{
  "samples": [
    {
      "id": "s-voa-intonation",
      "title": "The rise and fall of English sentences",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 148.5,
      "audio": "/static/samples/voa-intonation.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 13.83,
          "text": "Many English learners can improve their pronunciation by listening carefully to native English speakers and trying to match the up-and-down movement of their sentences."
        },
        {
          "start": 14.69,
          "end": 23.99,
          "text": "That is the opinion of Marla Yoshida, an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher at the University of California, Irvine."
        },
        {
          "start": 24.63,
          "end": 31.35,
          "text": "Yoshida wants English learners to look for details that are important to native speakers."
        },
        {
          "start": 32.03,
          "end": 35.83,
          "text": "These details are not only sounds, she notes."
        },
        {
          "start": 36.21,
          "end": 44.87,
          "text": "Native speakers also communicate by using pauses and by saying some words more forcefully than others."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.87,
          "end": 56.11,
          "text": "As a result, native speakers might not understand an English learner even if the learner pronounces sound correctly."
        },
        {
          "start": 56.79,
          "end": 66.53,
          "text": "Yoshida says that English learners often study pronunciation by listening and repeating something from a recording."
        },
        {
          "start": 66.95,
          "end": 76.13,
          "text": "Yoshida says that English learners need to do more than listen and repeat in order to improve their pronunciation."
        },
        {
          "start": 76.21,
          "end": 89.83,
          "text": "I've gradually gotten really interested in pronunciation because it's something that many students have trouble with, but they don't always get a lot of really good instruction in it."
        },
        {
          "start": 89.73,
          "end": 96.81,
          "text": "They just have someone say, listen to this recording and repeat and now aren't you better?"
        },
        {
          "start": 96.75,
          "end": 99.39,
          "text": "No, you're not necessarily better."
        },
        {
          "start": 99.33,
          "end": 101.07,
          "text": "It takes more than that."
        },
        {
          "start": 101.69,
          "end": 112.16,
          "text": "The problem with listen and repeat, says Yoshida, is that when people repeat, they are often not trying to sound like the other person."
        },
        {
          "start": 112.1,
          "end": 120.3,
          "text": "You think that when students are repeating after the teacher or whatever, they're trying to sound exactly like that person, but they're not."
        },
        {
          "start": 120.52,
          "end": 132.14,
          "text": "The sounds that you hear go into your brain, and your brain interprets them or filters them through the sound system of your own language."
        },
        {
          "start": 132.36,
          "end": 139.02,
          "text": "And what your brain ends up understanding is not everything, it's not what the speaker intended."
        },
        {
          "start": 138.96,
          "end": 148.44,
          "text": "So you have to try to get past that filter and hear all of the details that are important to someone else."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-hello",
      "title": "Hello, I'm Anna",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 43.7,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-hello.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 2.99,
          "text": "Hello, everyone. Hi there."
        },
        {
          "start": 2.91,
          "end": 6.31,
          "text": "I'm Anna, and I live in Washington, D.C."
        },
        {
          "start": 6.63,
          "end": 10.35,
          "text": "Every day I learn more about this great city."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.73,
          "end": 12.35,
          "text": "I live with Marsha."
        },
        {
          "start": 12.29,
          "end": 15.71,
          "text": "We're roommates. I'm Jonathan."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.77,
          "end": 17.85,
          "text": "I'm in apartment B4."
        },
        {
          "start": 17.85,
          "end": 20.41,
          "text": "I am in apartment C2."
        },
        {
          "start": 20.47,
          "end": 23.01,
          "text": "Here I am at my new job."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.31,
          "end": 28.91,
          "text": "I am your boss, Caty Weaver, but please call me Caty."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.87,
          "end": 30.39,
          "text": "Thank you, Ms. Weaver."
        },
        {
          "start": 30.87,
          "end": 32.27,
          "text": "Just Caty."
        },
        {
          "start": 32.61,
          "end": 34.53,
          "text": "Sure thing, Ms. Weaver."
        },
        {
          "start": 35.27,
          "end": 39.57,
          "text": "Okay, then. Every day I do my morning show."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.59,
          "end": 42.01,
          "text": "I have to go now. Goodbye."
        },
        {
          "start": 42.21,
          "end": 43.57,
          "text": "Goodbye, Anna."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-house",
      "title": "Where are you?",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 44,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-house.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 4.15,
          "text": "Today, my friend Marsha is at her friend's house."
        },
        {
          "start": 5.27,
          "end": 8.11,
          "text": "I want to see this house."
        },
        {
          "start": 8.11,
          "end": 9.65,
          "text": "Here we are."
        },
        {
          "start": 9.99,
          "end": 12.81,
          "text": "It is a beautiful kitchen."
        },
        {
          "start": 13.39,
          "end": 15.61,
          "text": "It is beautiful."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.75,
          "end": 18.51,
          "text": "She says it is beautiful."
        },
        {
          "start": 18.81,
          "end": 21.53,
          "text": "We cook in the kitchen."
        },
        {
          "start": 21.67,
          "end": 25.21,
          "text": "We relax in the living room."
        },
        {
          "start": 25.63,
          "end": 28.35,
          "text": "Marsha, let's go upstairs."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.95,
          "end": 31.73,
          "text": "We sleep in the bedroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 33.03,
          "end": 36.13,
          "text": "Anna, where are you?"
        },
        {
          "start": 36.71,
          "end": 39.01,
          "text": "Marsha, I am in the bathroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.15,
          "end": 41.63,
          "text": "Marsha, I am in the kitchen."
        },
        {
          "start": 41.83,
          "end": 43.89,
          "text": "I am in the bedroom."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-home",
      "title": "Anna's new apartment",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 46.9,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-home.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 3.63,
          "text": "I am in my new apartment. Great!"
        },
        {
          "start": 3.83,
          "end": 5.29,
          "text": "Here we are."
        },
        {
          "start": 5.63,
          "end": 8.49,
          "text": "It is a beautiful kitchen."
        },
        {
          "start": 8.65,
          "end": 11.21,
          "text": "It is beautiful."
        },
        {
          "start": 11.39,
          "end": 14.13,
          "text": "I eat in the kitchen."
        },
        {
          "start": 14.09,
          "end": 17.35,
          "text": "I relax in the living room."
        },
        {
          "start": 17.35,
          "end": 19.87,
          "text": "I sleep in the bedroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 20.13,
          "end": 22.51,
          "text": "I wash in the bathroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.61,
          "end": 25.75,
          "text": "I want to cook dinner."
        },
        {
          "start": 27.17,
          "end": 31.35,
          "text": "And Marsha says I am a good cook."
        },
        {
          "start": 31.31,
          "end": 35.65,
          "text": "I want to find a supermarket. Oh, okay."
        },
        {
          "start": 35.79,
          "end": 40.61,
          "text": "The supermarket is at 1500 Irving Street."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.61,
          "end": 43.41,
          "text": "It is near the apartment. Great!"
        },
        {
          "start": 43.45,
          "end": 46.85,
          "text": "Is there a supermarket near here?"
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-busy",
      "title": "Are you busy?",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 61.7,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-busy.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 2.53,
          "text": "Hi, Amelia, are you busy?"
        },
        {
          "start": 2.47,
          "end": 3.93,
          "text": "I'm a little busy."
        },
        {
          "start": 3.89,
          "end": 8.13,
          "text": "I want to say I'm sorry for yesterday."
        },
        {
          "start": 8.27,
          "end": 9.65,
          "text": "It's okay, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 9.85,
          "end": 12.47,
          "text": "Okay, see you later."
        },
        {
          "start": 13.17,
          "end": 16.65,
          "text": "Maybe. Maybe I'll see you later."
        },
        {
          "start": 17.87,
          "end": 20.55,
          "text": "Hi, Jonathan, are you busy?"
        },
        {
          "start": 20.55,
          "end": 22.11,
          "text": "Yes, I'm busy."
        },
        {
          "start": 22.23,
          "end": 25.23,
          "text": "Well, I am sorry. It's okay, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 25.25,
          "end": 26.71,
          "text": "May I see the studio?"
        },
        {
          "start": 26.59,
          "end": 28.11,
          "text": "Maybe another time."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.07,
          "end": 29.97,
          "text": "Right now, I am busy."
        },
        {
          "start": 29.89,
          "end": 34.73,
          "text": "When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show."
        },
        {
          "start": 35.59,
          "end": 39.01,
          "text": "Hi, Anne. Are you busy? Hi, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.19,
          "end": 42.71,
          "text": "Yes, at 10 a.m. I am writing."
        },
        {
          "start": 42.81,
          "end": 45.85,
          "text": "Sorry about yesterday. No worries."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.93,
          "end": 48.67,
          "text": "Come by this afternoon. Okay."
        },
        {
          "start": 49.93,
          "end": 54.95,
          "text": "Anna. Yes, Ms. Weaver. Are you busy? Yes, Ms. Weaver."
        },
        {
          "start": 54.83,
          "end": 56.27,
          "text": "I am busy."
        },
        {
          "start": 56.35,
          "end": 58.45,
          "text": "My office, 5 p.m."
        },
        {
          "start": 60.57,
          "end": 61.67,
          "text": "5 p.m."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-gym",
      "title": "Where is the gym?",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 62.4,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-gym.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 3.73,
          "text": "People in Washington like to work out."
        },
        {
          "start": 4.33,
          "end": 8.67,
          "text": "Oh, hi, Pete. How's it going? Hi, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 8.97,
          "end": 10.91,
          "text": "It's going great."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.95,
          "end": 12.87,
          "text": "How's it going with you?"
        },
        {
          "start": 13.09,
          "end": 14.89,
          "text": "Things are awesome."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.19,
          "end": 18.17,
          "text": "Pete, I want to work out."
        },
        {
          "start": 18.13,
          "end": 19.79,
          "text": "Where is the gym?"
