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.

On today's program, Katie tells the story of the Golden Gate Bridge.

John Russell and Jill Robbins give advice on physical therapists.

Andrew Smith reports on scientists' predictions about the next ice age.

Here Dorothy Gundy tell about a new medical device that could help disabled people

walk. Then, the lesson of the day. But first...

Every day, more than 110,000 automobiles cross a historic and beautiful bridge in northern California.

The span is called the Golden Gate Bridge. It is named after the body of water below it.

The Golden Gate Strait connects the Pacific Ocean with San Francisco Bay.

The bridge links the city of San Francisco with Marin County to the north.

Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Building began in 1933. The bridge was opened for use in 1937. The distance between the main towers is almost 1,300 meters long.

That was the longest suspension bridge span in the world for almost 30 years.

Then, in 1964, the larger Verazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City.

Today, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has the longest span.

Strauss used newly developed protective equipment for the men who worked on the bridge.

These included a special safety net under the bridge, but still 11 workers fell to their deaths during the building project.

The color of the bridge, International Orange, is very important.

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