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Everyday objects, tragic histories by Ziyah Gafić – Listening activity

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Vocabulary list

COMB          pink-comb-clipart-1

GENOCIDE: the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group.

MUNDANE:  common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative.
Ex. Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.

ABOUT + INFINITIVE: very close to doing something.
Ex. The chorus is about to sing.

TO RECOVER: to get back something lost or spent.
Ex. We have to recover the stolen watch.

GRAVE: a hole in the ground for burying a dead body.

CIVILIAN: a person who is not a member of the police or the armed forces.
Ex. What is more, bombs have been directed at civilian targets, in flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law.

FORENSICS: the study or science of solving crimes by using scientific knowledge or methods.

TOWARDS: in the direction of.
Ex. The bus is heading towards town.

REMNANT: the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone.

TO FADE: to (cause to) lose colour, brightness, or strength gradually.
Ex. These dreams of yours fade like smoke.

EVIDENCE: material that is presented to a court of law to help find the truth about something.

OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND: The idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view.

UNBIASED: fair; impartial.
Ex. By all accounts, Mr. Smith appears to be an unbiased expert in his field.

AWARENESS: knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience.
Ex. To do this requires considerable awareness and commitment.

TO DECAY: to become decomposed; rot; to deteriorate.
Ex. The bodies buried in the fine ash slowly decayed.

Downloadable PDF version:EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – TED Talks – Vocabulary

 Video without subtitles:
https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/ziyah_gafic_everyday_objects_tragic_histories.html

Video with English subtitles:
https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ziyah_gafic_everyday_objects_tragic_histories.html

Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words from the box

Box - words (6)

1.      These are simple objects: clocks, keys, ________________, glasses. 
2.      We are all familiar with these ________________, everyday objects.
3.      The fact that some of the ________________ carried personal ________________ such as toothpaste and a toothbrush is a clear sign they had no idea what was about to happen to them.
4.      These items have been recovered from numerous mass ________________ across my homeland, and as we speak, forensics are ________________bodies from newly discovered mass graves, 20 years after the war.
5.      During the four years of conflict that devastated the Bosnian nation in the early ’90s, approximately 30,000 citizens, mainly ________________, went missing, presumed killed, and another 100,000 were killed during combat operations.
6.      Most of them were killed either in the early days of the war or________________the end of the hostilities, when U.N. safe zones like Srebrenica fell into the hands of the Serb army.
7.      The international criminal tribunal delivered a number of sentences for crimes against humanity and ________________.
8.      Genocide is not only about the killing; it is about the denied ________________.
9.      These items are ________________ from numerous mass graves, and the main goal of this collection of the items is a unique process of ________________ those who disappeared in the killings, the first act of genocide on European soil since the Holocaust.
10.  Thousands of artifacts are packed in white plastic ________________ just like the ones you see on CSI. These objects are used as a forensic tool in visual identification of the victims, but they are also used as very valuable forensic ________________ in the ongoing war crimes trials.
11.  Once the ________________ and doctors and lawyers are done with these objects, they become orphans of the narrative. Many of them get destroyed, believe it or not, or they get simply shelved, out of sight and out of ________________.
12.  Once all the missing persons are identified, only ________________ bodies in their graves and these everyday items will remain.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – Fill in the gaps

Downloadable PDF version (answers):EVERYDAY OBJECTS, TRAGIC HISTORIES – Ziyah Gafić – TED Talks – Answers

English4Gamers -Episode 7 – Prince of Persia part 2

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The 7th episode of English4Gamers is out. In this episode, Richard and I are struggling a bit. It’s the second level of Prince of Persia, a famous but difficult retro game. It’s not the first episode based on this game, but there are some new words you can learn. I suggest that you read the vocabulary list below before watching the video. There is a fill in the gaps activity that you can try to do afterwards. You can find the answers in the PDF file.

VOCABULARY

TO LEAD = to take someone somewhere, by going with them.
Ex. She led us to the door.

TO ADVANCE = the act or process of moving forward.
Ex. Our plans are to advance toward the city.

TO PARRY = to defend yourself by turning or pushing aside.
Ex.  The big man turned, parried, easily deflecting the swords with his broadsword.

TO SLASH = Cut with a wide, sweeping movement, typically using a knife or a sword.
Ex. The first time I told Madi that I was dating, she slashed my tires.

TO BACK OFF = to move backwards in order to get further away from something.
Ex. Okay, you’re going to have to back off a half step.

SPIKES = Spikes_meaning

TO DEFEAT = to do better than another in a competition or battle; to win; to beat.
Ex. Together we might be able to defeat the witch.