        },
        {
          "start": 20.07,
          "end": 23.51,
          "text": "The gym is across from the lounge."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.69,
          "end": 26.45,
          "text": "It's next to the mailroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.63,
          "end": 28.01,
          "text": "Go that way."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.49,
          "end": 29.81,
          "text": "Thanks, Pete."
        },
        {
          "start": 30.03,
          "end": 31.45,
          "text": "No, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 31.53,
          "end": 33.17,
          "text": "Not that way."
        },
        {
          "start": 33.21,
          "end": 34.89,
          "text": "Go that way."
        },
        {
          "start": 34.99,
          "end": 39.63,
          "text": "Oh, Pete, this is not the gym."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.07,
          "end": 41.79,
          "text": "That's right, Anna."
        },
        {
          "start": 41.83,
          "end": 43.99,
          "text": "This is the mailroom."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.6,
          "end": 47.87,
          "text": "The gym is across from... what?"
        },
        {
          "start": 48.25,
          "end": 51.83,
          "text": "The gym is across from the lounge."
        },
        {
          "start": 52.03,
          "end": 55.91,
          "text": "Across from the lounge. Right. Thanks."
        },
        {
          "start": 56.35,
          "end": 59.59,
          "text": "The gym is across from the lounge."
        },
        {
          "start": 59.73,
          "end": 62.31,
          "text": "It is behind the lobby."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-anna-pen",
      "title": "Do you have a pen?",
      "level": "beginner",
      "seconds": 62.9,
      "audio": "/static/samples/anna-pen.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Let's Learn English, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 1.79,
          "text": "Let's get coffee."
        },
        {
          "start": 2.27,
          "end": 3.79,
          "text": "Pete, hi."
        },
        {
          "start": 3.79,
          "end": 10.21,
          "text": "Hi, we are here. Hi, Anna. Hi, Marsha. Hi."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.73,
          "end": 12.55,
          "text": "How are you two?"
        },
        {
          "start": 12.75,
          "end": 14.41,
          "text": "I am great."
        },
        {
          "start": 14.89,
          "end": 16.71,
          "text": "How's the new apartment?"
        },
        {
          "start": 17.19,
          "end": 19.95,
          "text": "The new apartment is great."
        },
        {
          "start": 20.19,
          "end": 23.41,
          "text": "You know, Pete, I am new to D.C."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.41,
          "end": 25.59,
          "text": "The city is big."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.29,
          "end": 29.59,
          "text": "Yeah, but you learn a little more every day."
        },
        {
          "start": 29.69,
          "end": 32.27,
          "text": "Anna, do you have a pen?"
        },
        {
          "start": 33.17,
          "end": 35.97,
          "text": "Yes, I have a pen in my bag."
        },
        {
          "start": 36.01,
          "end": 40.57,
          "text": "I have a... It is not a pen."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.71,
          "end": 42.35,
          "text": "It is a book."
        },
        {
          "start": 42.63,
          "end": 44.67,
          "text": "It is a big book."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.51,
          "end": 47.77,
          "text": "Yes, yes it is, Pete."
        },
        {
          "start": 48.41,
          "end": 50.57,
          "text": "Anna, it is a map."
        },
        {
          "start": 51.29,
          "end": 54.07,
          "text": "Why do you have a map of the world?"
        },
        {
          "start": 54.49,
          "end": 57.05,
          "text": "And now you have a lamp."
        },
        {
          "start": 57.69,
          "end": 59.81,
          "text": "And it is a pillow."
        },
        {
          "start": 59.69,
          "end": 62.83,
          "text": "I know I have a pen, though."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-aesop-jackdaw",
      "title": "The Jackdaw and the Pigeons",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 49.3,
      "audio": "/static/samples/aesop-jackdaw.mp3",
      "credit": "Aesop's Fables, read for LibriVox, public domain",
      "skip": 0.264,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0.75,
          "end": 15.57,
          "text": "The Jackdaw and the Pigeons. A jackdaw, watching some pigeons in a farmyard, was filled with envy when he saw how well they were fed, and determined to disguise himself as one of them in order to secure a share of the good things they enjoyed."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.73,
          "end": 19.91,
          "text": "So he painted himself white from head to foot, and joined the flock."
        },
        {
          "start": 19.91,
          "end": 26.21,
          "text": "And so long as he was silent, they never suspected that he was not a pigeon like themselves."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.73,
          "end": 38.39,
          "text": "But one day he was unwise enough to start chattering, when they at once saw through his disguise, and pecked him so unmercifully that he was glad to escape and join his own kind again."
        },
        {
          "start": 38.55,
          "end": 45.51,
          "text": "But the other jackdaws did not recognize him in his white dress, and would not let him feed with them, but drove him away."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.55,
          "end": 49.03,
          "text": "And so he became a homeless wanderer for his pains."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-aesop-wolf",
      "title": "The Wolf, the Mother and Her Child",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 51.9,
      "audio": "/static/samples/aesop-wolf.mp3",
      "credit": "Aesop's Fables, read by Vicki Barber for LibriVox, public domain",
      "skip": 0.265,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 8.29,
          "text": "The Wolf, the Mother, and Her Child. A hungry wolf was prowling about in search of food."
        },
        {
          "start": 8.31,
          "end": 13.19,
          "text": "By and by, attracted by the cries of a child, he came to a cottage."
        },
        {
          "start": 13.27,
          "end": 22.23,
          "text": "As he crouched beneath the window, he heard the mother say to the child, Stop crying, do, or I'll throw you to the wolf."
        },
        {
          "start": 22.45,
          "end": 29.99,
          "text": "Thinking she really meant what she said, he waited there a long time in the expectation of satisfying his hunger."
        },
        {
          "start": 30.41,
          "end": 39.35,
          "text": "In the evening, he heard the mother fondling her child and saying, If the naughty wolf comes, he shan't get my little one."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.31,
          "end": 40.87,
          "text": "Daddy will kill him."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.91,
          "end": 45.01,
          "text": "The wolf got up in much disgust and walked away."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.11,
          "end": 51.45,
          "text": "As for the people in that house, he said to himself, You can't believe a word they say."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-voa-puppy-bowl",
      "title": "The Puppy Bowl",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 108.5,
      "audio": "/static/samples/voa-puppy-bowl.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 2.77,
          "text": "This is what's trending today."
        },
        {
          "start": 2.83,
          "end": 6.03,
          "text": "This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday."
        },
        {
          "start": 6.01,
          "end": 10.51,
          "text": "Two teams will play for the championship of American football."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.47,
          "end": 16.23,
          "text": "The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos are busy preparing for Super Bowl 50."
        },
        {
          "start": 16.37,
          "end": 23.69,
          "text": "The game will be played at Levi's Stadium, a newly built sports center in Santa Clara, California."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.85,
          "end": 32.27,
          "text": "But on social media today, tweets and posts were directed at another bowl game, the Puppy Bowl."
        },
        {
          "start": 32.67,
          "end": 38.15,
          "text": "The Animal Planet television channel created the Puppy Bowl in 2005."
        },
        {
          "start": 38.73,
          "end": 44.41,
          "text": "The TV program shows puppies on a small field similar to a football field."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.31,
          "end": 52.69,
          "text": "The young animals play with a football, and announcers describe their actions, just like in a real American football game."
        },
        {
          "start": 52.7,
          "end": 57.02,
          "text": "The Puppy Bowl is set to be broadcast on Animal Planet this Sunday."
        },
        {
          "start": 57.41,
          "end": 61.66,
          "text": "The Puppy Bowl is an alternative to the real Super Bowl."
        },
        {
          "start": 62.01,
          "end": 65.62,
          "text": "It is for people who do not like watching American football."
        },
        {
          "start": 65.98,
          "end": 72.8,
          "text": "On Wednesday, Animal Planet announced the starting lineup for the 2016 Puppy Bowl."
        },
        {
          "start": 72.9,
          "end": 75.26,
          "text": "Fifty puppies will play in the game."
        },
        {
          "start": 75.14,
          "end": 79.48,
          "text": "They are from animal shelters and are available for adoption."
        },
        {
          "start": 79.84,
          "end": 82.68,
          "text": "Each one is in need of a good home."
        },
        {
          "start": 83.36,
          "end": 92.34,
          "text": "On Twitter and Facebook Wednesday, people commented about their favorite puppies and made predictions for this year's Puppy Bowl."
        },
        {
          "start": 92.24,
          "end": 96.92,
          "text": "Puppy Bowl was even a trending sports topic on Facebook."
        },
        {
          "start": 97.2,
          "end": 98.82,
          "text": "The only concern?"
        },
        {
          "start": 99.18,
          "end": 105.82,
          "text": "Puppy football lasts only one game and not a full season like American football."
        },
        {
          "start": 105.8,
          "end": 108.36,
          "text": "And that's what's trending today."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
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      "id": "s-voa-whistled",
      "title": "A whistled language in Turkey",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 146,
      "audio": "/static/samples/voa-whistled.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Bryan Lynn, public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 12.45,
          "text": "The United Nations is calling for urgent action to protect a whistled language used in a mountainous area of Turkey."
        },
        {
          "start": 13.09,
          "end": 28.69,
          "text": "The UN's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has identified the bird language as an endangered cultural heritage."
        },
        {
          "start": 35.81,
          "end": 51.01,
          "text": "UNESCO noted that technological developments, as well as social and economic changes, have led to a drop in the number of people who communicate in this way."
        },
        {
          "start": 51.47,
          "end": 58.07,
          "text": "It also noted a drop in the number of areas where the language is spoken."
        },
        {
          "start": 58.99,
          "end": 66.11,
          "text": "The UN agency placed much of the blame on the use of mobile phones."
        },
        {
          "start": 73.7,
          "end": 80.42,
          "text": "A whistled language is a highly developed method of communication."
        },
        {
          "start": 80.94,
          "end": 85.9,
          "text": "People use whistling sounds in place of words."
        },
        {
          "start": 86.57,
          "end": 95.92,
          "text": "The language was created as a way to communicate across great distances in difficult mountain conditions."
