Listen only, and don't worry about understanding everything. Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen to the article on the train or in your free time. Each time you listen, you will slowly improve!
Listen and transcribe them.
Travel Abroad Jorge Ivan Arango Alejandra Arcos Andrés Bedoya.
Some people prefer home. They rarely leave the city or state where they were born and raised. They aren't very interested in exotic places or different cultures, so they travel abroad only once or twice in their lives. In fact, most US citizens don't even have a passport. But other people are the opposite. They love to travel abroad. They realize that travel to foreign countries has many benefits. So if you haven't thought about it before, here are some reasons to get on a plane sooner rather than later.
If you're young and have just finished university, travel provides the chance to learn about the world. Of course you faced challenges at school, such as getting a student loan or renting an apartment. But college isn't quite the real world. If there's a problem, for example, you can usually and easily get help from your parents. A mistake may have serious consequences, but it's easier to bounce back. You don't have children, a mortgage, and other responsibilities yet.
Overseas travel looks good on your resume, too. There are many new challenges abroad. The society may have different rules and expectations. The society may have a language barrier. You'll need to solve problems with initiative and resourcefulness. You may even have the chance to use your foreign language skills.
If you're in your thirties, forties, or even fifties, the challenges of travel overseas stimulate the brain. New problems require new skills. After many new experiences abroad, you'll feel refreshed and ready to face the pressures of work. On the other hand, if you spend two weeks at home without any challenges, you actually won't feel as recharged when you return to work.
If you're retired, you should still travel because you don't have a job to worry about. You also don't have children to take care of. This means you can take longer vacations. Instead of two weeks, you can stay two months or longer. You can take language lessons and try new hobbies unique to that country. The new experiences will keep your mind and body young. You'll also realize that there's still a lot to discover in the world.
So what are you waiting for? Make your reservations and get on a plane today!
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check comprehension.
1. According to the article, why don't some people travel overseas?
2. According to the article, why isn't college like the real world?
3. Why does travel overseas look good on a resume?
4. Why should a person in their fifties travel overseas?
5. According to the article, what happens when a person stays at home for vacation?
6. Why can a retired person stay abroad for a long time?
7. According to the article, why should a retired person go abroad?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult? Look at the
vocabulary and sentence structure, then think why one paragraph was easy and another difficult.
2. Read or listen to the article again. Can you give a one or two sentence summary for each paragraph?
paragraph 1:
paragraph 2:
paragraph 3:
paragraph 4:
paragraph 5:
3. Where would you like to travel to and what would you like to do in the following situations:
When you are in your 20s?
When you are in your 30s, 40s, and 50s?
When you are in your 60s, 70s, and older?
The Ancient Olympics Ana Buitrago Andrés Felipe Cordoba Jhon Stiven Guevara.
The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC. No one now knows the reasons for the first game. There are myths, though. One myth tells about a hero named Heracles. He won a race and then declared that the same race should take place every four years. Another myth suggests that the Greek god Zeus started the Olympics!
The name of the athletic contest comes from Olympia, the place where the games were held. Like the modern Olympics, these ancient games were held every four years. Athletes and spectators from the ancient city-states traveled across Greece to participate and watch. In later years, Greeks from all over the Mediterranean came, too. Some historians believe that the city-states even stopped wars so people could safely get to the games. And if an athlete were in the army, he could leave to join the contest. Only free men who spoke Greek could participate, though. In addition, the athletes had to take an oath. They swore that they had practiced for the games for ten months or more.
Unlike the Olympic games of today, there were fewer events. In fact, there was only one event at first, a race the length of the stadium. Several more running events were added later, including one in which the contestants had to wear armor and carry a shield. This was called the "Hoplite race." There was boxing and wrestling, chariot racing, and the discuss throw, javelin throw, and long jump. With more events, the Olympics became longer. They eventually lasted five days. The first day and final day had religious ceremonies, and the second, third, and fourth days were dedicated to sports. The last day also had a great feast for all the participants.
The ancient Olympic Games ended in 393 AD when the Roman Emperor outlawed the games and festival.
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check comprehension.
1. When did the ancient Olympic Games begin?
2. What myths does the article mention?
3. How often were the Olympic Games held?
4. Who participated in the ancient games?
5. What does the article say about wars?
6. What events were there?
7. Why did the Olympic Games end? When did they end?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult? Look at the vocabulary and sentence structure, then think why one paragraph was easy and another difficult.
2. Read or listen to the article again. Can you give a one or two sentence summary for each paragraph?
paragraph 1:
paragraph 2:
paragraph 3:
paragraph 4:
3. Would you want to go to the modern Olympics? Why/not?
Studying the Future William Hoyos Karen Lourido Johan Murillo.
Believe it or not, but there are people who study the future. They don't use magic. They don't have special abilities to see into the future. They don't just guess. These people look at the past and the present, then try to determine possible, probable, and preferable futures for humankind. They are called "futurists."
