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, Jill Robbins brings us the Science and Technology Report.

She tells about possible ways Earth may be protected if threatened by an asteroid strike.

Though currently chances of such an event are considered low, experts are still

developing defensive measures just in case. Then, South Korean officials are welcoming

news about the birth rate in their nation.

In 2024, the number of babies born in the country increased for the first time in nine years.

The change is reason to celebrate as the country is dealing with serious population

problems. John Russell brings us that story. And we close the show with the lesson of the day.

But first, have you ever seen the Goodyear Blimp? The long-rounded aircraft has been a regular site at major sporting events since 1955.

Here is Anna Mateo with a little history of the famous flyer for today's All About America.

The Good Year Blimp is an airship that is also a traveling advertisement for the Goodyear

tire and rubber company.

The airships are immediately recognizable to most Americans.

For the past 100 years, Goodyear has flown blimps over major sporting events,

including the Daytona 500 car race.

The blimp has been at every Daytona 500 race since 1962.

In 2025, to celebrate the anniversary of the Goodyear Blimp,

the airships are taking a special tour of big events around the country.

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