This is Movember! I like to send you a Movember video each year since I had a student who took part in it. He told me that he liked being asked about his new moustache, as it gave him the chance to talk about the reason behind it.
I won't tell you much about Movember, because the video explains what this grass roots movement is in great detail. The comprehension questions are easy enough (some collocations and an open question), but... the accent is Australian. Hehe. The open question is right at the end, so that you have time to get used to the accent before transcribing.
Before listening: there is a collocation that you must know, as it is key to comprehension, so check that you know it or look it up in the dictionary. What two things can you raise for a good cause? Some collocations to complete while listening: 1. The month ________ known as November. 2. Everything comes back _____ _________. 3. The party ended with the _________ ________ bring back moustaches. 4. Becoming a Mo Sista is definitely a way to meet guys. Asking a guy about his moustache is the ultimate ____________ ___________. 5. _________ __________ November 2010... (this discourse marker is borrowed from cinema/TV jargon) What's the firm belief he expresses at the end of the video?
Enjoy! Share your answers and thoughts in the comments section. Have you every participated in Movember? Would you consider doing so?
Again, sorry for the long absences. As some of you already know, I'm working on a PhD and this is the most absorbing thing I've ever done, bar none. Well, maybe except having a newborn baby! But yesterday I was feeling kind of lazy so I looked for a nice video for you all.
This is from a series of videos provided by the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, which give you a certain background on highlights of their collection. This one is about a very famous painting there, which has been dubbed "the best-loved painting in Ireland": The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. The story behind the scene in the painting is also really moving, if you want to take a look at it. It was inspired by a Danish ballad about an ill-fated love.
So, time for some work! Here I leave you activities in three steps:
1. Check pronunciation and meaning of this art-related vocabulary before you listen:
miniature (portraits) watercolour narrative genre scene oil painting a gilt frame glazes
... and non-art-related vocabulary:
he started off as it was highly regarded it was snapped up by a dealer to mistake sth for sth else to make a pilgrimage
2. Complete these phrases with a maximum of three words.
He was ___________ of his career He ___________ to copyright Vulnerable to ___________ A balance over ___________ and ___________ This is the flexible approach that we've tried to ___________
3. Answer these questions:
What did writer George Eliot say about the theme of the painting? And about the knight? What happened once Burton became director of the National Gallery in London? Why is it important to protect this painting from light?
This time, I'm going to leave three days before I publish the key. Make sure you leave some comments! I'd love to kear from you and about your answers or doubts!
Finding, choosing, or even stumbling upon a career path that turns out to be fulfilling is entirely different for each one of us. For some, it's a very natural thing: we have a vocation, a "calling" if you wish. And we still doubt very often. For others, it is the product of very careful reasoning and a journey of self-discovery. It is nothing less than a crisis, a turning point ("point" being quite an inaccurate term here, as it takes considerably longer than a moment). And the search for fulfilment can happen at any age, bringing with it different concerns about our finances or our family, relocation or housing.
Not easy, and yet, fascinating (at least to me, like everything that involves self-search). This is one video that I have found while reading and I want to share it with you... along with some questions, of course, and a wealth of interesting vocabulary, presented here in the form of lexical chunks (ready-to-use vocabulary, if you will).
You can use both the context and a dictionary for these. Check pronunciation. Apart from helping you identify the word...it's beautiful in many cases, particularly for unusual words.
to a greater or lesser extent the quest for... there are estimated to be.. we end up making no choice at all fear is entirely normal have a calling a perilous position puts us at the mercy of catch a glimpse of what we have to do is... conundrum unwittingly chosen to surmise non-irrevocable to give it a go feudalism (do check pronunciation to be able to catch this one!)
And some questions: 1. Where does "paralysis of choice" stem from? 2. Why is it important to park any concerns for money for some time? 3. What do you have to write down? 4. Why is it important to do something as well as thinking?
Language. Find examples of: a) emphatic "do" b) double negatives
I hope you like this one as much as I do, and I expect some comments and opinions in the comments section. Ask me any questions you may need, and don't forget to disable the CC (closed captions) on the video... Don't cheat!
This video is a short collection of interviews with HR managers who tell us about the qualities they look for in a candidate. I propose completing these sentences (listening for specific information).
I'm not going to make this one too difficult: I'll transcribe the sentences as they are uttered, with gaps. Do take a look at useful vocabulary before listening, as it helps comprehension more than you may think. Use the dictionary widget on your right.
traits to make x out of y : to turn y into x. For example, "to make a drama out of the situation" means to turn the situation into a drama, that is, to exaggerate it. What is the use of this expression in the video and what does it mean?
to figure out a solution
Go for it!