SWORDSMAN = swordsman

ASHAMED = feeling shame or guilt; feeling embarrassed.
Ex. I’m not ashamed to be a servant.

TO PICK UP = to lift (someone or something) from the ground or a low surface.
Ex. You must have picked up his jacket by mistake.

Downloadable PDF version: ENGLISH FOR GAMERS – Episode 7 – Prince Of Persia – Vocabulary


Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words from the box:

Box - words (1)

  1. Richard: We killed the _______________________.
  2. Anna: We have to _______________ the prince out of these _________________________ into the tower where the princess in locked. Because Jaffar _________________________ her.
  3. Richard: With SHIFT you __________________.
  4. Richard: I have one life ___________________.
  5. Anna: There are the spikes and there is the jar with the ________________.
  6. Richard: Maybe there are these ______________ on the ________________ that you can break, I’m not sure.
  7. Richard: Such a small jump and you ______________ your legs.
  8. Richard: It was ___________________.
  9. Anna: ___________________ the opponent, the swordsman!
  10. Anna: Slash! Slash! And then back ____________.
  11. Richard: You have to ________________ when he attacks you, not like … You can’t keep pressing the button. When he attacks, you press it and you ________________________ yourself.
  12. Richard: You are really ________________ at this game, but you have like half ____________ so …
  13. Anna: We have _____________ minutes to save the princess. I don’t think we will do that.
  14. Anna: You can’t change the ______________________.
  15. Anna: Just keep _________________ what you are doing.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): English4Gamers – Episode 7 – Prince of Persia part 2 – Fill in the gaps exercise

Downloadable PDF version (answers): English4Gamers – Episode 7 – Prince of Persia part 2 – Answers

 

“The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles” – AJ+ – Listening comprehension

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This is a listening activity based on the AJ+ video “The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles”. I suggest that you read the following vocabulary list before watching the video. Then, watch the video and try to complete the sentences with the correct word from the box.

VOCABULARY

Bowl: purple-bowl-th.png

Migrant: a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work.
Ex. Economic migrants move abroad to escape poverty and improve their financial condition.

Labor: workers considered as a group.
Ex. We had this huge harvest, so we had to hire all this cheap labor.

Shortage: a state in which there is not enough of something that is needed.
Ex. In many European countries, agricultural businesses complain about the shortage of skilled workers.

Wheat: wheat.png

Consumption: the act of eating or drinking something.
Ex. Alcohol consumption constitutes a major danger to road safety.

Uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt.
Ex. He weighed 38 kilos when he escaped from prison during the 1956 Hungarian uprising and fled to the Netherlands.

To lead: to lie or go in a specified direction.
Ex. This way will lead us to the main entrance for sure.

Affordable: inexpensive; reasonably priced.
Ex. Railways have many benefits, as travelling by rail is affordable and environmentally friendly.

Lifestyle: the way a person lives or a group of people live.
Ex. Technology, the internet, they have changed our lifestyle.

Quintessential: the most important part of something.
Ex. Sheep’s milk cheese is the quintessential Corsican cheese.

Dorm: informal, short for dormitory.

dormitory

Image source

Wildfire/ like wildfire: (informal) very quickly.
Ex. The news had spread like wildfire.

To devour: eat hungrily or quickly.

devouring meaning

Image source

Downloadable PDF version: The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen – Vocabulary

Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct word from the box

Box - words

  1. This signature Japanese ___________ is now an international favorite.
  2. Ramen as we know it comes from Japan but its popularity in the country is actually ___________ new.
  3. Then Japan entered World War II which led to major food ___________ across the country and ramen’s popularity pretty much disappeared. 
  4. When the war ended the US occupied Japan and imported a whole lot of wheat to the country, leading to more noodle _____________________.
  5. And one reason why there was so much ______________ imported was because there was a fear that food shortages could lead to _________________uprising.
  6. After those really hard times, from the 1950s to 1970s Japan went through an _____________________ boom.
  7. And busy lifestyles led to the creation ________________ ramen in the 1950s.
  8. Then in the 1970s the super convenient just add water ________________ dorm food cup of noodles was made and it took off like ________________ in Japan and internationally. 
  9. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that ramen actually became an_______________  part of Japanese culture.
  10. Today the love for ramen is real in Japan and what was once a working men’s food is now a ___________________ love and __________________ dish around the world.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Fill in the gaps exercise

Downloadable PDF version (answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Exercise’s answers

Why are we wasting so much food? – Listening activity

Published on by Anna4 Comments

Vocabulary

Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
Ex. The fisheries sector may experience temporary crises even in some relatively wealthy countries.

To struggle: to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do something.
Ex. The police report even said that she struggled with her assailant and broke a few fingernails.

