2LCE Comprehension 2004-5

Semester 2: Sentell, Storey, Whyte

 

This class is designed for second year students of English who have already completed a first semester listening comprehension course.

 

Its goals are to

  • develop note-taking and summarising skills
  • broaden exposure to authentic English in a variety of contexts
  • encourage independent learning through student-led listening activities

 

Organisation

Students participate in listening activities on the topics of health, travel and writing for the first eight weeks of class.  They take a practice test to train for the May comprehension exam, the final three weeks are taken up with student-led listening activities on similar topics. Evaluation is by end-of-semester listening comprehension exam.

 

Healthy living  Week 1             18 Feb              European attitudes to smoking

                        http://www.englishlistening.com/itemdtl.phtml?raid=007-13

 

Week 2             25 Feb             Life as an adult: Lifestyle and keeping active.

                        http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/lifeasanadult.shtml

 

Travel abroad Week 3             4 March            Working abroad

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/wab/u1_3_1.shtml

                                                           

Week 4             11 March           The perils of a foreign language

                        http://bluntradio.org/?node=archives&id=105

                                               

Week 5             18 March          Adventures in the tourist trade

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/archive/index.shtml

 

Writing, history and politics

Week 6             25 March          Ursula K. LeGuin: The Art of Writing

http://stories1st.org/vision.php?s=287&a=70

 

                Week 7             8 April              Sarah Waters

http://www.worldbookdayfestival.com/2004/swaters_transcript.html

           

Week 8             15 April            Reith Lecture: Wole Soyinka

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2004/lecture1.shtml

Break

 

Week 9             Practice test     22 April

                       

Week 10           29 April            Student listening activities                   

 

Week 11            6 May               Student listening activities

 

Week 12           13 May             Student listening activities

 

Project

In groups of 2 or 3 students, select a recording related to Semester 2 topics - health, travel, or writing - and prepare a listening exercise for the class.  You can choose from the following options:

 

  1. More of the same

Choose one class listening, go to the url and listen again to the recording used in class.  Choose another portion of the recording to work on in class. 

E.g., Life as an adult: listen to more of Programme 4 and select a later portion of the recording for your exercise.

 

  1. Same site, same topic, different recording.

Choose one class listening, go the site for that recording and choose another recording on a related topic. 

E.g., The perils of a foreign language: find other pieces by the same speaker or another speaker on a similar topic.

 

  1. Same topic, different site.

Choose one class listening and find any other recording on a similar topic. 

E.g., Ursula Le Guin, find another recording by her or about her.

 

Hints:

a) go to http://www.google.fr, type in Ursula Le Guin audio, and the fourth or fifth option will be http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/leguin/, which has an audio stream.

 

b) http://www.npr.org has a good searchable audio archive.  If you type in Ursula Le Guin it will find a programme where she was a guest (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1553102)

 

Once you have found your recording, design a listening exercise for your classmates.  It should include

  1. a prelistening activity: something to get people thinking about your topic, and perhaps introduce some vocabulary
  2. a listening activity: something for the students to do as they listen
  3. a postlistening activity: something for people to do in response to what they have heard

 

Be as creative as you like in all these areas: you can follow the patterns of what we did in the first semester, but you can also try new ideas to try and interest and involve the class in your topic.

 

You will have 15-20 minutes to teach your lesson to the class.  Make sure you have

-          a recording lasting no more than 3-5 minutes (make it yourself, or ask your teacher well ahead of time)

-          a handout for the class, which has been checked by your teacher

-          a transcript and answers, which have also been checked by your teacher

-          a plan for which member of your team will present which part of your lesson

 

Healthy living                          European attitudes to smoking

Week 1 , 18 Feb 2005               http://www.englishlistening.com/itemdtl.phtml?raid=007-13

 

 

Prelistening

  1. What do you know about American attitudes to smoking?
  2. How do you think Americans perceive Europeans with regard to this habit?
  3. What do you think is the best solution to allow smokers and nonsmokers to cohabit?  Is it a question for the law, or should common courtesy prevail?

