LINGUAWIRE
Astronomers found a very unusual object in space, and a health group won a big prize after starting with wedding money.
A current English news story adapted for language learners at A1, with audio, transcript, vocabulary and comprehension work.
Welcome to LinguaWire English A1.
Today we have two stories.
One is about a strange new thing in space.
The other is about a health group and a big prize.
To help you follow today's episode,
full transcripts and vocabulary look-ups are available.
They are available at linguawire.com.
A strange new object in space.
Now we go to Owen, our LinguaWire correspondent for technology.
Astronomers say they found something very unusual.
It sounds like a big moment for space science.
Yes. They say the object is a new kind.
They call it a “black hole star.”
That name is hard to picture.
It is.
It looks like a star.
But it gives out far more energy.
The report says it gives out 100 billion times more energy.
That is more energy than a star.
100 billion times is huge.
It is huge.
That is why this matters.
The team saw it with the James Webb Space Telescope.
They think it is very old too.
How old are we talking?
They say it comes from 660 million years after the Big Bang.
That is very early.
Very early in the universe.
So what made it look so red?
At first, scientists thought it was dust.
But the light pattern did not fit that idea.
Some light simply disappeared at certain points.
That made them think of hydrogen gas instead.
So the color gave them a clue.
Exactly.
The color was a clue.
Then they looked at the power source.
They said it could not be normal star power.
It was not the usual nuclear fusion.
And what did they think it was?
They think a black hole is at the center.
A cloud of gas may sit around it.
So it can look like a star from far away.
That is a very strange picture.
Yes, and they gave it a name.
They call it MoM-BH*-1.
The “BH” part means black hole star.
The number one suggests more may exist.
So this may not be the only one.
That is right.
They think there could be others.
For now, this one is the clearest example.
It feels like a small clue with a big meaning.
Yes.
It may help explain other red dots in space.
A health group wins a big prize.
Now we go to Ella, our LinguaWire correspondent for health.
A small idea has become a very big result.
And it started with a wedding gift fund.
Yes. Dr. Raj Panjabi had just married.
He took $6,000 from wedding guests.
He used it to help start Last Mile Health.
That is a small start for a large group.
It really is.
The group works in hard-to-reach places.
It helps people who live far from clinics.
And now it has won something major.
Yes. It won the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
The prize comes with $3 million.
The report says it is the world’s largest humanitarian award.
It is for a nonprofit group.
That is a serious change from a small wedding fund.
It is.
And the work is very practical.
The group trains community health workers.
These workers go to homes and villages.
They learn to spot sickness early.
What do they help with?
They help with malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea.
They also help pregnant mothers make a birth plan.
And they watch for new disease signs.
So they are the first help in many places.
Yes, often they are the first help.
The group says it now supports 20,000 workers.
Those workers help 32 million people.
That number is much bigger than I expected.
And the group has worked through many hard moments.
It helped during Ebola in Liberia.
It also gave out millions of pieces of protective gear.
It did this during COVID-19.
So the prize is about more than one day.
Exactly.
It is about years of work.
The prize honors a small start that kept growing.
And it shows how local workers can help many families.
Three words from story two.
First, nonprofit. It means a group that does not work to make money. In the story, Last Mile Health is a nonprofit group. Example: My sister works for a nonprofit school.
Second, worker. It means a person who does a job. In the story, the group trains community health workers. Example: The worker visits homes every morning.
Third, village. It means a small place where people live. In the story, the workers go to homes and villages. Example: Our family lives in a village near the river.
Now a grammar point: be going to.
We use be going to for a plan or future result.
Example one: They are going to train community health workers.
Example two: The prize is going to help the group.
Repeat after me: is going to help
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