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[{"id":403,"title":"Socialism","audio":"023-27.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n I\u2019ve been a socialist since I was about thirteen years old.\r\n<br>Roughly about, a month before Margaret Thatcher got elected as Prime Minister.\r\n<br>I don\u2019t know whether it was that particular light, or that particular event that sparked me off.\r\n<br>I have a great aunt who was a socialist for seventy years before she died a couple of years ago.\r\n<br>Um, and she must have influenced me a certain amount.\r\n<br>Um, I\u2019m from a background which, although it would have been affluent if my parents hadn\u2019t split up.\r\n<br>Because my parents did split up.\r\nIt wasn\u2019t particularly well off.\r\nAnd so I have lived, pretty much most my life, and certainly all of my adult life, in conditions where I haven\u2019t had very much money.\r\n<br>And I\u2019ve had all sorts of personal reasons, to ask whether the society we live in is as well arranged as it ought to be.\r\n<br>But, I sup_ mostly I'm Socialist because it strikes me that, <b>inequality <\/b>is socially dysfunctional.\r\n<br>You can put forward all sorts of... Philosophical arguments, which are perfectly valid.\r\n<br>To say that.\r\n. . The pursuit of profit is the motor which produces production which makes people set up companies.\r\n<br>And find the best possible products to sell to people.\r\n<br>And that, that means that more of these products get, produced.\r\n<br>And we get rich... As consumers.\r\n<br>And, you can go on like that.\r\n. . For as often as you like.\r\n<br>You can say that, if people are happy what\u2019s it matter how much money other people have got.\r\n<br>Do they have to be equal to other people, financially before they start, being able to be happy.\r\n<br>Which of course they don\u2019t.\r\nAnd that is valid as well.\r\n<br>But, wh- whichever way you slice it you cannot get away from the fact that while you have sizable <b>inequalities <\/b>in society.\r\n<br>People, in the main will feel, that they are not getting as much as they ought to be.\r\n<br>And unhappiness in many ways, is the gap, between what you have and what you <b>perceive <\/b>you could have.\r\n<br>While you have rich people, then apart from anything else, those people are in our face.\r\n<br>Those people are, always, on television.\r\nThey\u2019re in the magazines.\r\nThey\u2019re in the newspapers.\r\n<br>They are effectively saying to us, \u201clook at me.\r\nI\u2019m rich.\r\nYou could be rich and you\u2019re not, be dissatisfied because what you want to be is to be rich.\" <br>and while you have that system, that produces dissatisfaction.\r\n<br>Dissatisfaction <b>squeezes <\/b>out of every pore of an, un- an unequal society.\r\n<br>And it\u2019s bound to be like that.\r\nAnd it\u2019s also bound to be like because, in order to produce wealth the rest of us have to be squeezed.\r\n<br>The rest of us have to be squeezed of our labour.\r\nTo produce, benefits which on the whole_ enjoyed by other people.\r\n<br>And they\u2019re going to be enjoyed by a small number of people.\r\n<br>While most people do the work.\r\nAnd those people, on the whole, are going to look at the other people and say, 'this is not fair.\r\n' <br>They\u2019re going to look at themselves and say, 'I work hard.\r\n' <br>They say 'I work hard and yet the reward I seem to get is never quite enough.\r\nThe work I have to do is always that bit too stressful.\r\nThe amount of time I have for myself is never quite sufficient.\r\n' <br>And that\u2019s all because, in a situation where human labour is a commodity.\r\n<br>Obviously they\u2019re going to try and squeeze as much money out of us as they can.\r\n<br>They\u2019re going to try to squeeze as much work out of us as they can.\r\n<br>And as_ work at as high a rate as they possibly can.\r\nAnd so we feel we\u2019re used.\r\n<br>We feel exploited.\r\nEven if we don\u2019t necessarily, use the term, or think about it an academic or a Marxist sense.\r\nWe feel dissatisfied.\r\n<br>As a result, of how we are treated when our labour is commodified.\r\n<br>And I can\u2019t see any way to get out of that.\r\n<br>Other than to have a society which is, to all intents and purposes, equal even if it\u2019s not exactly equal.\r\n<br>So that the exact differences don\u2019t make any difference.\r\nI don\u2019t see any reason in human nature why that\u2019s not possible.\r\n<br>I mean it\u2019s human nature that makes society as it is, so difficult to live with.\r\n<br>Because we aren\u2019t happy with things the way they are.\r\nThere\u2019s no reason economically not to have equality.\r\n<br>There\u2019s more than enough for everybody to go around.\r\nThere\u2019s no need for anybody to pile any more up.\r\n<br>And yet most of the time you, you know that it\u2019s not going to happen.\r\nYou know that the forces that want it not to happen.\r\n<br>The forces that have.\r\n. . a vested interest in it to not happening_ always going to be strong.\r\n<br>The forces that want it to be_ happen, are always weak and divided.\r\n<br>And you think, it\u2019s, never quite within reach.\r\n<br>The attempts to make it happen always end in disaster.\r\n<br>It always proves too difficult to convince people that things can be done in a significantly different manner to the way they're done today.\r\n<br>And so it always lives in the realm of the imagination rather than reality.\r\n<br>And yet, everything that improves in society happens because someone wasn\u2019t happy with society, the way it is.\r\n<br>And so even if I think of my Socialism as a way_ as something imaginative.\r\nAs something unreachable.\r\nIt\u2019s worth striving for.\r\n<br>Even if you don\u2019t actually get it.\r\nBecause the very matter of striving for it, means that you improve the world you\u2019re actually living in.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3633","question":"[1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p>\r\n <\/p><p><\/p><p>1. <b>roughly <\/b>\/\u02c8r\u028cfli\/ (adverb)<br> approximately but not exactly<\/p><ul><li>Sales are up by roughly 10 per cent.<\/li><li>We live roughly halfway between here and the coast.<\/li><li>They all left at roughly the same time.<\/li><\/ul><hr><p>2.<b> Spark off<\/b><br> To cause something to happen or begin.<\/p><ul><li>The question sparked off a two-hour debate about the ethics of modifying genetic code before birth.<\/li><\/ul><hr>3. <b>pursuit <\/b>\/p\u0259r\u02c8su\u02d0t\/ (noun)<br> \u200b [uncountable] the act of looking for or trying to get something<p><\/p><ul><li><span class=\"x\">She travelled the world in pursuit of her dreams<\/span><br><\/li><\/ul><hr>4. <b>inequality <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026an\u026a\u02c8kw\u0251\u02d0l\u0259ti\/ (noun)<br>the unfair difference between groups of people in society, when some have more wealth, status or opportunities than others<br><p><\/p><ul><li> We need to tackle inequality of opportunity wherever we find it.<br><\/li><\/ul><hr><p>5. <b>perceive <\/b>\/p\u0259r\u02c8si\u02d0v\/ (verb)<br>become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.<br><\/p><ul><li> I perceived a change in his behaviour. <\/li><li>She perceived that all was not well.<\/li><\/ul><hr>6. <b>squeeze <\/b>\/skwi\u02d0z\/ (verb)<br> to press something, especially with your fingers<br><br><p><\/p><ul><li>He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. <\/li><li>Just take hold of the tube and squeeze.