 

Listening

You are going to hear an American tourist talk about her experience of smokers in Europe.

 

First listening

Take notes on the speaker’s views

 

  1. where she travelled, and why
  2. US smokers’ habits and the speaker’s attitude to them
  3. European smoking habits
  4. a shocking example
  5. the effect this experience had on the speaker’s views

 

Second listening

  1. but one thing that                        me was                                  
  2. I suppose it is the differences that really                        .       
  3. as uh_ as many people know there's a a                        anti-smoking                        in this country.  
  4. and you see smokers                        out- outside of their office buildings,       
  5. Ah... to be                        , people in Europe smoke like chimneys,  
  6. Well I think if they want to look at bad examples for their children with smoking, they should just                        , or                          or                        , because so many of them are smoking in very inappropriate places.
  7. this one English woman who ah had her cigarette in her hand,                        cigarette.
  8. And I was                        that this would even be allowed.       
  9. There are a lot of American smokers who                        ,  
  10. And in general they do                         other peo- for non-smokers.  

 

Postlistening

1. What is your impression of the speaker?  Does she have a valid point?  Does she ‘have an attitude?’

2. In your own behaviour as a smoker or non-smoker, do you stand up for your rights or not?

3. Student-led listening:  If you are interested in this topic, look for another recording to work on.  Try the BBC or NPR sites.
Second listening

 

a    but one thing that struck me was                                   had an impact on me, impressed me

b    I suppose it is the differences that really stand out.     Are salient, strike us, make us take notice

c    as uh_ as many people know there's a a growing anti-smoking sentiment in this country. , Increasing consensus

d    and you see smokers huddled out- outside of their office buildings, hunched, grouped

e    Ah... to be blunt, people in Europe smoke like chimneys, frank, direct

f    Well I think if they want to look at bad examples for their children with smoking, they should just go out on the street, or go into the subways or look in the mirror even, because so many of them are smoking in very inappropriate places.

g    this one English woman who ah had her cigarette in her hand, lit cigarette. lighted

h    And I was appalled that this would even be allowed. Shocked, disgusted, outraged

i     There are a lot of American smokers who have attitudes, are selfish, are aggressive

j     And in general they do have consideration for other peo- for non-smokers. Consider, respect

 

Transcript for European Attitudes to Smoking

 

    Sometime earlier this year I took a trip to England and France. uh my family helped me out. uh... because I wanted to go see some friends in France, and I also had three people that I went to school with at Oxford. now it was a wonderful trip, I really loved it. ah... but one thing that struck me was how different,_I guess I guess this would strike anyone_ ah whene- whenever they travel is how different cultures are, ah from your own. not just how different they are but how similar, but I suppose it is the differences that really stand out.

uh one of the things that struck me very much was the difference in attitudes towards smoking. there is_ as uh_ as many people know there's a a growing anti-smoking sentiment in this country. and you see smokers huddled out- outside of their office buildings, in front of doors with their cigarettes in their hands and shuddering. uh keeping_ uh wrapping their coats closer about them shuddering and getting a drag off a cigarette. and almost embarrassed, almost like they are fixers of ah illegal drugs. and ah I only_ I feel sorry for them in a way, but I don't like smoking personally. so I don't feel too sorry for them.

            However when I went to England and France, I got a new perspective on this issue. Ah... to be blunt, people in Europe smoke like chimneys, in my point of view, from what I could see. There are anti-smoking signs all over the place, but no one seems to pay much attention to them. Uh... uh people seem to smoke anywhere and everywhere, and even though there's anti-smoking campaigns. In fact, when I was in England there was controversy, that I heard several times over the radio, about a member of the world cup team, the world cup soccer team, who smoked. And people were actually saying "well he shouldn't be on the team because he's a bad example for our children."  Well I think if they want to look at bad examples for their children with smoking, they should just go out on the street, or go into the subways or look in the mirror even, because so many of them are smoking in very inappropriate places.

