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Listen to a radio programme and do the exercises to practise and improve your listening skills. CLICK HERE

Rebecca talks about her best friend and where and how they met and why they like each other. Listen to the recording  HERE   and do the following exercise. Some questions have two possible answers. 1) She met her friend ______ .   a) on a hunting trip  b) through a friend  c) at university 2) They are best friends because ______ .   a) of a shared love of anime  b) they spent lots of time together  c) they think a lot alike 3) In college they both studied _____ .   a) English  b) Japanese  c) French 4) She says these days they ______ .   a) talk a lot  b) live far apart  c) see each other often 5) She says they fight _______ .   a) all the time  b) over silly things  c) after long stays together ANSWERS: 1-b/c   2-b  3-a/b   4-a/b   5-b/c Now listen to Gareth talking about someone he is very close to and...

Uber, a ride-sharing company, has expanded into new areas such as self-driving cars and food delivery.  A self-driving car operated by Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona.  It was the first pedestrian death involving a vehicle that was self-driving.  There was a driver in the car in case of an emergency, however, the accident was not avoided.  Listen to hear how this accident might affect new laws related to safety and self-driving cars, as well as the factors involved in this tragic accident and then debate:  Are self-driving cars safe? Listening Comprehension Questions What were the circumstances of this fatal accident? Why was it noted that a human driver was in the self-driving car? Why was this new technology tested on public roads? How might this accident affect new laws about self-driving cars? Discussion Themes Do you think human error can be eliminated if self-driving cars are perfected? Debate: Are self-driving cars safe?...

Listening Comprehension Questions Why are high school students motivated to walk out of school? What is the purpose of this walk out? How are schools reacting to these student protests? What other protests of mass shootings are planned? Discussion Themes Do you think protests are a good way to create change? Would you participate in a local march for a cause you believed in? Why or why not? TRANSCRIPT

Jane Goodall is a well known advocate for ecological preservation.  Her book "Hope for Animals and Their World" is about her experiences rescuing endangered animal species all over the world.  She makes the case for not only saving cute animals like chimpanzees but for preventing rare plants and insects from dying out because it’s vital for sustainability and the proliferation of all kinds of life.  Listen to learn more about her experiences with species near extinction and preserving entire ecosystems on our planet. What does the interviewer want us to know about Jane Goodall and her work? How did Goodall help to rescue the American whooping crane from extinction? According to this audio story, why is it just as important to save species such as the American burying beetle as it is to save chimpanzees? What are the challenges of funding conservation projects for endangered species? What are some possible solutions that you see? For Goodall, why is it important fo...

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States honouring the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr. - the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement to end racial segregation. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is close to January 15, the King's birthday. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most influential of African American civil rights leaders during the 1960s, he was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, facilities, and employment, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The bill established the holiday was signed by the President Ronald Reagan on November 2, 1983. The first observance nationwide was in 1986, but some states opposed to observe it as a paid holiday for state employees. As of the year 2000 all of the states officially re...

In what ways was this attack an international issue? Why were computers in Russia especially vulnerable? Why were the reporters discussing the age of the person who created the kill switch? What was learned from this cyberattack? TRANSCRIPT

By the end of World War II, the city of Berlin, like Germany as a whole, was divided. The eastern part of the city was dominated by a USSR-led communist regime, and the western part had a democratic government influenced by America and Great Britain. In 1961, the Berlin Wall was raised, not only physically dividing the city into East and West Berlin, but also psychologically and emotionally splitting the people. Travel between the two sides was prohibited. Since the reunification of Germany and the demolition of the wall in 1989, city planners have been trying to rebuild the city, tearing down the old buildings of communist East Berlin and replacing them with new structures. But the new buildings have sparked controversy over what should be preserved and what should be torn down. Listen to this story to hear different perspectives and ideas about how the city should handle the buildings of the past and move toward a unified future. What is the main idea of this story? Why do many B...

