 Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from The Voice of America. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Dan Novak. 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, I report on economic difficulties facing Argentina. Faith Purlo has a story on pandas. Gina Bennett and Brian Lin reports on drug trials that do not include overweight people. Later, Andrew Smith and Jill Robbins present the lesson of the day, but first, Libertarian party politician Javier Millay has won Argentina's presidential election with 56% of the vote. Now, President-elect Millay must face the South American country's economic problems. Inflation has been measured at over 140%. The country lacks foreign currency for international trade, people who aim to save are selling the Argentine peso, and a recession appears likely. About 40% of Argentines live in poverty. Millay is promising to close Argentina's central bank. He also supports dollarization. Dollarization means Argentina would stop using its peso and instead use the US dollar for money. Millay won a second round of voting on Sunday with about 56% against opponent Sergio Massa's 44%. Now, he will try to turn around the economy once he takes office on December 10th. Failure could lead to the country's 10th debt default, increased poverty, and possible social unrest. Argentina's high inflation rate creates huge problems in its markets and for consumers. Prices change weekly. Economic experts predict a yearly rate of 185% inflation by the end of the year. To reduce inflation, Argentina's central bank has increased the interest rate to 133%, which pushes people to save Argentine pesos. However, this move makes it too costly to borrow money and hurts economic growth. Capital controls have harmed the value of Argentina's peso since a stock market crashed there in 2019. However, different exchange rates for currencies of other nations have led to problems. For example, the US dollar's official exchange rate is about 350 pesos per dollar, but news reports say it can trade for a far higher price under different controls. Millay has promised to quickly undo capital controls and to dollarize the country's economy. Argentina's central bank reserves of foreign currency are near their lowest level since 2006. A major drought affected the exports of important crops like soy, corn, and wheat, which used to bring in enough foreign exchange money. Low reserves threaten the country's ability to repay its debts to the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, and private bondholders. It will also be difficult to pay for imported goods. The government has agreed on an extended currency swap with China to help enable it to carry out foreign trade. Argentina also had to delay some payments to important trade partners like neighboring Brazil. Argentina is Latin America's third largest economy, but it is expected to shrink by 2% this year, the central bank predicted. The recession is partly being blamed on the drought that cut corn and soy crops in half. With very high inflation, poverty will likely increase as workers' pay and savings decrease. Panda lovers in the United States are hopeful for the return of the bears, following a comment from Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. Speaking at a dinner with American business leaders on Wednesday night, President Xi said, we are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples. The Chinese President added, I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas and went to the zoo to see them off. Xi's comment came just one week after the national zoo in Washington, D.C., sent its three pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, a baby panda, Xiaoxi Ji, back to China. This is the second time this year that panda exchange agreements between the United States and China have ended. The last panda at the zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, went home earlier this year. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019. Now the only pandas in the U.S. are at the Atlanta Zoo, but that agreement will expire next year. Many American observers of U.S.-China relations have thought that China was slowly taking its bears back in answer to unease with Western governments. But Xi's comment at a dinner alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation raised the possibility of continuing panda diplomacy. Although Xi did not specifically provide information about returning pandas to the U.S., experts say his statement is a sure sign that the exchange program would be restarted. Dennis Wilder is a senior researcher at Georgetown University's initiative for U.S.-China dialogue on global issues. He said that Xi's statement suggests that talks with American zoos could begin again. Wilder said, if I'm at the National Zoo, I'm probably contacting my counterpart and saying, can we move forward now? Xi's comments about California could have been a result of his speaking in California or because of California governor Gavin Newsom's recent trip to China. Either way, officials at the San Diego Zoo are hopeful. Paul A. Beribolt is the president of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. He said, we are excited to hear of President Xi's commitment in continuing the giant panda conservation efforts between our two countries and his attention to the wish of Californians and the San Diego Zoo to see the return of giant pandas. The panda diplomacy program first started in 1972 with the arrival of Lingling and Xingxing at the National Zoo. On November 8th, the zoo returned its three pandas to China. Brandy Smith, the zoo director, said, it is a moment with some heartbreak in it. But it is also a moment of joy because we are celebrating the success of the world's