STORM BUSTERS TORNADO

Source: www.speakup.com.br

Language level: Pre-intermediate

Standard accent: American

Speaker: Chuck Rolando

STORM BUSTERS

It’s storm-chasing season in Tornado Alley, USA. Tour companies offer courageous, and possibly insane, tourists the chance to see a tornado from a distance of only 300 metres. The season runs from May 1^st to June 30^th.

DANGEROUS TERRITORY

Tornado Alley is famous for its thunderstorms and tornadoes. It’s located between the Rocky and the Appalachian mountain ranges hundreds of miles of flat, open plains. It runs through Northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The buildings in this region have reinforced roofs, solid foundations and storm cellars. Local people rely on storm warnings to avoid disaster.

ADRENALINE!

Tornadoes are very dangerous so why do people want to chase them? Documentary-maker Sean Casey says. “It’s addictive.” His driver Byron Turk agrees. It’s the adrenaline…the ultimate challenge! Casey built a Tornado intercept Vehicle. It weights 680 kilos and has steel-plated armour, its windows are 4 centimetres thick. Casey and his team filmed as a tornado hit the vehicle. You can see his documentaries on the Discovery Channel.

A BIG RISK

Are you still interested in storm-chasing? Well, it’s very important to find expert guides. A company like “Storm Chasing Adventure Tours” (SCAT) can guarantee tourists safety. They have years of experience, and understand how storms develop. They use advanced computer systems to predict the location of the storms. SCAT chief Todd Thorn says, however. “Guides cannot rely only on the technology. . they must have the ability to read the sky.” The SCAT team aren’t simply tourist guides. They also provide important information to National Weather Centres on the position and strength of storms. They help save lives.

UNBELIEVABLE

Storms usually occur in the late afternoon, early evening. Teams must drive hundreds of miles to arrive at storm locations. So they leave their base in Amarillo. Texas in the morning. The chase often continues until late in the evening. What is it like to chase a storm? SCAT driver Ravin Harned says. “It’s one thing to see a tornado on TV. But totally different to see it with you won eyes!

STORM BUSTERS

It’s storm-chasing season in Tornado Alley, USA. Tour companies offer courageous, and possibly insane, tourists the chance to see a tornado from a distance of only 300 metres. The season runs from May 1^st to June 30^th.

DANGEROUS TERRITORY

Tornado Alley is famous for its thunderstorms and tornadoes. It’s located between the Rocky and the Appalachian mountain ranges hundreds of miles of flat, open plains. It runs through Northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The buildings in this region have reinforced roofs, solid foundations and storm cellars. Local people rely on storm warnings to avoid disaster.

ADRENALINE!

Tornadoes are very dangerous so why do people want to chase them? Documentary-maker Sean Casey says. “It’s addictive.” His driver Byron Turk agrees. It’s the adrenaline…the ultimate challenge! Casey built a Tornado intercept Vehicle. It weights 680 kilos and has steel-plated armour, its windows are 4 centimetres thick. Casey and his team filmed as a tornado hit the vehicle. You can see his documentaries on the Discovery Channel.

A BIG RISK

Are you still interested in storm-chasing? Well, it’s very important to find expert guides. A company like “Storm Chasing Adventure Tours” (SCAT) can guarantee tourists safety. They have years of experience, and understand how storms develop. They use advanced computer systems to predict the location of the storms. SCAT chief Todd Thorn says, however. “Guides cannot rely only on the technology. . they must have the ability to read the sky.” The SCAT team aren’t simply tourist guides. They also provide important information to National Weather Centres on the position and strength of storms. They help save lives.

UNBELIEVABLE

Storms usually occur in the late afternoon, early evening. Teams must drive hundreds of miles to arrive at storm locations. So they leave their base in Amarillo. Texas in the morning. The chase often continues until late in the evening. What is it like to chase a storm? SCAT driver Ravin Harned says. “It’s one thing to see a tornado on TV. But totally different to see it with you won eyes!

Source: www.speakup.com.br

Language level: Pre-intermediate

Speaker: Chuck Rolando

Standard accent: American

STORM BUSTERS

It’s storm-chasing season in Tornado Alley, USA. Tour companies offer courageous, and possibly insane, tourists the chance to see a tornado from a distance of only 300 metres. The season runs from May 1^st to June 30^th.

DANGEROUS TERRITORY

Tornado Alley is famous for its thunderstorms and tornadoes. It’s located between the Rocky and the Appalachian mountain ranges hundreds of miles of flat, open plains. It runs through Northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The buildings in this region have reinforced roofs, solid foundations and storm cellars. Local people rely on storm warnings to avoid disaster.