To afford: to be able to buy or do something because you have enough money or time.
Ex. Tom told me that he couldn’t afford another divorce.

Deprivation: a  situation in which you do not have things or conditions that are usually considered necessary for a pleasant life.
Ex. She is studying the effects of sleep deprivation.

To feed: to give food to.
Ex. I usually feed the neighbour’s cat while she’s away.

Malnourished: not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food.
Ex. Malnourished children experience developmental delays, weight-loss and illness as a result of inadequate intake of protein, calories, and other nutrients. 

Fossil fuel: any combustible organic material, as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived from the remains of former life.
Ex. Brown coal is the only source of fossil fuel available in Slovenia.

Blemished: to make (something) imperfect or less beautiful; to hurt or damage the good condition of (something).
Ex. The book is blemished by those long, ineffective descriptions.

Supplier: a company, person, etc. that provides things that people want or need, especially over a long period of time.
Ex. Electricity customers should be able to choose their supplier freely.

To dump: to throw away or discard (garbage, etc.).
Ex. The company dumped the toxic wastes into this canal.

To overflow: to flow over the edge or top of (something).
Ex. The river overflowed its banks.

Complicit: involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity.
Ex. She was accused of being complicit in her husband’s death.

To use up: to finish a supply of something.
Ex. I’m sorry, I’ve used up all the milk.

Dumpster: a large metal container into which people put unwanted objects or building or garden waste, and which is brought to and taken away from a place by a special truck when people ask for it.
Ex. I found your dad’s toolbox in the dumpster out back.

539870869_0fa759215b_z.jpg

Image source

To toss: to throw, esp. lightly or carelessly.
Ex. She came in and tossed her coat on the chair.

Retailer: a person or business that sells things directly to customers for their own use.
Ex. The company is a leading retailer of women’s clothing.

Livestock: the horses, cattle, sheep, and other useful animals kept or raised on a farm or ranch.
Ex. This is a market where livestock is bought and sold.

 19845895095_9a12a7b963_z.jpg10833422624_b470969ae9_z.jpg5790983557_41bbe9921a_z.jpg
Image sources: 1; 2; 3

 

Subsidy: money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function.
Ex. The planned subsidy is EUR 3.3 million.

Downloadable PDV version: Why are we wasting so much food – vocabulary – Free English Materials For You

 

Answer the following questions:

  1. How much food does the world waste?
  2. What do you need to grow food?
  3. What are the foundations of our food system?
  4. Why can’t farmers sell all of what they have grown?
  5. What is the image created by supermarkets?
  6. How are redistributed some of this nutritious surplus?
  7. How should governments use the subsidies they offer?

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): Why are we wasting so much food? – Listening Comprehension

Downloadable PDF version (with answers): Why are we wasting so much food? – Vocabulary

Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words from the list below:

 retailers – 30% – overflowing – wealthiest – fossil fuels – subsidies – feed – tossed – struggle – consumption – grown – customers – farmers – 1982 – wasted – tossing

  1. Even in the _____________nations millions suffer from food poverty.
  2. One in four Americans says they _________________to afford food.
  3. Over  _________________ of America’s food or a hundred and sixty billion dollars worth get _________________ just by grocery stores and their customers.
  4. Growing food demands land, water, ________________, and soil.
  5. The tragedy is that some farmers can’t sell half of what they’ve____________ due to cosmetic standards dictated by supermarkets.
  6. Supermarkets purposefully create an image of                                        
  7. […] meanwhile, over cautious date labels confused and frightened ______________ so they                                 out what is still good to eat.
  8. From _____________to 2002, the average pizza slice grew 70% in calories and the average chocolate chip cookie quadrupled.
  9. Food donations from                          and restaurants are proven ways of redistributing some of this nutritious surplus while is still fit for                                       .
  10. Instead of ________________ this food, supermarkets manufactures and caters must be pushed to directed charities that _____________ hungry people.
  11. Governments should use the vast ______________ they offer to incentivize                            to look after the land in ways that protect the planet.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): Why are we wasting so much food? – Fill in the gaps exercise (without answers)

Downloadable PDF version (answers): Why are we wasting so much food? – Fill in the gaps exercise (answers)

 

IELTS preparation – Quiz on confusing words

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Test your knowledge of English for IELTS - Confusing words.jpg

Downloadable PDF version: Confusing words and false friends

Answers: Confusing words and false friends – Answers

A brief history of video games (part 1) – Safwat Saleem – video + fill in the gaps exercise

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VOCABULARY

  • Interface: a system that is used for operating a computer.