As usual, any questions will be answered in the comments section, and key here. You're welcome!
1. I'm looking for proven track record; I'm looking for a proven ability to _________ and execute. 2. I'm always looking for people that are _________ learning and developing so that they can make a career out of this _________ a single job. 3. An aptitude to do any type of job, as employers aren't necessarily looking to lock somebody into _________ . 4. Traits to me are almost more important than skills. And you're looking for someone who can be a leader, that can be responsible, who can understand the task and get them _________ . But also someone who, who is obviously intelligent and hardworking and that is, those traits are more important than any _________ you can show me. 5. I'm looking for someone who is _________ , who has a desire to help others, someone who has an active _________ communication and complex thinking skills. 6. You have to be able to communicate well and work well with other people, because it's going to _________ all those problem-solving minds _________ to really be able to figure out the solution for the business.
This video is about a job that certainly caught my attention. Would you be able to pick a criminal's face out of a crowd? There are police officers that can, in fact, recognise criminals by trawling hours and hours of footage until they find a match. Their objective: to accuse criminals of as many offences as possible.
Why would they want to do this? The answer is in the video.
I suggest you check some vocabulary first, and that you read the news item below the video if you need further help with comprehension, or if you want to read the same information in other words.
I'm available for questions, as usual: just tell me the minute you're having difficulties with and I'll try to help.
Vocabulary: squad convicted (of) to plead guilty (to) to trawl to spot someone to bring someone to justice/to court CCTV footage Questions 1. According to MCI Mick Neville, why is it an advantage to identify the criminal's face in several crimes? 2. When was the squad created? In what sort of crimes has the squad helped identify criminals since then?
I would love to see your answers in the comments section!
Hello again! You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right? I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful.
Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived.
Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.
Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.
Storm Reyes (SM)
SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____ learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____ grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____ raised. But when _____ 12, _____ bookmobile came _____ fields. _____ have _____ understand _____ wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____ minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____ side _____ road, and i_____ filled _____ books, _____ immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____ waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____ take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____ take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____ like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____ no catch.
Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.
Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.
You can find the text and the original interview here.
Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.
Hello again! You may be wondering what happened during this year and a half. Well, most of you know, of course, but this is the internet and who knows, I may have a reader far away. What happened was that I became a mom, and between pregnancy and raising the baby this was out of my list of priorities. Now I'm back to work, much busier, but I'll do my best to keep this blog alive! So I count on you participating on the comments, finally, right? I am basing this activity on a lesson by Rachael Roberts, from elt-resourceful.
Here's the story of Storm Reyes, a woman of Native American origin whose life changed when a bookmobile came to the camps where she lived.
Complete the first part of her interview with weak forms (remember: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs in the affirmative, determiners), then watch and listen to the video, and check.
Some gaps contain one word, some contain two words.
Storm Reyes (SM)
SM: The conditions _____ pretty terrible. I once told someone _____ I learned _____ fight_____ knife long before _____ learned how _____ ride _____ bicycle. _____ when _____ grinding day after day after day, _____ no room _____ you _____ hope. There _____ isn’t. _____ don’t even know _____ exists. _____ nothing _____ aspire to except filling _____ hungry belly. That’s how _____ raised. But when _____ 12, _____ bookmobile came _____ fields. _____ have _____ understand _____ wasn’t allowed _____ have books, _____ books _____ heavy, _____ when _____ moving _____ lot _____ have _____ keep things _____ minimal _____ possible. So when I saw _____ big vehicle _____ side _____ road, and i_____ filled _____ books, _____ immediately stepped back. Fortunately when _____ staff member saw me, _____ waved me in, _____ said, “These _____ books, and _____ take one home. _____ have _____ bring _____ back _____ two weeks, but _____ take _____ home _____ read _____ .” _____ like, “What’s _____ catch?” _____ explained _____ me _____ no catch.
Are you curious about what happened next? Watch the rest of the video to find out. Here's the text for you to locate the weak forms in this second part of the interview and practise saying the sentences with appropriate rhythm. Remember the key is in rushing through the weak words so the beats fall on stressed words. You can be sure you're doing it right if you imitate Storm's rhythm as faithfully as possible.
