The music of this week is “Under Pressure”, a collaboration of David Bowie and Freddie Mercury! Enjoy!

COMPOSITION

Most modern families have both parents working and, as a result, children spend less and less time with their parents. What is the reason for this? What problems can this cause? (150 words)

ENGLISH LEARNING LINKS

Duolingo – Free Online English Exercises

https://pt.duolingo.com/

BBC Learning English

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish

Voa News – Learning English

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

READING AND LISTENING

Is There a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System?

Audio: http://av.voanews.com/clips/VLE/2016/01/15/bee93490-903f-4528-aaf4-4b85d06d71e3_hq.mp3

Scientists said they have found evidence of a giant planet far out in our solar system.

In a statement, the California Institute of Technology – Caltech — said this planet travels a strange “highly elongated orbit in the distant solar system.”

The discovery was made by two researchers at Caltech: Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown.  They used mathematical modeling and computer simulations to find the planet.

So far, there have not been any direct observations of the planet.

“My jaw hit the floor,” said astronomer Mike Brown, the moment he realized there might be a ninth planet.

The scientists said it would take this planet 10,000 to 20,000 years just to make one full orbit around the sun. The new planet, called “Planet Nine” has a mass about 10 times the size of Earth.

If they are right, the newly found planet would be the ninth planet in our solar system.  Pluto had been called the ninth planet until 2006, when it was renamed a “dwarf planet.”

Actual confirmation of a ninth planet would be very big news.

“This would be a real ninth planet,” Brown said in the statement. “There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It’s a pretty substantial chunk of our solar system that’s still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting.”

It is believed that the planet orbits, or travels, around the sun from a great distance. The planet Neptune’s average distance to the sun is about 4.5 billion kilometers.  But “Planet Nine,” could be 20 times farther away from the sun than that.

While they did not get a picture of “Planet Nine” yet, the scientists say they are using the biggest—and best — telescopes on Earth to try to find “Planet Nine.”

They are also working on fine-tuning their computer simulations.  They want to find out more about “Planet Nine’s” orbit, and its impact on the outer part of our solar system.

Brown and Batygin reported their findings in the Astronomical Journal. They say that this new planet is so large that there should be no doubt that it is a true planet, once they confirm it.

Robert Massey is with the Royal Astronomical Society in London.  He told AFP that planets have been predicted before, and then were not found.

But, he said the work of these researchers is definitely worth following up.

“It would be a really exciting thing to find. At the moment it’s simply a prediction.”

I’m Anne Ball.

WORDS IN THIS STORY

solar system –n. our sun and the planets that move around it

elongated –adj. stretched out

orbit –n. path of one body as it moves around another

simulation –n. something made to  look or behave like something else so it can be studied

fine-tuning –v. to make small changes to improve the way something works

ENGLISH VIDEO CLASS

Using metaphors to speak English more fluently

Do you know what a metaphor is? I’d like to show you how English speakers commonly use metaphors in everyday conversations. Metaphors make our language more interesting and beautiful. I’ll give you many examples of metaphors and show you how they are used. I’ll teach you some easy metaphors like busy bee and melting pot, and even show you an extended metaphor written by Shakespeare.

If you’re learning about metaphors in school, it’s also important to understand the difference between metaphors and similes and to know their definitions. Practice these expressions and use them when you’re speaking to your friends and classmates. After the lesson, test your understanding of metaphors by taking the quiz.

Video: https://youtu.be/tEGWeQ1FK8E

GRAMMAR

Past Perfect Progressive (Past Perfect Continuous)

https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/past-perfect-progressive

Future I Simple going to

https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-going-to

MUSIC

Under Pressure – David Bowie, Freddie Mercury

Video: https://youtu.be/a01QQZyl-_I

Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah

Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah

Pressure, pushing down on me

Pressing down on you, no man ask for

Under pressure, that burns a building down

Splits a family in two

Puts people on streets

Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah

Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah

That’s o-kay

It’s the terror of knowing

What this world is about

Watching some good friends

Screaming `Let me out’

Pray tomorrow takes me higher

Pressure on people, people on streets

Doh doh doh bah bah bah bah

O-kay

Chipping around, kick my brains around the floor

These are the days it never rains but it pours

People on streets, people on streets

It’s the terror of knowing

What this world is about,

Watching some good friends

Screaming `Let me out’

Pray tomorrow takes me higher

Pressure on people, people on streets

Turned away from it all, like a blind man

Sat on a fence but it don’t work

Keep coming up with love

But it’s so slashed and torn

Why why why?

Love love love love

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