<br><\/li><\/ul>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 185\",\"Length: 5:6\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2023-12-15T14:17:28.000000Z","liked":534,"question_link":null,"duration":306,"size":8570925,"video":0,"video_id":"GJNT4AJnrdM","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[{"id":73,"title":"Present perfect tense with FOR and SINCE ","sentence":"I\u2019ve been a socialist since I was about thirteen years old"},{"id":31,"title":"Type 3 Conditional Sentences","sentence":"it would have been affluent if my parents hadn\u2019t split up."}],"questions":[{"id":1919,"question":"What does the speaker say influenced his politics?","answers":"[\"Going to university\",\"A conversation with his parents\",\"Meeting Margaret Thatcher\",\"The views of a family member\"]","correct":"The views of a family member"},{"id":1920,"question":"According to the speaker, why did his family never have much money?","answers":"[\"Because their family business had failed\",\"Because the cost of living was too expensive\",\"Because there was high unemployment in Britain\",\"Because his parents were not together\"]","correct":"Because his parents were not together"},{"id":1921,"question":"Why does the speaker say the middle class is dissatisfied?","answers":"[\"Because there aren't enough consumer goods\",\"Because they see a lot of inequality\",\"Because there are too few jobs available\",\"Because they don't trust the government\"]","correct":"Because they see a lot of inequality"},{"id":1922,"question":"What does the speaker see rich people doing?","answers":"[\"Being foolish with their wealth\",\"Working hard to earn money\",\"Helping the poor in society\",\"Exploiting workers for their labour\"]","correct":"Exploiting workers for their labour"},{"id":1923,"question":"What does the speaker say about working towards impossible goals?","answers":"[\"It will improve the world.\",\"It creates more inequality.\",\"It makes people forget their problems.\",\"It will end in disaster.\"]","correct":"It will improve the world."},{"id":1924,"question":"What is the purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To explain the basis of socialist thought\",\"To explain some problems with socialism\",\"To explain why unemployment is so high\",\"To explain an idea he read about\"]","correct":"To explain the basis of socialist thought"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":403,"ordering":1000}},{"id":451,"title":"What I Think of the Political System","audio":"021-08.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n Um, generally I am pretty <b>disillusioned <\/b>with politics in Britain.\r\n<br>Not in the sense that you know, I am sort of <b>laid back<\/b> and well, it doesn\u2019t really bother me at all.\r\n<br>Generally I am sort of <b>disillusioned <\/b>in the sense that I feel that so little of what interests me and a lot of people I know is touched on.\r\n<br>Um, I think the nineties have become a very, very <b>depressing <\/b>decade for British politics.\r\n<br><b>The labor party<\/b> has taken a turn towards <b>desperately <\/b>wanting to be in office and being willing to do anything to get into office.\r\n<br>Perhaps more <b>fundamentally<\/b> I<b> <\/b>think a lot has happened in terms of left-wing politics.\r\n<br>Um, with regard to people feeling the options aren\u2019t there that were there.\r\n<br>And that you have to accept sort of neo-liberal free trade um, scaling down the welfare states sort of society.\r\n<br>Um, and while I think there is a need for change it is very depressing that, um, that <b>the Labour Party<\/b> doesn\u2019t seem to really have any particular ideas of its own.\r\n<br>They seem to be more willing to accept the ideas of what were their political <b>opponents<\/b>.\r\n<br>There have been some interesting developments, some positive developments; <br>I think the <b>emergence <\/b>of the Green Party as an electoral force is interesting.\r\n<br>I think it opens up an awful lot of opportunities and new ideas that need to be there although there can be a certain sort of ludditism element in green politics which would want to change everything that has happened since the industrial revolution and that I don\u2019t think is particularly helpful.\r\n<br>But on the level of, um, stressing the importance of society as a society and as a community.\r\n<br>And the need for <b>mutual <\/b>links in society i think they are a very positive force.\r\n<br>Also in terms of stressing the dangers of not destroying our environment through over production and not destroying our lives through over producing and always having to be doing more and gaining more.\r\n<br>And rather to try and enjoy things other than that.\r\n<br>Um, particularly coming from Wales.\r\n<br>I think the recent sort of changes in the structure of the political system in Britain in terms of devolution is, is a very positive force.\r\n<br>I think one of the things that has happened with <b>the Labour Party<\/b> moving as it has done is that it can be said to have sold out a lot on the people who did support it.\r\n<br>In Wales and the north of England and what might be called the sort of labour heartlands.\r\n<br>And they have been taken for granted.\r\n<br>These people will vote for Labour no matter what happens and so well, let\u2019s go off and work out how we can attract people, middle class people in Southeast England as well.\r\n<br>And I think there is an awful lot of dissolution amongst people like that.\r\n<br>And generally Wales votes much more left-wing, um, than Britain generally.\r\n<br>So it is this devolution and having a parliament, no matter how small its powers in Cardiff offers and opportunities for Welsh people to say, 'well, we don\u2019t want things the things the way they are run in Westminster.\r\n<br>You know, we have different priorities.\r\n<br>We think that a common health service for all people is important.\r\n<br>And we think, you know, a better state education system is important.\r\n<br>And we don\u2019t feel we need to sell all our national <b>assets <\/b>into <b>the private sector<\/b>.\r\n<br>'Um, so, I hope the um,Welsh assembly in Cardiff will be, give a voice to people in Wales and funnily enough give a voice to the Welsh Labour Party as against the English Labour Party more generally the Labour Party in Westminster.