Swiss Glaciers Lose 5.5% of Their Ice

That is more than one twentieth of their ice. What caused this loss?

The summer was long and hot. Global warming is making glaciers melt faster.

There was more winter snow than in 2022. But the ice loss was still very high.

Yes. In 2022, Swiss glaciers lost 6% of their ice. That was the worst year.

Some large glaciers also had their worst year.

That is right. The Rhône and Aletsch glaciers lost record amounts of ice.

Glaciers are often called Europe’s water towers. How do they help people?

They store winter snow. In spring and summer, melting ice gives water to rivers.

So less glacier ice can mean less water later. What happens when rivers get too low?

This summer, boats stopped on the Rhine and Danube. Some power stations also stopped for a time.

Thank you, Noah.

Our second story is about AI and film star Greta Garbo.

Mia is LinguaWire's correspondent for culture.

Hello, Daniel. An AI version of Greta Garbo appeared in a Swedish advert.

Garbo was a famous Hollywood actor. What was the advert for?

It was for SKF, a company that makes ball bearings. These are small metal balls used in machines.

The AI film was only 99 seconds long. But it has started a bigger conversation.

Yes. Garbo’s relatives may consider an AI version of her for a future film role.

How did the makers create the AI Garbo?

A human actor played the role. Then AI made the actor look and sound like Garbo.

The makers used text descriptions, not Garbo’s photos or film clips.

That is correct. The old images were protected by copyright.

Some critics call this “ghostploitation.” What question does this raise?

People may ask if it is right to use a dead actor’s image in new work.

Thank you, Mia.

Part one: vocabulary.

glacier

A glacier is a large mass of ice. In the story, “Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice this year.”

The glacier is melting.

melt

Melt means to become liquid because of heat. In the story, “Global warming is making glaciers melt faster.”

Ice can melt in the sun.

river

A river is a large natural flow of water. In the story, “In spring and summer, melting ice gives water to rivers.”

We swim in the river.

Part two: the grammar.

Listen: “The summer was long and hot.”

We use the before a noun when we mean one specific thing.

Again, in the story: “The summer was long and hot.”

The film is short.

Repeat after me: The summer was long and hot.