There are many important topics that futurists try to understand. They look at the challenges humans face on our planet today, and ask questions about tomorrow. For example:
How can everyone have clean water in the future?
How can global communication help everyone?
How can we safely increase energy production?
How can we balance limited resources and population growth in the future?
But futurists also want to understand how new developments will change society. They look at trends, discoveries, and developments in computers, energy, leisure, medicine, politics, robots, and space.
Their ideas may seem like science fiction. For example, there will be intelligent robots in every house by 2020 and a colony on Mars by 2025. In fact, these ideas may even seem unimportant, especially when there are more serious problems in the world today. But futurists believe that all of these ideas are important because they will affect everyday life in the future. For example, how would society change if every house had a robot to cook and clean? Would that affect leisure time? Would that affect how children are raised? Would that affect people's work habits? These questions are as important as other questions that focus on clean water, pollution, or energy production.
Humankind needs to know what could happen in the future, or so the futurists believe. The world changes very quickly now. People's attitudes and values are also changing quickly. Additionally, these changes are coming at a faster and faster pace. It's important to understand what lies ahead, so it then becomes easier to make the right decisions and take action now. It's important to understand that the choices we make today will have consequences for our children and our children's children.
Futurists believe that there are desirable futures and undesirable futures. We need to work towards the best one together.
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check comprehension.
1. According to the article, who studies the future?
2. What are some questions they ask based on the problems we have today?
3. What topics do futurists look at?
4. Why do futurists believe that all ideas are important?
5. According to the article, what is changing so quickly now?
6. Why do we need to understand what lies in our future?
7. According to the article, what do we need to do together?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult?
Look at the vocabulary and sentence structure, then think why one paragraph was easy and
another difficult.
2. Listen and write the sentences:
These people look at the past and the present, then try to... (paragraph 1)
_______________________________________________________________________________
They look at the challenges humans face on our planet today, and... (paragraph 2)
_______________________________________________________________________________
But futurists believe that all of these ideas are important because they... (paragraph 5)
_______________________________________________________________________________
It's important to understand what lies ahead, so it then becomes... (paragraph 6)
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. After reading the article, what do you think about futurists? Do you agree that it's important
to study the future? Please explain.
Negativity at Work Andrés Ossa Carlos Perdomo Jaime Puerto.
What causes negativity at work? It's a serious problem that companies, managers, and staff need to watch. Negativity reduces performance. Negativity causes more people to quit, so more time and money are wasted always training new employees. And because usually the best employees quit and find another job, it makes successful companies less competitive. In a negative workplace, only the worst employees stay for a long time. In fact, the negativity might be caused by the worst employees!
Here are some other reasons that create a negative environment at work.
· There is too much work. This complaint is very common when some employees quit or are fired, but new people aren't hired. There is more work for everyone but without any raises.
· Management isn't competent, effective, or qualified. Their decisions and policies cause problems in the office. In fact, some managers blame employees for the problems! Of course, these are the very worst managers who cause a lot of grumbling.
· Employees are worried about the future. For example, the economy is bad, some employees might lose their job, or the company might close.
· Employees are bored at work..
· Employees don't get praise or recognition for their hard work.
· The pay is low or it doesn't equal the amount of work required for the job.
A lot of these reasons come from inside the company. The managers and their decisions cause employees to dislike work. But sometimes outside problems cause negativity. For example, if sales are down, then workers might not get a raise or a promotion. If the economy is very bad, then some people might lose their job.
Companies need to understand the reasons for negativity at work. Almost everyone wants a positive, enjoyable work environment. After all, people spend so much of the day at work. For example, let's say that you work eight to ten hours every day, or between forty and fifty hours every week. If you sleep six hours each night, then about 50% of the day is at work. That's a lot of time! Or from a manager's viewpoint, workers who like their jobs work harder and get the job done more accurately and more quickly. In addition, fewer people quit so employees become more valuable. As they learn more about the company and the business, they gain more skills and experience.
So is your office negative? Do you have any ideas to make it a more positive place?
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check your comprehension.
1. What does negativity reduce?
2. Why do companies have to train more people in a negative environment?
3. Why do negative companies become less successful?
4. According to the article, what happens when employees quit or are fired?
5. Who are the very worst managers?
6. What does the article say about wanting a positive, enjoyable work environment?
7. What does the article say about the manager's viewpoint?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult?
Look at the vocabulary and sentence structure, then think why one paragraph was easy
and another difficult.
2. Listen for these words, understand the context, then try to repeat the information in a
sentence:
competitive (paragraph 1)
recognition (paragraph 2)
a raise or a promotion (paragraph 3)
more accurately and more quickly (paragraph 4)
3. Listen and write the sentences:
It's a serious problem that... (paragraph 1)
___________________________________________________________________
The pay is low or it... (paragraph 5)
___________________________________________________________________
As they learn more about the company and the business, they... (paragraph 5)
___________________________________________________________________
4. Do you agree with the article about negativity at work? Why/not?
Santa Claus has become the most popular and well-known image of Christmas around the world. During the holiday season in December, he appears on TV and in newspapers and magazines everywhere. His image is used to sell all kinds of merchandise. And in many shopping malls and department stores, children wait in line to tell him all their Christmas wishes. But how much do you really know about Santa? Do you know his other names, for example? Or do you know where he lives? Is Santa married?