What caused the bad weather that Mary and Percy Shelley experienced while on vacation? What were some negative consequences of this weather around the world? How did the real-life weather in Switzerland impact Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”? Describe the circumstances in which “Frankenstein” was written. What does “Frankenstein” show us about the connections between climate and literature? According to scholar John Clubbe, how does the story of “Frankenstein” parallel the story of global warming? TRANSCRIPT

What events brought the ancient stone from the quarry to the archeologists? What details from the story suggest that the markings on the stone are writing and not art? Why might some of the symbols on the stone be familiar to archaeologists? Why do you think ancient writings such as these were connected to religion and ritual practices? Why is it now important for researchers to find additional artifacts similar to the Olmec stone? SCRIPT

How will raising the minimum wage be helpful for workers?  What are the effects of raising the minimum wage?  What pressures do small business owners feel when the minimum wage increases?  What is Edica Reese teaching her daughter about pay equity by bringing her to minimum wage rallies?  Why do some critics think that raising the minimum wage will not improve income inequality? TRANSCRIPT

Two famous authors, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, had a deep friendship. CS Lewis helped JRR Tolkien get published, but Tolkien admitted he didn’t even like Lewis’ work, especially "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," which he thought was terrible. Both were Christians and heavily influenced by Christian ideology. Tolkien says "Lord of the Rings" was a deeply Catholic book, while Lewis was more influenced by writers of the Renaissance who were fascinated by Pagan mythology. Listen as this radio story explores the two authors' friendship and motivations. Listening Comprehension Questions: What impact did Tolkien have on Lewis’ personal religious belief? How was Lewis responsible for Tolkien being a published author? Lewis was a fan of Tolkien’s work. How did Tolkien feel about "The Chronicles of Narnia" by Lewis? How did Lewis and Tolkien see fantasy differently? What other time periods and legacies influenced Tolkien? What influenced L...

Click here to do a listening exercise on crime in America. Crime in Spain Spain’s crime rate is among the lowest in Europe: according to figures released by the Spanish Interior Ministry in 2006, Spain has an incidence of nearly 50 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest in the EU apart from Portugal and Ireland. In the UK, figures are 105 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants and in Germany, 80.   READ MORE

We have all heard of the midlife crisis -those feelings of worry, doubt or dissatisfaction that some people experience when they reach middle age and reflect on what they have, or have not, achieved in their lives. But for some time now, people have also been talking about the quarterlife crisis, which affects many young people between the ages of 18 and 35. Listen to five people talking about que quarterlife crisis and match the statements a-h to the speakers 1-5. Three of the statements are not required. a-I share my problems online with people in a similar situation. b-Many twentysomethings are envious of their friends. c-Young people are too demanding. d-My expectations have not been met. e-The problems are not specific to twentysomethings. f-Life used to be easier. g-Teenagers have and easier life than twentysomethings. h-Having a range of options makes life interesting. KEY: a-speaker 5 c-speaker 3 d-speaker 2 f-speaker 4 h-speaker ...

The annual Academy Awards, Hollywood’s biggest and most glamorous event, will air this Sunday night. Amid the excitement, there is some controversy. For the second year in a row, there are no nominees of color in the acting categories. The lack of diversity in nominees could reflect a larger pattern in the industry since many of Hollywood’s most influential people, both in front of and behind the camera, are white. Listen to this story and answer these questions: How is the racial makeup of the Academy’s voting body relevant to this story?  According to Bobby Rivers, why do many talented actors of color transition from movies to T.V.?  How might this situation be different if there were more people of color working within the industry?  In what ways could famous white actors intervene to affect change?  Do you think it’s important for Hollywood to recognize diverse actors ? DEBATE:  Should there be more diversity at Oscars? What steps could the movie...

The next U.S. President will be elected in November, 2016. But the race is already packed with candidates. There are more than two dozen major candidates who are seeking the job as president. Running for president is difficult and exhausting, so why would so many people want to run? There are many reasons, both legitimate and delusional. Without an incumbent president, a lot of people think they have a chance to win this election. Some candidates hope to bring attention to their message and some to cash in on their new celebrity. Listen to hear about this race and the reasons so many people are running for President this year. Listening Comprehension Questions:   How many people are running for President?  What are the reasons this Presidential race has so many candidates?   What do candidates hope to gain by running?   How are candidates able to push an agenda? WANT TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT?   CLICK HERE