  • To spread: to become known by many people.
    Ex. The news spread quickly.

  • Patent: an official document that gives a person or computer the right to be the only one that makes or sells a product for a certain period of time.

  • Mouthful (US): something said that has a lot of meaning or importance.

  • To wonder: to want to know something or to try to understand the reason for something.
    Ex. I wonder if she’ll call him.

  • Release: the act of making something available to the public.
    Ex. The release of her article for publication is scheduled for tomorrow.

  • Hit: success
    Ex. The song is a hit.

  • To heat up: to increase or become more active or intense.

  • To feature: to include someone or something as an important part.
    Ex. I consider the measures featured in the report to be insufficient.

  • To kick off: to begin, to get started.
    Ex. The game kicks off at 2:00.

  • Milestone: an important event in the development or history of something or in someone’s life.
    Ex. Your poem will be a milestone in the literature of your Country.

  • Damsel in distress (old-fashioned): a young woman who is not married and needs to be rescued.

  • Sales: the number of items sold.

  • Merely: only, just.
    Ex. It was merely a suggestion.

Downloadable PDF file: A brief history of videogames (part 1) – Vocabulary

Here you can watch this video with subtitles: Ted Ed

Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct form of the words from the vocabulary list written above:

  1. In 1972, Bear’s idea to get video games out of the science lab and into the living room led to the _____________ of a game console called Odyssey.

  2. A video game is an electronic game that has an ______________ designed for human interaction on a video device.

  3. Space Invaders also helped ____________ what is known as the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

  4. In fact, the earliest U.S. video game ______________ on record was in 1948, and at the time it was referred to as a cathode-ray tube amusement device. That’s a ______________ !

  5. This all changed when a man named Ralph Baer looked at his television screen and ______________ how else it might be used.

  6. By 1978, competition between Atari and another game company called Midway was _______________.

  7. While arcade games continued to decline in ________________ over the years, the popularity of video games was ________________ beginning […].

  8. By 1980, color came to arcade games, and this was also the year that another video gaming _________________ was born.

  9. It was an immediate ___________________ and it’s credited as the first commercially successful video game.

  10. Video games are used by scientists, the military, and people like you, and their evolution has ________________ across arcades, consoles, computers, smartphones, and all kind of other electronics.

  11. It was released in 1987 and, like Donkey Kong, it ___________________ a _______________________ storyline, a storyline common in many video games.

Downloadable PDF file: A brief history of videogames (part 1) – Fill in the gaps exercise with answers

Answers: 

1) Release; 2) interface; 3) kick off; 4) patent; mouthful; 5) wondered; 6) heating up; 7) sales; merely; 8) milestone; 9) hit; 10) spread; 11) featured; damsel in distress.

 

Vegetables – Visual vocabulary 8

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Vegetables - visual vocabulary - visual English - Free English Materials For You.jpg

Vegetables - visual vocabulary - visual English - Free English Materials For You (1).jpg

Images source

A crossword on this topic (PDF file): worksheet – vegetables – crossword

The crossword’s answers (PDF file): worksheet – vegetables – crossword’s answers

Word Search Activity: Vegetables – Word Search Activity

 

Past simple vs past continuous

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Past simple vs past continuous..jpg

Fill in the gaps with the past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets

  1. I ______________ (walk) home when I ______________ (meet) Maria.

  2. John __________________ (wait) for me when I ________________ (arrive).

  3. I haven’t seen Andrew for ages. When I last _________________ (see) him, he ___________________ (try) to find a job in Dublin.

  4. He _________________ (read) the newspaper when the phone _______________ (ring).

  5. I _________________ (make) a sandwich when Mike _______________ (arrive).

  6. We ________________ (not go) out because it ________________ (rain).

  7. When I was young, I _____________ (want) to be a doctor.

  8. He usually wears sandals but when I last ______________ (see) him he _________________ (wear) boots.

  9. My brother ______________ (see) you in the park two days ago. You__________________ (play) football with Stuart.

  10. While I _________________ (work) in the garden, I _________________ (hurt) my back.

 

Correct answers:

1) was walking; met.
2) was waiting; arrived.
3) saw; was trying.
4) was reading; rang.
5) was making; arrived.
6) didn’t go; was raining.
7) wanted.
8) saw; was wearing.
9) saw; were playing.
10) was working; hurt.

Downloadable PDF – past simple or past continuous – quiz with answers

 

 

What is the Zika Virus? – vocabulary, video, and exercises with answers.

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I suggest that you read this list of words you may not know before watching the video.

VOCABULARY

To spread : to become larger or to affect a large area.
Ex. The fire spread through the six-storey building via the single staircase which acted as a chimney.