        },
        {
          "start": 96.48,
          "end": 104.08,
          "text": "Most whistling sounds are created by blowing air through the lips and teeth."
        },
        {
          "start": 105.14,
          "end": 112.72,
          "text": "Sometimes fingers and the tongue are also used to make different or louder sounds."
        },
        {
          "start": 113.84,
          "end": 122.9,
          "text": "To communicate, people use whistling to simulate or create the sound of some words."
        },
        {
          "start": 122.9,
          "end": 133.72,
          "text": "They also use sound patterns, repeating certain sounds to represent other common words and expressions."
        },
        {
          "start": 135.78,
          "end": 145.9,
          "text": "New words and terms can be added to keep up with changes in spoken language and cultural life."
        }
      ],
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      "id": "s-voa-ai",
      "title": "Who leads the world in AI?",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 156.8,
      "audio": "/static/samples/voa-ai.mp3",
      "credit": "VOA Learning English (Voice of America), public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 15.01,
          "text": "A United Nations agency says the United States, China, and Japan are leading the world in developing artificial intelligence, or AI, technology."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.23,
          "end": 25.35,
          "text": "The three countries were named in a new study from the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO."
        },
        {
          "start": 25.35,
          "end": 39.15,
          "text": "The organization says on its website that WIPO aims to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property system."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.19,
          "end": 47.77,
          "text": "The new study examines development activities for different AI technologies worldwide."
        },
        {
          "start": 48.6,
          "end": 57.1,
          "text": "It also attempts to predict the future progression of AI as it relates to new inventions."
        },
        {
          "start": 57.58,
          "end": 68.3,
          "text": "The study is based on international patent requests, legal findings, scientific publications, and other information."
        },
        {
          "start": 68.58,
          "end": 78.72,
          "text": "It includes patent requests in machine learning through 2016, the last year for which details are available."
        },
        {
          "start": 78.6,
          "end": 86.18,
          "text": "Much of today's AI-related technologies are powered by machine learning."
        },
        {
          "start": 86.81,
          "end": 104.86,
          "text": "The study found that there had been as many patent applications for artificial intelligence since 2013 as there were in all the time since the term AI was first used in the 1950s."
        },
        {
          "start": 105.14,
          "end": 112.64,
          "text": "Machine learning was the most common method of AI listed in patent requests."
        },
        {
          "start": 112.66,
          "end": 118.94,
          "text": "It was responsible for more than one-third of all identified inventions."
        },
        {
          "start": 118.94,
          "end": 132.86,
          "text": "Machine learning uses computer algorithms to teach machines to make independent decisions by learning from earlier or existing behavior."
        },
        {
          "start": 133.18,
          "end": 147.2,
          "text": "Patent requests for machine learning activities grew on average by 28 percent a year between 2013 and 2016, the study found."
        },
        {
          "start": 147.26,
          "end": 156.74,
          "text": "It also showed that 26 of the top 30 AI patent requests came from businesses."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-v74axcqotvg",
      "title": "How to start a movement",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 171.2,
      "credit": "Derek Sivers at TED, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "V74AxCqOTvg"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 15.94,
          "end": 20.67,
          "text": "Ladies and gentlemen, at TED we talk a lot about leadership and how to make a movement."
        },
        {
          "start": 20.67,
          "end": 26.24,
          "text": "So let's watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under three minutes and dissect some lessons from it."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.24,
          "end": 31.06,
          "text": "First, of course you know, a leader needs the guts to stand out and be ridiculed."
        },
        {
          "start": 32.6,
          "end": 34.52,
          "text": "What he's doing is so easy to follow."
        },
        {
          "start": 34.52,
          "end": 39.24,
          "text": "Here's his first follower with a crucial role; he's going to show everyone else how to follow."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.24,
          "end": 41.82,
          "text": "Now, notice that the leader embraces him as an equal."
        },
        {
          "start": 41.82,
          "end": 45.24,
          "text": "Now it's not about the leader anymore; it's about them, plural."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.62,
          "end": 47.81,
          "text": "Now, there he is calling to his friends."
        },
        {
          "start": 47.81,
          "end": 53.24,
          "text": "Now, if you notice that the first follower is actually an underestimated form of leadership in itself."
        },
        {
          "start": 53.24,
          "end": 55.24,
          "text": "It takes guts to stand out like that."
        },
        {
          "start": 55.62,
          "end": 60.24,
          "text": "The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader."
        },
        {
          "start": 65.39,
          "end": 67.24,
          "text": "And here comes a second follower."
        },
        {
          "start": 67.24,
          "end": 72.24,
          "text": "Now it's not a lone nut, it's not two nuts -- three is a crowd, and a crowd is news."
        },
        {
          "start": 72.24,
          "end": 74.24,
          "text": "So a movement must be public."
        },
        {
          "start": 74.48,
          "end": 81.76,
          "text": "It's important to show not just the leader, but the followers, because you find that new followers emulate the followers, not the leader."
        },
        {
          "start": 82.14,
          "end": 86.24,
          "text": "Now, here come two more people, and immediately after, three more people."
        },
        {
          "start": 86.24,
          "end": 88.68,
          "text": "Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point."
        },
        {
          "start": 88.68,
          "end": 90.48,
          "text": "Now we've got a movement."
        },
        {
          "start": 91.79,
          "end": 95.82,
          "text": "So, notice that, as more people join in, it's less risky."
        },
        {
          "start": 95.82,
          "end": 99.61,
          "text": "So those that were sitting on the fence before now have no reason not to."
        },
        {
          "start": 99.61,
          "end": 105.81,
          "text": "They won't stand out, they won't be ridiculed, but they will be part of the in-crowd if they hurry."
        },
        {
          "start": 108.47,
          "end": 116.18,
          "text": "So, over the next minute, you'll see all of those that prefer to stick with the crowd because eventually they would be ridiculed for not joining in."
        },
        {
          "start": 116.18,
          "end": 118.18,
          "text": "And that's how you make a movement."
        },
        {
          "start": 118.18,
          "end": 120.18,
          "text": "But let's recap some lessons from this."
        },
        {
          "start": 120.8,
          "end": 132.71,
          "text": "So first, if you are the type, like the shirtless dancing guy that is standing alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals so it's clearly about the movement, not you."
        },
        {
          "start": 133.7,
          "end": 136.34,
          "text": "Okay, but we might have missed the real lesson here."
        },
        {
          "start": 136.34,
          "end": 142.24,
          "text": "The biggest lesson, if you noticed -- did you catch it? -- is that leadership is over-glorified."
        },
        {
          "start": 142.87,
          "end": 151.24,
          "text": "Yes, it was the shirtless guy who was first, and he'll get all the credit, but it was really the first follower that transformed the lone nut into a leader."
        },
        {
          "start": 151.63,
          "end": 155.62,
          "text": "So, as we're told that we should all be leaders, that would be really ineffective."
        },
        {
          "start": 155.62,
          "end": 161.24,
          "text": "If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow."
        },
        {
          "start": 161.24,
          "end": 167.24,
          "text": "And when you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first one to stand up and join in."
        },
        {
          "start": 167.24,
          "end": 169.6,
          "text": "And what a perfect place to do that, at TED."
        },
        {
          "start": 169.91,
          "end": 171.24,
          "text": "Thanks."
        }
      ],
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      "id": "s-yt-nhopjhslvo4",
      "title": "Keep your goals to yourself",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 190.3,
      "credit": "Derek Sivers at TED, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "NHopJHSlVo4"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 16.25,
          "end": 19.39,
          "text": "Everyone, please think of your biggest personal goal."
        },
        {
          "start": 20,
          "end": 23.67,
          "text": "For real -- you can take a second. You've got to feel this to learn it."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.67,
          "end": 26.99,
          "text": "Take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal, okay?"
        },
        {
          "start": 27.31,
          "end": 30.11,
          "text": "Imagine deciding right now that you're going to do it."
        },
        {
          "start": 30.11,
          "end": 39.61,
          "text": "Imagine telling someone that you meet today what you're going to do. Imagine their congratulations, and their high image of you. Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud?"
        },
        {
          "start": 39.61,
          "end": 44.58,
          "text": "Don't you feel one step closer already, like it's already becoming part of your identity?"
        },
        {
          "start": 44.58,
          "end": 60.67,
          "text": "Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling now will make you less likely to do it. The repeated psychology tests have proven that telling someone your goal makes it less likely to happen. Any time you have a goal,"
        },
        {
          "start": 60.67,
          "end": 65.32,
          "text": "there are some steps that need to be done, some work that needs to be done in order to achieve it."
        },
        {
          "start": 65.32,
          "end": 68.64,
          "text": "Ideally you would not be satisfied until you'd actually done the work."
        },
        {
          "start": 68.64,
          "end": 74.47,
          "text": "But when you tell someone your goal and they acknowledge it, psychologists have found that it's called a \"social reality.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 74.47,
          "end": 77.5,
          "text": "The mind is kind of tricked into feeling that it's already done."
        },
        {
          "start": 77.5,
          "end": 84.09,
          "text": "And then because you've felt that satisfaction, you're less motivated to do the actual hard work necessary."
        },
        {
          "start": 84.09,
          "end": 88.55,
          "text": "So this goes against conventional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals, right?"
        },
        {
          "start": 88.55,
          "end": 100.98,
          "text": "So they hold us to it. So, let's look at the proof. 1926: Kurt Lewin, founder of social psychology, called this \"substitution.\" 1933: Wera Mahler found when it was acknowledged by others,"
        },
        {
          "start": 100.98,
          "end": 113.89,
          "text": "it felt real in the mind. 1982, Peter Gollwitzer wrote a whole book about this, and in 2009, he did some new tests that were published. It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests."
        },
        {
          "start": 114.36,
          "end": 116.77,
          "text": "Everyone wrote down their personal goal."
        },
        {
          "start": 116.77,
          "end": 121.89,
          "text": "Then half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't."