Then he asked me what I was interested in. And the night before the bookmobile had come, in the camps, there was an elder who was telling us about the day that Mount Rainier blew up, and the devastation from the volcano. So I told the bookmobile person that I was a little nervous about the mountain blowing up. And he said, “You know, the more you know about something, the less you will fear it.” And then he gave me a book about volcanos. And then I saw a book about dinosaurs. I said “Oh, that looks neat.” So he gave me a book about dinosaurs. And I took them home, and I devoured them. I didn’t just read them, I devoured them. And I came back in two weeks and had more questions. And he gave me more books and that started it. That taught me that hope was not just a word. And it gave me the courage to leave the camps. That’s where the books made the difference. By the time I was 15, I knew there was a world outside of the camps. I believed I could find a place in it. And I did.
You can find the text and the original interview here.
Welcome back and enjoy the activity! I'll see you in the comments section for any doubts you may have.
As you probably know, June is here, and that means more videos to practise for the exam! (Yayyy...!)
This one is to practise two areas: one is vocabulary about space, particularly house space, and their descriptions. The other element is accent... This person is from Hong Kong, so you can guess the accent is going to be challenging!
The format is in fact a presentation, not a video, but it is here because I enjoyed it so much. It consists of 20-second-long slides with a voiceover. The person who speaks is the owner of a 32-square-metre flat who has refurbished it several times throughout the years. The best summary I can make is, in his own words: "The place changes for me, I don't change for the place".
So your task is to find out this information:
1. How many people have lived in the apartment in the different stages he describes? 2. How has he created a home cinema? 3. What was his inspiration for the last concept? 4. Which parts of his house are movable? What do they transform into?
Some vocabulary you might need: partitions to double as transient permutations Swiss Army (knife) bathtub hide-and-seek
I hope you enjoy this transformer apartment! And I'd love to see your answers in the comments section!
Finally back after this forced break. But you know there's a period of frantic activity coming... exams are just round the corner so it's time for more frequent videos.
This is a short, funny guide on how to deal with the weather, whether (see what I did there?) you visit London in sunny summer or rainy autumn.
These are some expressions you may want to check before watching the video:
the odd ... ( = not usual) spring has sprung alfresco dining (yay! Our favourite word in action!) unwind thermals duck into (the shops) when the weather turns to keep (the chills) at bay
The activity is a sentence completion. Disable closed captions (CC button) to do it, and then enable them to check your answers.
Careful in sentence 7, as it contains one feature of pronunciation we have only seen in the C1 course: the intrusive "r" (an "r" sound between one final vowel and one initial vowel).
Enjoy!
1. You must be ready to adapt, because the weather in London can be a little __________________. 2. Even if spring is mainly sunny, you might see the odd __________________. 3. If you get a bit hot under the collar, the best idea is to leave the bus and tube __________________ and hire a bike. 4. Don't forget a picnic! __________________ the blanket and enjoy some alfresco dining. 5. Even though the long summer days may be __________________, autumn is still a great time to be in London. 6. London is a top shopping destination, and some of its __________________ include Carnaby Street and Covent Garden. 7. As the nights __________________, find yourself a bar or go to a show. 8. During winter, there are many places that are __________________ from the cold outside. 9.A pub, in front of a roaring fire is a wonderful way to __________________ a winter's day.
Doing a bit of research for this topic I have found out that there are so many musicals worth watching! And so many we know of because they have been adapted for the silver screen, like Grease, Hair, Mamma Mia, The Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story,... Actually, with some of these I'm not even sure if it was the musical production or the film that came first. Any help?
This is a top ten list that, obviously, will not please everybody, particularly if you're a fan of more classical musicals. I, for one, find that there is one unforgivable absence!. But we have to take into account that the list aims at presenting some of the most successful or critically acclaimed productions. Or... this might one of those cases where a top ten just won't do. A top twenty, maybe?
What I propose is:
1. First, to take a look at compound adjectives with present participles. Remember that they are easy to interpret if you "read them" from right to left forming a relative clause:
e.g. a Tony Award-winning musical would then become a musical that has won a Tony Award... or several! Don't forget that the first part of this adjective is always singular, no matter what.
2. Then, to complete some gapped sentences.
3. To read the full transcript and annotate any interesting collocations (there are soooo many I couldn't make gaps for all of them!)
4. To comment!
So we start with the adjectives. Match the adjectives you're going to hear with the noun they refer to in the video. There may be more than one acceptable match. Then check while you're listening.
history-making characters
attention-grabbing numbers
(figures)
show-stopping dance
numbers
longest-running flick
(film)
Oscar-winning twelve
Tony Awards
award-winning production
record-breaking musical
And here are the gapped sentences:
1. Wicked
will captivate you _______________________ of “The Wizard of Oz” film.
