By Anjana Pasricha 28 May, 2015
Usually hot weather is affecting people across large parts of India. Temperatures reached and even topped 46 degrees Celsius.
Indians who had a choice stayed inside buildings or at home to escape the killer heat. But tens of thousands of people did not have that choice. Many of them are employed as constructionworkers, taxi drivers and street vendors, who make a living by selling goods to passersby.
Shaibaz Qureshi drives an auto rickshaw in the city of Hyderabad.
An Indian auto rickshaw driver rests on a hot summer day in Hyderabad, India, Monday, May 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
He says that the weather is a problem. But if he stops working, he will not be able to earn money.
The number of heat-related deaths has climbed over the past week. Most of the deaths have been reported in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. That is where the highest temperatures were recorded.
Y.K. Reddy is a weather expert and the head of the Meteorological Department in Hyderabad. He told VOA this is the worst heat wave to hit the area in nearly 10 years.
He says this summer season three records have been broken. In other places records are not broken, but they have reached 47 degrees plus in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
High temperatures are common in India in May and June. Dry winds blowing from the Northwest have intensified the heat recently all across northern and central India. The hot weather has reached the capital, New Delhi. A national newspaper, Hindustan Times, showed a picture of street tar and paint melting on the stripe markings of a walkway.
Sunil Kumar Aledia is with the Center for Holistic Development in New Delhi. He says homeless people are the most at risk from the extreme heat. He says these men and women usually spend the night in government shelters during the winter months. But they get no break from hot weather at this time of year.
Mr. Aledia says the shelters are usually cabins or tin structures, and in the summer they are only 10% full. He says this is because they lack electric fans, coolers or drinking water facilities. So they become very hot.
Officials in the worst affected states advise people to stay inside buildings during the afternoon, when temperatures are the highest. They also say people should drink plenty of fluids and not go outside without a hat. In some places, doctors were told to cancel their leave plans because hospitals had so many cases of heat stroke, a serious heat-related disorder.
Many taxis in Indian cities operate without air conditioning equipment. In Kolkata two taxi drivers died from heat stroke last week. Their deaths led labor unions to tell taxi drivers that they could turn down passengers in the afternoon. In the
eastern state of Orissa, the government advised laborers to suspend hard work between late morning and four o'clock in the afternoon.
The arrival of monsoon rains could offer some help from the oppressively high heat. But the worst affected states may not get an early break. That is because the rains get to the south and west of India first, before arriving in the northern and eastern plains. But in Hyderabad, Mr. Reddy is hoping that a rare thunder shower will lower temperatures in the coming days.
I'm Anne Ball
Reporter Anjana Pasricha wrote this story for VOA. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
construction – adj. related to the building industry
auto rickshaw – n. a small motorized vehicle that is used to transport people short distances
heat wave – n. a time of unusually hot weather
美国之音 > VOA Special English > AS IT IS
Greece Says No Payment to Lenders Without Deal
By Mario Ritter 28 May, 2015
Greece has said it cannot make its debt payment to the International Monetary Fund for June. The country's Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis spoke on Greek television Sunday. He said the country needs to reach a deal with its creditors or it will not be able to make payments.
European countries using the euro have been negotiating with Greece for four months. Greece is seeking the release of over $7 billion to avoid defaulting on its loans. The loans are repayment for a financial rescue plan for Greece valued at over $300 billion.
The day before the Interior Minister spoke, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Greece was ready to accept a \viableand long-lasting\humiliating terms\agreement. Mr. Tsipras is under pressure from his Syriza party not to accept additional austerity measures such as further cuts in public spending.
Greek Minister of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction Nikos Voutsis arrives for a cabinet meeting at the parliament in Athens, May 12, 2015.
Earlier, the Greek government said it was in danger of running out of money soon without a deal, but said it still plans to make all required payments.
The government is under heavy pressure to reach an agreement with its Eurozone partners, including Europe's biggest economy, Germany. However, the government opposes new austerity measures that it says will make the situation worse by preventing its recovery from years of recession: one of the worst recessions in modern times.
Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Greece has made \lenders to avoid bankruptcy. He said now financial institutions had to do their part.
The finance minister told Britain's BBC that Greece had met its partners three fourth of the way.
Mr. Varoufakis added that it would be \catastrophic\\
I'm Mario Ritter.
This report is based on reporting from Reuters and VOA sources. Mario Ritter wrote it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
default – n. the failure to make a payment, such as on a loan
viable – adj. able to go forward or to be successful
humiliating – adj. to make someone feel very ashamed or foolish
austerity – n. limiting spending to as little as is possible, to lack anything that is not considered necessary
catastrophic – adj. disastrous, very bad
美国之音 > VOA Special English > Education Report
Successful Debaters Earn Business Benefits
By Dr. Jill Robbins 28 May, 2015
Over the last few weeks we discussed a method for teaching debate to English learners. Debate is a valuable way to practice communicating. It can also bring long-lasting rewards outside the classroom, especially for people working with Western businesses.
Communicating Western-style
The main activity of debate is presenting one's opinion and supporting it with evidence, such as statistics or facts. It is a way of persuasive communication – of making someone believe what you are saying.
Charles Lebeau helped create the \Discover Debate\communicate in Western business. Successful debaters learn how to give their opinion, reasons and support.
\else's opinion, rather than brush their opinion aside and say, \
Debate skills are also important in selling a product, he says. In that situation, the judges are the customers.
\strong a case as they can. On Tuesday, the next day, another company will come in and present their case to the customer. Usually the party that can present the strongest case wins.\
He adds that people use persuasive communication in meetings, too. Three or four people may present ideas. Then, they attack or support each other's arguments.
\In Japan, we don't really do that, we don't respond to a person point by point. In English-style meetings, we do do that and Japanese participants need to do that in an English style meeting in order to be successful.\
Critical thinking
Debate also strengthens critical thinking. In other words, it helps students learn to ask questions and try to understand someone's reasons and evidence.
Mr. Lebeau points out that successful debaters learn to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Then, they look for the weak points in someone else's opinion or argument. He says debate teaches a systematic way of questioning.
Broadening one's perspective
Successful debaters also learn to think from someone else's point of view. Mr. Lebeau says debate can help broaden the mind.
\wonderful thing about debate is, it puts us in another person's shoes.\
For example, students in a debate might argue the topic \argue in favor of soccer, even if he or she does not really think soccer is better than baseball. But the student will have to explain why soccer is an interesting sport and present the viewpoint of soccer fans. The exercise will offer a way of thinking the student may not have normally had.
Debate can improve one's thinking and language so much that it brings benefits to a student's life and career. Professor Lebeau tells a story about teaching debate to new employees at Toshiba. One young woman came up and asked, \
you remember me?\improved her English skills so much that she had been able to get a good job in the company.
She is living evidence of the benefits of learning to debate.
I'm Jill Robbins.
Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
persuasive - adj. able to cause people to do or believe something; able to persuade people
critical thinking - n. analyzing and evaluating an issue in order to form a judgment
broaden - v. to make something wider or more general
Now it's your turn. Do you have any experience with learning to debate? What did you find were the benefits? Write to us in the comments section.
美国之音 > VOA Special English > In the News
FIFA President: Charges Bring Shame to Sport
By VOA 28 May, 2015
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said corruption scandals within the world soccer organization have brought \and humiliation\
Mr. Blatter spoke Thursday at the opening of the FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland. He was speaking publicly for the first time since U.S. and Swiss officials announced major corruption investigations of the organization.
Meanwhile, two major European football associations called on Mr. Blatter to resign, ahead of the organization's presidential elections planned for Friday. UK Prime Minister David Cameron also supported calls for Sepp Blatter to step down.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter delivers his speech during the opening ceremony of the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, May 28, 2015.
Major FIFA sponsors like Visa and Coca-Cola are calling for FIFA to make major changes within the organization. The United Nations is also reviewing its partnerships with FIFA following allegations of widespread corruption, a U.N. spokesman said Thursday.