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3570","question":"[2186,2187,2188,2189,2190]","vocabulary":"<p><b>disillusioned <\/b>\/\u02ccd\u026as\u026a\u02c8lu\u02d0\u0292nd\/ adjective<br>disappointed because the person you admired or the idea you believed to be good and true now seems without value<\/p><hr><p><b>laid-back<\/b> \/\u02ccle\u026ad \u02c8b\u00e6k\/ adjective<br>\u200bcalm and relaxed; seeming not to worry about anything<\/p><hr><p><b>depressing <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8pres\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>making you feel very sad and without enthusiasm<\/p><hr><p><b>the Labour Party<\/b> \/\u00f0\u0259 \u02c8le\u026ab\u0259r p\u0251\u02d0rti\/ noun<br>[singular + singular or plural verb]<br>\u200bone of the main British political parties, on the political left, that has traditionally represented the interests of working people<\/p><hr><p><b>desperately <\/b>\/\u02c8desp\u0259r\u0259tli\/ adverb<br>extremely, especially when talking about bad situations<\/p><hr><p><b>fundamentally <\/b>\/\u02ccf\u028cnd\u0259\u02c8ment\u0259li\/ adverb<br>used when you are saying what is the most important thing about somebody\/something<br><\/p><hr><p><b>opponent <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8p\u0259\u028an\u0259nt\/ noun<br>a person who is against something and tries to change or stop it<\/p><hr><p><b>emergence <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8m\u025c\u02d0d\u0292\u0259ns\/ noun<br>the fact of starting to exist or becoming known for the first time<\/p><hr><p> <b>mutual <\/b>\/\u02c8mju\u02d0t\u0283u\u0259l\/ adjective<br> [only before noun] shared by two or more people<\/p><hr><p><b>asset <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6set\/ noun<br>a person or thing that is valuable or useful to somebody\/something<\/p><hr><p><b>the private sector<\/b> \/\u00f0\u0259 \u02ccpra\u026av\u0259t \u02c8sekt\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>[singular] the part of the economy of a country that is not under the direct control of the government<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Slow\",\"Words\/Minute: 140\",\"Length: 4:28\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2023-12-15T14:20:17.000000Z","liked":485,"question_link":null,"duration":269,"size":7535953,"video":0,"video_id":"msPWCwSZV9s","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":2186,"question":"What opinion does the speaker express about politics in Britain?","answers":"[\"They don't reflect the speaker's interests.\",\"They are changing for the better.\",\"They are of little interest.\",\"The speaker hopes to take part in them.\"]","correct":"They don't reflect the speaker's interests."},{"id":2187,"question":"What is the speaker's criticism of the Labor Party?","answers":"[\"They want to change too much.\",\"They don't have any new ideas.\",\"They are corrupt.\",\"They are too left-wing.\"]","correct":"They don't have any new ideas."},{"id":2188,"question":"What did the speaker find interesting about the Green Party?","answers":"[\"Its stance on the industrial revolution\",\"Its rising power politically\",\"Its ability to work with the other parties\",\"Its ability to run the country\"]","correct":"Its rising power politically"},{"id":2189,"question":"Where does the speaker say he is from?","answers":"[\"Westminster\",\"Northern England\",\"Wales\",\"Eastern England\"]","correct":"Wales"},{"id":2190,"question":"What does the speaker hope for his local Labor Party?","answers":"[\"That they will lose the next election\",\"That they will work together with the central government\",\"That they will become more like the Labor party in other areas\",\"That they will give a voice to people in his area\"]","correct":"That they will give a voice to people in his area"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":451,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1576,"title":"Sharron's Christmas","audio":"933-Sharron-Xmas.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Dai:<\/strong> So Christmas is coming around the corner. How do you feel about that?<p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> I love Christmas. I love the time with the family, the time off work to relax and enjoy each other's company and just time at home with everyone.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> So, what do you .... what's like a traditional Christmas for you then?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Well, <span class=\"audionotes\">the build-up<\/span> is a bit of a <span class=\"audionotes\">nuisance<\/span> really. It's a lot of money, but it's good fun and it's great. The end result, Christmas morning, watching everybody opening the presents that I've bought and things, but, yeah, a traditional Christmas would be rushing around Christmas Eve getting all the last minute things. Probably up till very late, wrapping presents, and then up early Christmas morning, opening presents, a family visit to see our daughter opening her presents as well, and then it's normally shared around some of the family. We do a different Christmas dinner every year. Either we ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Christmas dinner? What kind of ... ?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Right! Christmas dinner back home is a big roast turkey and all the trimmings: stuffing, vegetables ... <\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Stuffing?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Stuffing. It's like herbs and bread crumbs and onions and things. All made up and you stuff it under the skin of the turkey and when the turkey roasts it cooks in there as well. It's really, really tasty. So we have sort of a family meal and one year we'll go to one of the parent's houses or they'll come to us. We just change it round every year. And then normally, it's sort of a lazy afternoon after we've eaten far too much, and watching some of the traditional British television: The Queen's speech at 3 o'clock every Christmas Day.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> So the Queen gives a speech?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Yeah. Tells everybody how her year has been and what she thinks Britain has achieved in the last twelve months and how she thinks things are going to go for the next twelve months and it's on for about twenty minutes I suppose. Not everybody watches it. Sometimes people, after their large lunch, have fallen asleep in the chair by the time it's on the TV, so ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Right.<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> But Christmas night then, it's normally cold turkey sandwiches, pickled onions, crisps.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Crisps? Like ...<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Like ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Potato chips?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Potato chips, yeah, sorry, potato chips, yeah. We call them crisps back home so ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> OK.<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Sit in front of the TV again. It's just a generally family time.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Sounds pretty lazy.<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> It is. Very lazy. Boxing Day then is ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Boxing Day?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Yeah, now Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> So the 26th?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> The 26th of December. Saint Steven's Day, but we have another day's holiday then so ...<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Why is it called Boxing Day?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> <span class=\"audionotes\">I haven't got a clue<\/span>. Not a clue.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Think it's cause everyone gets rids of their boxes?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Could be. After all the Christmas gifts, yeah. But we generally have a busier day the next day. There's a lot of sport activities going on where we live. In Temby, which is a local seaside town, they have a big Boxing Day swim, which is <span class=\"audionotes\">unheard of<\/span> in the winter. Nobody goes in the sea much in the summer, where we live.