2. The
Producers, thanks to its musical numbers, choreography and characters,
_______________________ of classic Broadway shows.
3. RENT is
a landmark musical, _______________________ and RENT-heads alike.
4. Oklahoma! is a
successful combination of a serious storyline, _______________________
and dance numbers.
5. Oklahoma! is thought to
be a musical that _______________________ the musicals that came
after it.
6. A Chorus Line is simple in its
concept: a bare stage on which we watch several Broadway dancers
_______________________ a musical.
7. Chicago follows two women
_______________________ , wealth and “all that jazz”.
8. The Lion
King manages to _______________________ universally appealing songs with
colorful costumes and impressive puppetry.
9. Even
though there is __________________________ in it, Cats is a “purrfect” musical.
10. Cats
has vibrant costumes and incredibly complex dance numbers. _______________________
the distinct personalities of the Jellicle cats
and_______________________ this is one of Broadway’s most popular shows.
11. Les
Miserables is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway, which the
narrator doesn’t hesitate to call “a musical and _______________________.”
12. The Phantom
of the Opera counts with detailed costumes, ___________________ and haunting
music.
All that is left for you to do now is to read the transcript and annotate your favourite vocabulary.
Oh, I almost forgot... And to comment! Do you agree with the list? Which is your favourite musical? You can also share the vocabulary you found interesting with us.
Ever wondered how social media use may be changing us physiologically? Some people claim our brains, and even our nervous system, are being rewired by media use, particularly in heavy users.
So click below to find out more about the way we are challenging our brains by stimulating it like never before in history! And also to fill the gaps provided here with up to three words.
Disable closed captions (CC button) to do the activity, and turn them on to check your answers. There's also a key available.
Enjoy!
1. With social media being ______________________ one third of the entire world, they’ve clearly had a ______________________ on society.
2. There are similarities between social media addiction and drug dependence, even if one is a psychological addiction and the other is a ______________________ .
3. It was found that heavy media users did worse in task switching tests. High multi-tasking online can even make it difficult for your brain to commit ______________________ .
4. Phantom Vibration Syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon, where you think you ______________________ your phone ______________________ , but it didn’t.
5. Social media also ______________________ a release of dopamine, with the reward centres of the brain being more active when people talk about ______________________ , as opposed to listening to others.
6. It’s also been found that partners who met for the first time online tend to ______________________ more than those who first met face to face.
7. This increased success in partnerships started online may be due to anonymity or to people being clearer about ______________________ .
Here's a video about the senses, and about a condition called synesthesia in which certain senses which are not normally connected are very much related: for example, some people see sounds or taste letters. Synesthesia is also a literary device whereby we associate different senses together, like when we speak about "the caress of your voice", for example.
So here's a little video briefly describing this condition. Some previous vocabulary and some questions:
Vocabulary: the culprit sensory (adj) tangle up shut down to keep sth in check Questions: - Which senses are mentioned throughout the video? - What is sequence synesthesia? - What is a possible explanation for seeing A as red? - What do we mean by the association of senses being durable? And memorable? - Why was the host reticent to do an episode on this topic?
My ongoing battle with difficult verb patterns for Spanish speakers, like suggest, leads me to asking you to find the use of that verb at the end of the video and transcribe the full sentence. Ideas in the comment section! Thank you!
By the way, you can use closed captions for the key in this one. Enjoy!
This is a video about a very particular charity shop. A pair of shoes for 850 pounds... is that a rip-off or a bargain? Well, here, it turns out to be a bargain! The proceeds of this charity must have been really high!
I propose a gap-filling exercise to practise collocations, either related to this topic or not. You know my insistence on collocation, and my firm belief that it is the key to successful comprehension and natural expression.
Some vocabulary to check before listening (remember to use a monolingual dictionary! You have a dictionary widget on this same page):
cobbler cast-offs highstreet kudos
Notice the emphatic structure at the beginning of the report (cleft sentence):
________________________ buy Beyoncé’s dress, Shirley Bassey’s shoes or Natalie Imbruglia’s hat all under one roof.
Complete with a suitable word or phrase:
But you can at this ________________________ charity shop inside London’s department store Selfridges.
The idea came from ________________________ Annie Lennox, and Vanessa Branson, sister of ________________________ Richard, was one of several of her friends ________________________ .
