Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr. This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use

words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

Coming up on the show, I report on an American woman considered one of the bravest and most effective intelligence

agents for the United States and allies during World War II.

Anna Mateo brings us a gardening report. Later, Jill Robbins and Alice Bryant present education tips.

And Jill returns with Andrew Smith to close out the show with another lesson of the day.

But first, thousands of women have with another lesson of the day.

But first, thousands of women have served as intelligence agents for the United States and its allies since the nation began.

Virginia Hall was one of the bravest and most successful spies for the allies during World War II. Hall was born in 1906 to a rich family in Baltimore, Maryland.

She studied foreign languages in college.

In 1931, Virginia Hall took a job at the American Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.

Then she served in embassies in Estonia, Austria, and Turkey.

While in Turkey, Virginia Hall suffered a tragic accident. Her gun accidentally fired while she was hunting. The bullet severely wounded her leg.

Doctors removed it to save her life. After that, she wore a wooden leg to walk. She resigned from the State Department as a result,

but her injury did not stop her from serving the Allies. Virginia Hall was in Paris, France,

when World War II began.

She joined the French Army and drove a medical vehicle.

Before long, however, she had to leave to escape the invading German soldiers. Later, in England, she was invited to join a secret British organization created to organize resistance.

It helped form military teams in German-occupied areas of Europe. Hull learned weaponry, communications, and

security. Then she was sent to occupied France. She established communications with the French

...