I went to a Chinese restaurant in London, the food was very bad but that's beside the point, and they had a buffet. Uh they had a buffet in which people could take what ever_ take what they wanted for a certain price. And there was this one woman, this one English woman who ah had her cigarette in her hand, lit cigarette. And she was blowing smoke and holding her cigarette directly over the buffet food. And I was appalled that this would even be allowed. I thought in America this person would be kicked out at a moments_ yaknow would be kicked out immediately. Ah... and the other Americans at the table were really appalled too. And actually when I talked to an English person later, they were pretty appalled too. And they said that's even ru- that's rude for even British standards.

            But it didn't just give me - it didn't just make me... feel that the Europeans are bad and uh uh it didn't just have a negative effect. It almost_ it also had conversely a positive effect on my attitudes toward American smokers. There are a lot of American smokers who have attitudes, and yaknow, they will ah... yaknow they will proclaim their right to smoke whenever they want, and they will ch- they will chafe, they will complain about anti-smoking rules. But they will follow the rules generally. If they cannot smoke in a public building, if the law_ if there is anti_ no smoking sign, they will go outside. And they will not smoke where they are asked not to smoke. And in general they do have consideration for other peo- for non-smokers. They will ask "can I smoke?" whereas it seems to me at least in Europe that people just smoked. They didn't ask for permission or anything. So this experience in Europe gave me more of a respect for... for people who smoke in this country, even though I still don't like smoking. I respect the fact that they_ that even when they do_ when they do smoke they follow the rules and try to respect other peoples' feelings.

 

2LCE Comprehension 2004-5

Semester 2: Sentell, Storey, Whyte

 

Healthy living                         

Week 2   25 Feb2005               Life as an adult: Lifestyle and keeping active.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/lifeasanadult.shtml

 

 

Take this quiz with a partner.

 

Are you in danger of becoming overweight?

http://www.thefitmap.com/quiz2/?quiz=2

 

Answer the questions and be honest!

 

Q1        How much weight have you put on in the past 6 months?

§          Nothing

§          Less than 2 kilograms

§          More than 2 kilograms

                         

Q2        How many grams of fat do you think you eat each day?

§          Less than 90 grams

§          90 - 120 grams

§          More than 120 grams

                         

Q3        On average how much alcohol do you drink each day?

·          Nothing

·          1 glass

·          2 or more glasses

                         

Q4        What is your current Body Mass Index? Check here

§          Less than 25

§          25 - 30

§          More than 30

                         

Q5        What is your current Waist-Hip ratio? Check here

- Men: 0.8 - 0.9 / Women: 0.7 - 0.8

- Men: 0.9 - 1.0 / Women: 0.8 - 0.85

- Men: Above 1.0 / Women: Above 0.85

 

Q6        How many times a week do you exercise?

·          More than 4 times a week

·          Between 1 - 3 times a week

·          I never exercise

                         

Q7        How much walking do you do each day?

·          More than 1 hour

·          Between 30 - 60 minutes

·          Less than 30 minutes

                         

Q8        Typically, how stressed do you feel?

·          Never stressed

·          Some stress

·          Highly stressed

                         

Q9        Are your parents overweight?

·          Neither of my parents are overweight

·          One of my parents is overweight

·          Both of my parents are overweight

                         

Q10      If you were overweight, do you think you could successfully diet to lose any excess weight?

·          Yes

·          Yes, but I'd find it difficult

·          No.

 

 

 

 

 

How typical do think your answers are?  Do you think young people in Britain would have different answers?  And in the US?

 

Do you think people worry too much about diet and exercise?  Or not enough?  Do you consider yourself to be fairly healthy?

 

Listening

 

You are going to hear part of a BBC programme about our health.  Here is the introduction:

 

Young adults are often paradoxical in their behaviour. They are society's keenest sports fanatics, but also consumers of vast quantities of junk food and are more likely to smoke and drink to excess. Women, for instance, are now binge drinking more than ever before. How will the lives we lead in our 20s and 30s affect our health in later years?

 

Part 1

1.        What change between childhood and adulthood does Connie St Louis describe?

2.       What recent change in attitudes to health does she mention?

3.       Who is Randolph Ness and what is his position on the relationship between our health and our environment?

 

Part 2

Fill in the blanks of this outline of Dr Ness’ argument concerning diet and evolution.  Note that this is not a full transcript, and you can use any words to convey the appropriate ideas.

