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, Brian Lynn has advice on some amazing house plants.

Ana Mateo and I report on a popular game that had its start in Mexico.

Jill Robbins has advice about avoiding falls on the health report.

Then the lesson of the day explores can and can't.

But first, if you are looking for house plants that do not take up a lot of space and are easy

to grow, air plants might be the right choice. There are more than 500 different species

of air plants. Officially they are known as Talancia. These plants are native to places in

North and South America that support year-round plant growth.

Air plants belong to the same family as the pineapple.

Instead of soil, these plants attach themselves to things like trees, rocks, and buildings.

They do not cause problems for the objects they grow on.

Air plants do not have roots.

They depend on specialized cells called trichomes to permit their leaves to take in water and nutrients.

Associated Press gardening writer Jessica Demiano has experimented with airplants and offers these guidelines for people wanting to grow them.

Air plants require bright, indirect light.

So they should be placed near an east or west-facing window, but not directly in front of it.

Direct sunlight can burn the plant's leaves.

In homes with average humidity levels, put air plants in a bowl of room temperature water

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