-fashioned disciplinarian who does not see himself as involved in the day-to-day care of his children. He sees his responsibilities as setting clear limits for them and being a role model. Most fathers do not see this as their only role.

The two biggest categories are Entertainer Dad and Useful Dad. Entertainer Dad is at his best keeping his children laughing while his partner gets on with household chores and arranging the children's school and extra activities. Useful Dad is willing to help out around the house, even though he expects the mother to be the 'team leader' in all domestic things.

Finally, and probably every woman's dream, is Fully Involved Dad. He is equally engaged in running the home and the family, and sees the role of the father and the mother as practically identical. Fully Involved Dads adjust their work arrangements to their partners' professional duties. 'I do have definite childcare commitments,' said one father in this category. 'There are certain times or occasions where it is non-negotiable and I just leave the office on time.'

Julie Melior, chairwoman of the EOC, said that fathers were still not given enough flexibility at work and mothers would feel fully supported only if employers treated (and paid) both sexes equally. 'Mums and dads should be able to choose how they want to share the responsibilities of bringing up children and working outside the home: she said. 'But until we have equal pay, decent childcare and more opportunities to work flexible hours, many fathers will continue to find it hard to be there for their children and many women will continue to be disadvantaged at work. This is not necessarily the best solution for parents, children or employers. Equality at work or home depends on both mums' and dads' family responsibilities being acknowledged: Melior said.

Hello. Good morning. Good afternoon.
What's your name?
My name is Ben.
Can you spell apple?
Excuse me, can you repeat please?
Can you spell apple?
a-p-p-l-e, apple
That's correct. That's not correct.
Thank you Ben.
Goodbye.

Hello everybody !
My name’s Paul Smith and I am 21 years old. I am English. I was born in London on June 3rd and I live in Oxford.
I am quite tall and slim. I have big blue eyes and short, straight, red hair. I am rather shy and people say I am easy-going and cool.
There are 5 people in my family; my mother Jane who’s a nurse, my father David –he is a mechanic and works in a garage, and my sister, Lucy and my brother Kevin. Lucy is 15 and Kevin is 13.
We’ve got a dog called "Cookie" ! It is a brown poodle. We also have a cat –she is all white so we called her ‘snow’.
We live in a nice house with a big garden near Oxford, in England. I am a student. I study French at Oxford university. I love French and France and I am very hardworking. In the future I would like to be a French teacher.
As for my hobbies, I love music, especially pop, and I can play the guitar. I also like going to the cinema and I enjoy watching French films!
I am not very sporty. I can’t ski and I can’t swim! But I like playing soccer with my friends and I sometimes go cycling.
Thank you for listening.

All right, have it your way.

Friendship recipe

Ingredients
- A dash of cheerfulness
- 4 ounces of kindness
- 2 pints of generosity
- 1 spoonful of sharing
- 2 handfuls of smiles
- 1 heaped teaspoonful of laughter
- A pinch of understanding
- 2 tablespoons of happiness
- A sprinkling of playfulness
- 1 pound of love

Method
1. First, mix all the ingredients together.
2. Stir them.
3. Let the time pass and the trust develop.
4. Bake for a few years in a warm heart.
5. Finally, enjoy a perfect friendship.