 

People say:       my doctor says: NO to  

1.        _____________

2.       egg

3.       _____________

4.       _____________

 

                        Doctors don’t want _____________

 

WHY do we like things that are bad for us?

 

ANSWER:         in past, bad things were good:  

                                                               i.      _____________ :        hard to get, so every bit was good

                                                             ii.      Sugar :                         _________________________

                                                           iii.      _____________

1.        People who _____________died         

2.       People who relaxed and ate _____________

 

SO:      this explains _____________

            We evolved to _____________

            And it is _____________ not to do so.

 

 

Postlistening

1. Whose fault is the obesity epidemic?  Should we blame overindulgent individuals, or our consumer society?

 

2. What are your secret vices in this area?  Do you believe Ness’ evolutionary explanation?

 

3. Student-led listening.  Try a recording by and about an obese teenager

http://www.transom.org/shows/2003/200311.rookies_rocky.html or look for a clip or audio review of Morgan Spurlock’s recent film Supersize Me.

When we are children, becoming an adult seems like a liberation. No more will your parents be able to tell you what to eat, or force you off the comfy sofa for family outings.  At last you will be able to choose for yourself.  But with choice comes responsibility.  Whatever decisions you make about your lifestyle, you and you alone will be responsible for the consequences.  The temptation to laze about, eat pizza and generally please ourselves is common amongst young adults. 

 

But in the last twenty years or so there's been a major change.  Information about healthy living is everywhere.  Supermarket shelves are awash with ‘be good to yourself’ healthy options.  We are warned about drink, warned about sloth, and heaven help you if you fall prey to smoking. Nevertheless, none of us lead a one hundred percent healthy lifestyle.  So what influences the way we lead our adult lives?  Are we really masters of our own fat-free healthy destiny?  Or do the realities of modern life really dictate how long and healthily you will live?

 

RN        If you make rounds in any modern hospital and ask yourself going bed to bed, ‘Is this person here because he or she is living in a modern environment?’ about half the time the answer is, Yes.

 

Randolph Ness of the University of Michigan is a physician interested in how evolution has shaped our lives.  He believes that we find it hard to behave healthily because of the way we have evolved.

 

RN        If you listen to people talking about the advice they get from their doctors in the pub, they’ll pretty routinely come up with this story:  ‘Yeah, I talked with my doctor and my doctor says I got to stop eating bacon and egg and hamburgers and cheesecake and all the stuff I really like.  These doctors are just spoilsports and besides, anything that tastes good they don’t want you to eat.  They just don’t want life to be pleasant at all.’  So what’s going on here?  How come we like the things that are bad for us? 

And the answer turns out to be that when we evolved, there wasn’t that much fat available.  Fat was in short supply, and every bit you could get was good for you.  Sugar too, but the only way you could get sugar was in ripe fruit, which was very good for you.  Likewise not wasting any calories - smart thing to do.  People who ran around and exercised for no good reason back then were liable to die of starvation when the next famine came around, while the people who sat back and just relaxed contentedly, eating all they could when they could get a chance to, they did better. 

And this of course directly explains the epidemic of obesity that we are facing these days.  We are in fact shaped to conserve calories, to eat sugar salt and fat when we get a hold of it, and not to do so turns out to be very hard.

 

People say:       my doctor says: NO       bacon

                                                            Egg

                                                            Hamburgers

                                                            Cheesecake

 

                        Doctors don’t want life to be pleasant

 

WHY do we like things that are bad for us?

 

ANSWER:         in past, bad things were good:  

Fat       hard to get, so every bit was good

                        Sugar   only in ripe fruit, which is very good for health

                        Not wasting energy

                                    People who exercised unnecessarily died         

People who relaxed and ate did better

 

SO:      this explains current epidemic of obesity

            We evolved to conserve calories and eat fat, sugar, and salt

            And it is hard not to.

2LCE Comprehension 2004-5

Semester 2: Sentell, Storey, Whyte