Fluency News #53

Hello, everyone!

Sejam bem-vindos e bem-vindas a mais um episódio da nossa série de podcasts, o Fluency News! Aqui, você vai treinar a sua escuta e ficar por dentro do que está acontecendo no mundo, sempre com as três principais notícias da semana, tudo em inglês! Ao longo do episódio, nós também adicionamos explicações em português das coisas que achamos que precisam de mais atenção, assim você não perde nenhum detalhe!

No episódio desta semana, nós falamos sobre as mudanças envolvendo a Coréia do Sul e a Coréia do Norte e as possíveis negociações para encerrar a guerra que já dura mais de meio século. Também falamos sobre os países que tiveram votações decisivas e sobre as boas notícias envolvendo o coronavírus e as vacinas.

Nós temos uma página de dicas de inglês no Instagram, vá conferir! @fluencytvingles

Toda semana, temos um novo episódio do Fluency News, não deixe de escutar! See you!

Este episódio foi escrito por Lívia Pond.

Episode Transcript

What is up, folks! Welcome back to Fluency News! I’m Scott Lowe, one of your teachers at Fluency Academy. It’s awesome that you decided to join us today, to get informed and train your English skills. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to practice your listening and comprehension skills, while remaining an informed citizen of the world. There’s a new episode of Fluency News every week, so be sure to check back. You can head over to fluencytv.com if you want to listen to any of our other podcast series, or if you want to read the transcript of this episode. You’ll also find the links to all the stories we talk about here today.

Now, how about I stop yapping away, and we jump into the news?

We’re gonna start today’s episode with some good news, actually! The South Korean president suggested a ban on eating dog meat!

President Moon Jae-in said on Monday there might be a need to prohibit dog meat consumption, since the traditional practice is controversial and has been described as “an international embarrassment”.

While no longer as common as before, dog meat has long been a part of the country’s cuisine, with about 1 million dogs eaten annually. The consumption has declined as more people embrace the animals as companions rather than livestock.

South Korea’s pet industry is on the rise, with a growing number of people living with dogs at home – the president among them. Moon is a known dog lover who has several canines at the presidential compound, including one he rescued after taking office.

Moon made the remarks after being briefed by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on efforts to improve the handling of abandoned animals and a mandatory registration system for dogs.

To boost their popularity, several presidential hopefuls have pledged to ban dog meat in recent weeks, especially as dogs have become popular as pets and advocacy groups have urged South Korea to close down restaurants and markets selling dog meat.

Lee Jae-myung, governor of the country’s most populous province of Gyeonggi and a leading presidential contender from Moon’s party, has vowed to push for a ban through social consensus.But Yoon Seok-youl, an opposition front-runner, has said it was a matter of people’s personal choice.

A poll commissioned by animal welfare group Aware released this month said 78% of respondents believed the production and sale of dog and cat meat should be prohibited and 49% supported a consumption ban.

But, another survey by polling firm Realmeter found people were divided over whether the government should ban eating dog meat, though 59% supported legal restrictions on dog slaughter for human consumption. Dog meat sellers have insisted on the right to their occupation, saying their livelihoods are at risk.

Whether, que significa “se”, tem o mesmo som de “weather”, que significa “tempo”, ou “clima”. Para dizer “se” em inglês, podemos dizer “whether” ou “if”. Quando usamos whether, é porque temos as alternativas de escolhas explícitas. Usamos “if” quando temos mais opções de escolha, ou quando estamos falando de condicionais. Se houver a opção de usar tanto uma quanto a outra, você pode escolher a que soar mais natural para você, mas whether costuma ser usada em situações e textos mais formais.

While still talking about Korea, North Korea said it would consider a summit with South Korea if mutual respect can be assured, state news agency KCNA reported.

“I think that only when impartiality and the attitude of respecting each other are maintained, can there be smooth understanding between the north and the south,” Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a KCNA report.

The statement on Saturday (September 25) was the second in two days by Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister and key adviser. She had on Friday urged Seoul to end its “hostile policies” towards Pyongyang after South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in called for the declaration of an official end to the state of war with the North.

The 1950-53 war between the two Koreas ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving Seoul and Pyongyang technically at war for over half a century.

Kim Yo Jong also said a summit, as well as discussions on a declaration to end the war, could be held “at an early date through constructive discussions”.

“There is no need for the North and the South to waste time faulting each other and engaging in a war of words,” she added.

South Korea welcomed the prospect on Sunday, with the unification ministry saying it expected to swiftly engage in talks with Pyongyang, while urging the need to restore a hotline link between the two.

Nessa história, temos dois usos da estrutura there be. Essa estrutura pode ser traduzida como “haver”, “ter” ou “existir”. Quando usamos there em conjunto com o verbo be, ele

não tem uma tradução literal, mas é necessário. Essa estrutura pode ser usada com qualquer tempo verbal, passado, presente, futuro e tudo que existir no meio. Nesses casos, podemos mudar a conjugação do verbo be, ou adicionar algo a ela, como “going to” ou “will”, para falar do futuro, “have been” para falar do Present Perfect, e assim por diante.

Two countries, Switzerland and San Marino, made history this weekend, by holding votes to change their countries’ laws.

Switzerland has become one of the last Western European countries to make same-sex marriage legal, Reuters reported.

A nearly two-thirds majority, or 64 percent of the country, approved the measure in a referendum, which was conducted under the nation’s direct democracy.

The new legislation would legalize same-sex marriage and gives same-sex couples the right to adopt children, or to use sperm donations.