ADRENALINE!

Tornadoes are very dangerous so why do people want to chase them? Documentary-maker Sean Casey says. “It’s addictive.” His driver Byron Turk agrees. It’s the adrenaline…the ultimate challenge! Casey built a Tornado intercept Vehicle. It weights 680 kilos and has steel-plated armour, its windows are 4 centimetres thick. Casey and his team filmed as a tornado hit the vehicle. You can see his documentaries on the Discovery Channel.

A BIG RISK

Are you still interested in storm-chasing? Well, it’s very important to find expert guides. A company like “Storm Chasing Adventure Tours” (SCAT) can guarantee tourists safety. They have years of experience, and understand how storms develop. They use advanced computer systems to predict the location of the storms. SCAT chief Todd Thorn says, however. “Guides cannot rely only on the technology. . they must have the ability to read the sky.” The SCAT team aren’t simply tourist guides. They also provide important information to National Weather Centres on the position and strength of storms. They help save lives.

UNBELIEVABLE

Storms usually occur in the late afternoon, early evening. Teams must drive hundreds of miles to arrive at storm locations. So they leave their base in Amarillo. Texas in the morning. The chase often continues until late in the evening. What is it like to chase a storm? SCAT driver Ravin Harned says. “It’s one thing to see a tornado on TV. But totally different to see it with you won eyes!

SANTANA ON WOMEN AND LOVE INTERVIEW, PART II

Source: Speakup

SANTANA ON WOMEN AND LOVE

Carlos Santana was interviewed by Marcel Anders. Here he talks about his views on women, men and his then fiancée (now new wife), drummer Cindy Blackman, in particular:

Q: Talking about women, you said: “There’s a big war happening right now with females and men. A lot of females seem like they have war paint on their faces. “Why?” What’s wrong?

A: That’s a good question. I think that a lot of women tend to generalize, but…just like I can’t say that all white people don’t have rhythm, you can’t say that all black people can sing and dance, it’s not good to generalize. All I know is that when we play music, women forget all about the war and they start dancing, the war paint comes off, because it’s an illusion anyway.

War paint is fear. Love is love. Fear is fear. If you have problems with one man who cheated on you or he did this or he did that, you can’t say that all men do that! I mean, we utilize music to bring a sense of unity and harmony and forgiveness. Women are like the weather you don’t know what’s going to happen. And men are like mountains, the only time something changes in a man is when there’s an earthquake. I love both of it. I love the male and the female, the female and the male energy. And the best thing that I can say about that is: “Honor me for what God made me, and I’ll honor you for what God made you. Don’t be at war with me, because you’ll be at war with yourself anyway.”

Q: Says the man who just fell in love again!

A: exactly. I totally fell in love with someone who can really, really, really play. She’s probably in the top three in the world who can play with Herbie Hancock or Wayne Shorter. Cindy (Blackman) can play. To her it’s a very profound profession: no, it’s a very profound gift, not a profession. And yes, falling in love with Cindy means when I go onstage it just feels like the 7UP has more bubbles.

Q: Does that mean she’s part of your band now?

A: maybe in the future, but right now I have learned not to mix domestic rhythm with the stage, because it’s very difficult to say: ‘Hey what were you doing with that beat? And then come home and: “Hey, can we make love? “So it’s not wise to mix business, music and profession with romance. It’s a recipe for disaster. Maybe in the future when we’re a little bit more mature in spirit…I would like to have a separate band with her and approach different music, not the Santana music.

Q: What made your propose on stage in front of all these people?

A: It was spontaneous. I saw her play and there is something about her, it excites me to believe that I can wake up with her every morning. We can talk for hours about Mikes Davis and Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter. And then we can talk about children, we can talk about flowers – or we cannot talk and just drink from each other’s eyes. I know that in the future we will write an album together, but right now the best way to describe Cindy is: she’s an angel sent from heaven to me. 

INTER TV CABUGI, MINHA CIDADE

This is an off-topic of course, but I'd say to you how much my town is important, we were interviewed by Inter TV Cabugi, Affiliated to one of the biggest TV Channel of the world, Globo TV. The programme is about the touristic and economic potential from the towns located in the countryside of Rio Grande do Norte. Check it out and watching carefully the video, and so sorry because the content is in Portuguese, but enjoy the landscapes. 