Vanessa Branson highlights that:
Everybody feels ________________________ the project.
It’s not just about ________________________ every year.
You know you’re making ________________________ .
So far, 30,000 pounds ________________________ by the shop.
Charity shops in general are ________________________ : profits were up by ________________________ to 100m pounds.
With more than 700 ________________________ , Oxfam is the biggest UK charity retailer.
Theresa Colonette runs a boutique selling only the creme of ________________________ cast-offs.
She thinks that charity shops can be an alternative fashion resource, offering a ________________________ for anyone.
The last dress shown doesn’t have a celebrity connection, but it is still ________________________ , something which more people are likely ________________________ in the ________________________ .
Key here. But I hope to see your comments anyway, about the activity or about the vocabulary you've learnt with it. Thanks!
Hello again! This is a video that most of you already know. I'm posting it here for you to check your answers or, if you're new to it, to practise, practise, practise!
This is not the first video about auctions, that we have had around here, but it is one in which I have learnt a new word: gavel. It's the news story of the auction where Madoff's personal belongings are put up for auction to compensate victims of his pyramid scheme.
Vocabulary to learn before you watch:
proceeds (or sales proceeds): the money obtained from the sale.
seized: in this context, taken by the police (or other law enforcement agents, like the FBI or others), as evidence or for other purposes, as here.
to go under the hammer: to be sold at auction (from the action of bringing a hammer down to close the bidding). This hammer is called "gavel" (the word you hear in the video)
The activity involves completing a couple of sentences that start with "it". Two typical structures: 1. a cleft sentence, and 2. an impersonal passive.
1. And it was not just his footwear...
2. It's expected that ...
Pay attention to prepositions at the end of a clause!
Here we are, back with the Short Transcript Challenge!
The rules for the challenge are simple: just write down a transcription of the video for us in the comments! If you don't want to attempt the whole video just let us know the minute you're transcribing so someone else can take it up from there.
I'm becoming quite a fan of BBC documentary openings. They're a genre in themselves! This one is about Nicholas Culpeper. I hope after the opening you will feel a little curious about this character!
If you need any help with any specific words, just tell me when it is said and I'll give you a hand.
This challenge will be closed on March 6th (next week). Good luck!
UPDATE: Thank you veeeery much to Irene for her almost perfect transcription! It's very interesting to see exactly where you had difficulties: those weak words and linking can really be challenging!
You can check your versions against this key. Thanks!
Paired with relaxing images, very suitable for a Monday, this video will enable us to explore different ways of expressing reason and effect/consequence. Only one question, why, but many possible answers.
The video is a collection of photos taken at a very specific time to capture an unusual effect: a hidden city inside the city. Can you find the answers to these questions and tell us how the speaker is expressing cause or effect? You can transcribe the sentence if that helps.
1. Why did he decide to take these pictures? 2. What are the effects of such few cars and people on the streets? 3. Why doesn't he usually have the time to reflect on or play around with images? 4. That day, when did the appearance of the city start to change? Why?
Consider elements like sentence order (why shouldn't one start the sentence with "because"?), alternatives to because like "since" or "as", using nouns instead of clauses (linking in this case with "because OF" or "due to/owing to/thanks to"), or, my favourite, starting the sentence with a present participle clause(which can also be used to express condition, result, time...)
Not a bad idea to start using alternatives, seeing as Spanish learners can reportedly spell because in (wait for it...) 237 different ways! It's not our fault if we're imaginative when it comes to spelling!
Now seriously, variety is the key here. Knowing that these are common ways of expressing cause will also help your comprehension. "Since you're here, we're going to start" has nothing to do with time but with reason (meaning "now you're here" / "given that you're here"), and sometimes the result may be clearly positive, so you may want to use "thanks to" to make this connotation clear.
I guess many of you have woken up to the news of the incredible feat of these two climbers to have made it to the top of El Capitan's Dawn Wall in Yosemite.
Having seen El Capitan featured here, in a previous post about Yosemite Park, it seemed only like a natural continuation to have a little activity about this incredible sporting success.
This is a gap filling activity with two kinds of gaps, which you can complete all at once or in two rounds. The first kind is vocabulary, while the second kind (in bold) is for examples of ellipsis and reference (ways of avoiding repetition in discourse).
Even though I include the key for you to check, I'd like you to tell us in the comments what those words in the gaps refer to. For example:
- Everybody was writing comments on the blog, but inexplicably, I wasn't. (there's an ellipsis here, and it refers to "writing comments".)