        },
        {
          "start": 122.64,
          "end": 139.66,
          "text": "Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them towards their goal, but they were told that they could stop at any time. Now, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt that they had a long way to go still to achieve their goal."
        },
        {
          "start": 139.66,
          "end": 151.27,
          "text": "But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes, on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal. So if this is true, what can we do?"
        },
        {
          "start": 151.78,
          "end": 155.5,
          "text": "Well, you could resist the temptation to announce your goal."
        },
        {
          "start": 156.14,
          "end": 164.35,
          "text": "You can delay the gratification that the social acknowledgment brings, and you can understand that your mind mistakes the talking for the doing."
        },
        {
          "start": 164.84,
          "end": 181.07,
          "text": "But if you do need to talk about something, you can state it in a way that gives you no satisfaction, such as, \"I really want to run this marathon, so I need to train five times a week and kick my ass if I don't, okay?\" So audience, next time you're tempted to tell someone your goal,"
        },
        {
          "start": 181.07,
          "end": 190.26,
          "text": "what will you say? Exactly! Well done."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-dmdvqke33c",
      "title": "What's up in the night sky: October 2025",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 197.9,
      "credit": "NASA/JPL-Caltech, What's Up, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "d-MdvqKe33c"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 2.28,
          "end": 4.24,
          "text": "What's Up for October?"
        },
        {
          "start": 4.45,
          "end": 12.35,
          "text": "A supermoon takes over, the Draconid meteor shower peeks through, and the Orionid meteors sparkle across the night sky."
        },
        {
          "start": 12.86,
          "end": 20.85,
          "text": "The evening of October 6th, look up and be amazed as the full Moon is bigger and brighter because - it's a supermoon!"
        },
        {
          "start": 20.85,
          "end": 28.63,
          "text": "This evening, the Moon could appear to be about 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than a typical full Moon."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.64,
          "end": 30.2,
          "text": "But why?"
        },
        {
          "start": 30.34,
          "end": 38.8,
          "text": "Well, supermoons happen when either a new Moon or a full Moon coincides with \"perigee,\" which is when the Moon is at its closest to Earth all month."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.05,
          "end": 42.44,
          "text": "So, essentially, this is an exceptionally close full Moon!"
        },
        {
          "start": 42.52,
          "end": 44.78,
          "text": "Which explains its amazing appearance."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.96,
          "end": 55.29,
          "text": "And what timing - - while the supermoon appears on October 6th, just a couple of days before on October 4th, is \"International Observe the Moon Night\"!"
        },
        {
          "start": 55.43,
          "end": 61.23,
          "text": "This is an annual, worldwide event when Moon enthusiasts come together and enjoy our natural satellite."
        },
        {
          "start": 61.47,
          "end": 67.53,
          "text": "You can attend or host a Moon-viewing party, or simply observe the Moon from wherever you might be."
        },
        {
          "start": 67.55,
          "end": 72.77,
          "text": "So look up, and celebrate the Moon along with people all around the world!"
        },
        {
          "start": 73.99,
          "end": 82.82,
          "text": "If you luck into some dark sky between October 6th and 10th, you might witness the first of two October meteor showers - the Draconids!"
        },
        {
          "start": 83.13,
          "end": 90.56,
          "text": "The Draconid meteor shower comes from debris trailing the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner burning up in Earth's atmosphere."
        },
        {
          "start": 90.84,
          "end": 100.7,
          "text": "These meteors originate from nearby the head of the constellation Draco the dragon in the northern sky and the shower can produce up to 10 meteors per hour!"
        },
        {
          "start": 101.21,
          "end": 112.35,
          "text": "The Draconids peak around October 8th, but if you don't see any, you can always blame the bright supermoon and wait a few weeks until the next meteor shower - the Orionids!"
        },
        {
          "start": 113.39,
          "end": 122.62,
          "text": "The Orionid meteor shower, peaking October 21st, is set to put on a spectacular show, shooting about 20 meteors per hour across the night sky."
        },
        {
          "start": 122.94,
          "end": 130.56,
          "text": "This meteor shower happens when Earth travels through the debris trailing behind Halley's Comet, which burns up in our atmosphere."
        },
        {
          "start": 130.88,
          "end": 143.48,
          "text": "The full duration of the meteor shower stretches from September 26th, all the way to November 22nd, but your best bet to see meteors is on October 21st before midnight until around 2 am."
        },
        {
          "start": 143.79,
          "end": 156.92,
          "text": "This is because, not only is this night the shower's peak, it is also the October new moon, meaning the Moon will be between the Earth and the Sun, making it dark and invisible to us."
        },
        {
          "start": 157.27,
          "end": 162.66,
          "text": "With a moonless sky, you are much more likely to catch a fireball careening through the night."
        },
        {
          "start": 162.66,
          "end": 172.84,
          "text": "So find a dark location after the Sun has set, look to the southeast sky (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) and the northeast (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) and enjoy!"
        },
        {
          "start": 173.12,
          "end": 180.08,
          "text": "Orionid meteors appear to come from the direction of the Orion constellation but you might catch them all across the sky."
        },
        {
          "start": 181.53,
          "end": 184.05,
          "text": "Here are the phases of the Moon for October."
        },
        {
          "start": 184.36,
          "end": 191.89,
          "text": "You can stay up to date on all of NASA's missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov."
        },
        {
          "start": 192.07,
          "end": 197.93,
          "text": "I'm Chelsea Gohd from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that's What's Up for this month."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-squ8utmfoqk",
      "title": "What's up in the night sky: July 2025",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 207.2,
      "credit": "NASA/JPL-Caltech, What's Up, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "SQu8utmfOQk"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 2.28,
          "end": 4.29,
          "text": "What's Up for July?"
        },
        {
          "start": 4.29,
          "end": 13.76,
          "text": "Mars shines in the evening sky, sixty years after its first close-up, Venus brightens your mornings, and the eagle soars overhead."
        },
        {
          "start": 14.33,
          "end": 19.85,
          "text": "First up, Mercury is visible for a brief time following sunset for the first week of July."
        },
        {
          "start": 19.85,
          "end": 23.69,
          "text": "Look for it very low in the west 30 to 45 minutes after sundown."
        },
        {
          "start": 24.04,
          "end": 27.71,
          "text": "It sets within the hour after that, so be on the ball if you want to catch it!"
        },
        {
          "start": 27.97,
          "end": 31.63,
          "text": "Mars is visible for the first hour or two after it gets dark."
        },
        {
          "start": 31.88,
          "end": 39.96,
          "text": "You'll find it sinking lower in the sky each day and looking a bit dimmer over the course of the month, as our two planets' orbits carry them farther apart."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.49,
          "end": 43.66,
          "text": "The crescent Moon appears right next to Mars on the 28th."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.42,
          "end": 52.82,
          "text": "July is the 60th anniversary of the first successful flyby of Mars, by NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft in 1965."
        },
        {
          "start": 53.43,
          "end": 61.91,
          "text": "Mariner 4 sent back the first photos of another planet from deep space, along with the discovery that the Red Planet has only a very thin, cold atmosphere."
        },
        {
          "start": 62.43,
          "end": 67.85,
          "text": "Next, Saturn is rising late in the evening, and by dawn it's high overhead to the south."
        },
        {
          "start": 68.25,
          "end": 72.24,
          "text": "Looking to the morning sky, Venus shines brightly all month."
        },
        {
          "start": 72.29,
          "end": 78.66,
          "text": "You'll find it in the east during the couple of hours before sunrise, with the Pleiades and bright stars Aldebaran and Capella."
        },
        {
          "start": 78.99,
          "end": 86.55,
          "text": "And as the month goes on, Jupiter makes its morning sky debut, rising in the hour before sunrise and appearing a little higher each day."
        },
        {
          "start": 86.82,
          "end": 91.57,
          "text": "By the end of the month, early risers will have the two brightest planets greeting them each morning."
        },
        {
          "start": 91.86,
          "end": 98.7,
          "text": "They're headed for a super-close meetup in mid-August, and the pair will be a fixture of the a.m. sky through late this year."
        },
        {
          "start": 98.85,
          "end": 102.95,
          "text": "Look for them together with the crescent moon on the 21st and 22nd."
        },
        {
          "start": 104.17,
          "end": 109.74,
          "text": "From July and into August, is a great time to observe the constellation Aquila, the eagle."
        },
        {
          "start": 110.14,
          "end": 113.75,
          "text": "This time of year, it soars high into the sky in the first half of the night."
        },
        {
          "start": 114.23,
          "end": 120.02,
          "text": "Aquila represents the mythical eagle that was a powerful servant and messenger of the Greek god Zeus."
        },
        {
          "start": 120.38,
          "end": 124.79,
          "text": "The eagle carried his lightning bolts and was a symbol of his power as king of the gods."
        },
        {
          "start": 125.04,
          "end": 130.1,
          "text": "To find Aquila in the sky, start by locating its brightest star, Altair."
        },
        {
          "start": 130.29,
          "end": 136.82,
          "text": "It's one the three bright stars in the Summer Triangle, which is super easy to pick out in summer months in the Northern Hemisphere."
        },
        {
          "start": 137.22,
          "end": 142.13,
          "text": "Altair is the second brightest of the three, and sits at the southernmost corner of the triangle."
        },
        {
          "start": 142.59,
          "end": 150.33,
          "text": "The other stars in Aquila aren't as bright as Altair, which can make observing the constellation challenging if you live in an area with a lot of light pollution."
        },
        {
          "start": 150.56,
          "end": 154.45,
          "text": "It's easier, though, if you know how the eagle is oriented on the sky."
        },
        {
          "start": 154.8,
          "end": 161.08,
          "text": "Imagine it's flying toward the north with its wings spread wide, its right wing pointed toward Vega."
        },
        {
          "start": 161.61,
          "end": 168.59,
          "text": "If you can find Altair, and Aquila's next brightest star, you can usually trace out the rest of the spread-eagle shape from there."