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> Right, it must be really cold.<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Very cold.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai: <\/strong>Like, what would that be in degrees?<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Oh, I don't know, but people dress up and run in the sea for charity. People give donations for money and it's all in <span class=\"audionotes\">a good cause<\/span> and it's a bit of fun. But there's also football matches and rugby matches and things.<\/p> <p><strong>Dai:<\/strong> So you generally have a good time.<\/p> <p><strong>Sharron:<\/strong> Yeah, most people go out on Boxing Day. It's a more active day than Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the day where most people tend to stay in and be with the family and Boxing Day we will go out and meet up with friends generally.<\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T933-Sharron-Holiday.htm","question":"[3446,3447,3448,3449,3450]","vocabulary":"<div><b>the build-up<\/b><\/div><ul><li>Well, the build-up is a bit of a nuisance really.<\/li><\/ul><div>'The build up' is a period of planning or promotion before a big event. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>There was a lot of build-up to the wedding and then it was over.<\/li><li>There is often a lot of build-up for any Leo DiCaprio movie.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>nuisance<\/b><\/div><ul><li>The traffic is a bit of a nuisance.<\/li><\/ul><div>A nuisance is someone or something that makes us a little angry. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>Mosquitoes are such a nuisance in summer.<\/li><li>The noisy child was such a nuisance, his mother finally let him eat ice-cream for dinner.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>not a clue<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I haven't got a clue why it is called Boxing Day.<\/li><\/ul><div>The phrase 'I haven't got a clue' simply means 'I don't know'. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>I don't have a clue as to why he did not come.<\/li><li>I could not answer the question. I didn't have a clue.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>unheard of<\/b><\/div><ul><li>They have a swim which is unheard of in winter.<\/li><\/ul><div>Something that is unheard of is very unusual. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>It is unheard of for rich people to give away all their money.<\/li><li>In the 18th century, It was unheard of for men have short hair.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>a good cause<\/b><\/div><ul><li>People give donations and it's all in a good cause.<\/li><\/ul><div>An event or organization that helps people is a good cause. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>Helping the homeless is a good cause.<\/li><li>People gave to the charity because it was a good cause.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Wales, Wales\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2023-12-16T03:35:10.000000Z","liked":341,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T933-Sharron-Holiday.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0901Q\/Q933.js","duration":224,"size":8940191,"video":0,"video_id":"oGbztD1sWko","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3446,"question":"1) What is a nuisance? ","answers":"[\"Traveling\",\"The build up\",\"Everything\"]","correct":"The build up"},{"id":3447,"question":"2) What is stuffing made of?","answers":"[\"Turkey\",\"Bread crumbs\",\"Potatoes\"]","correct":"Bread crumbs"},{"id":3448,"question":"3) What do people often watch?","answers":"[\"A talent show\",\"A speech\",\"A parade\"]","correct":"A speech"},{"id":3449,"question":"4) What do 'crisps' refer to?","answers":"[\"Toasted bread\",\"Hard cheese\",\"Potato Chips\"]","correct":"Potato Chips"},{"id":3450,"question":"5) Why do people swim?","answers":"[\"To win a prize\",\"To give to charity\",\"To burn off calories\"]","correct":"To give to charity"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1576,"ordering":22}},{"id":458,"title":"Wookey Hole Avoiding City Centre","audio":"028-15.mp3","dialog":"\r\n Once I was a_ a confirmed caving club member, and went very often.\r\nWe went off, maybe, every couple of weeks.\r\nWe would all go, on a weekend trip, to somewhere they have good caves.\r\nBecause, most of the caves in Devon, where I lived at the time, are, muddy, but not properly watery.\r\nAnd a bit dull.\r\nOne of the places where they have good caves, is around Cheddar Gorge.\r\nThere are some famous caves that, touristy people can walk into, wearing their high heels.\r\nAnd they go along their little concrete path, and it's all lit up, and it's very nice.\r\nAnd you buy tickets, and a guide will show you, stalactites, and stalagmites, and, and, you can go 'ooh.\r\n' And then come out to the tea shop.\r\nAnd, that's fine if you like that sort of thing.\r\nBut, if you know how to do proper caving with a wet suit, and muddy boots.\r\nAnd squeezing through really tight places.\r\nThis is really, you know, it's not hard, basically.\r\nThere are a lot of other good caves around there though.\r\nThat the public can't get to very easily.\r\nAnd, in one of these caves, we decided to take a trip in, as far as we could go, including a sump.\r\nA sump is when, the water, has filled a little passage, from one room_ sort of one cavern to the next.\r\nUm, which means that the_ the little passage linking the two, is down low.\r\nAnd makes a sort of like a 'U' shape, and this can fill up with water.\r\nSo, that when you're standing in the first room, it looks as if there's a puddle in the corner.\r\nBut if you hold your breath, and go down and under, you can come up into another room.\r\nIt's a very strange experience, and one of the people in the team was, not up for it, and just stayed behind, quietly smoking in the cave.\r\nAnd thinking, how rebellious they were to be smoking in a natural beauty place.\r\nUm, I was, very tempted to stay behind, and do the same.\r\nBut in the end my desire to macho, won out, over my desire to be a rebel.\r\nSo, i, uh, went down the sump.\r\nAnd it was absolutely terrifying.\r\nThere was a piece of string to lead you through.\r\nBut, because I dithered for so long_ you really did need the string.\r\nYou couldn't see, the water had been completely churned up, and was full of mud.\r\nSo, it was very thin mud, I was diving through.\r\nAnd the whole of me was submerged at once.\r\nI mean, it was quite a long, little leap from room to room.\r\nBut when I came out the other side, my headlamp, reflected on something that had been brought down by someone, before us.\r\nIt was a road sign, that they had stolen, from the side of the road.\r\nPresumably, about over where we were.\r\nSaying, 'Wookey Hole, one and a half miles.\r\nAvoiding city centre'.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3761","question":"[2219,2220,2221,2222]","vocabulary":"","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 177\",\"Length: 2:52\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2023-12-16T12:59:11.000000Z","liked":389,"question_link":null,"duration":173,"size":4842833,"video":0,"video_id":"NgKBu--3q-s","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":2219,"question":"What is the point of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To describe an interesting caving trip\",\"To encourage more people to try caving\",\"To demonstrate her own bravery while caving\",\"To explain why she loves caving\"]","correct":"To describe an interesting caving trip"},{"id":2220,"question":"How does the speaker describe the caves near her home?","answers":"[\"They are difficult enough for her.