- There's a previous post about Yosemite, so I may check that out after this video. (we avoid repetition by using the pronoun "that", which refers to "a previous post about Yosemite".)
I'm aware that many of you may have seen the video already, but it really is the most beautiful one around. I had to pause it and just admire the view. Where would you pause the video?
Enjoy!
Tommy starts by describing his father, a bodybuilder, as a __________ character.
When he was a child, his father would put a harness on him, tighten him into a rope around him and ________ a rock outside their house.
_________ he was 14, he started to realise there were climbs he could do that his father ________ .
His ___________ is to climb the Dawn Wall in Yosemite Valley.
About five of the hardest wall free-climbs have been Tommy’s ________ , and Dawn Wall is ________ harder than the hardest of __________.
In North America, there is no granite wall that is as blank and _______________ as Dawn Wall.
Tommy wrote about a day when his fingertips were cracked and bleeding, he made ____________ despite great conditions, and yet he couldn’t wait to be back up on the wall.
Tommy really ___________ to his father, who taught him about this _____________ way to live.
He says that we have these ____________ ideas of where our boundaries are, and that maybe _________ are completely wrong.
We're back with a bit of responsible recycling and reuse of electronic devices. It's a very brief video, but it shows us some of the consequences of irresponsible disposal of electronic waste, as well as some greener alternatives.
Just a regular gapfill for you! We're getting back into shape step by step... I'm still going to let you enjoy some of the holiday season hangover before stepping into more challenging work!
In America, 2m __________________ of __________________ are thrown away every year.
It can leak into __________________ and into __________________.
It’s a cause of environmental __________________ and it can cause harm to the people who __________________.
The biggest __________________ to recycling is cost, which is compensated in this company by fixing and reselling __________________.
They may may take two products __________________ and combine them together to make one that is reusable.
They can recuperate __________________ per cent for reuse.
They track down the reused items __________________ be able to provide that information to environmental organizations and manufacturers. The manufacturers could then decide __________________ to make next.
An EcoATM will let you hand in your cellphone and get cash __________________.
Here's a little history of the electric guitar brought to you by the Smithsonian Channel. I hope you can recognize the song they play throughout the video!
The activity is a gap-fill of varying length: any number of words can fill the gap. What I like most about this video in particular is the fact that we have different voices, with slightly different accents, and a music background.
You can check your answers by activating the closed captions in the video (CC button). It's very approximate, so it'll do. (UPDATE: this is the link to the video that has a CC button available)
Hope you enjoy it! And if it inspires you to play some music afterwards, then my purpose is accomplished!
All right now, what me and the _____________ are trying to do right here is a short history of the electric guitar, starting with ________________ that you can hear.
The creativity that comes out of, here was a tool where you can ________ things in a way, and that, the only _____________ your imagination.
There's something beautiful about it, and it _______________, it doesn't sound like where the instrument ____________, it's gone in a _____________ round.
__________________ a way to express yourself in a way that, maybe a __________________, maybe a little crazy, maybe ___________you to do things that you _________________ on your own, but you have that guitar in hand, it gives you ______________.
The fascinating thing about electric guitar history is that the product ___________________ much since it _______________, and all the innovations have been small, ____________ in their effect on a country as it changed music _______________.
In the story of the electric guitar you have so many things about America, and about __________culture _______________. You have invention, faith ____________, you have faith in technology, and you have ________________, you have creativity. All of these things come together in a guitar.
Hi everyone! We're back with some more video goodness.
Have you ever thought "no one could be Corleone but Marlon Brando"? What about any other characters? Actors and their iconic characters remain together forever, but the process whereby a specific actor is chosen can be long and involve a huge number of other people and circumstances. If that other actor hadn't turned it down...
This video takes us through some of the best alternate castings. Here's some vocabulary that I'd recommend you check before jumping to the open questions:
turn down
aficionado
contender
to be halted
to buckle (figurative sense)
And here are the questions. Key coming shortly! Enjoy the comeback!
Why did Burt Reynolds turn down Bond's role?
What was the problem with Stallone's script for Beverly Hills Cop?
What actor was only rumoured to have turned down a role? In which film? In that case, who would be to blame for not accepting a successful role?
What difficulties did Harrison Ford find to obtain the role for Han Solo? How did he finally get it?
And what difficulties did Michael J. Fox have when shooting Back to the Future?
Why was Harrison Ford cast for Indiana Jones only three weeks before production?
What unexpected even could have enabled Tom Selleck to accept the role?