        },
        {
          "start": 169.05,
          "end": 178.23,
          "text": "The second half of July is the best time of the month to observe Aquila, as the Moon doesn't rise until later then, making it easier to pick out the constellation's fainter stars."
        },
        {
          "start": 178.37,
          "end": 183.52,
          "text": "Observing the constellation Aquila makes for a worthy challenge in the July night sky."
        },
        {
          "start": 183.95,
          "end": 190.91,
          "text": "And once you're familiar with its shape, it's hard not to see the mythical eagle soaring overhead among the summertime stars."
        },
        {
          "start": 192.24,
          "end": 194.46,
          "text": "Here are the phases of the Moon for July."
        },
        {
          "start": 195.36,
          "end": 202.4,
          "text": "You can stay up to date on all of NASA's missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov."
        },
        {
          "start": 202.7,
          "end": 207.16,
          "text": "I'm Preston Dyches from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that's What's Up for this month."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-bkffvme1b8i",
      "title": "6 Minute English: food proverbs",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 365.1,
      "credit": "BBC Learning English, 6 Minute English, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "bKfFvme1b8I"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0.48,
          "end": 5,
          "text": "6 Minute English from BBC Learning English."
        },
        {
          "start": 5.68,
          "end": 9.64,
          "text": "Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil."
        },
        {
          "start": 9.64,
          "end": 10.76,
          "text": "And I'm Sam."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.76,
          "end": 17.92,
          "text": "English has many proverbs, short and well-known phrases giving a piece of useful advice or common sense."
        },
        {
          "start": 17.92,
          "end": 26.32,
          "text": "For example, the proverb 'actions speak louder than words' means that what people do is more important than what they say."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.32,
          "end": 36,
          "text": "And the proverb 'don't judge a book by its cover' advises people not to form opinions about people based on how they look."
        },
        {
          "start": 36,
          "end": 44.08,
          "text": "Proverbs are found in many cultures and languages and are often passed down through the generations to teach children lessons in life."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.08,
          "end": 49,
          "text": "One famous English proverb is 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'."
        },
        {
          "start": 49,
          "end": 52.76,
          "text": "In other words, eating fresh fruit is good for you. But is it really true?"
        },
        {
          "start": 52.76,
          "end": 59.6,
          "text": "Can eating an apple a day actually have significant health benefits?"
        },
        {
          "start": 59.6,
          "end": 66.48,
          "text": "That's the question we'll be discussing in this programme and, as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well."
        },
        {
          "start": 66.48,
          "end": 69.56,
          "text": "But, before that, I have a question for you, Sam."
        },
        {
          "start": 69.56,
          "end": 76.24,
          "text": "Most proverbs come from a place's history and England has a long history of growing apples."
        },
        {
          "start": 76.24,
          "end": 85.04,
          "text": "Over the centuries, hundreds of different apple varieties have been grown in orchards up and down the country, some with quite unusual names."
        },
        {
          "start": 85.04,
          "end": 90.28,
          "text": "So which of the following is the name of a real type of English apple?"
        },
        {
          "start": 90.28,
          "end": 97.12,
          "text": "Is it a) a Taylor's gold? b) a Golden pippin? Or c) a Black Worcester?"
        },
        {
          "start": 97.12,
          "end": 100.6,
          "text": "I don't know, but I think it's b) a Golden Pippin."
        },
        {
          "start": 100.6,
          "end": 104.2,
          "text": "OK, Sam, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme."
        },
        {
          "start": 104.2,
          "end": 114.72,
          "text": "But whatever the name of the apple, new scientific research is showing that there really are health benefits to eating apples, especially with the skins on."
        },
        {
          "start": 114.72,
          "end": 127.4,
          "text": "Apple skins are full of good stuff: fibre, vitamins, and especially 'flavonoids', a chemical compound known to reduce blood pressure, and improve brain and heart health."
        },
        {
          "start": 127.4,
          "end": 138.6,
          "text": "No wonder then that when Dr Michael Mosley, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme Just One Thing, wanted a snack to eat, he reached for an apple."
        },
        {
          "start": 139.6,
          "end": 149.6,
          "text": "It's early afternoon and I'm bit peckish, so I'm about to grab a delicious snack that could improve my blood flow, boost my brain and trim my waistline."
        },
        {
          "start": 151.44,
          "end": 156.12,
          "text": "Mm. This is not some exotic superfood."
        },
        {
          "start": 156.12,
          "end": 158.72,
          "text": "In fact, it's an apple."
        },
        {
          "start": 158.72,
          "end": 164.2,
          "text": "Dr Mosley wanted something to eat because he was 'peckish', a little bit hungry."
        },
        {
          "start": 164.2,
          "end": 172.36,
          "text": "He wanted something healthy, but chose an apple instead of exotic superfoods like blueberries or a banana smoothie."
        },
        {
          "start": 172.36,
          "end": 179.4,
          "text": "If you call something 'exotic', you mean it's unusual and exciting, often because it comes from an unfamiliar place."
        },
        {
          "start": 179.4,
          "end": 185.68,
          "text": "Instead, he ate the least exotic fruit I can imagine: the humble apple."
        },
        {
          "start": 185.68,
          "end": 191.04,
          "text": "But Dr Moseley thinks apples do have health benefits and he lists them."
        },
        {
          "start": 191.04,
          "end": 201.12,
          "text": "Apples improve blood flow, boost the brain and 'trim the waistline', a phrase which means to keep a healthy body weight with no extra fat."
        },
        {
          "start": 201.12,
          "end": 211.76,
          "text": "Yes, one reason apples are so good for us is that the skin is packed with flavonoids, which help people lose weight and have even been linked to a longer life."
        },
        {
          "start": 211.76,
          "end": 213.04,
          "text": "But that's not all."
        },
        {
          "start": 213.04,
          "end": 220.72,
          "text": "It's the fact that there are so many different ways of cooking and eating apples which makes them one of the nation's favourite foods."
        },
        {
          "start": 220.72,
          "end": 228.4,
          "text": "Here's Dr Moseley again, explaining how he likes to eat his apples to Just One Thing on BBC Sounds."
        },
        {
          "start": 228.4,
          "end": 231.8,
          "text": "What I love about apples is they are so versatile."
        },
        {
          "start": 231.8,
          "end": 239.72,
          "text": "I've been snacking on them, grating them into my porridge and having them sliced with full fat yoghurt as a dessert."
        },
        {
          "start": 239.72,
          "end": 243.12,
          "text": "But baked apples are one of my favourite ways to consume them."
        },
        {
          "start": 243.12,
          "end": 250.68,
          "text": "It seems an apple a day really does keep the doctor away and also keeps your heart, gut and even your waistline in good shape."
        },
        {
          "start": 251.64,
          "end": 258.32,
          "text": "Dr Mosley eats apples in porridge, sliced with yoghurt and even baked in the oven."
        },
        {
          "start": 258.32,
          "end": 266.24,
          "text": "He describes them as 'versatile': things which can be used for many different purposes or in many different ways."
        },
        {
          "start": 266.24,
          "end": 276.56,
          "text": "What's more, cooking or baking apples doesn't damage those healthy flavonoids, so even the occasional apple crumble with custard can be good for you."
        },
        {
          "start": 276.56,
          "end": 279.36,
          "text": "Apple crumble and custard, mm."
        },
        {
          "start": 279.36,
          "end": 285.24,
          "text": "I'm not so sure that's a way to 'get in good shape', a phrase meaning healthy or in good condition."
        },
        {
          "start": 285.24,
          "end": 289.08,
          "text": "But, Neil, it seems the old proverb is true."
        },
        {
          "start": 289.08,
          "end": 293.68,
          "text": "According to the science, an apple a day really does keep the doctor away."
        },
        {
          "start": 293.68,
          "end": 297.28,
          "text": "Right, it's time to reveal the answer to your question."
        },
        {
          "start": 297.28,
          "end": 302.88,
          "text": "Yes, I asked you about the strange-sounding names given to some varieties of English apple."
        },
        {
          "start": 302.88,
          "end": 308.24,
          "text": "And I said that a golden Pippin was the name of a real apple. So was I right?"
        },
        {
          "start": 308.24,
          "end": 320.08,
          "text": "Yes, you were. Golden Pippin apples were first grown in Arundel, near the south coast of England, while the other two, Black Worcester and Taylor's gold, are actually types of English pear."
        },
        {
          "start": 320.08,
          "end": 329.64,
          "text": "Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme, starting with 'proverb', a short sentence or expression giving some well-known, traditional advice."
        },
        {
          "start": 329.64,
          "end": 332.68,
          "text": "If you're feeling 'peckish', you're slightly hungry."
        },
        {
          "start": 332.68,
          "end": 340.24,
          "text": "The adjective 'exotic' describes something which is unusual and exciting, often because it comes from a faraway place."
        },
        {
          "start": 340.24,
          "end": 350.36,
          "text": "The phrase 'trim the waistline' means to keep your body weight healthy, with no extra fat around your 'waistline', the area of your body above the hips."
        },
        {
          "start": 350.36,
          "end": 355.64,
          "text": "Something which is 'versatile' can be used for many purposes or in many different ways."
        },
        {
          "start": 355.64,
          "end": 360.4,
          "text": "And finally, if someone is in 'good shape', they're in a good state of health."
        },
        {
          "start": 360.4,
          "end": 363.56,
          "text": "Once again, our six minutes are up. Bye for now."
        },
        {
          "start": 363.56,
          "end": 365.08,
          "text": "Bye."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-9ifq3xrz4hm",
      "title": "6 Minute English: learning many languages",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 412.5,
      "credit": "BBC Learning English, 6 Minute English, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "9ifQ3xRz4hM"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 5.65,
          "end": 10.2,
          "text": "Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English."
        },
        {
          "start": 10.2,
          "end": 15.12,
          "text": "I'm Neil and today I'm here with Hannah from BBC podcast What in the World."
        },
        {
          "start": 15.12,
          "end": 16.88,
          "text": "Hello, Hannah. Hi, Neil."