Santa Claus has several other names, such as Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and Saint Nicolas. The modern idea of a man who gives presents to children began with a real person. In the 4th century, there was a Christian bishop named Nicolas. He lived in Turkey, and was very generous. He often gave gifts to poor people. He later became a saint, and is the inspiration for the Santa Claus of today.
Of course, there have been many changes to Santa's history and image since then. For example, the modern Santa Claus comes from the North Pole, not the warm Mediterranean shores in Turkey! Many folk stories in Europe have influenced the story of Santa. An old god in Germany named Odin has the most influence. Odin often appeared as an old man with a long, white beard, and he gave gifts to children too. Then there are other influences, especially from the 19th century. The popular writers Charles Dickens and Washington Irving took these old stories and traditions, made a few changes, and more or less created Santa Claus of today.
Santa now almost always appears as a fat, happy man with a big, bushy beard the color of snow. He dresses in red. When he laughs, his belly shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Each year on December 24th, he flies around the world with a magical sleigh and reindeer. He slides down the chimney with gifts for children, placing the presents under the Christmas tree or in stockings. But only children who behaved during the year get presents. The naughty, or bad, children don't receive any gifts, but they may sometimes get a lump of coal. Santa Claus keeps a list of naughty and nice children, which he updates throughout the year.
It's a difficult task to get all the presents ready. So he has elves to help him, and together they work all year to prepare for Christmas. The factory is located at the North Pole.
So now that you know more about Santa Claus, there is only one more question to answer: Yes, Santa Clause is married.
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check comprehension.
1. What are some other names that Santa Claus has?
2. How did the idea of a man who gives gifts to people begin?
3. What folk story in particular has influenced the idea of Santa Claus?
4. Which writers influenced Santa's image in the 19th century?
5. What does Santa do on December 24th each year? How does he do it?
6. What do naughty children receive?
7. Who helps Santa during the year?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult?
Look at the vocabulary and sentence structure, then think why one paragraph was easy and
another difficult.
2. Listen for these words, understand the context, then try to repeat the information from the
sentence.
merchandise (paragraph 1)
inspiration (paragraph 2)
folk stories (paragraph 3)
a bowl full of jelly (paragraph 4)
a difficult task (paragraph 5)
3. Listen and write the sentences:
And in many shopping malls and department stores... (paragraph 1)
_____________________________________________________________________________
The popular writers Charles Dickens and Washington Irving took... (paragraph 3)
_____________________________________________________________________________
So he has elves to help him, and... (paragraph 5)
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. Now what do you know about Santa Claus?
More and more people all over the world realize that global warming is real and a serious problem. Almost everyone agrees that the Earth's climate has begun to change, as reported by scientists and experts in newspapers, TV programs, and magazines. The summers are hotter. The winters are warmer. As a result, glaciers have become smaller. If this continues, there could be water shortages in the future in Europe and the Americas. In addition, scientists believe deserts will grow much larger in some parts of the world, which means areas of Africa, China, and the Middle East will have little or no water to grow food. Storms will become worse, too. Although we haven't seen many big changes yet, our children and our children's children could live in a very different world. They could face many problems in the future.
Governments around the world have taken action to fight pollution and global warming. Unfortunately, they need to do more. In addition, big countries like the US, China, and Russia continue to pollute heavily. All governments must take action with new laws to protect the environment. They must research and develop new technologies, such as wind and solar power. They must pollute less and reuse resources.
Individuals can take action now, though. Here's how:
- Don't use plastic bags at the supermarket, especially if you use the bag only once and throw it away. Take a cloth bag that you can use again and again.
- Take public transportation like trains and buses as much as possible. Even better, walk.
- Use less water at home. For example, when you brush your teeth, turn off the water.
- Turn off the lights, computer, TV, and so on when you're not using them. This will decrease your electricity consumption.
- Recycle newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and so on.
- Organize or participate in a clean-up day in your neighborhood. Help clean the parks, beaches, and land in the area.
Take action and save the planet today!
QUESTIONS
Answer the questions to check comprehension.
it. Then listen again.
1. According to the article, what do more and more people realize?
2. What could happen if glaciers continue to melt?
3. What do scientists believe about areas in Africa, China, and the Middle East?
4. How will global warming affect storms?
5. Have governments taken enough action to fight pollution and global warming?
6. What kind of laws must be created? How about research?
7. According to the article, what action can people take now?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Which paragraph was the easiest to listen to? Which paragraph was the most difficult? Look at
2. Read or listen to the article again. Can you give a one or two sentence summary for each
paragraph?
paragraph 1:
paragraph 2:
paragraph 3:
3. The article mentions some ways to protect the environment. Can you think of more ideas?
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