Listening extinction events 1
The earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The first life appeared about a billion years later.
The first plant didn’t appear until around 2 billion years ago.
Until about 580 million years ago, life forms were small and microscopic(微笑的). Since that time, live has evolved into many different types, or species. However, scientists estimate that more than 99% of them are now extinct.
There have been several extinction events in the history of the earth. In the extinction event, many life forms or species of life die out. The causes of mass extinction events are unsolved mysteries. These events are not predictable and can happen at any time.
Scientists think that some of them were started by asteroid impacts or volcaniceruptions. Events like these can change the global conditions that life depends on.
One major extinction event happened about 66 million years ago.
That event may have been started by a large asteroid that hit the earth.
As a result, the dinosaurs and about half of the all species on the planet, died out. When the asteroid hit the earth, it’s started a chain of events. A chain of event is a series of events linked together, like a chain.
These particular chain of events happened over a period of months and years.
When the asteroid hit the earth, it caused huge cloud of dust to enter the atmosphere. This cloud of dust blocked the sun and darkened the earth for many months. Without enough sunlight, plants and plant-eating animals quickly died. With the deaths of so many plants and animals, the food chain collapsed. This led to the deaths some many more species.
Mass extinction events have played important part in the evolution of life. In fact, some extinction events havehelped to accelerate evolution.
For example, some mammals lived to the age of dinosaurs, but they couldn’t compete.
When the dinosaurs were removed, the mammals were able to compete more successfully. Once they could compete, mammals evolved to a higher state. Without extinction events, perhaps we wouldn’t be here today.
Listening extinction events 2
Scientist estimated that there have been at least 5 mass extinctions in the last 540 million years. They also believed that we haveentered a new extinction event. Species are becoming extinct at a much faster rate than before.
Instead of asteroidsor volcaniceruptions, the current event is the result of human activities. Human activities, for example, have led to global warming.
Global warming is the result of an increase in carbon gases in our atmosphere.
These gases trap heat from the sun, so the earth is getting warmer. As a result, sea levels are rising and weather patterns are changing.
In addition, we humans are destroying the habitats of many plants and animals. Cutting down forests and polluting rivers destroys the habitats of many forms of life.
There is no longer any doubt that this is happening. Specials of life are disappearing at an increasing rate.
Global temperatures are rising and weather patterns are changing.
Scientists are warning us that fast action is necessary to save our future. If we don’t act, we may go the way of the dinosaurs.
Vocabulary body systems
The body’s circulatory system includes the heart and blood vessels.
The heart pumps the bloods to all parts of body through a network of arteries and vein. The digestive system breaks down and absorbs food into the body. It supplies the energy that the body needs for growth and repair.
After digestion, excess food is turned into waste and eliminated from the body. The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves. This is your body’scontrol system.
It controls your muscles and organs included your circulatory system and digestive system. The respiratory system includes the nose and lungs.
It brings air and oxygen into the body and removes carbon dioxide.
The lungs are where oxygen enters the bloodstream and carbon dioxide is removed. The immune system protects the body against infections and diseases. Sneezing and fever are examples of how the immune system works. If an infection invades the body, the immune system attacks it.
Vocabulary great discoveries
The control used of fire allowed people to cook food and survive in the colder climates. Fire provided light so that people could work and socialize for longer hours.
With the invention of agriculture, people can grow food and settle into communities. With the development of agriculture, people had more time for other activities.
By growing food, people could spend less time hunting and more time for other things, such as art.The domestication of animals allows people to raise and use animals for food and work. By raising herds of animals such as sheep, humans had a regular supply of meat and clothing. The strength of animals such as horses and oxen was used for work and transportation.
The development of tools and machines has resulted in a more fashion manufacturing and construction.
With better tools and machines, work can be done with fewer people and much lower cost.
The development of science and engineering has improved many things including communications.
Science and engineering have changed the way we communicate with each other.
With understanding of electricity, telephone and radios allow people to communicate over long distances.
The use of machines has reduced the number of people needed to make things.
Dialogue smartphone addiction I took a vacation last night.
What are you talking about?Where did you take the vacation?
I didn’t go anywhere. I just spendan evening without my smartphone. How was it?
It was great. I got a real magazine and read it with no interpretation. It was very peaceful! Yes, I haven’t done that no long time.
You know what, I beginning to hate smartphones. Really, but you can’t live without one, right? Yes, that’s the problem.
This thing change the way people live.
Yes, I just saw a documentary about that. A husband was complaining his wife that she was spending too much time on her smartphone. What happened, did they get divorced? You guess it. In the end, they got divorced.
