'Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice'... Or Does It?
2020-07-12
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Lightning is one of the most powerful forces in nature.
3Scientists describe lightning as a huge burst of electricity between clouds, the air, or the ground.
4These bolts of electricity can heat the air around them to temperatures five times higher than the surface of the sun. And that is really hot!
5When you watch lighting, you know it's fast.
6That is why English speakers use the expression lightning speed to describe anything that is super-fast.
7A runner can have lightning speed.
8An Italian restaurant can drop off a nice, warm pizza at your front door at lightning speed.
9And unconfirmed stories often spread online at lightning speed.
10So, lightning is fast; it also can be dangerous.
11When a thunder and lightning storm starts, it is best to find shelter.
12Do not stand in an open field.
13Now, to protect buildings from lightning damage during a storm, you can attach a lightning rod to it.
14A lightning rod is a long piece of metal.
15This metal draws lightning away from the building.
16People can also act as lightning rods ... but in a different way.
17They attract attention, criticism and even anger of other people.
18A lightning rod is someone who becomes the target of criticism to draw attention away from more serious issues or other people.
19Issues and even objects can become lightning rods, too.
20Anything that comes to represent something that people criticize can be called a lightning rod.
21When speaking about lightning, we have another common expression:
22Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
23We use this expression when a very unusual event is not likely to happen again to the same person or in the same place.
24It can be used when something good happens, such as winning a game of chance like the lottery.
25That does not happen very often.
26Here is another example. Let's say your favorite sports team is having a bad year.
27But they were still able to defeat a much stronger team.
28However, the next time they face that stronger team, your team might not be so lucky.
29You know what they say -- lightning never strikes twice.
30We also use this expression to say a bad thing won't happen again.
31We use this reassure someone, trying to make them feel better.
32For example, let's say you are watching a baseball game and get hit by a baseball in your seat.
33Your friend might say, "Well, you're safe now. That cannot happen again! You know, lightning never strikes twice!"
34That probably will not make your head feel any better.
35And you can tell your friend that scientists say that lightning can and will strike the same place twice.
36Whether for something good or bad, the underlying truth remains the same: The chances of some unlikely thing happening twice is very small.
37And that's Words and Their Stories for this week. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo!
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Lightning is one of the most powerful forces in nature. Scientists describe lightning as a huge burst of electricity between clouds, the air, or the ground. 3These bolts of electricity can heat the air around them to temperatures five times higher than the surface of the sun. And that is really hot! 4When you watch lighting, you know it's fast. That is why English speakers use the expression lightning speed to describe anything that is super-fast. 5A runner can have lightning speed. An Italian restaurant can drop off a nice, warm pizza at your front door at lightning speed. And unconfirmed stories often spread online at lightning speed. 6So, lightning is fast; it also can be dangerous. When a thunder and lightning storm starts, it is best to find shelter. Do not stand in an open field. 7Lightning rod 8Now, to protect buildings from lightning damage during a storm, you can attach a lightning rod to it. A lightning rod is a long piece of metal. This metal draws lightning away from the building. 9People can also act as lightning rods ... but in a different way. 10They attract attention, criticism and even anger of other people. A lightning rod is someone who becomes the target of criticism to draw attention away from more serious issues or other people. 11Issues and even objects can become lightning rods, too. Anything that comes to represent something that people criticize can be called a lightning rod. 12When speaking about lightning, we have another common expression: 13Lightning never strikes the same place twice. 14We use this expression when a very unusual event is not likely to happen again to the same person or in the same place. 15It can be used when something good happens, such as winning a game of chance like the lottery. That does not happen very often. 16Here is another example. Let's say your favorite sports team is having a bad year. But they were still able to defeat a much stronger team. However, the next time they face that stronger team, your team might not be so lucky. You know what they say -- lightning never strikes twice. 17We also use this expression to say a bad thing won't happen again. We use this reassure someone, trying to make them feel better. 18For example, let's say you are watching a baseball game and get hit by a baseball in your seat. Your friend might say, "Well, you're safe now. That cannot happen again! You know, lightning never strikes twice!" 19That probably will not make your head feel any better. And you can tell your friend that scientists say that lightning can and will strike the same place twice. 20Whether for something good or bad, the underlying truth remains the same: The chances of some unlikely thing happening twice is very small. 21And that's Words and Their Stories for this week. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo! 22Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is Stephanie Beaumont singing "Whoever Said That." 23________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25draw - v. to cause (attention) to be given to someone or something 26reassure - v. to assure anew 27underlying - adj. used to identify the idea, cause, problem, etc., that forms the basis of something 28miracle - n. something (as an event or accomplishment) that is very outstanding, unusual, or wonderful