Source: http://www.saraujopirogravura.blogspo

t.com

Speak Up - Issue 281 – WHERE ARE THEY NOW? – PATTY HEARST (A2)

 source of the picture: http://www.nndb.com/people/363/000025288/

Source: SPEAKUP check it out this link and do the exercise http://englishtips-self-taught.blogspot.com/2011/04/where-are-they-now.html?showComment=1302472551041 

Before you listen to the podcast do the Speakup lessons please. 

WORKSHEETS 2011

A – Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.

1. Many people consider the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane (Quarto Potere) to be the best film of all time. What do you know about the story and characters? Have you seen it?

2. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a very rich and famous family?

3. Can you name any past or present terrorist organisations?

4. What kinds of crimes do terrorists often commit?

B – Listen and answer

Read these statements. Then listen (without reading) and write T (true) or F (false).

1. The film Citizen Kane was based on the life of William Randolph Hearst.

2. W. R. Hearst was a rich banker.

3. He was Patty Hearst’s great-grandfather.

4. Patty was kidnapped by terrorists while she was walking along the street.

5. She became a member of the terrorist group.

6. After her arrest, she spent many years in prison.

7. Life is difficult for her now and she lives in poverty.

8. She doesn’t like talking about her past.

C – Read and answer

Read the article and answer the questions.

1. What did the SLA want Patty’s family to do?

2. Why weren’t the terrorists happy with the result?

3. What did Patty do after she was kidnapped?

4. What was her defence?

5. Did the jury believe Patty’s story?

6. What is Patty interested in now?

D – Learn it! Use it!

Find words in the text for these definitions.

1. A person who has been kidnapped.          h _ _ _ _ _ _

2. The time when you are a child.                 c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. A group a criminals working together.      g _ _ _

4. Another word for “film”.                          m _ _ _ _

5. Stole money using force.                           r _ _ _ _ _

6. A formal court process to decide

whether a person is innocent or guilty.          t _ _ _ _

E – Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Part 5)

Choose the best word for each space.

It was 9.40 am on 15^th April 1974 and the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco was very busy ¹________ (why/because/while) 15^th April is tax day, so a lot of people ²________ (is/was/were) going into the bank ³________ (and/to/for) pay their taxes. Suddenly, four white women and a black man ran in and started shouting at ⁴________ (somebody/anybody/everybody) to lie down on the floor. In less ⁵________ (than/that/of) four minutes, the robbers took over 10,000 dollars and escaped ⁶________ (in/by/with) a car that was waiting outside for them. When the police looked at the videotape of the robbery, they ⁷________ (founded/found/find), to their great surprise, that one of the women was Patty Hearst, a member of one of the richest families in the USA. She was ⁸________ (holding/taking/bringing) a gun and acting just like one of the robbers.

F – Check your pronunciation

One of the four words in each group has a different vowel sound. Which one?

1. gang  bank  change  bad

2. born  worth  first  work

3. quality  rob  hostage  other

4. go  movie  own  show

5. food  poor  who  few

G – Talk about it

In pairs or groups.

1. Why do some rich people become terrorists, in your opinion?

2. Do you believe that Patty Hearst was brainwashed?

3. Was President Carter right to release her after only two years?

American History: Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor Pulls US Into War

Source: www.voanews.com 

Photo: AP

The USS California after being struck by a torpedo and a bomb during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.

(MUSIC)

History is usually a process of slow change. However, certain events also can change the course of history. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo was such an event. So was the first airplane flight by the Wright brothers. Or the meeting between the Spanish explorer Cortez and the Aztec king Montezuma.

All these events were moments that changed history. And so it was, too, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December seventh, nineteen forty-one.

(SOUND)

NEWS BULLETIN: "We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin. The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by air, President Roosevelt has just announced. The attack also was made on all naval and military facilities on the principal island of Oahu.

"We take you now to Washington. The details are not available. They will be in a few minutes. The White house is now giving out a statement. The attack was apparently made on all naval and military activities on the principal island of Oahu.

"The president’s brief statement was read to reporters by Stephen Early, the president’s secretary. A Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor naturally would mean war. Such an attack would naturally bring a counterattack. And hostilities of this kind would naturally mean that the president would ask Congress for a declaration of war."

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER:The surprise attack on America's large naval base in Hawaii was a great military success for Japan. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor had more than a military meaning.

The attack would force Americans to enter World War Two. More importantly, it would also make them better recognize their position as one of the most powerful nations in the world.

In future weeks, we will discuss the military and political events of World War Two. But today, we look back at the years before the United States entered that war.