It is a bit ironic, don’t you think? Smartphones were supposed to bring people together, but they are pulling people apart. Yes, you are right.
Hey, just a minute, I’ve got a message on my smartphone and it can’t wait.
Dialogue rude boss
Hey, wake up and get back to work!respectfully What’s wrong with you?
I’m on my break sir and I have a bad headache.
Well, we’re not paying you to sleep.If you’re going to sleep, sleep some places else. Yes, sir, sorry.It won’t happen again. You had better not.
Just a minute. Don’t tell me like that. What did you say?
You hurt me, you don’t have to treat people like that.quit Well, if you don’t like it, I suggest you leave.
Ok, I will. I’ve had enough of you. I will get a job somewhere else.
Level4-2part2
Listening point of view 1
This man is holding a piece of food in this hand. The piece of food is either an orange or an apple.
We can’t see which it’s because we can’t see inside the box.
The probability that it is an orange is equal to the probability that it is an apple. It may be an apple and it may be an orange.
It’s going to be one or the other. It can’t be anything else.
Now let’s look at it from the man’s point of view. From his point of view, the probability is different.
From his point of view, the probability that he has an orange is 100% or 0%. That’s because he knows what he has. For him, that is not uncertainty. If he has an orange, the probability is 100%.
If he doesn’t have an orange, the probability is 0%. He either has it or he doesn’t.
From our point of view, the probability that he has an orange is 50%.
From his point of view, the probability that he has an orange is 100% or 0%. So the probability depends on the point of view.
Listening point of view 2
People see things from different points of view.
This often leads to arguments between people. Here are some examples. From this man’s point of view, he is relaxing.
He needs to relax because he has been working too hard.He hasn’t been getting enough sleep.
His wife sees things differently. She isn’t aware of how hard he has been working. From her point of view, he is doing nothing.
However, she knows what needs to be done around the house. It isn’t fair that she has to work while he does nothing.
When people see things from different points of view, they often come to different conclusions. These differences can cause real communication problems.
Vocabulary disaster
Earthquakes are caused by forces deep within the earth.
When the earth shakes, buildings can collapse(v.使倾倒;使崩溃;使瓦解 n.倒塌,崩溃,暴跌) and people can be buried inside.
An explosion is a rapid, violent release of energy.
Explosions can be caused by chemical reaction, such as inside the engine.
A spark can ignite a mixture of gases and release energy for good or destructive purposes. Accidents are often caused by people doing foolish things or by not being careful. One major cause of accidence is driving too fast.
Accidents with fire can be very serious, and can result in very painful injuries. Epidemics are the rapid spread of a disease, such as the flu or Ebola. Throughout history epidemics have killed millions of people.
Storms are caused by changes in atmosphere,result in high winds and heavy rains.
Thunderstorms are caused by electric charges in the atmosphere, that produce lightening, which can cause forest fire.
Some storms cause flooding and major damage to homes and cities.
Vocabulary religions
Followers of the Islam religions are called Muslims.
These Muslims(穆斯林))are prayer inside the Mask.
Muslims are called to prayer 5 times a day, beginning just before sunrise.
Christianity(基督教) is based on the teachings of Jesus crisiswho lived more than 2000 years ago. Christian believes that Jesus is the son of god.
Christians are often gathering in churches or cathedrals to worship. Followers of Judaism are called Jews.
These Jews are meeting inside the synagogue, which is a place of worship and study. Judaism was founded over 3500 hundreds years ago in the middle east.
Judaism is based on the teaching of Moses, who they believe is the most important prophet. Buddhism(佛教) began in India and is based on the teachings of Buddha. The religion is about 25 hundred years old.
Some Buddhists practice a form of meditation in which they empty their mind of any thoughts. Hinduism is the world’s third most popular religion and is the main religion of India. Hinduism has no founder and is a mixture of many beliefs. Some Hindus believe in a circle of birth, life, death and rebirth.
Dialogue missing aircraft
Do you have any more information about the location of the missing aircraft? No, we don’t. The only information we have was it disappeared. What about the last communication with the aircraft?
The last communication was about 15 minutes before it disappeared. Was there anything unusual in the communication?
No, there wasn’t anything unusual. Nothing pointed it any kind of problem. Anyway, we are confident that we will find it.
It’s a large aircraft so it shouldn’t be difficult to find it. How many countries are helping with the search?
Right now, we have search teams from 3 countries starting the search.
It’s a big area to search, so can you give us an estimate about how long it will take?
Yes, it’s a big area so it might take a long time. But we won’t give up. We will search utill we find it.
Have they found the wreckage yet? What are you talking about?