longest-running conservation program for a single species. When Lele, a panda, at the Memphis Zoo died suddenly in February, there was a strong reaction in China, accusing Americans of mistreating the bears. Since then, people in China have been generally supportive of bringing all the bears back to China. I'm Faith Perlow. Are considered obese or medically overweight. But the medications many of these individuals take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. Obese people are currently not required to be included in drug studies. Often, they are purposefully left out. This is a problem because the amount of drugs an obese person should take to be safe is unknown, says Christina Chao. She is a researcher who has sought to bring attention to the need to include obese people in drug development and testing. There's no real emphasis for them to be studied at all, Chao told the Associated Press. Medications can work differently in people who are obese, but exactly how and at what amount is not clear. Research suggests this includes antibiotics and antifungal drugs, medications used to treat serious infections. It even includes ibuprofen, a commonly used painkiller that can be bought without a doctor's orders. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, and the National Institutes of Health, NIH, are the agencies that control and provide money for drug testing. At a gathering last year, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf noted a deficit of evidence about how medicines act in patients who are obese. The NIH now asks researchers to think about the results of not including obese people in their studies, an agency spokesperson said. At a recent medical conference, Chao presented a review of more than 200 studies for new drugs in the U.S. last year. Nearly two-thirds of the studies failed to include weight or body mass index, a numerical value noting if a person is obese. Historically, some populations have not been included in drug testing to avoid harm, including pregnant women and children. In the past, women, racial and ethnic minorities and aged people have also not been included. Dr. Carolyn Apovian is a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She is the co-author of Chao's study. Apovian told the AP, there are many reasons people who are obese are not included in drug tests. She noted that people who volunteer for trials are often thin and healthy, and this does not effectively represent the general population. Obese individuals can have many health difficulties and researchers often worry this will affect results of their work. Sometimes patients with obesity have many more co-morbidities than others. They'll have more diabetes, more heart disease, more strokes, Apovian said. But if drugs are not studied in a condition that affects 42% of the U.S. population, the real-world effects can be dire, experts say. Some drugs remain in the body longer in obese people. That could result in harmful drug interactions if another medication is added too soon. There can also be less medication in the blood leading to under-treatment, Apovian said. Rixolte is a drug often used to treat people with schizophrenia or depression, Chow noted. Research has shown that in obese patients it may take much longer to reach the amount of Rixolte needed to be effective. As a result, many patients and their doctors may stop treatment too early or believe the drug does not work. Not treating or under-treating schizophrenia may be dangerous to themselves and the people around them, Chow said. Even a drug as common as ibuprofen may not reduce pain in people at higher weights when taken as directed. Research shows. But without testing and clear directions, doctors won't know the amount of medicine needed for obese people, said Dr. Colleen Tenen. She is a board member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Tenen said it is very hard to be a doctor and direct patients to take amounts of medication that have not been tested. Change is coming, but progress is slow, said Dr. Allison Edelman. She is an obstetrician and researcher at Oregon Health and Science University. She told the AP that in 2019 the FDA suggested that researchers permit obese women in studies on birth control. Even though the suggestions are not required, they have already changed how she and other researchers structure their studies. Because unless we see representation in our study population, we don't end up with treatments that work well for individuals, Edelman said. A povian from Brigham and Women's Hospital said patients can ask their doctors about whether the usual amount of a medication is acceptable for their weight. Even if the doctors do not know, the question could start an important discussion about the most effective treatments. This is a big issue, a povian said. It can be important for patients to speak up. I'm Gina Bennett. And I'm Brian Lin. My name is Andrew Smith. And my name is Jill Robbins. You're listening to The Lesson of the Day on the Learning English podcast. Welcome to the part of the show where we help you do more with our series Let's Learn English. This series shows Anna Mateo in her work and life in Washington, D.C. In another Lesson of the Day, we started to look at Lesson 37 of the series. In Lesson 37, Anna starts talking to a man who is visiting Washington, D.C. The man lives in a rural area and does not feel comfortable in the city. Soon, Anna and the man start talking about whether they prefer to live in the city or the country. And in this situation, the word country just means a rural area. Let's listen to their conversation. Thank you. Thank you. Are you okay? You seem nervous. Well, this is my first visit to Washington, D.C. I'm from a small town in the country. I feel