        },
        {
          "start": 16.88,
          "end": 24.83,
          "text": "Hannah and the What in the World team have been investigating what it's like to learn multiple languages, and she's here to tell us more about it."
        },
        {
          "start": 24.83,
          "end": 26.4,
          "text": "Welcome to 6 Minute English."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.4,
          "end": 28.03,
          "text": "Thank you so much for having me."
        },
        {
          "start": 28.03,
          "end": 29.8,
          "text": "And it's great to have you here."
        },
        {
          "start": 29.8,
          "end": 32.88,
          "text": "Now in this programme we help you improve your English."
        },
        {
          "start": 32.88,
          "end": 37.28,
          "text": "And maybe English is the first language you have ever tried to learn."
        },
        {
          "start": 37.28,
          "end": 39.97,
          "text": "Or maybe you know a lot of languages."
        },
        {
          "start": 39.97,
          "end": 44.37,
          "text": "Well, someone who knows multiple languages is called a polyglot."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.37,
          "end": 46.4,
          "text": "Neil, are you a polyglot?"
        },
        {
          "start": 46.4,
          "end": 51.6,
          "text": "I speak a little bit of a few languages, but I couldn't say that I'm a polyglot."
        },
        {
          "start": 51.6,
          "end": 54.72,
          "text": "How about you? I am a polyglot."
        },
        {
          "start": 54.72,
          "end": 59.32,
          "text": "Wow, I feel really impressed and a bit intimidated!"
        },
        {
          "start": 59.32,
          "end": 63.02,
          "text": "And now, Hannah, we always start our programme off with a question."
        },
        {
          "start": 63.02,
          "end": 64.47,
          "text": "So, here it goes."
        },
        {
          "start": 64.47,
          "end": 69.33,
          "text": "Which country has the most official languages recognised by their government?"
        },
        {
          "start": 69.33,
          "end": 74.07,
          "text": "So is it a) Zimbabwe, b) Switzerland, or c) Bolivia?"
        },
        {
          "start": 74.07,
          "end": 76.42,
          "text": "I would guess Zimbabwe."
        },
        {
          "start": 76.42,
          "end": 79.43,
          "text": "Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme."
        },
        {
          "start": 79.43,
          "end": 84.53,
          "text": "Now, Hannah, you've been finding out about some of the benefits of being a polyglot."
        },
        {
          "start": 84.53,
          "end": 91.38,
          "text": "Yes, Neil, there's been lots of research about how knowing more than one language can change your brain."
        },
        {
          "start": 91.38,
          "end": 94.1,
          "text": "And this might have some health benefits, too."
        },
        {
          "start": 94.1,
          "end": 102.47,
          "text": "At What in the World we spoke to Professor Frederique Liegeois who's a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London."
        },
        {
          "start": 102.47,
          "end": 108.73,
          "text": "Babies, even before they speak, have to tune in to the languages around them to make sense out of what people say to them."
        },
        {
          "start": 108.73,
          "end": 116.1,
          "text": "And then when children start to speak several languages, they have to focus on one language and ignore another one where they're speaking."
        },
        {
          "start": 116.1,
          "end": 129.83,
          "text": "They also have to be able to switch from one language to the other, depending on who they're speaking to. Later on in age when adults have dementia, they seem to show symptoms later when they're bilinguals as opposed to monolinguals."
        },
        {
          "start": 129.83,
          "end": 136.6,
          "text": "We think that juggling several languages has helped them really boost this brain efficiency, which is a great advantage."
        },
        {
          "start": 136.6,
          "end": 139.17,
          "text": "It's like a brain workout."
        },
        {
          "start": 139.17,
          "end": 146.32,
          "text": "Frederique explains that babies who grow up learning more than one language have to tune into the languages around them."
        },
        {
          "start": 146.32,
          "end": 148.57,
          "text": "They have to listen to each language."
        },
        {
          "start": 148.57,
          "end": 154.92,
          "text": "Over time, they become good at switching languages and ignoring the ones they don't need in a conversation."
        },
        {
          "start": 154.92,
          "end": 159.48,
          "text": "Scientists think that juggling several languages is good for you."
        },
        {
          "start": 159.48,
          "end": 164.48,
          "text": "If you juggle several things, that means you deal with all of them at the same time."
        },
        {
          "start": 164.48,
          "end": 168.68,
          "text": "Frederique describes being a polyglot as a brain workout."
        },
        {
          "start": 168.68,
          "end": 172.88,
          "text": "This means it's exercise for your brain that can make it stronger."
        },
        {
          "start": 172.88,
          "end": 175.08,
          "text": "Now, Hannah, I don't know about you."
        },
        {
          "start": 175.08,
          "end": 188.58,
          "text": "When I was younger and languages just seemed like another subject at school, I didn't really care so much. But when I worked abroad later in life, I was much more motivated and found it easier. How about you?"
        },
        {
          "start": 188.58,
          "end": 190.5,
          "text": "Quite the opposite actually."
        },
        {
          "start": 190.5,
          "end": 199.02,
          "text": "I did find it easier to learn languages at school and university, but I didn't have to learn these languages out of necessity."
        },
        {
          "start": 199.02,
          "end": 206.42,
          "text": "But my colleague Victoria Uwonkunda, she's a presenter and a journalist on the BBC World Service, she did."
        },
        {
          "start": 206.42,
          "end": 210.02,
          "text": "She speaks five languages and she understands eight."
        },
        {
          "start": 210.02,
          "end": 217.82,
          "text": "And she learnt those languages because her family moved from Rwanda to Kenya and then to Norway when she was a teenager."
        },
        {
          "start": 217.82,
          "end": 222.13,
          "text": "Victoria says she was able to pick up Norwegian quite easily."
        },
        {
          "start": 222.13,
          "end": 230.1,
          "text": "If you pick up a skill, it means you learn it, usually by being in the environment where that thing happens rather than being taught."
        },
        {
          "start": 230.1,
          "end": 234.53,
          "text": "But Victoria's parents found it much harder to learn Norwegian."
        },
        {
          "start": 234.53,
          "end": 238.33,
          "text": "Let's hear what Vic said on the What in the World podcast."
        },
        {
          "start": 238.33,
          "end": 244.52,
          "text": "First of all, you're having them coming into a new culture completely from everything they've ever known."
        },
        {
          "start": 244.52,
          "end": 246.23,
          "text": "The language is new."
        },
        {
          "start": 246.23,
          "end": 249.92,
          "text": "These are people in their 50s, you know, but they soldiered on."
        },
        {
          "start": 249.92,
          "end": 253.38,
          "text": "Because if you want to work, if you want to live there, you have to learn."
        },
        {
          "start": 253.38,
          "end": 255.32,
          "text": "And they did. It wasn't easy."
        },
        {
          "start": 255.32,
          "end": 258.83,
          "text": "But I think also with us kids, we picked it up quite quickly."
        },
        {
          "start": 258.83,
          "end": 262.35,
          "text": "So if they were making a mistake, we were also helping them along the way."
        },
        {
          "start": 262.35,
          "end": 264.43,
          "text": "So it's kind of a way of paying back."
        },
        {
          "start": 264.43,
          "end": 269.07,
          "text": "You helped us get to this, you know, to keep our mother tongue and here we are going to help you."
        },
        {
          "start": 269.07,
          "end": 274.55,
          "text": "Victoria's parents found it difficult to learn Norwegian in their 50s, but they soldiered on."
        },
        {
          "start": 274.55,
          "end": 278.12,
          "text": "They continued doing something even though it was difficult."
        },
        {
          "start": 278.12,
          "end": 282.32,
          "text": "And I love that the family helped each other with their languages, Hannah. Yes."
        },
        {
          "start": 282.32,
          "end": 288.07,
          "text": "So Vic's parents helped them keep their mother tongue Kinyarwanda when they had to leave Rwanda."
        },
        {
          "start": 288.07,
          "end": 291.95,
          "text": "And then years later, the children helped their parents learn Norwegian."
        },
        {
          "start": 291.95,
          "end": 298.15,
          "text": "And Hannah, Victoria picked up Norwegian quite easily, even after learning four other languages."
        },
        {
          "start": 298.15,
          "end": 301.73,
          "text": "Did Victoria have any tips for learning so many languages?"
        },
        {
          "start": 301.73,
          "end": 306.77,
          "text": "Well, one thing she recommended is trying to immerse yourself in the language."
        },
        {
          "start": 306.77,
          "end": 313.73,
          "text": "So, she said go to the market or into the street, a place where you can listen to people using the language."
        },
        {
          "start": 313.73,
          "end": 321.85,
          "text": "Yes, and some learners might be learning English online, and so they don't have the opportunity to go to a market or street and hear the language."
        },
        {
          "start": 321.85,
          "end": 323.82,
          "text": "But there are other things that you can do."
        },
        {
          "start": 323.82,
          "end": 330.42,
          "text": "For example, you can listen to 6 Minute English, or you could try other BBC podcasts like What in the World too."
        },
        {
          "start": 330.42,
          "end": 336.33,
          "text": "What in the World is the programme that I work on and we put out a new episode every weekday."
        },
        {
          "start": 336.33,
          "end": 344.02,
          "text": "We look at stories from around the world covering news and trending topics to try to help you make sense of the world."
        },
        {
          "start": 344.02,
          "end": 346.48,
          "text": "Time now for the answer to our quiz question."
        },
        {
          "start": 346.48,
          "end": 350.68,
          "text": "I asked you, which country has the most officially recognised languages?"
        },
        {
          "start": 350.68,
          "end": 352.22,
          "text": "I said Zimbabwe."
        },
        {
          "start": 352.22,
          "end": 354.65,
          "text": "And I'm afraid that was the wrong answer."
        },
        {
          "start": 354.65,
          "end": 362.07,
          "text": "It was in fact Bolivia, which recognises 37 languages, though of course not everyone speaks all of them."
