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(1) Scientists Say N. Korea's Nuclear Test Site Likely Collapsed
(2) Lawmakers Consider Issue of International Child Kidnappings
(3)Learning Passive Modals: It Can Be Done!
(4) The Making of a Nation
(1) Scientists Say N. Korea's Nuclear Test Site Likely Collapsed
FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2017, file photo, Earthquake and Volcano of the Korea Monitoring Division Director Ryoo Yong-gyu speaks to the media about North Korea's artificial earthquake with a map of the Korean peninsular in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
Chinese researchers say the mountain above North Korea’s main nuclear test site has likely collapsed. If so, the collapse would make the test site unsafe for future testing, and the area would need to be examined for any leaking radiation.
Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China carried out the research. Their findings may give new meaning to North Korean President Kim Jong Un’s recent announcement. He said this month that his country was ending its nuclear testing program ahead of planned meetings with the leaders of South Korea and the United States.
The results also support findings of an earlier study by a group of Chinese researchers. That report was published in March by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The latest study has also been accepted for publication by Geophysical Research Letters.
What could have happened?
The data in the most recent Chinese study was collected following the most powerful of North Korea’s six nuclear device tests, on September 3. That test was at least 10 times stronger than anything the country had tested before. Scientists say the explosion may have helped cause four earthquakes in the following weeks. Earthquakes do not naturally happen in the area around the test site.
The report by University of Science and Technology researchers said the first of those earthquakes was “an onsite collapse toward the nuclear test center.” They urged officials to continue to watch for leaks of radioactive material.
Special concern to China
North Korea’s nuclear tests are of special concern to China; the test site is less than 100 kilometers from the China-North Korea border.
North Korean nuclear tests have caused seismic events in Chinese border towns and cities. The explosions have led to evacuations of schools and offices, and fears of wind-carried radiation.
Chinese officials have said they have not measured any radiation risk from recent samples collected along the China-North Korea border.
Relations between China and North Korea have been worsening. Last month, North Korean President Kim Jong Un made a visit to Beijing, after Chinese officials put United Nations economic sanctions against the North in place. The sanctions reduced trade between the two countries by as much as 90 percent.
On Saturday, North Korea announced it would close its nuclear testing site and suspend nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. U.S. President Donald Trump called the moves “big progress.”
However, the North did not say whether it would give up its nuclear weapons or limit its production of missiles and their related parts.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
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Words in This Story
journal - n. a magazine that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people
leak - v. to let something (such as a liquid or gas) in or out through a hole in a surface
onsite - adv. at the place where a business or activity happens
seismic - adj. of, relating to, or caused by an earthquake
sample - n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from
sanctions - n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc. — usually plural
(2) Lawmakers Consider Issue of International Child Kidnappings
FILE - Fathers who lost their children to spousal abduction to Japan hold photos of their children during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 5, 2010.
An American doctor recently gave an emotional speech about his son to Senate lawmakers in Washington.
Chris Brann told lawmakers on Tuesday about the abduction of his son Nicholas, whose mother moved him to Brazil in 2012. Brann said his experience of the loss “is best described as a living death.”
Nicholas’ mother, who was born in Brazil, is no longer married to Brann.
Such kidnapping is not unusual.
In the United States, hundreds of international child abductions by parents are reported each year. The rate of return of children is said to be about 45 percent.
Lawmakers of both American political parties say the U.S. can and must do a better job of recovering its youngest citizens. They say such abductions must be prevented.
Chuck Grassley is the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said Congress and the administration can do more to end the kidnappings.
Laws against abductions
The United States is one of 82 countries that have signed the 1980 Hague Convention to fight international child abduction.
The agreement requires nations to quickly return minors illegally taken to other countries by a parent.
In the U.S., the 1993 International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act is a federal law. It established federal punishments for a parent who violates another parent’s rights of custody.
Another law on the issue is the 2014 International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act. It permits the State Department to punish nations that fail to help in solving international abduction cases involving American children. Punishments include public condemnation, suspending U.S. development aid or cancelling state visas.
However, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Carl Risch said the department did not often use such measures.
“Continued diplomatic engagement is our best tool to promote long-term institutional changes in foreign governments,” he said.
Chris Brann is dissatisfied with efforts to bring back his son. He said the State Department is not using all the tools it can use.
Noelle Hunter also spoke to the committee. She told of how her former husband took her daughter Muna to Mali in 2011. The Senate’s Republican leader Mitch McConnell led an effort to push Malian officials to return Muna. She came back to America in 2014.
Hunter said, “If every member of Congress with kidnapped constituents would begin to regularly inquire of federal agencies and the [foreign] nations in which they are held, these children are going to come home.”
The committee’s top Democratic Party member, Dianne Feinstein, supported efforts by lawmakers on the issue. But she said her state, California, had hundreds of parents with a child missing in another country.
Feinstein called for more power for the State Department and other to deal with the issue.
Federal officials say preventing abductions is the best way to deal with the problem. They note that a program is in place to have U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents act if a child is at risk of abduction.
