LINGUAWIRE
Democrats won major elections after talking about high prices. The World Health Organization also approved tests for two vaccines made for a dangerous Ebola v
A current English news story adapted for language learners at A1, with audio, transcript, vocabulary and comprehension work.
Welcome to LinguaWire.
Today: Democrats promise lower costs, and Ebola vaccine trials get approval.
Everything we say today is written out for you, with the vocabulary explained, at linguawire.com.
Our first story is about Democrats and living costs.
Owen is LinguaWire's correspondent for politics.
Hello, Daniel. Democrats won major elections on Tuesday.
They made one message very clear.
They said life must cost less.
What costs worried voters most?
Many voters worried about daily needs.
These included food, fuel and healthcare.
More than eight in ten were worried.
How did voters feel about the economy?
Most voters had a negative view.
This year, they trusted Democrats more.
They trusted Democrats more than Republicans on the economy.
How did Democrats use this during the election?
Democratic candidates spoke about high prices.
They did this across the country.
They also spoke often about inflation.
And what did Republicans talk about?
Republicans tried to focus voters on crime and socialism.
Some messages included Islamophobia.
Democrats won, but can they lower prices?
That may be difficult, Daniel.
Democrats will control the House and Senate in January.
They may try to limit President Trump's tariff powers.
What are tariffs?
Tariffs are taxes on goods from other countries.
Democrats have also discussed restoring healthcare funding.
Republicans cut this funding.
Could these plans help ordinary people?
They could lower costs for consumers.
Congress must first pass new laws.
What could stop those laws?
President Trump can reject laws from Congress.
Democrats do not have enough votes to overrule him.
Has President Trump offered to work with them?
He said he was willing to work with Democrats.
He made a similar offer in 2018.
That earlier offer produced no major laws.
Now Democrats must turn their promise into lower costs.
Thank you, Owen.
Our second story is about new Ebola vaccines.
Sophie is LinguaWire's correspondent for health.
Hello, Daniel. The World Health Organization has approved trials for two new Ebola vaccines.
Where will doctors test these vaccines?
The trials are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The country has its largest Ebola outbreak ever.
Which type of Ebola is spreading there?
It is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
A strain is a type of virus.
This strain has killed more than 5,300 people since May.
Why are the new vaccines important?
There is no vaccine made for Bundibugyo.
There are no treatments made specially for it.
About half of infected people die.
Is there an Ebola vaccine already?
Yes. A trial began last month with Ervebo.
Ervebo was approved for the Zaire Ebola strain.
It was not designed for Bundibugyo.
What is different about these two new vaccines?
They were made for the Bundibugyo virus.
The World Health Organization expects results in early 2027.
Who is leading the trial?
The Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research leads it.
The World Health Organization supports the work.
Other partners also support the trial.
How large is this outbreak now?
More than 10,400 cases are confirmed in Congo.
It is the country's fastest-growing outbreak.
Has the virus reached other countries?
Kenya has reported nine cases.
Two people there have died.
Nigeria has confirmed one case.
What can help people before vaccine results arrive?
Early care can save lives.
Health workers also trace close contacts.
They isolate sick people and organise safe burials.
What happens next?
The World Health Organization is helping nearby countries prepare.
It also wants countries to report cases openly.
It says travel limits can make this harder.
Thank you, Sophie.
Part one: vocabulary.
Strain.
A strain is a type of virus; in the story, “It is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.”
This is a new strain.
Treatment.
A treatment is medical help for an illness; in the story, “There are no treatments made specially for it.”
The doctor gives him treatment.
Outbreak.
An outbreak is when a disease spreads to many people; in the story, “The country has its largest Ebola outbreak ever.”
The outbreak is in the city.
Part two: the grammar.
Past simple of begin.
We use “began” for something that started in the past. It is the past simple of “begin”.
In the story, “A trial began last month with Ervebo.”
The meeting began at ten.
Repeat after me: A trial began last month with Ervebo.
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