You know, the airplane that disappeared last year.
Oh, yes, now I know what you are referring to. Yes, they found some piece of it. What about the black boxes?
No, they still haven’t found the black boxes.
Its hard to believe that they still don’t know what happened.
Perhaps they’ll never know, especially if they still don’t find the black boxes.
Whatever happened to it, there is not good reason why a modern airline is allowed to disappear. I agree with you.
Level4-2part3
ListeningAlcatraz 1
Alcatraz is a small island in San Francisco bay, 1.5 miles from San Francisco. From Alcatraz, you can see the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz is also famous and is now a major tourist attraction. Tourists can reach the island by boat from the city.
Alcatraz has often appeared in movies including escape from Alcatraz, which was made in 1979. One reason it’s famous is because it used to be a prison, a very special prison.
It was designed for prisoners who were causing trouble in other prisons, such as trying to escape. It was a maximum securityprison, so escape was almost impossible.
The water around it was cold and only very strong swimmers can swim from the island to San Francisco.
The first group of prisoners arrived in 1934.
There were 137 prisoners, including bank robbers and murderers. They came by train from another prison in the state of Kansas.
During that trip, there was heavy security. The prisoners were under guard and handcuffed. Nobody wanted them to escape.
ListeningAlcatraz 1
The prison was designed to hold up to 336 prisoners. However, the average population was only about 270.
Although there wereseveral the notorious inmates, such as Al Copone, most of the inmates werenotwell-known.
Many had tried to escape from other prisonsor were considered violent. If a man didn’t behave at other prison, he could be sent to Alcatraz.
At Alcatraz, there was just one inmate(n.居民;同居者;（监狱里的）犯人) in each prison cell. Prison life in Alcatraz was highly structured and boring. It was designedto teach prisoners to follow rules.
They had 4 rights, food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Everything else was a privilege that had to be earned.
Privileges include working, visits from family members and access to the prison library. There were also activities such as painting and music.
Once a prisoner showed that he could follow the rules, he could be transferred back to another prison to finish his sentence.
Alcatraz was used as a prison for 29 years. During that time, no prisoner escaped successfully. There were 14 escape attempts, involving in 36 prisoners.
23 were caught alive and 6 were shot and killed. 2 men tried to escape twice. 2 drowned and 5 were listed as missing and presumeddrowned.
The most violent escape attempt occurred on May 2nd, 1946 when 6 prisoners tried to escape. That event is called the battle of Alcatraz.
While it was in use, Alcatraz held some of the most notorious criminals in Americanhistory, such
as Al Capone. Al Capone was a crime boss, who built his career in Chicago.
The prison was finally closed in 1963. It was closed because it was too expensive to operate.
Vocabularygraphs & charts
A bar graph uses rectangular bars in different lengths to show and compare data. The lengths of the bars are proportional to values they represent. The bar can be vertical, up and down or horizontal.
A circle graph, often called a pie graph, is shaped like a circle. It is divided into segments that look like pieces of a pie.
Percentages areused to compare the segments which are ordered from biggest to smallest.
Line graphs are used to show the relationship between two variables, such as time and distance. These variables are plotted on 2 axes, the X-axis and the Y-axis.
The X-axis often shows time, while the Y-axis shows how quantities such as distance, temperature, profits change with time.
A flowchart is a type of graph that shows how a process or project flows from start to finish. A flowchart consists of start points, inputs, outputs and decision points. An organizational chart, or org chart, shows the structure of a company. It shows how people and departments within the company are connected.
It defines the roles and responsibility of a people or departments within a company.
Vocabulary legal terms
Laws are rules that people are supposed to follow.
A system of laws governs the behavior of people within a country.
Criminals are people who break the law. People who commit a crime are called criminals. Some criminals are very dangerous and need to be put in jail.
A jail or prison is a place where criminals are locked behind bars, sometimes for many years. Prisonsare designed to keep criminals away from other people.
A courthouse is where someone charged with committing a crime goes on a trial. In court, evidence is presented to show the guilty or innocence of the person on trial. When someone breaks the law, they may be arrested by the police. To arrest someone means to take and hold them until they go on trial.
When a person is charged with breaking a law, they are tried in a court of law. An action that follows the law is a legal action.
Dialogue currency exchange May I help you sir?
I’d like to change some US dollars to Japanese yen, please. Yes, certainly sir, howmuch would you like to change? I’d like to change 500 dollars. May I see your passport please?
I don’t have it with me but I do have my driver’s license, would that be ok? No, I’m sorry sir. I need to see your passport. It’s the law.