The period between the end of World War One and the attack on Pearl Harbor lasted only twenty-three years, from nineteen eighteen to nineteen forty-one. But those years were filled with important changes in American politics, culture and traditions.

We start our review of these years with politics.

(MUSIC)

In nineteen twenty, Americans elected Republican Warren Harding to the presidency. The voters were tired of the progressive policies of Democratic president Woodrow Wilson. They were especially tired of Wilson's desire for the United States to play an active role in the new League of Nations.

Harding was a conservative Republican. And so were the two presidents who followed him, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.

All three of these presidents generally followed conservative economic policies. And they did not take an active part in world affairs.

Americans turned away from Republican rule in the election of nineteen thirty-two. They elected the Democratic presidential candidate, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And they continued to re-elect him. In this way, the conservative Republican policies of the nineteen twenties changed to the more progressive policies of Roosevelt in the nineteen thirties.

This change happened mainly because of economic troubles.

(MUSIC)

The nineteen twenties were a time of growth and business strength.

President Calvin Coolidge said during his term that the "chief business of the American people is business." This generally was the same belief of the other Republican presidents during the period, Warren Harding and Herbert Hoover.

There was a good reason for this. The economy expanded greatly during the nineteen twenties. Many Americans made a great deal of money on the stock market. And wages for workers increased as well.

(MUSIC)

However, economic growth ended suddenly with the stock market crash of October nineteen twenty-nine.

In that month, the stocks for many leading companies fell sharply. And they continued to fall in the months that followed. Many Americans lost great amounts of money. And the public at large lost faith in the economy. Soon, the economy was in ruins, and businesses were closing their doors.

President Hoover tried to solve the crisis. But he was not willing to take the strong actions that were needed to end it. As time passed, many Americans began to blame Hoover for the terrible economic depression.

Democrat Franklin Roosevelt was elected mainly because he promised to try new solutions to end the Great Depression.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT: "This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

STEVE EMBER:Soon after he was elected, Roosevelt launched a number of imaginative economic policies to solve the crisis.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT: "Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources.

"Hand in hand with that, we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers. And by engaging, on a national scale, in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land. Yes, the task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products, and with this, the power to purchase the output of our cities.

"It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the federal, the state, and the local governments act forthwith on the demands that their costs be drastically reduced."

STEVE EMBER: Roosevelt's policies helped to reduce the amount of human suffering. But the Great Depression finally ended only with America's entry into World War Two.

Roosevelt's victory in nineteen thirty-two also helped change the balance of power in American politics. Roosevelt brought new kinds of Americans to positions of power: Labor union leaders. Roman Catholics. Jews. Blacks. Americans from families that had come from places such as Italy, Ireland and Russia.

These Americans repaid Roosevelt by giving the Democratic Party their votes.

The nineteen twenties and thirties also brought basic changes in how Americans dealt with many of their social and economic problems.

The nineteen twenties generally were a period of economic growth with little government intervention in the day-to-day lives of the people. But the terrible conditions of the Great Depression during the nineteen thirties forced Roosevelt and the federal government to experiment with new policies.

The government began to take an active role in offering relief to the poor. It started programs to give food and money to poor people. And it created jobs for workers.

The government grew in other ways. It created major programs for farmers. It set regulations for the stock market. It built dams, roads and airports.

American government looked much different at the end of this period between the world wars than it did at the beginning. Government had become larger and more important. It dealt with many more issues in people's lives than it ever had before.

(MUSIC)

Social protest increased during the nineteen twenties and thirties. Some black Americans began to speak out more actively about unfair laws and customs. Blacks in great numbers moved from the southern part of the country to northern and central cities.

The nineteen twenties and thirties also were a time of change for women. Women began to wear less conservative kinds of clothes. Washing machines and other inventions allowed them to spend less time doing housework. Women could smoke or drink in public, at least in large cities. And many women held jobs.

Of course, the women's movement was not new. Long years of work by such women's leaders as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had helped women win the constitutional right to vote in nineteen twenty.

(MUSIC)

The nineteen twenties and thirties also were important periods in the arts.

George Gershwin wrote his “Rhapsody in Blue” originally for piano and jazz band. It later went on to become a symphony concert favorite.

loc.gov

George Gershwin

Writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neill and others made this what many called the "Golden Age" of American writing. Frank Lloyd Wright and other architects designed great buildings. Film actors like Clark Gable, and radio entertainers like Jack Benny did more than make Americans laugh or cry. They also helped unite the country. Millions of Americans could watch or listen to the same show at the same time.

