Pronunciation ChallengeCNN10: Rutgers University Requires Students to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 / Heroes of Nigeria

【Timecode】
00:26-02:19 News【Rutgers University Requires Students to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19】
02:22-04:28 News【Heroes of Nigeria】
04:30-05:04 Sentence of the Day
05:10-06:16 Vocabulary
06:23-end Epilogue


【Rutgers University Requires Students to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19】

For the fall semester this year, Rutgers University is requiring its students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. But hold on, is that legal? Well, that’s the question that leads off to today's show. Rutgers University is based in the state of New Jersey. It's a very large school which has three main campuses and enrolls more than 70,000 students in total. Rutgers is one of the first American universities to announce that most students will need a coronavirus vaccine for the coming fall semester. There are some exceptions to this rule, for example, students can request an exemption, permission to attend without getting the vaccine for religious or medical reasons. And also, for students who attend online courses, that rule won’t apply to them, either.

Everyone on campus still has to participate in Rutgers' COVID testing programs, and everyone is still required to wear masks and keep their distance from one another on campus. The university says the decisions are in support of its commitment to health and safety for all members of its community. The three vaccines that Americans can get are authorized for emergency use, and the FDA says people have to be informed that they may either accept or refuse the drugs. That's where experts say it's not clear if Rutgers or any organization can legally require people to be vaccinated. Do you agree with Rutgers’ new policy? Safety and rights, what comes first?

【Heroes of Nigeria】

Almost 220 million people live in Nigeria, and the nation has the largest economy in Africa. But the CIA estimates that 70% of Nigerians live in poverty, and their country also struggles with corruption, crime, and terrorism. Boko Haram, one of the largest Islamic terrorist groups in Africa, is also based in Nigeria. Since its uprising in 2009, the Nigerian military and its allies have made progress against the Islamic militants. However, Boko Haram has kidnapped, displaced, or orphaned hundreds of children, which leads us to our Hero of the day.

Zannah Bukar Mustapha is the director of the Future Prowess Islamic Foundation. They started with just 36 orphans, but now they have over 860 of them, creating a peaceful land for the innocent angels who suffered adversity.

[We don't mind where you hail from, what's your religion, what's your ethnicity. So, gender does not matter.]

Orphans who were rescued by the foundation were properly counseled, educated, and taught the skills for living.

[For me, being an orphan, I feel I have lost something from a normal girl child and an orphan. But as I step into Future Prowess, all other things have been provided.]

The foundation is located near a riverbank, they have their own fish farm and greenhouse. They also have 6 hectares of farmland with irrigation where they grow lemons and fruits all by themselves. And this all would never have happened if it wasn’t because of the founder, Mustapha.

[We are in a community where every segment of the society is being ravaged. What keeps me going is the resilience of these children. Whenever I see their faces, it gives me hope, it keeps my dream alive.]

Check out today’s CNN10 video for this heart-warming story.


【Sentence of the day】

The three vaccines that Americans can get are authorized for emergency use, and the FDA says people have to be informed that they may either accept or refuse the drugs.


【Vocabulary】

1. authorized
Received permission to do something.

Ex: She was authorized by her company to enter the safe vault.

2. informed
having a lot of information of knowledge about something

Ex: The school promised to keep parents informed about the situation.

3. drug
any natural or artificially made chemical that is used as a medicine

Ex: He takes several drugs for his condition.
Ex: John goes to the drugstore every week to buy pills for allergy.


【Epilogue 結語】
Alright and that’s all the time we have for today.
Back to the question that I asked you guys earlier,
Do you approve the university’s decision to require all students to take COVID-19 vaccines before entering the campus?
Or does it violate your rights for education?
Leave a comment down below and let’s chat about it.
This is Ken Miao and I’ll see you guys again next week. Bye~

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