LINGUAWIRE
One story is about a very unusual kart race in England. The other is about migrants who say they were deported to Africa and do not know what will happen next
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 kart race. The other is about deportation.
Read along at linguawire.com. The transcript is there.
Max Verstappen races karts today.
Now we go to Owen. He is LinguaWire's correspondent for sport.
Thanks, Daniel. Yes, this race is unusual.
Later today, Verstappen goes to Silverstone in England.
He will race at noon Eastern Time.
That is 5 pm in Britain.
So the time is clear now.
Yes. He will race in a kart.
He is in one of 101 identical karts.
The other 100 are for creators.
Red Bull athletes will drive them too.
And they all start before him?
Yes, they all start ahead of him.
So he begins with a disadvantage.
If he passes a kart, that driver is out.
He has 30 laps to catch them all.
That sounds fast and busy.
It is.
The race uses a special layout.
It is at Silverstone.
He is a four-time Formula 1 world champion.
So this is a very big name.
Yes, and he also likes karting.
Other F1 drivers have tried similar races.
But this one has more karts.
It also has more competition.
Why do people want to watch it?
Because Verstappen is a strong driver.
And the race is very unusual.
It is one driver against 100 others.
That image is easy to see.
Yes. It is a very rare challenge.
Thanks, Owen.
Some migrants say they are in legal limbo.
Now we go to Grace, our LinguaWire correspondent for society.
Thanks, Daniel. This case is hard.
Some Latino immigrants say they were sent to Africa.
One man says this is a nightmare.
His name is Yasmany Moreno de Armas.
What does he say about it?
He says he feels kidnapped.
He is 32 years old.
He is Cuban.
He lived in Miami with his family.
And he also worked there, right?
Yes. He worked at a meatpacking plant.
Federal immigration authorities detained him last May.
Then he moved between detention centers.
Later, he was put on a plane.
Did he know where he was going?
He says no.
Two hours into the flight, he got the news.
He says it was a deportation flight to Africa.
He said, “I thought it was a lie.”
That sounds shocking.
Yes, and the numbers are big too.
About 25,000 people have been sent to third countries.
That means countries where they do not have citizenship.
Or close ties.
The report says these removals are rare.
So this is a wider policy change.
Yes. Lawyers say the recent rise matters.
They say there are deals with many countries now.
Some new places include Liberia.
Also Ghana, the Central African Republic, and Sierra Leone.
What is the problem for these people?
They may go far away.
They may get little warning.
They may also have no home there.
Thanks, Grace.
Let’s look at a few useful English words from story two.
limbo
It means a time when things are unclear. In the story, it was "legal limbo." My papers are still in limbo.
detention
It means when officers hold someone. In the story, it was "detention centers." He was in detention for two days.
deportation
It means when a country sends someone out. In the story, it was "deportation flight." Some people fear deportation after a court case.
He is in one of 101 identical karts
We use is for a fact or description.
We use it for people and things.
He is in one of 101 identical karts.
The book is on the chair.
Repeat after me: He is in one of 101 identical karts.
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