Prince William hopes to end homelessness in UK
29th June - "Easier"
The UK's Prince William wants to end homelessness in his country.
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to fight in a cage
26th June - "Harder"
Twitter owner Mr Musk has challenged Mr Zuckerberg to fisticuffs in a cage fight.
Multinational companies to hire 250,000 refugees
22nd June - "Easier"
Multinational companies will help around 250,000 refugees by giving them a job.
Groundwater pumping by humans has tilted Earth's axis
19th June - "Harder"
We have extracted so much groundwater from under our feet that we have changed the tilt of Earth's axis.
Your soap might mean mosquitoes bite you more
15th June - "Easier"
Scientists say the smell of the soap we use could attract mosquitoes.
Four children survive in Amazon jungle for 40 days
12th June - "Harder"
Four children have survived a plane crash and a month in the Amazon jungle.
Smiling lessons in Japan after years of mask-wearing
8th June - "Easier"
People in Japan who have gone maskless are taking lessons in how to smile again.
Canada to put health warnings on individual cigarettes
5th June - "Harder"
Every individual cigarette sold in Canada will have a warning label put on it.
Chinese airliner makes first commercial flight
1st June - "Easier"
China has entered the business of making airplanes.
New York City sinking four millimetres a year
29th May - "Harder"
New York City is sinking by up to four millimetres a year under the weight of all its skyscrapers.
New Zealand loses manuka honey trademark battle
25th May - "Easier"
The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand decided that no one could trademark the word "manuka"
China set to become world's largest car maker
22nd May - "Harder"
China is set to become the world's largest automobile exporter for the first time.
Self-checkout machines asking customers to tip
18th May - "Easier"
Self-checkout machines are asking for tips in airports, stadiums, cookie shops, and cafes.
Pope says Italians should have babies, not pets
15th May - "Harder"
Pope Francis has urged Italian couples to have babies instead of pets.
Animal testing for cosmetics to restart in U.K.
11th May - "Easier"
The U.K. will allow cosmetics to be tested on animals for the first time in 25 years.
Internet use could lower risk of dementia
8th May - "Harder"
New research suggests that spending time online could be good for the mental health of older people.
Germany issues cheap public transport ticket
4th May - "Easier"
A new travel pass allows the use of local and regional transportation across Germany for just 49 euros a month.
2,000 near-threatened white rhinos to be auctioned
30th April - "Harder"
Nearly 2,000 near-threatened white rhinos will be auctioned on International Save the Rhino Day.
Traditional English tea losing popularity in UK
27th April - "Easier"
Herbal, fruit and other teas have become more popular than traditional English breakfast tea in the UK.
UAE astronaut sends Ramadan greetings from space
24th April - "Harder"
An Emirati astronaut has sent an end-of-Ramadan greeting from space.
South Korea pays lonely people to leave the house
20th April - "Easier"
S. Korea will pay young, lonely people $500 a month to leave their home.
Athlete spends 500 days in underground cave
17th April - "Harder"
An elite athlete has just emerged from spending a record-breaking 500 days alone in a cave.
Car license plate sells for record $15 million
13th April - "Easier"
A car license plate has just sold for a record $15 million in Dubai
ChatGPT-4 may be useful for medical diagnoses
10th April - "Harder"
Doctors believe ChatGPT-4 will revolutionize their work and improve the lives of their patients.
Italy's government may punish the use of English
6th April - "Easier"
Italy may introduce a law that would fine people who used English in official communications.
Scientists say plants 'scream' when stressed
3rd April - "Harder"
Researchers have discovered that plants emit sounds when they are stressed.
Scientists know more about how we forget
30th March - "Easier"
New research may help people who have memory problems.
UK charity hopes to 'decolonise' English vocabulary
27th March - "Harder"
The U.K. charity Oxfam wants to "decolonise" English.
New orchid species found in Japan
23rd March - "Easier"
An amateur naturalist came across a new species of orchid in Tokyo.
Climate change extends allergy season
20th March - "Harder"
Hay fever sufferers have been warned that spring has arrived up to four weeks earlier than usual.
Vinyl records outsell CDs for first time since 1987
16th March - "Easier"
In 2022, vinyl record sales were greater than CD sales for the first time since 1987.
Half of world population will be overweight by 2035
13th March - "Harder"
A report says half of us will be classed as obese or overweight by 2035.
Scientists believe dinosaurs sounded like birds
9th March - "Easier"
The Tyrannosaurus rex probably made more of a tweeting sound, like a bird.
British supermarkets ration fruit and vegetables
6th March - "Harder"
British supermarkets are rationing produce like cucumbers and tomatoes amid shortages.
Sensitivity readers edit James Bond and Roald Dahl books
2nd March - "Easier"
An increasing number of famous books are being edited by sensitivity readers.
See the links below for earlier lessons.
Lessons were produced every day between Nov 2004 and Dec 2005.
Lessons were produced at "easier" and "harder" levels between Apr 2005 and Aug 2006.
Podcasts started in Apr 2005.
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