\",\"They are boring and not wet enough.\",\"There are a lot of stalactites and stalagmites.\",\"There are many tourists there.\"]","correct":"They are boring and not wet enough."},{"id":2221,"question":"What does the speaker mean by the term 'sump'?","answers":"[\"A puddle of water found in a cave\",\"A piece of equipment for exploring large caves\",\"A natural vent that has created smoke\",\"A passage between rooms that has filled with water\"]","correct":"A passage between rooms that has filled with water"},{"id":2222,"question":"What did the speaker see in the room she entered?","answers":"[\"A large hole\",\"More mud\",\"More water\",\"A road sign\"]","correct":"A road sign"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":458,"ordering":1000}},{"id":322,"title":"A Trip to the Czech Republic","audio":"021-09.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n Um, last year for four months I went and lived in the Czech Republic.\r\n<br>Um, my girlfriend is Czech.\r\n<br>So it, um, <b>turned out<\/b> I wasn\u2019t expecting much work for the autumn.\r\n<br>So I thought we, we could go and live there.\r\n<br>And, um, she, she has taught English in the past so she got a job there teaching English.\r\n<br>Did a, a, little teaching English myself.\r\n<br>But, um, I was lucky to be in the situation, I had a little savings put by so, um, what with the rate of exchange being so <b>favourable<\/b>, um, I could actually go and, live what would be almost nothing here.\r\n<br>You know on a, a, <b> meagre <\/b>sort of savings I could live there for four months, quite nicely.\r\n<br>So it gave me, an opportunity to do a lot of things.\r\n<br>Um, and I like the Czech Republic <b>an awful lot<\/b>.\r\n<br>Um, I sort of, I fou_ found it fascinating, in that it is a, a country which has changed so much lately.\r\n<br>Um, that, um, you have gone from having, you know, a sort of <b>massive<\/b>, sort of state socialist society, to, to having a, a country that had_ try and be sort of, standard neoliberal European country.\r\n<br>And, um, certain parts of it were very <b>depressing<\/b>.\r\n<br>The, the extent to which certain people have_ it, it is like Britain in the eighties concentrated immensely, in that certain people have made, so much money at the expense of, of the, the sort of state generally.\r\n<br>Um, the_ in assets being sold off and, um, it, it seems such a shame to think of all the, the, the <b>labour <\/b>and work of, of people over , you know, forty years in building up state industries being sold off, um, so cheaply and under such <b>dubious circumstances<\/b>.\r\n<br>Um, I don\u2019t know how the, the country is going to, turn out, and change in the next few years.\r\n<br>I think a lot of people are, finding it very hard.\r\n<br>Um, the change of mentality, and that th_ things aren\u2019t as easy as they could be.\r\n<br>It certainly, um, I mean it, it is nowhere near like, um, Russia is.\r\n<br>But, um, it\u2019ll certainly probably be within the EC within the next ten years.\r\n<br>Um, so, I don\u2019t know.\r\n<br>I'm uh, I'm sort of fa_ fascinated how it will turn out.\r\n<br>If they will manage to, to sort of <b>preserve <\/b>the best of, um, perhaps, their ways of thinking and, and, um, the_ you will see something that is new rather than just a repetition of, uh, you know, Britain or, um, other western European countries.\r\n<br>Um... I feel, it does feel sort of, unfair being somebody from, Britain going over there.\r\n<br>In the sense that, um, I, you know, can turn what is, considered, uh, uh, um, a <b>miserable <\/b>amount of, um, earning here into what a normal person would earn over there.\r\n<br>And that, um, you know, you, you'd take up an idea that, oh well, you know, this taxi driver, he is over charging me so dreadfully.\r\n<br>But, you know, that he is doing you a disservice by charging you, lets say, you know, two pounds instead of what would be fifty-p there.\r\n<br>But then you think the extent to which, uh, a lot of the_ there's a lot of it.\r\nA lot of it happens.\r\n<br>A lot of, young people I know in their twenties go travelling around the world, and, um, I don\u2019t know, i_ it, it seems, it seems, uh, so, um, I don\u2019t know.\r\n<br>Such a disadvantage that people there we_ are never able to, to, do the opposite.\r\n<br>That if a Czech person, um, comes to Britain that they have to, in a weeks holiday they can spend what took them, you know, a month, two months at home to, to earn in a, in a, you know, hard working job.<br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3571","question":"[1484,1485,1486,1487,1488]","vocabulary":"<p><b>turn out<\/b> phrasal verb<br>to happen in a particular way; to develop or end in a particular way<\/p><hr><p><b>favourable <\/b>\/\u02c8fe\u026av\u0259r\u0259bl\/ adjective<br>making people have a good opinion of somebody\/something<\/p><hr><p><b>meagre <\/b>\/\u02c8mi\u02d0\u0261\u0259r\/ adjective<br>small in quantity and poor in quality<\/p><hr><p><b>awful <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0254\u02d0fl\/ adjective<br>used to emphasize something, especially that there is a large amount or too much of something<\/p><ul class=\"examples\"><li class=\"\"><span class=\"x\">It's going to cost <span class=\"cl\">an awful lot of<\/span> money.<\/span><\/li><li class=\"\"><span class=\"x\">There's not an awful lot of room.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><hr><b>massive <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u00e6s\u026av\/ adjective<br>very large, heavy and solid<hr><b>depressing <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8pres\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>making you feel very sad and without enthusiasm<hr><b>labour <\/b>\/\u02c8le\u026ab\u0259r\/ noun<br>[uncountable] work, especially physical work<hr><b>dubious <\/b>\/\u02c8du\u02d0bi\u0259s\/ adjective<br>that you cannot be sure about; that is probably not good<hr><b>circumstance <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u025c\u02d0k\u0259mst\u00e6ns\/ noun<br>[countable, usually plural] the conditions and facts that are connected with and affect a situation, an event or an action<hr><b>preserve <\/b>\/pr\u026a\u02c8z\u025c\u02d0rv\/ verb<br>preserve something to keep a particular quality, feature, etc.; to make sure that something is kept<hr><b>miserable <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u026azr\u0259bl\/ adjective<br>very unhappy or uncomfortable<hr><br>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 158\",\"Length: 4:11\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2023-12-20T23:24:27.000000Z","liked":500,"question_link":null,"duration":251,"size":7032730,"video":0,"video_id":"UNCvIfrNyH0","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1484,"question":"According to the speaker, how could he afford to live in the Czech Republic?","answers":"[\"His girlfriend paid his expenses.\",\"He had saved a large amount of money.\",\"He benefitted from a good exchange rate.\",\"He taught English full-time.\"]","correct":"He benefitted from a good exchange rate."},{"id":1485,"question":"What recent change does the speaker describe about the Czech Republic?","answers":"[\"Its cost of living is beginning to rise.