【664-666】Building Boats Helps At-Risk Young Adults Improve...
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AS IT IS
Building Boats Helps At-Risk Young Adults Improve Their Lives
December 11, 2018
The art of building small wooden boats is being used to help young, at-risk adults in the United States. These young men and women are being trained and working as apprentices in a boat building program in Alexandria, Virginia.
The Alexandria Seaport Foundation is providing support for the program, which serves the Washington, D.C. area. It aims to help those who have little hope of attending college or finding a good-paying job. The goal is to give young people the skills, state of mind and self-control to change their lives for the better.
The year-round program teaches small groups of people how to build small wooden sailboats and canoes. The apprentices are from 18 to 22 years old.
One apprentice is 19-year-old Chris Adkins from Florida. He is learning what it takes to build boats that are beautiful and useful, with hammers, saws and other tools.
"It's been fun to learn how to use these tools," he said.
Jimmy Gottfried is the head of the boat-building program. He once served as a boat-building apprentice.
"Many of the apprentices in our program have faced many challenges in their life, such as lack of family support, dropping out of school, having run-ins with the law. And they're looking for a way to gain back the confidence they need to go back out into the workforce."
The apprentices are guided by volunteers who teach them how to build the boats, as well as guide the young people in their personal lives.
Some of the apprentices have yet to finish high school. The Alexandria Seaport Foundation works to help them prepare for and pass a series of tests called the GED. Passing the GED is comparable to having completed high school.
Apprentices who struggle with mathematics receive help from a volunteer teacher.
Adkins says he was a good student in high school. But he had to leave school to work because of family issues.
"My mom died when I was 8-years-old, so that’s always something that’s on me. One reason that I came to the program was because they want to help you. I'm not used to someone wanting to help me, or enthusiastic about it..."
Jay Helinski completed the program about one year ago. He speaks of his own experiences as a model for the group.
"And they know that I'm living proof of what hard work, dedication, and just the willpower to succeed gets you to."
Adkins is now more than halfway through his apprenticeship. He says he feels better about himself. He has passed his high school equivalency and hopes to go to college one day.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Deborah Block reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
apprentice – n. a person who learns a job or skill by working for a fixed period of time for someone who is very good at that job or skill
confidence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
run-in – n. an angry argument
enthusiastic – adj. feeling or showing strong excitement about something; filled with or marked by enthusiasm
dedication – n. self-sacrifice
challenge – n. a difficult test or problem
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AS IT IS
Police Stop Tesla Vehicle with Driver Sleeping Inside
December 11, 2018
In this Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, palm trees are reflected on the hood of a Tesla Model S on display in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Police in California say they were able to stop a Tesla vehicle that was speeding with the driver sleeping inside.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported the Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system might have made it possible for officers to stop the vehicle.
The incident was described in a police report. It happened early in the morning on November 30.
The report said the CHP officers observed the Tesla Model S traveling at speeds up to 113 kilometers an hour on a road near San Francisco. The car was violating the speed limit for vehicles in the area.
When officers drove up next to the vehicle and looked inside, they saw that the driver appeared to be asleep in the driver’s seat. The report said the officers then drove behind the Tesla and turned on their car’s warning lights and siren in an attempt to get the driver to stop. But they said the driver did not wake up.
The officers knew that Tesla vehicles are equipped with a driver assistance system and thought the driver might have been using it at the time.
There are different levels of driver assistance systems. The technology is generally designed to electronically help drivers stay in a lane and keep a safe distance from other vehicles. The systems can also slow or stop a vehicle to avoid an accident or in case of an emergency.
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The police report said the officers got an idea for how they might be able to stop the vehicle as the driver slept inside. They decided to move the police car directly in front of the speeding Tesla and gradually slow their car down.
The officers said that as the police vehicle slowed, the speeding vehicle also reduced its speed. Eventually, the Tesla came to a complete stop, the report said.
Officers were then able to wake the driver and they took him to a service station nearby. Police also drove away the Tesla. Its driver, a 45-year-old male, was given a test by officers to see whether he was driving while under the influence of alcohol. He failed the test, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, and sent to jail.
The report said the CHP could not confirm whether the Tesla’s driver assistance system was activated at the time of the incident. But it noted that considering the vehicle’s ability to slow and stop when the driver was asleep, “it appears the ‘driver assistance’ feature may have been active at the time.”
The report followed several highly publicized crashes involving Tesla vehicles equipped with driving assistance tools. Tesla says that owners of its vehicles are told that none of its driver assistance tools are meant to fully drive the car by itself.
One of the tools, Tesla’s Autopilot system, is designed to permit full self-driving capabilities. But the company says when using this tool, drivers should still keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take control if the system fails to work.
Telsa chief Elon Musk reacted to the incident in a message on Twitter. He said the company was investigating to see what happened. He added that if Autopilot was being used at the time, the system was supposed to gradually slow and stop the vehicle “if there’s no driver input.”
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A recent study found that driver assistance systems can fail to perform some actions in real-world test situations. The American Automobile Association, known as AAA, tested several vehicles equipped with the technology. It found that test vehicles repeatedly struggled on busy roads when dealing with common traffic situations.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on a report from the Associated Press and online sources. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
siren – n.piece of equipment that makes a loud sound as a warning
lane – n.part of road that is marked by painted lines and used as a single line of vehicles
alcohol– n.a colorless liquid that acts like a drug when taken
feature – n.an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc.
steering – n.the controlling of a vehicle in one direction or another
gradually – adv. happening slowly over a period of time
eventually - adj. at some later time : in the end
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AS IT IS
US Lowers Pakistan’s Rating on Religious Freedom List
December 11, 2018
Supporters of Muslim Student Organization (MSO) chant slogans during a protest after the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Nov. 2, 2018.
The United States is adding Pakistan to its list of nations that have taken part in or permitted “systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom”.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday that he added Pakistan to the U.S. list of “countries of particular concern.” The State Department is required by U.S. law to rate religious freedom by country every year.
Human rights defenders have long voiced concern about Pakistan’s treatment of religious minorities, including Shiites, Ahmadis and Christians.
The country had earlier been on a U.S. special watch list for religious freedom. The action Tuesday means that Pakistan could become a target of U.S. sanctions. However, such measures have generally been ignored in the past.
China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar and North Korea all appear on the new list of “countries of particular concern”. Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are also named. All of the countries were also named on the list last year.
Uzbekistan had formerly been named a “country of particular concern,” but Pompeo moved it to the special watch list this year. The watch list now also includes the Comoros Islands and Russia.
Pompeo also named several Islamic militant groups as “entities of particular concern” as they do not meet the definition of countries.
The groups are the al-Nusra front in Syria, Somalia’s al-Shabab, Boko Haram in West Africa, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Islamic State, the Taliban and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
“In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests, or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs,” Pompeo said. “The United States will not stand by as spectators in the face of such oppression.”
I'm Anna Matteo.
The Associated Press reported this story. Hai Do adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
egregious - adj. very bad and easily noted
particular - adj. used to indicate something specific
entity - n. something that exists by itself
harassment - n. act of constantly and repeatedly bothering someone
spectator - n. a person who watches an activity
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