To detect : to discover or ascertain the existence.
Ex. Irregularities were detected on seven of the websites.

To break out : if something dangerous or unpleasant breaks out, it suddenly starts.
Ex. War broke out in 1914.

To transmit : to give or pass from one person to another; to cause (a virus, disease, etc.) to be given to.
Ex. Hepatitis C is a life-threatening viral disease transmitted primarily by blood contact.

To link : to make a connection between two or more things, ideas or people.

Paralysis : a condition in which you can’t move or feel al or part of your body.

Spike : a very high level.

Outbreak : a sudden increase, rise.

Mild : not strong in action or effect.

Vaccine : a substance injected into a person or animal to protect against a particular disease.

Downloadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – vocabulary

Answer the following questions:

  1. How many people could be affected by Zika virus this year?

  2. Where was it discovered and when?

  3. Where did it break out in 2015?

  4. How is this virus transmitted?

  5. What are some of the effects of Zika virus?

  6. Is there a treatment for this virus?

  7. When could be ready a vaccine against Zika virus?

Fill in the gaps with the correct word from the box.

fill in the gaps

 

  1. Zika virus could _________ tofour million people this year.

  2. It was ____________ in Uganda in the 1940’s.

  3. It ______________ in the Americas and the Caribbean in 2015.

  4. Zika is _______________ through a particular species of mosquito that ______________ mostly in tropical regions.

  5. Zika has been _______________ to paralysis and birth defects.

  6. Officials are now _____________ pregnant women not to travel to places where there is an active Zika ___________.

  7. Officials say finding a vaccine could _____________ to a decade.

Downoadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – exercises

Downloadable PDF: What is the Zika Virus – correct answers

 

Who invented the Internet? And Why?

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VOCABULARY

Credit: praise or special attention that is given to someone for doing something or for making something happen.
Example: She got no credit for solving the problem.

To threaten: to tell someone that you will kill or hurt them or cause problems if they do not do what you want.
Example: They threatened the boy with a gun.

Geek: meaning.

Myriad: a very large number of things.

Mainframe: a large and very fast computer that can do many jobs at once.

*Interesting article on this topic: The First Mainframe .

Behemoth: something very big and powerful.

Packet switching:  a digital networking communications method that groups all transmitted data into suitably sized blocks called packets.

Congestion: too blocked or crowded and causing difficulties.
Example: Yesterday, there was a traffic congestion. 

Gateway: a hardware device that acts as a “gate” between two networks.

To spread: to open, arrange, or place (something) over a large area.
Example: The fire spread very rapidly because of the strong wind.

Steadily: not changing much.

Retail: the sale of goods in small quantities directly to customers.

Downloadable PDF: Who invented the Internet – Vocabulary

Verb tenses review

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets:

  1. So, have you ever _____________ (to wonder) who actually _____________ (to invent) the Internet?
  2. Or _________ (to be) it thanks to a myriad of smart scientists ________________ (to work) on something they __________ (to know) _____________ (to be)  useful but _______________________ (to realize – negative form) would be so big?
  3. One popular but wrong story ________ (to be) that the internet ________________________ (to develop) by the USA so they ___________ (to have) a communication network that would survive a nuclear war.
  4. With time-sharing, these behemoths could ______________ (to process) several tasks at a time, which _____________ (to mean) their power could be used by several scientists at once.
  5. And, obviously, once you _________________ (to start) ___________________ (to connect) computers together you ________________ (to start) to wonder about what you ________________ (to need)to do to make communications between them easier.
  6. The French also _______________ (to play) a role. They _________________________ (to work) on a scientific network called CYCLADES, but they ______________ (to have – negative form) a big budget, so they ________________(to decide) to work on direct connections between computers, as opposed to working with gateway computers.
  7. The TCP/IP protocols _______________ (to form) the basic communication language of the internet, which _______________ (to label) the packets of data and ________________(to make) sure that even though some pieces of the same data ____________________ (to take) a different route, they all _________________ (to arrive) at their destination and can be reassembled.
  8. Networks really ________________ (to begin) ________________________ (to communicate) with each other in 1975, so you could _______________ (to argue) that __________________ (to be) the beginning of the internet.
  9. Most internet traffic in 1976 _____________ (to be) email, because academics ____________________ (to think) electronic post-it notes ______________ (to be) dead-core.
  10. He _____________ (to do) so by __________________ (to invent) an interface _________________ (to use) HTTP, HTML, and URLs that _________________ (to make) internet browsers possible.

Downloadable PDF: Who invented the Internet – fill in the gaps activity

Correct answers: Correct answers – Fill in the gaps activity – Who invented the internet