\",\"Its workers are beginning to earn more money.\",\"Its citizens are becoming more depressed.\",\"Its economic system is becoming less socialist.\"]","correct":"Its economic system is becoming less socialist."},{"id":1486,"question":"What is the speaker interested to see in the future?","answers":"[\"Whether the Czech Republic will start welcoming more British travelers\",\"Whether Czech citizens can preserve their cultural perspectives\",\"Whether Czech citizenship will be granted to more Western Europeans\",\"Whether the Czech Republic will improve its relationship with Russia\"]","correct":"Whether Czech citizens can preserve their cultural perspectives"},{"id":1487,"question":"Why does the speaker refer to a taxi driver?","answers":"[\"To explain an inequality of income\",\"To show that transportation is often expensive\",\"To describe a well-paying job\",\"To illustrate a problem faced by travelers\"]","correct":"To explain an inequality of income"},{"id":1488,"question":"According to the speaker, what is a main difference between Britain and the Czech Republic?","answers":"[\"British workers have an unfair economic advantage.\",\"Czech workers receive more reliable salaries.\",\"British young people do not work as hard.\",\"Czech citizens have higher standards of living.\"]","correct":"British workers have an unfair economic advantage."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":322,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1596,"title":"The Secret of Success","audio":"910-Jeff-Bar32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Jeff, I really don't understand how sometimes you have so much success with girls when we go out to the bar. It often seems like I'm the one sitting there and not really enjoying the conversation with the other girl's friend while you really <span class=\"audionotes\">hit it off<\/span> with these women, and you're able to just walk up and talk to people. I don't know, maybe I just don't have the ability to go up and do that. How do you do that?<p><strong>Jeff:<\/strong> I don't know. That's a... there's no <span class=\"audionotes\">special formula<\/span> I don't think. I think you have to be a little bit open. You've got to be a little bit nice.<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Do you <span class=\"audionotes\">have some lines<\/span> that you use?<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>I don't think. It all depends on the situation. It depends of the girl and the place and how you're feeling and what the girl looks like, but I think it helps a lot to have a good wingman. You need a good wingman. If you're by yourself you look a little bit strange: Why is this guy here in the bar by himself, so you need <span class=\"audionotes\">a good wingman<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Well, I find when I go out to the bar with you, you've been able to meet and talk to some people, yeah, I guess maybe when I go out alone I don't have quite the same success rate, but then a lot of times, you go out to the bar by yourself and you meet people and then I only hear about it afterwards.<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>Yeah, but I think it's... if you drink enough beer and you go out with <span class=\"audionotes\">the right mindset<\/span>. Leave all or your parameter at home and everyone is good in their own way.... and if you're open to everyone, open to having a good time, I think girls can sense that and they like that.<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Or perhaps you're just strange enough that it doesn't seem all that different when you're out by yourself.<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff:<\/strong> Well, it might be that. It might be that.<\/p> \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T910-Jeff-Bar.htm","question":"[3333,3334,3335,3336]","vocabulary":"<div class=\"text_box\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p><b>hit it off<\/b><\/p><ul><li>I really hit it off with some of\r\n the guests.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we hit it off with someone that means we quickly become\r\n friends. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>My date and I really hit if off, so we planned a second date.<\/li><li>I did not hit it off with my boss on the first day of work.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>special formula<\/b><\/p><ul><li>There's no special formula to\r\n success.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>Here, a 'special formula' means a special strategy or technique to\r\n achieve something. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>The special formula to getting all A's is study, study, study.<\/li><li>There is no special formula to getting rich.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>lines<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Do you have some lines that you use?<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>Here, 'lines' are cool phrases or questions we use to start a\r\n conversation and make\r\n people interested in us. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>I like to quote lines from movies.<\/li><li>He used a cheesy pick-up line to meet his girlfriend.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <p class=\"items\"><br><\/p><\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>a good wingman<\/b><\/p><ul><li>You need a good wingman.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>A wingman supports his friend in social situations. <br>Note the\r\n following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>I am too shy to go out to bars without my wingman.<\/li><li>My friend is a good wingman. He helps me meet people.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>the right mindset<\/b><\/p><ul><li>you go out with the right mindset.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>The phrase 'mind set' simply means attitude. <br>Note the\r\n following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>You need the right mindset to live in the wild for two weeks.<\/li><li>He did not have the right mindset to be a policeman.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Canada, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-01-14T14:08:12.000000Z","liked":748,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T910-Jeff-Bar.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0901Q\/Q910.js","duration":110,"size":4399064,"video":0,"video_id":"Gq8PsNFaNYM","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3333,"question":"1) What is Jeff's secret to meeting women?","answers":"[\"His special formula\",\"Being nice\",\"Being cocky\",\"All answers are correct\"]","correct":"Being nice"},{"id":3334,"question":"2) What do you need?","answers":"[\"a good line\",\"a good wingman\",\"a good persona\",\"All answers are correct\"]","correct":"a good wingman"},{"id":3335,"question":"3) What does Jeff leave at home?","answers":"[\"His ring\",\"His attitude\",\"His parameters\",\"All answers are correct\"]","correct":"His parameters"},{"id":3336,"question":"4) What do you need to be open to?","answers":"[\"Meeting people\",\"Having a good time\",\"Both of these\",\"All answers are correct\"]","correct":"Both of these"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1596,"ordering":16}},{"id":411,"title":"The American Expansion West","audio":"018-06.