Look, I’m not asking for a loan. I just want toconvertmy dollars into yen. Why do I need my passport?
I understand your frustration sir, but that’s the law. I cannot do something that is aillegal(against he law).
Ok, do you have any suggestions?
Sure, the easiest thing for you to do it is to use the machine in one of the hotels near here. You can borrow someone’s passport and then do the conversion.
So the machine doesn’t check my fingerprints or anything like that?
No sir. But that’s a limit as to how much you can change at one time. You also have to pay a higher fee.
Thanks for your help. You’re welcome sir.
Level4-2part4
Listening AI capone 1
Al Capone was one of the most famous criminals in American history.
He came from an immigrant family. His parents came from Italy and his father was a barber. As a boy, he belonged to a street game. He quit school after finishing the 6th grade.
He built his career as a crime boss in Chicago.
He became boss at 26 when the previous later was nearly killed.
His crime organization made a lot of money, more than 100 million dollars a year. Most of the money came from illegal activities, especially the sale of illegal liquor. His organization was also involved in gambling and prostitution.
Capone was a flashy dresser who enjoyed being famous. He protected himself by bribing police and public officials.
Though he was involved in the deaths of many, he was never converted of a serious crime. When he was finally arrested, it was for minor crime.
In 1929, he and his body guard were arrested for carrying deadly weapons.
For that, they were sent to a year in prison. Capone was released in 9 months for good behaviors. When he went out he loved to be the center of attention.
Listening AI capone 2
In 1930, Capone was public enemy number 1 in Chicago. A year later he was arrested for failures to pay taxes. The government had finally found a way to catch him.
After a trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years’ prison.
He spent the first two years of the sentence at a prison in Atlanta Georgia. Then he was sent to Alcatraz, the country’s most famous prison.
At Alcatraz, he was diagnosed with the disease that began to take over his brain. As a result, he spent much of his time at prison hospital.
By the time he was released from prison at 1939, he was no longer able to lead his organization. He died of stroke and pneumonia in 1947.
Vocabulary economic terms
Income is money received for work or from investments(n.投资;投资额;投入). For a company to survive, its income needs to be more than its expenses. People who earn a good salary can buy what they need to survive.
A receipt(n.收据;收条;收到) is given to you after you have paid for something. A receipt is a proof that you have paid for something. A receipt shows that something has been paid for. After pay for something, be sure to get a receipt. An invoice is a request for payment.
An invoice(n.发票 v.开发票;记清单) lists the princes and products being bought. To invoice someone means to give them a bill for products or services. Once an invoice is paid, it can be used as a receipt.
Taxes are what we pay to the government for government services. Taxes pay for many services such education, police and health care.
An income tax is a tax on your income. In some countries, income taxes are very high. Interest is what we pay to lenders when we borrow money.
If someone lends you money, you pay interest for the use of that money.
Vocabulary personality types
Emotional people often show their feelings and have a bad temper. They made decision based on their feelings more than facts.
Sometimes, these people make bad decision because of their emotions. Leaders are people who take responsibility and are trusted by others. Good leaders make good decisions and get things done. In many situations, others look to them for leadership. Loyal people can be depended on to follow their leader. They will support and protect their leaders and friends. A strong team needs a good leader and loyal followers. Independent people can do things on their own.
They often prefer working by themselves. Sometimes they had difficulty working in a group. Creative people come up with new ideas and ways of doing things.
They often have a good imagination and can see things in different ways. Many artists and musicians are very creative.
Dialogue a video project 1 Congratulations Lisa.
Congratulation’s for what? We just heard the news.
What news? Don’t keep me in suspense.
Quick serve has accepted your video proposals. Already I just submitted it a week ago.
Maybe so. But they like it so much that they made quick decision. They want you to get started on it as soon as possible.
That’s great news. But I’m still working on some other projects. They need to be finished first.
Can’t you delay some of our other projects? I’m not sure. How important is this project?
They are putting a lot of pressure on us now, especially since they read your proposal. They really like it. It’s a very creative way of presenting their company. It had everybody laughing. Yes, that was the idea.
It was fun to do and our whole team thought it was funny.
Well, great job. I think it’s the best work your team has ever done. She submitted the way their proposal.
Dialogue a video project 2
When can you get started on the projects? Are they going to pay extra?
In my proposal, I set the early start date would be one month after signing the contract. Was that in the proposal?
Yes, it was. Have they signed the contract yet? No, they haven’t. ButI’m sure they will right away.
They also need to make an advance payment. That was in the proposal too. We can’t stop everything else just because they are exited. Ok, I will get back to them and let them know.
Yes, please do. I have been through this kind of things before.
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