Topic Video: Cities

Hello again!

The video for today corresponds to the topic of cities. Instead of the usual "city life vs country life" comparison, I bring you a video about the peculiarities of suburban life. That is, life in the suburbs. Please remember that can be a false friend! A suburban area is simply in the outskirts of a city. Anyway, you will see that the definition of "suburbs" becomes very clear in the video, as it features one of the largest suburban areas in the country.

Living in the suburbs has shaped the residents' way of life, but how? Let's find out. Before listening, consider this vocabulary (dictionary to your right, people!). You can also try to find out the meaning by context, if you want.

stretching North = expanding to the North
cul-de-sac (check pronunciation, the word is defined in the video. How is it defined?)
to come at a cost 
to track (or track down)
to be off the beaten path

Some questions:

1. How many synonyms or near-synonyms of  "going" can you find?
2. How has walking been transformed by this way of life?
3. What are the problems originated/not solved by the road system?
4. Why does the reporter call the situation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area a "construction loop"?

By the way: I can check how many people watch the videos. Is it possible that 63 people have watched yesterday's video in one day, and not one of them has shared their answers? I put it down to you having the key, but then the commenting/sharing element loses all meaning... I'm not too happy with that.

Answers to be shared in the comments, please! And the key coming soon here!

Topic videos: Food

I think that the New York Times have made all their videos available and free to watch. Hooray! So I thought that I might post a video for each important, large topic that we have seen this year, both for NA1 and for NA2. I'll try to keep it even. Advantage: your exams are very close together, so we have roughly the same amount of time.

I start with food (closely linked to health or to culture, usually), because it was seen at the beginning of the year and I imagine it must be far out in your memory: 

1. Consider this vocabulary and its pronunciation: 
processed- ultraprocessed food
aisle
whole(some) foods
navigate (quite modern, basically meaning "finding your way in")
come up with (an idea)

2. Note down adjectives or nouns related with food, especially those we have already seen. 

3. Answer: 

a) Why is it necessary to "navigate" the supermarket?
b) Can you find one of the most typical, strongest collocations of adverb+adjectives we have seen this course?
c) What's the difference between processed and ultraprocessed food?
d) Are frozen vegetables good, according to them?
 e) Why do yogurts have so much sugar in them?


 

Answers in the comments section, I hope to make the key available very very soon. Here's the key.

Enjoy!

Shopping online tips

Hello again!

This video shows us several useful tips to buy online. Disable the subtitles to do the comprehension and gap-filling below. You must complete each gap with up to 4 words.

ONLINE SHOPPING TIPS FROM THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

1.       Plan ahead by ______________________ .

2.      Be sure to include __________________________ in your budget.

3.      You must distinguish between the __________________________ features of a product and those that are simply ____________________________ but can be done without.

4.      Look for feedback about how the product works, or its _________________________ .

5.      Read several reviews on the company selling the product to avoid ________________

__________________ source.

6.      Make sure you take into account ______________________________ and other add-ons when considering the price of the item.

7.      Sellers are required by law to ship items _________________________________.

8.      Credit card is safer because the law allows you to ____________________________ if you dispute a charge.

9.      The “s” at https stands for “secure” and will allow your information to be ____________________________ before transmission.

10   You can ____________________________ with the Federal Trade Commission if you can’t work out problems with the seller first.

The Short Transcript Challenge V: design at the MoMA

To bring some change of subject to our series of minute-long transcripts, here's one on design to challenge our views of art and what is worthy of a place in a museum.

Of special idiomatic interest could be, for example, the expression used here to suggest that the enumeration is just a selection of a larger collection (and it's not "and so on").

Let the transcription challenge continue!

What's on in Bath

Hi everyone!

This video should give you some practice on what's on guides, description of events, leisure activities, etc. Pay attention to dates and common verbs for this type of guides, like coming up, looking towards (April), hosting, showcasing. I remind you that the dictionary widget is available on your right to look them up, but it would be great if you tried to assign meaning to these verbs by using the context.

So, the comprehension questions:

1. What three ways of finding out what's on in Bath does she mention?

2. What can we explore in BathDigital Festival? It's t____  d_____ s_____

3. What's the advantage of getting rugby tickets at the visitor centre?

4. What will Bath In Fashion concentrate on this year?

Answers in the comments! Thank you!

The Short Transcript Challenge IV: Killing Caesar

Violence and power struggle. A timeless classic. You can revise the pronunciation of some vocabulary on history for this transcription, and don't forget the pronunciation of proper names!

A milestone event in ancient Roman history:

Killing Caesar

Enjoy!

The Short Transcript Challenge III: Ancient Superpower

These videos all elaborate on the same subject, and hopefully you will be able to see some progress in your transcription as you get used to the voice, the topic, and the type of discourse. Everything's a matter of frequency and practice.

Gotta love Roman times:

Ancient Superpower

Enjoy!