a little lost. I'm from the country, too. And I understand. When I first came here, I felt lost all the time. So, do you like living in the country or in the city? I like to live in the city. Why? The city is exciting. It has more culture than the country. There are many museums and restaurants. Every night, there's theater and music. And there are more jobs. That is why I'm here. Well, I agree. There is more culture in the city. And there might be more jobs. But the country has more nature. It's peaceful and beautiful. There are more trees and mountains. The air is clean. You can go hiking and camping. The city is not beautiful. It's noisy and dirty. I disagree. I think all the different buildings are beautiful. And I like to watch all the different people. That's another thing that is different. People in the country are friendly. They always say hello. Here, no one says hello. I think city people are rude. Well, I agree. Country people are friendly. But I don't think city people are rude. I think they're just busy. That's a good point. Anna and the man disagree because they have different preferences, which means things they prefer, or like more. And I think it's important to notice that even though they disagree about some things, they are not really arguing or fighting about their preferences. True. They're not being disagreeable. Disagreeable is an adjective we can use to describe people behaving in a negative or rude way. Unpleasant is another adjective we can use to describe this. Like, we can say that a way in which a person is talking is disagreeable or unpleasant. And with Anna and the man, we can say that they are acting agreeably. We know that might sound strange to our listeners. Anna and the man disagree, but they are acting agreeably. That means they are speaking nicely to each other. That's right. Just like the adjective disagreeable, the adjective agreeable can describe a person. If someone is agreeable, they are pleasant and try to please other people. So listeners, see if you understand this sentence. They are agreeably disagreeing. That means they are disagreeing in a nice way. Remember, it's fine to disagree. There's no problem with that. But try not to be disagreeable when you disagree. I'm Jill Robbins, and you're listening to The Lesson of the Day on the Learning English Podcast. In their conversation, Anna and the man do agree about some things. That's right. They do find some common ground. They agree that there are more jobs in the city and that people from the country are friendly. To find common ground means to find things that you agree about. Even when you disagree about other things. Now let's listen to the rest of Lesson 37 and find out what else they might agree on. Well, I agree. Country people are friendly. But I don't think city people are rude. I think they're just busy. That's a good point. Look at me. I live in the city and I said hello to you. But you are from the country. I have an idea. Let's say hello to people. To many people. What? Why? Well, if we say hello, then they will say hello to other people. Hello? And they will say hello to more people. That's a great idea. I'm glad you found my bag. Come on. Let's go say hello to people. We don't have to agree with people. They have their opinions. We have ours. And as we like to say, you can always agree to disagree. Until next time. In the city, saying hello to all the people who walk past you on the street is not normal behavior. But then again, Anna does not always behave normally. No, she doesn't. When Anna and the man go up to lots of people in the city and say hello, they are breaking a cultural norm. As you can hear, the word norm sounds similar to the word normal. A cultural norm is a behavior, attitude, or belief that is commonly shared within a certain culture. For example, in the United States, there is a cultural norm to apologize if you are late for a meeting. Another cultural norm is for men and women to shake hands when they meet at a business meeting. We can say that people break cultural norms when they show behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs not commonly shared within a culture. And we use the verb adhere, ad, h-e-r-e, plus the preposition to to talk about following the usual or normal behaviors within a culture. For example, we might say, in an important business or government meeting, people usually adhere to cultural norms. In a physical sense, the verb adhere means to stick to something. For example, glue adheres to most surfaces. Social norms means the same thing as cultural norms. That's a good point. Now, let's review some of the vocabulary from today's lesson of the day. We have the adjectives agreeable and disagreeable to describe either good or bad behaviors or conditions. And we have the adverb form of those words agreeably and disagreeably. And we have the words pleasant and unpleasant, which also describe good and bad. Then there's the expression find common ground. And next we talk about cultural or social norms and the expressions break cultural norms and adhere to cultural norms. Now, here's something for our listeners to do. Write to us and tell us what you think is an important cultural norm in your own culture. We might discuss what you tell us in a future lesson of the day. And you can email that to learningenglishatvoanews.com. Remember, you can find us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. You can also find all the episodes of Let's Learn English on our website at learningenglish.voanews.com. And thanks for listening. I'm Dr. Jill. And I'm Andrew Smith. And that's our program for today. Join us again tomorrow to keep learning English through stories from around the world. I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Dan Novak.