Politics. The economy. Social traditions. Art. All these changed for Americans during the nineteen twenties and thirties. And many of these changes also had effects in countries beyond America's borders.

However, the change that had the most meaning for the rest of the world was the change produced by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

America's modern history as a great superpower begins with its reaction to that attack. It was a sudden event in the flow of history. It was a day on which a young land suddenly became fully grown.

Our story continues next week.

Our program was written by David Jarmul. You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember inviting you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.

___

This was program #18

9

WALKING THE BRIDGE SPEAK UP IN CLASS

Before answering questions, please listen to the audio access

http://englishtips-self-taught.blogspot.com/2011/04/san-franciscos-golden-gate.html?showComment=1303867519177

Source: SPEAK UP

Speak Up - Issue 281 – WALKING THE BRIDGE (B1)

A – Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.

1. Have you ever been to San Francisco? If so, what do you remember about the Golden Gate Bridge?

2. What famous bridges are there in Brazil? (e.g. in Rio de Janeiro, Foz do Iguaçu, ...)

3. Why do many people find bridges fascinating?

B – Read and answer

Part 1

Look through the main article and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.

1. Where in San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge situated?

2. What does it cross?

3. When was it built?

4. Who designed it?

5. How much does it cost to maintain it?

6. What improvement works are engineers carrying out at the moment?

Part 2

Read the main article and the Information Box and write T (true) or F (false) next to these sentences.

1. The Golden Gate is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

2. Over 200,000 cross it every day.

3. President Franklin D Roosevelt went to San Francisco to open the bridge to motorists.

4. Cars weren’t allowed to cross the bridge on the first day.

5. Hundreds of people work on the bridge.

6. In the past ten years about 1,500 people have committed suicide by jumping from the bridge.

7. The bridge has a lane reserved for cyclists.

8. Motorists have to pay to cross the bridge.

C – Listen and answer (Optional)

N.B. This interview is graded as C1. So don’t be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to understand the main points.

Read these statements. Then listen to the interview with Mary Curry, without reading, and write T (true) or F (false).

1. It’s said that Mark Twain complained about the fog in San Francisco.

2. Mary Curry says there’s a risk of fog between May and September.

3. She says the best time to visit is autumn and winter.

4. Cycling used to be more popular in San Francisco.

5. You can hire a bicycle on the bridge.

6. Some people cycle across the bridge, then take the ferry back to San Francisco.

7. When you walk on the bridge, you feel it move and notice the noise of the traffic.

D – Listen, read and check your answers

Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you did Exercise C, check your answers while reading.)

E – Learn it! Use it!

Complete these sentences with words from the glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression in some way; e.g. change the verb tense or change from plural to singular.)

1. The restaurant in our hotel wasn’t very good so we usually ate at a ________ restaurant.

2. The tennis club disco was a huge success. Over two hundred people _______  _____.

3. Joe has had to face some difficult situations in his new job but he doesn’t mind because he enjoys a ________.

4. When it starts raining like this, it goes on for _______  _____  _______.

5. The company launched its new mobile phone recently but it hasn’t ________  _____ because it’s too expensive.

6. The driver lost control and his car went up onto the ________ and smashed into a shop window.

7. In many parks there’s a fence around the children’s play area to ________ dogs from entering.

8. At the end of some motorways, there are often long queues at the ________  ________.

F – Ready for PET? (Paper 1: Writing, Part 1)

Complete the second sentence with 1 to 3 words so that it means the same as the first. (They are constructions used in the article.)

1. When the bridge opened, the city celebrated with a festival which lasted for a week.

When the bridge opened, the city celebrated with a __________ festival.

2. About 1,500 people have committed suicide by jumping off the bridge.

About 1,500 people ______________ themselves by jumping off the bridge.

3. There are plans for the installation of nets under the bridge.

They are ________________ nets under the bridge.

5. From May through August there can be a lot of fog.

From May through August it can ______________.

4. I came here 19 years ago.

I’ve ______________ 19 years now.

6. Sometimes the bridge is almost invisible.

Sometimes you can ___________ the bridge.

7. Some people can’t come here in winter.

Not ____________ come here in winter.

8. Other forms of transport are starting to be popular.

Other forms of transport ______________ on.

G – Write about it 

Write about a historic Brazilian bridge.

- Where is it?

- What does it span?

- How old is it?

- Do you know who designed it?

- Why is it famous?

- Are there any legends or stories associated with it?