        },
        {
          "start": 362.07,
          "end": 370.38,
          "text": "Now let's recap the vocabulary that we have learned, starting with polyglot, which is someone who knows lots of languages, like me."
        },
        {
          "start": 370.38,
          "end": 373.98,
          "text": "If you tune in to something, you listen or pay attention to it."
        },
        {
          "start": 373.98,
          "end": 379.92,
          "text": "Juggling several things, like languages, means doing several different things at the same time."
        },
        {
          "start": 379.92,
          "end": 383.83,
          "text": "A brain workout is exercise for your brain."
        },
        {
          "start": 383.83,
          "end": 389.27,
          "text": "If you pick up a skill, you learn it, usually through practice rather than being taught."
        },
        {
          "start": 389.27,
          "end": 394.58,
          "text": "And if you soldier on, you continue doing something even though it's difficult."
        },
        {
          "start": 394.58,
          "end": 401.47,
          "text": "Thanks for listening to 6 Minute English and listen to the full episode of What in the World about polyglots and learning languages."
        },
        {
          "start": 401.47,
          "end": 403.95,
          "text": "There's a link in the notes below this program."
        },
        {
          "start": 403.95,
          "end": 406.47,
          "text": "Thank you so much for having me on 6 Minute English."
        },
        {
          "start": 406.47,
          "end": 408.03,
          "text": "Goodbye. Ciao."
        },
        {
          "start": 408.03,
          "end": 409.83,
          "text": "Adios. Até logo."
        },
        {
          "start": 409.83,
          "end": 412.52,
          "text": "Sayonara. Bye!"
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-yt-nol0v54daxo",
      "title": "8 secrets of success",
      "level": "intermediate",
      "seconds": 426,
      "credit": "Richard St. John at TED, on YouTube",
      "youtube": {
        "video": "NOl0v54DaXo"
      },
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 13.88,
          "end": 19.52,
          "text": "Now, my subject is success, so people sometimes call me a \"motivational speaker.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 19.52,
          "end": 23.25,
          "text": "But I want you to know right up front I'm not a motivational speaker."
        },
        {
          "start": 23.25,
          "end": 25.71,
          "text": "I couldn't pass the height requirement."
        },
        {
          "start": 27.56,
          "end": 29.71,
          "text": "And I couldn't motivate anybody."
        },
        {
          "start": 29.71,
          "end": 32.67,
          "text": "My employees actually call me a de-motivational speaker."
        },
        {
          "start": 33.6,
          "end": 36.34,
          "text": "What I try to be is an informational speaker."
        },
        {
          "start": 36.34,
          "end": 40.98,
          "text": "I went out and found out some information about success, and I'm just here to pass it on."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.98,
          "end": 44.01,
          "text": "And my story started over ten years ago, on a plane."
        },
        {
          "start": 44.01,
          "end": 53.82,
          "text": "I was on my way to the TED conference in California, and in the seat next to me was a teenage girl, and she came from a really poor family, but she wanted to get somewhere in life."
        },
        {
          "start": 53.82,
          "end": 60.5,
          "text": "And as I tapped away on my computer, she kept asking me questions, and then out of the blue, she asked, \"Are you successful?\""
        },
        {
          "start": 60.5,
          "end": 62.98,
          "text": "I said, \"No, I'm not successful.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 62.98,
          "end": 66.76,
          "text": "Terry Fox, my hero, now there's a big success."
        },
        {
          "start": 66.76,
          "end": 72.42,
          "text": "He lost a leg to cancer, then ran thousands of miles and raised millions for cancer research."
        },
        {
          "start": 72.42,
          "end": 78.42,
          "text": "Or Bill Gates, a guy who owns his own plane and doesn't have to sit next to some kid asking him questions."
        },
        {
          "start": 79.88,
          "end": 82.58,
          "text": "But then I told her about some of the stuff I'd done."
        },
        {
          "start": 82.58,
          "end": 86.29,
          "text": "I love communications, and I've won lots of awards in marketing."
        },
        {
          "start": 86.29,
          "end": 91.47,
          "text": "I love running, and I still sometimes win my age group, old farts over 60."
        },
        {
          "start": 92.39,
          "end": 99.41,
          "text": "My fastest marathon is two hours and 43 minutes to run the 26 miles, or 42 kilometers."
        },
        {
          "start": 99.41,
          "end": 101.98,
          "text": "I've run over 50 marathons, in all 7 continents."
        },
        {
          "start": 101.98,
          "end": 106.34,
          "text": "This was a run my wife and I did up the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru."
        },
        {
          "start": 106.34,
          "end": 110.98,
          "text": "And to qualify for the 7 continents, we had to run a marathon in Antarctica."
        },
        {
          "start": 110.98,
          "end": 115.76,
          "text": "But when we got there, it didn't look nice and calm like this, it looked like this."
        },
        {
          "start": 115.76,
          "end": 118.26,
          "text": "The waves were so high, we couldn't get to shore."
        },
        {
          "start": 118.26,
          "end": 125.81,
          "text": "So we sailed 200 miles further south to where the seas were calm and ran the entire 26-mile marathon on the boat."
        },
        {
          "start": 126.29,
          "end": 129.42,
          "text": "422 laps around the deck of that little boat."
        },
        {
          "start": 129.86,
          "end": 135.02,
          "text": "My wife and I have also climbed two of the world's seven summits, the highest mountains on each continent."
        },
        {
          "start": 135.02,
          "end": 140.61,
          "text": "We climbed Aconcagua, the highest mountain on the American continent, and Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa."
        },
        {
          "start": 140.61,
          "end": 146.42,
          "text": "Well, to be honest, I puked my way to the top of Kilimanjaro, I got altitude sickness."
        },
        {
          "start": 146.42,
          "end": 148.48,
          "text": "I got no sympathy from my wife."
        },
        {
          "start": 148.48,
          "end": 153.41,
          "text": "She passed me and did a lap around the top while I was still struggling up there."
        },
        {
          "start": 153.41,
          "end": 157.8,
          "text": "In spite of that, we're still together and have been for over 35 years."
        },
        {
          "start": 158.73,
          "end": 161.86,
          "text": "I'd say that's a success these days."
        },
        {
          "start": 161.86,
          "end": 165.98,
          "text": "So I said to the girl, \"Well, you know, I guess I have had some success.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 166.48,
          "end": 169.48,
          "text": "And then she said, \"Okay, so are you a millionaire?\""
        },
        {
          "start": 170.49,
          "end": 175.13,
          "text": "Now, I didn't know what to say, because when I grew up, it was bad manners to talk about money."
        },
        {
          "start": 175.13,
          "end": 178.74,
          "text": "But I figured I'd better be honest, and I said, \"Yeah. I'm a millionaire."
        },
        {
          "start": 178.74,
          "end": 180.4,
          "text": "But I don't know how it happened."
        },
        {
          "start": 180.4,
          "end": 183.66,
          "text": "I never went after the money, and it's not that important to me.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 183.66,
          "end": 186,
          "text": "She said, \"Maybe not to you, but it is to me."
        },
        {
          "start": 186,
          "end": 187.84,
          "text": "I don't want to be poor all my life."
        },
        {
          "start": 187.84,
          "end": 190.56,
          "text": "I want to get somewhere, but it's never going to happen.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 190.56,
          "end": 192.15,
          "text": "I said, \"Well, why not?\""
        },
        {
          "start": 192.15,
          "end": 194.55,
          "text": "She said, \"Well, you know, I'm not very smart."
        },
        {
          "start": 194.55,
          "end": 196.24,
          "text": "I'm not doing great in school.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 196.24,
          "end": 200.49,
          "text": "I said, \"So what? I'm not smart. I barely passed high school."
        },
        {
          "start": 200.49,
          "end": 202.84,
          "text": "I had absolutely nothing going for me."
        },
        {
          "start": 202.84,
          "end": 206.72,
          "text": "I was never voted most popular or most likely to succeed."
        },
        {
          "start": 207.18,
          "end": 210.34,
          "text": "I started a whole new category -- most likely to fail."
        },
        {
          "start": 210.34,
          "end": 214.93,
          "text": "But in the end, I did okay. So if I can do it, you can do it.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 215.27,
          "end": 220.77,
          "text": "And then she asked me the big question: \"Okay, so what really leads to success?\""
        },
        {
          "start": 220.77,
          "end": 223.46,
          "text": "I said, \"Jeez, sorry. I don't know."
        },
        {
          "start": 223.46,
          "end": 226.48,
          "text": "I guess somehow I did it. I don't know how I did it.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 226.48,
          "end": 235.14,
          "text": "So I get off the plane and go to the TED conference, and I'm standing in a room full of extraordinarily successful people in many fields -- business, science, arts,"
        },
        {
          "start": 235.14,
          "end": 244.65,
          "text": "health, technology, the environment -- when it hit me: Why don't I ask them what helped them succeed, and find out what really leads to success for everyone?"
        },
        {
          "start": 244.65,
          "end": 249.98,
          "text": "So I was all excited to get out there and start talking to these great people, when the self-doubt set in."
        },
        {
          "start": 249.98,
          "end": 252.94,
          "text": "I mean, why would people want to talk to me?"
        },
        {
          "start": 252.94,
          "end": 256.12,
          "text": "I'm not a famous journalist. I'm not even a journalist."
        },
        {
          "start": 256.12,
          "end": 264.92,
          "text": "So I was ready to stop the project before it even began, when who comes walking towards me but Ben Cohen, the famous co-founder of Ben and Jerry's ice cream."
        },
        {
          "start": 264.92,
          "end": 266.46,
          "text": "I figured it was now or never."
        },
        {
          "start": 266.46,
          "end": 271.68,
          "text": "I pushed through the self-doubt, jumped out in front of him, and said, \"Ben, I'm working on this project."
        },
        {
          "start": 271.68,
          "end": 275.56,
          "text": "I don't even know what to ask you, but can you tell me what helped you succeed?\""
        },
        {
          "start": 275.56,
          "end": 278.19,
          "text": "He said, \"Yeah, sure, come on. Let's go for a coffee.\""
        },
        {
          "start": 278.19,
          "end": 280.93,
          "text": "And over coffee and ice cream, Ben told me his story."