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Um, i- in this lecture I want to talk about, the <b>expansion <\/b>of United States, um, the nineteenth century <b>expansion westward<\/b>.\r\n<br>Let me begin, by, reading a quotation from the American Declaration of Independence which was issued in seventeen seventy-six.\r\n<br>'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they a- are endowed by their creator with certain <b>unalienable<\/b> rights, that among these are life, <b>liberty <\/b>and the pursuit of happiness.\r\n' <br>Wonderful words.\r\n<br>But for me, the <b>irony <\/b>o- of the United States is that such words could be written by people who owned slaves.<br>\r\nPeople who bought and sold other people, and continued to do so after issuing the Declaration of Independence.\r\n<br>That a country founded on such, wo- wonderful principles could have expanded and conducted itself i- in such, um, <b>spectacular <\/b>violation of these principles.\r\n<br>The <b>establishment<\/b>... Of, uh, colonies in the new world in South and Central American, um, was a major event in in human history.\r\n<br>When the first Europeans went to America, in the late fifteenth century, of course they didn't discover it, there were already twenty or perhaps forty million people living there.\r\n<br>We're not sure exactly.\r\n<br>Um, South a-American and Central American had, um, large populations, large towns and, uh, well developed economies.\r\n<br>They were quite rich.\r\n<br>And the Europeans [throat clear] e- especially the Spanish and the Portuguese went there, and conquered these countries.\r\n<br>Stole much of their wealth, and of course many people were killed, um, by the conquering Europeans, and of course many d- died of the diseases they brought.\r\n<br>Um, the population of North America was much smaller than that of South and Central America.\r\n<br>We don't know exactly how many people were living there of course.\r\n<br>But it was possibly about five million people.\r\n<br>These people are often referred to as Indians.\r\n<br>A- although nowadays i- its more politically correct to call them native Americans.\r\n<br>The native Americans, uh, gener- in North America anyway, generally led quite simple lives.\r\n<br>Um, there were many different groups, of them.\r\n<br>And some of them were farmers, and some of them were hunters.\r\n<br>Some lived in, um, small villages, uh, there were some small towns.\r\n<br>And others lived i- in small groups in the forest.\r\n<br>Um, the first European <b>settlers <\/b>went to North America, in the seventeenth century.\r\n<br>Um, usually the native Americans there treated the new settlers as neighbours.\r\n<br>Um, often they helped them.\r\n<br>And there are many many famous stories about, uh, uh, groups not...Surviving their first year of, uh, living in the United States_ living in, uh, North American, um, without help from the Indians.\r\n<br>But_ however as more and more European settlers came to North America, relations between the settlers and the native, a- Americans often became very bad.\r\n<br>And in, in many places, uh, wars developed between them.\r\n<br>Probably the most important cause of these bad relations between the settlers - and the native Americans.\r\n<br>Um, was the fact that both groups had very different ideas, about the ownership of land.\r\n<br>Um, many, uh, north American Indians did not believe in the individual ownership of land.\r\n<br>They believed that the land belonged to everyone, and you couldn't own it.\r\n<br>Um, this may seem like a strange belief, um, to many of us.\r\n<br>Uh, but in actual fact it's not, such as strange belief at all.\r\n<br>And we_ we meaning, um... Um, uh, most Europeans or amer_ uh, North Americans anyway.\r\n<br>And, we hold a similar idea a- about the sea.\r\n<br>And, we think that no-one owns the sea, it belongs to everyone.\r\n<br>And uh_ and so many north American Indians considered th- the land in the same way as we consider the sea.\r\n<br>Th-that it's, uh, no one can own it.\r\n<br>The settlers of course wanted to take the land for themselves.\r\n<br>They had, uh, European ideas about land ownership.\r\n<br>And, n- not only did they want to take the land, they wanted to take a lot of land.\r\n<br>In fact they wanted to take it all.\r\n<br>And... There we- were other problems too.\r\n<br>Uh, many of the, uh, settlers from Europe, um, considered the native Americans as inferior people.\r\n<br>And, many of them even thought they were perhaps not real human beings.\r\n<br>Um, when the thirteen colonies were established on the Atlantic coast.\r\n<br>Uh, th- the thirteen British colonies, uh, many of the native Americans were killed by the British and other European colonists.\r\n<br>Uh, but then when the United States became an independent country i- in seventeen eighty-three.\r\n<br>And, the British government as part of the settlement, uh, that established the country gave them, um, or granted to them th_ a large area of land to the west of the colonies.\r\n<br>Of course this large area of land had very few white people, uh, Europeans living in it.\r\n<br>Most of the people were living there_ uh, who were living there were Indians.\r\n<br>And you could re- reasonably ask how come the British felt they had the right to give away other peoples lands.\r\n<br>But, um... Anyway this uh_ what happened was thatl- l- lots of Europeans or people of_ white people shall we call them, started to move west.\r\n<br>Uh, uh, and they wanted land to start their own farms and, during the period from... the problem with that of course i- i- is, um, as the <b>settlers <\/b>moved west and moved onto the land a- a- and took the land for themselves, the native Americans really had a choice.\r\n<br>They could either <b>resist <\/b>this, fight, or they could leave.\r\n<br>And, um, some left and some fought but... during this period f- from_ the period from about seventeen-eighty to eighteen-eighty the United States expanded from th- the small area on the eastern Atlantic coast.\r\n<br>And expanded to cover the whole of North America.\r\n<br>Um, of course south of Canada a- and north of Mexico.\r\n<br>They expanded all the way to the Pacific coast.\r\n<br>This was a huge area.\r\n<br>And... We're entitled to ask what happened to the native a- a- Americans living in this large area.\r\n<br>Well, it's a terrible story.\r\n<br>Um, at first the United States government made agreements with, uh, many of these native Americans.\r\n<br>A- and the agreement said that they could continue to live on their land, and so on and so forth.\r\n<br>But most of the promises, um, were broken by both the settlers of course.\r\n<br>Th- the settlers moved west just grabbing more land.\r\n<br>And often ignoring, uh, the government.<br>\r\nAnd the promises were also broken by the government itself.\r\n<br>And, uh, there were many wars of course.\r\n<br>A- and many native Americans were killed.\r\n<br>Uh, just to give an example, between eighteen_ in about eighteen-fifty there were a- approximately a hundred thousand, native, uh, a- Americans, American Indians living in California.<br>\r\nTen years later, in eighteen sixty there were only thirty-five thousand.\r\n<br>The population had dropped to one third, a- approximately one third of what it was before.\r\n<br>Um... Th- the government, uh, of course tried to stop the fighting between the Indians, uh, uh, by moving the Indians away, to special areas of land called <b>reservations<\/b>.