Don Conroy directs the agency’s National Targeting Center. He said, “Returning a child is sometimes very complex. Prevention is a key piece of this.”
On the issue of abductions, both Democrats and Republicans said they want to see more done.
I’m Mario Ritter.
Michael Bowman reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
abduction –n. to take someone away by force or against their will
custody –n. the responsibility to take care of a child
engagement –n. involvement in something
promote –v. to give support to something, to make people aware of something
institutional –adj. of or about an established organization
constituents –n. people who live and vote in an area
regularly –adv. usually
inquire –v. to ask about
key –adj. major; important
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(3)Learning Passive Modals: It Can Be Done!
Everyday Grammar: Passive Modals
Imagine that you are planning to travel to another country. There is a lot that you need to do before you leave. Here are some things that might need to be done:
Your passport has to be renewed.
Your hair still needs to be cut.
Your shoes should be repaired.
And your dog is supposed to be taken to a friend’s house.
All of these sentences use either modals or something called “phrasal modals," and they are in the passive voice.
You may remember that, in a passive sentence, the person performing the action is not stated because it is not very important to know who that person is.
For example, in the sentence about the haircut, the listener does not know who will cut your hair. But that is ok, because it is not very important to that statement.
You may also recall that, for the passive voice, we use the structure be + past participle, as you noticed in all of the example sentences.
Now, let’s move on to a quick reminder about modals:
Modals are helping verbs that express possibility, ability, duty, permission or advisability. Words like can, could, may, might, must and should – and even will – are all modals. But modals also include something called “phrasal modals” – phrases such as has to, ought to and be supposed to.
As you heard in our examples at the start of the program, we sometimes need the passive form of modals and phrasal modals.
But, don’t worry! This is surprisingly simple.
The structure is: modal or modal phrase + be + the past participle.
For example, in the sentence about the haircut, need is the modal. Then comes the verb be, and its form does not change. And, cut is the past participle of the irregular verb to cut.
The past-passive form
Ok, now imagine that some of the things on your travel “to do” list are complete. But, some of the other things still need to be completed.
How can you tell someone this using the past tense of modals and phrasal modals?
For all modals and some phrasal modals, the only difference is changing be to have been. So, the structure becomes modal or modal phrase + have been + the past participle. Listen to an example.
My shoes should have been repaired last week.
In this sentence, should is the modal. Then comes have been – which stays the same – plus repaired, which is the past participle of the verb to repair.
But for other phrasal modals – ones that contain the verb be – the be changes to past tense. This includes the phrasal modals be supposed to, be able to and be allowed to.
The structure for this is: past tense form of be (with) phrasal modal + have been + thepast participle.
Here is an example:
My dog was supposed to have been taken to a friend’s house.
Here, the be changes to was. And notice that the words have been still do not change. And, the past participle of the verb to take is taken.
Asking a question
But, what if you want to ask a question? Using the question form of many English grammar structures can be tricky.
So let’s try to make questions out of a few of our example sentences. When asking a yes-or-no question, the question can begin with one of several words. For instance, it may begin with the modal, such as should, can and could, or with the word do, did or does or is or are?
Here is an example with does:
Does your passport have to be renewed?
Here is one with is:
Is your dog supposed to be taken to a friend’s house?
And, here is an example with should:
Should your shoes be repaired by next week?
Avoiding the passive
At times, it is best to avoid the passive voice; the sentence structure can create unclear statements. And, in some types of academic writing, such as essays, passive voice is usually discouraged. However, in other types of written and spoken communication, it is readily used. You will see and hear the passive voice in written and broadcast journalism, scientific writing and sometimes in formal letters. And, of course, we use the passive voice in informal speech and writing. So, it is useful to know how to use passive modals.
What can you do?
So, what can you do to practice? Here are a few possibilities. Feel free to write your answers in the comments section:
1. Imagine that you manage a company. You must write a memo to remind your employees what the company policies are. This includes dress code, social behavior and use of the kitchen and appliances. Start your memo: “This is a friendly reminder about office rules.” Then, use passive modals to write the rules. For example: “Dishes may be used, but they must not be left dirty in the sink.”
2. Think about what is happening around your city. What are some things that need to, should, could or may happen or have already happened? For example, do the streets need to be repaired? For this practice, you can use the passive form or past-passive form. Here’s an example: “The new metro station should be completed in 2018.” That's the passive modal. Or “The new metro should have been completed in March.” That's the past-passive modal.
And, if you're feeling brave, you can even try using the question form of passive or past-passive modals.
Learning these grammar structures is not too difficult, and I am here to tell you this: it can be done.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence
irregular - adj. not normal or usual
practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it
discourage - v. to try to make people not want to do something
memo - n. a usually brief written message from one person or department in an organization or company
dress code - n. a set of rules about what clothing may and may not be worn at a school, office, restaurant, et cetera
sink - n. a wide bowl that has a faucet for water and a drain at the bottom and is usually positioned in a counter
brave - adj. feeling or showing no fear
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