In a statement, Amnesty International said that the new law is a “milestone for equality,” Reuters reported. It will come into effect on July 1st, 2022.

San Marino residents voted overwhelmingly to legalize abortion, rejecting a 150-year-old law that had criminalized it and making the tiny republic the latest majority Catholic state to approve the procedure under certain circumstances.

With 26 of 37 polling stations counted, some 76% of voters approved making abortion legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It will also be legal beyond then if the woman’s life is in danger or if her physical or psychological health are at risk because of fetal anomalies or malformations, according to official returns broadcast on San Marino TV.

With the “yes” votes winning, San Marino’s Parliament must now draft a bill to legalize the procedure

Must é um verbo modal, como “would”, “can” e “should”. Modal verbs são verbos auxiliares, o que significa que sozinhos, eles podem não ter sentido, e por isso, são acompanhados de outros verbos. É possível traduzí-lo para “dever”, “ter que” ou “precisar”. Ele dá ideia de “obrigação”, e pode ser usado para deduzir algo, dar uma sugestão enfática, ou expressar uma obrigação ou necessidade. Ele só é usado no Simple Present, e para formar frases na negativa, é só adicionar o “not” em seguida.

And, finally, some good news surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Pzifer’s CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla said he believes life will return to normal in within a year.

Returning to normal life will have caveats, he said: “I don’t think that this means that the variants will not continue coming, and I don’t think that this means that we should be able to live our lives without having vaccinations,” Bourla said. “But that, again, remains to be seen.”

Bourla also suggested it is likely annual coronavirus vaccine shots will be needed.

“The most likely scenario for me is that because the virus is spread all over the world, that it will continue seeing new variants that are coming out,” Bourla said. “Also we will have vaccines that they will last at least a year, and I think the most likely scenario is annual vaccination, but we don’t know really, we need to wait and see the data.”

Still talking about Covid and good news, according to a new study babies born to women who received vaccines during pregnancy were found to have protective antibodies at birth.

The study, conducted by researchers from New York University Langone Health, showed that the mothers that received either the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and 100 percent of the infants were born with antibodies against the spike of the SARS-CoV-2 (anti-S IgG).

“Studies continue to reinforce the importance of vaccines during pregnancy and their power to protect two lives at once by preventing severe illness in both mothers and babies. If babies could be born with antibodies, it could protect them in the first several months of their lives, when they are most vulnerable,” said Dr. Ashley S. Roman, principal investigator of the study, in a statement.

Another study found that breast milk from mothers who have received a Covid-19 vaccine contains antibodies, which may potentially protect nursing infants against infection.

University of Florida researchers said their findings could have a positive influence on vaccination rates for pregnant and lactating women, for whom vaccines have been deemed safe but many remain hesitant.

“A lot of mums, pregnant women, are afraid to get vaccinated. They want to do what’s best for their babies,” said Dr Josef Neu, study co-author and professor in the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology. He added: “This is something that we wanted to know, whether it may actually provide some benefit”.

Good news for mommies and babies all around the world!

And that’s where we’re going to end today’s episode, folks. Remember to check fluencytv.com to have access to the links to all of our stories and to read the transcript of this episode. That way you’ll be able to further comprehend what you heard, and let your brain make the connections between what you hear and what you read.

E se você quer evoluir o seu inglês, espanhol, francês, italiano, alemão, japonês ou mandarim, aprendendo com os professores da FluencyTV, inscreva-se na nossa lista de espera.

Assim quando a gente abrir uma nova turma você vai ter uma chance ainda melhor de conseguir uma vaga! É só se inscrever clicando no link na descrição desse episódio.

É super rápido e assim você não arrisca perder a próxima turma e ficar meses esperando uma nova chance!

There’s a new episode of Fluency News every week and we’ll be here waiting for you. Peace out!

Stories
South Korean president suggests ban on eating dog meat
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/27/south-korean-president-suggests-ban-on-eating-dog-meat
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skoreas-moon-hints-dog-meat-ban-amid-debate-over-animal-rights-2021-09-27/
North Korea willing to talk to South if respect is assured
hhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/kim-jong-uns-sister-says-north-korea-open-to-talks-with-south-if-seoul-shows-respectttps://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-willing-to-talk-to-south-if-respect-is-assured/a-59309075
https://apnews.com/article/seoul-south-korea-north-korea-kim-yo-jong-ef0b8abcfbe164b9d16cb281aefd26f6
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/kim-jong-uns-sister-says-north-korea-open-to-talks-with-south-if-seoul-shows-respect
Same-sex marriage referendum approved by wide margin in Switzerland
https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/574006-same-sex-marriage-referendum-approved-by-wide-margin-in?rl=1
San Marino voters overwhelmingly back legal abortion
https://ckpgtoday.ca/2021/09/26/san-marino-voters-overwhelmingly-back-legal-abortion/
https://apnews.com/article/abortion-europe-health-religion-italy-f9a1c1c0e4f69156fb551f677f56bcfe
Pregnant Women Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Pass Protection to Their Newborns
https://www.ibtimes.co.in/pregnant-women-vaccinated-against-covid-19-pass-protection-their-newborns-high-levels-antibodies-840996
Covid Breast milk of vaccinated mothers contains antibodies}
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/breast-milk-vaccinated-mums-antibodies-b1914
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla predicts normal life will return within a year and adds we may need annual Covid shots
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/26/pfizer-ceo-albert-bourla-said-we-may-need-annual-covid-shots.html