        },
        {
          "start": 280.93,
          "end": 289.05,
          "text": "Now here we are over 10 years later, and I've interviewed over 500 successful people face-to-face, and collected thousands of other success stories."
        },
        {
          "start": 289.05,
          "end": 302.74,
          "text": "I wanted to find the common factors for success in all fields, so I had to interview people in careers ranging from A to Z. These are just the careers I interviewed beginning with the letter A, and in most cases more than one person."
        },
        {
          "start": 302.74,
          "end": 319.98,
          "text": "I interviewed six successful accountants, five corporate auditors, five astronauts who had been into space, four actors who had won the Academy Award for Best Actor, three of the world's top astrophysicists, six of the world's leading architects and, oh yeah, four Nobel Prize winners."
        },
        {
          "start": 319.98,
          "end": 323.24,
          "text": "Yeah, I know it doesn't start with A, but it's kind of cool."
        },
        {
          "start": 324.23,
          "end": 329.76,
          "text": "And I want to say a sincere thanks to all the great people that I've interviewed over the years."
        },
        {
          "start": 329.76,
          "end": 333.57,
          "text": "This really is their story; I'm just the messenger."
        },
        {
          "start": 333.57,
          "end": 343.33,
          "text": "The really big job was taking all the interviews and analyzing them, word by word, line by line, and sorting them into all the factors that people said helped them succeed."
        },
        {
          "start": 343.33,
          "end": 347.76,
          "text": "And then you start to see the big factors that are common to most people's success."
        },
        {
          "start": 347.76,
          "end": 350.73,
          "text": "Altogether, I analyzed and sorted millions of words."
        },
        {
          "start": 350.73,
          "end": 352.98,
          "text": "Do you know how much work that is?"
        },
        {
          "start": 352.98,
          "end": 355.87,
          "text": "That's all I do, day and night -- sort and analyze."
        },
        {
          "start": 355.87,
          "end": 362.45,
          "text": "I'll tell you, if I ever get my hands on that kid on the plane -- Actually, if I do, I'll thank her."
        },
        {
          "start": 362.45,
          "end": 365.93,
          "text": "Because I've never had so much fun and met so many interesting people."
        },
        {
          "start": 365.93,
          "end": 368.31,
          "text": "And now, I can answer her question."
        },
        {
          "start": 368.31,
          "end": 378.98,
          "text": "I discovered the 8 traits successful people have in common, or the 8 to be great: Love what you do; work really hard; focus on one thing, not everything,"
        },
        {
          "start": 378.98,
          "end": 393.23,
          "text": "keep pushing yourself; come up with good ideas; keep improving yourself and what you do; serve others something of value, because success isn't just about me, me, me; and persist, because there's no overnight success."
        },
        {
          "start": 393.62,
          "end": 395.47,
          "text": "Why did I pick these?"
        },
        {
          "start": 395.47,
          "end": 402.38,
          "text": "Because when I added up all the comments in my interviews, more people said those 8 things helped them than anything else."
        },
        {
          "start": 402.38,
          "end": 411.08,
          "text": "The eight traits are really the heart of success, the foundation, and then on top we build the specific skills that we need for our particular field or career."
        },
        {
          "start": 411.08,
          "end": 419.98,
          "text": "Technical skills, analytical skills, people skills, creative skills -- lots of other skills we can add on top, depending on our field."
        },
        {
          "start": 419.98,
          "end": 425.98,
          "text": "But no matter what field we're in, these eight traits will be at the heart of our success."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "video"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-gift-magi",
      "title": "The Gift of the Magi (opening)",
      "level": "advanced",
      "seconds": 70.6,
      "audio": "/static/samples/gift-magi.mp3",
      "credit": "O. Henry, read by Marian Brown for LibriVox, public domain",
      "skip": 0.269,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0.13,
          "end": 2.31,
          "text": "The Gift of the Magi."
        },
        {
          "start": 2.35,
          "end": 5.01,
          "text": "One dollar and eighty-seven cents."
        },
        {
          "start": 4.89,
          "end": 6.21,
          "text": "That was all."
        },
        {
          "start": 6.09,
          "end": 8.89,
          "text": "And sixty cents of it was in pennies."
        },
        {
          "start": 9.11,
          "end": 22.35,
          "text": "Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied."
        },
        {
          "start": 22.39,
          "end": 24.59,
          "text": "Three times Della counted it."
        },
        {
          "start": 24.59,
          "end": 27.35,
          "text": "One dollar and eighty-seven cents."
        },
        {
          "start": 27.43,
          "end": 29.99,
          "text": "And the next day would be Christmas."
        },
        {
          "start": 30.67,
          "end": 45.11,
          "text": "There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl, so Della did it, which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating."
        },
        {
          "start": 45.13,
          "end": 53.91,
          "text": "While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home, a furnished flat at eight dollars per week."
        },
        {
          "start": 53.91,
          "end": 61.37,
          "text": "It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad."
        },
        {
          "start": 61.37,
          "end": 70.45,
          "text": "In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-ford-oath",
      "title": "A little straight talk among friends",
      "level": "advanced",
      "seconds": 151.4,
      "audio": "/static/samples/ford-oath.mp3",
      "credit": "Gerald R. Ford on being sworn in as President, 1974 (Ford Library), public domain",
      "skip": 0.025,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "end": 4.27,
          "text": "Mr. Chief Justice, my dear friends,"
        },
        {
          "start": 4.93,
          "end": 19.01,
          "text": "my fellow Americans, the oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every president under the Constitution."
        },
        {
          "start": 19.01,
          "end": 30.13,
          "text": "But I assume the presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans."
        },
        {
          "start": 31.13,
          "end": 38.51,
          "text": "This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts."
        },
        {
          "start": 40.13,
          "end": 47.83,
          "text": "Therefore I feel it is my first duty to make an unprecedented compact with my countrymen."
        },
        {
          "start": 48.55,
          "end": 53.37,
          "text": "Not an inaugural address, not a fireside chat."
        },
        {
          "start": 53.99,
          "end": 63.67,
          "text": "Not a campaign speech, just a little straight talk among friends, and I intend it to be the first of many."
        },
        {
          "start": 64.83,
          "end": 72.49,
          "text": "I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots."
        },
        {
          "start": 74.05,
          "end": 81.91,
          "text": "And so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers."
        },
        {
          "start": 82.87,
          "end": 87.33,
          "text": "And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many."
        },
        {
          "start": 88.57,
          "end": 96.55,
          "text": "If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises."
        },
        {
          "start": 97.05,
          "end": 101.39,
          "text": "I have not campaigned either for the presidency or the vice presidency."
        },
        {
          "start": 101.95,
          "end": 105.57,
          "text": "I have not subscribed to any partisan platform."
        },
        {
          "start": 105.89,
          "end": 117.03,
          "text": "I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman, my dear wife, as I begin this very difficult job."
        },
        {
          "start": 117.85,
          "end": 124.37,
          "text": "I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it."
        },
        {
          "start": 125.07,
          "end": 133.41,
          "text": "Those who nominated me and confirmed me as vice president were my friends and are my friends."
        },
        {
          "start": 133.89,
          "end": 142.07,
          "text": "They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under the Constitution in their name."
        },
        {
          "start": 142.65,
          "end": 151.09,
          "text": "It is only fitting, then, that I should pledge to them and to you that I will be the president of all the people."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    },
    {
      "id": "s-jfk-moon",
      "title": "We choose to go to the Moon",
      "level": "advanced",
      "seconds": 154.2,
      "audio": "/static/samples/jfk-moon.mp3",
      "credit": "John F. Kennedy at Rice University, 1962 (JFK Library), public domain",
      "skip": 0.284,
      "chunks": [
        {
          "start": 0.33,
          "end": 2.67,
          "text": "But why, some say, the moon?"
        },
        {
          "start": 3.03,
          "end": 5.45,
          "text": "Why choose this as our goal?"
        },
        {
          "start": 5.81,
          "end": 10.03,
          "text": "And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain?"
        },
        {
          "start": 10.37,
          "end": 14.07,
          "text": "Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic?"
        },
        {
          "start": 14.21,
          "end": 16.35,
          "text": "Why does Rice play Texas?"
        },
        {
          "start": 16.43,
          "end": 18.57,
          "text": "We choose to go to the moon."
        },
        {
          "start": 18.97,
          "end": 21.21,
          "text": "We choose to go to the moon."
        },
        {
          "start": 26.91,
          "end": 31.49,
          "text": "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things."
        },
        {
          "start": 31.45,
          "end": 35.21,
          "text": "Not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
        },
        {
          "start": 35.49,
          "end": 42.55,
          "text": "Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills."
        },
        {
          "start": 42.75,
          "end": 52.61,
          "text": "Because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others too."
        },
        {
          "start": 59.57,
          "end": 75.07,
          "text": "It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the presidency."
        },
        {
          "start": 75.29,
          "end": 85.69,
          "text": "In the last 24 hours, we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man's history."
        },
        {
          "start": 85.89,
          "end": 98.65,
          "text": "We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn,"
        },
        {
          "start": 99.01,
          "end": 105.05,
          "text": "generating power equivalents to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerator on the floor."
        },
        {
          "start": 105.57,
          "end": 121.33,
          "text": "We have seen the site where five F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all engines of the Saturn combined would be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile,"
        },
        {
          "start": 121.53,
          "end": 135.51,
          "text": "assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral, as tall as a 48-story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field."
        },
        {
          "start": 136.15,
          "end": 142,
          "text": "Within these last 19 months, at least 45 satellites have circled the Earth."
        },
        {
          "start": 142.49,
          "end": 154.12,
          "text": "Some 40 of them were made in the United States of America, and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union."
        }
      ],
      "kind": "audio"
    }
  ]
}