\r\n<br>Of course the revel- the <b>reservations <\/b>were usually on very poor land.\r\n<br>And land which the <b>settlers <\/b>didn't want.<br>\r\nAnd, uh, and of course, many of the native Americans did not want to live like prisoners i- in some strange, uh, land_ useless land.\r\n<br>And many of them tried to avoid being taken away from their homes in this way.\r\n<br>There is one tragic story_ uh, in eighteen-seventy-seven one group of, uh, native American set of_ and they set off to walk two thousand five hundred kilometers, to the Canadian border.\r\n<br>To try and escape to Canada, to avoid being moved to a <b>reservation<\/b>.\r\n<br>And tragically they were captured only, about forty kilometers from the border.\r\n<br>Um, there is, uh, plenty of evidence, um... that the United States government continually broke its promises, to the native Americans.\r\n<br>And, a- and President Hayes, he was president of the United States.\r\n<br>And, uh, he is quoted as saying that, uh, \"many, if not most of our Indian wars have had their origin in broken promises, and acts of injustice on our part.\" <br>In other words he admitted basically that the settle_ settlers and the government were bad.\r\n<br>There are many many terrible stories, about how the native Americans were treated.\r\n<br>In eighteen-sixty-four for example a group of soldiers, attacked a peaceful Indian village in Sand Creek, Colorado.\r\n<br>And, three hundred men, women and children were murdered and <b>scalped<\/b>.\r\n<br><b>Scalped <\/b>by the American soldiers.\r\n<br><b>Scalped <\/b>means cutting off the top o- of the head, the scalp on the top of the head, as a souvenir.\r\n<br>Um, the officer who was in charge of the soldiers, um, is reported to have told his men, before they attacked, \"kill and scalp all, big and little.\"<br>In other words even the children.\r\n<br>Um,of course, uh, uh, many of the native Americans decided to fight and defend their land against the <b>settlers <\/b>who came to steal it.\r\n<br>And, uh, there are many stories about this.\r\n<br>Uh, a- and the native Americans did have some <b>victories<\/b>.\r\n<br>Some very famous <b>victories<\/b>.\r\n<br>But, <b>inevitably <\/b>they lost and they were taken away to <b>reservations <\/b>and_ where they usually died of disease and alcoholism and, uh, such problems the e- e- Native American Indians were killed by the soldiers of the U-S Army, of course.\r\n<br>But, it wasn't so much ther_ but, it was really the railways that, um, defeated the Indians.\r\n<br>From about eighteen-sixty, um, railways started to be built across the United States.\r\n<br>And soon there was a network of lines running to any_ every area of the country.\r\n<br>In thus in the fight between the Native Americans and the U-S government soldiers the government could send its soldiers, by train very very quickly to any place it wanted.\r\n<br>The last battle that took place between the Indians and the U-S soldiers was in eighteen-ninety.\r\n<br>At a place, uh, called Wounded Knee, where a hundred and seventy native Americans were killed.\r\n<br>And, it's worth noting that, most most of these were killed from behind while they were trying to run away.\r\n<br>I mean this is murder of course.\r\n<br>Um, when Columbus went to America, in fourteen-ninety-two there were probably about five million Native Americans living in the land, tha- that became the United States.\r\n<br>Um, by the, uh, nineteen-hundreds probably the population of native Americans living in the United States, was, probably somewhere about two hundred and thirty thousand.\r\n<br>Um, a terrible story indeed. \r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3545","question":"[1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>expansion <\/b>\/\u026ak\u02c8sp\u00e6n\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] \u200ban act of increasing or making something increase in size, amount or importance<\/p><hr><p><b>westward <\/b>\/\u02c8westw\u0259d\/ adjective<br>towards the west<\/p><hr><p><b>unalienable <\/b>\/\u028cn\u02c8e\u026ali\u0259n\u0259bl\/ adjective<br>[usually before noun] \u200bthat cannot be taken away from you<\/p><hr><p><b>liberty <\/b>\/\u02c8l\u026ab\u0259rti\/ noun<br>[uncountable] freedom to live as you choose without too many limits from government or authority<\/p><hr><p><b>pursuit <\/b>\/p\u0259r\u02c8su\u02d0t\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of looking for or trying to get something<\/p><hr><p><b>irony <\/b>\/\u02c8a\u026ar\u0259ni\/ noun<br>[uncountable,\r\n countable] the funny or strange aspect of a situation that is very \r\ndifferent from what you expect; a situation like this<\/p><hr><p><b>spectacular <\/b>\/spek\u02c8t\u00e6kj\u0259l\u0259r\/ adjective<br>very impressive<\/p><hr><p><b>establishment <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8st\u00e6bl\u026a\u0283m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of starting or creating something that is meant to last for a long time<\/p><hr><p><b>settler <\/b>\/\u02c8setl\u0259r\/ noun<br>a person who goes to live in a new country or region<\/p><hr><p><b>resist <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8z\u026ast\/ verb<br>[transitive, intransitive] to refuse to accept something and try to stop it from happening<\/p><hr><p><b>reservation <\/b>\/\u02ccrez\u0259r\u02c8ve\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable] an area of land in the US that is kept separate for native North Americans to live in<\/p><hr><p><b>victory <\/b>\/\u02c8v\u026akt\u0259ri\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] \u200bsuccess in a war, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>inevitably <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8ev\u026at\u0259bli\/ adverb<br>as is certain to happen<\/p><hr><p><b>alcoholism <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6lk\u0259h\u0251\u02d0l\u026az\u0259m\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200bthe medical condition caused by drinking too much alcohol regularly<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Very Slow\",\"Words\/Minute: 119\",\"Length: 14:2\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-01-25T20:40:11.000000Z","liked":380,"question_link":null,"duration":840,"size":23512547,"video":0,"video_id":"LVMNT8xRrEU","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1962,"question":"Why does the speaker read part of the Declaration of Independence?","answers":"[\"To explain a set of principles\",\"To introduce a contradiction\",\"To talk about the importance of the document\",\"To discuss the founding of the United States\"]","correct":"To introduce a contradiction"},{"id":1963,"question":"What does the speaker say about Central and South America?","answers":"[\"The arrival of Europeans caused rapid population growth.\",\"The arrival of Europeans caused many problems.\",\"The European settlers helped develop these areas.\",\"The European settlers often became very sick.\"]","correct":"The arrival of Europeans caused many problems."},{"id":1964,"question":"According to the speaker, what was a main philosophical difference between the Native Americans and European settlers?","answers":"[\"Ideas about religious freedom\",\"Ideas about raising children\",\"Ideas about individual freedom\",\"Ideas about land ownership\"]","correct":"Ideas about land ownership"},{"id":1965,"question":"How did the United States get the first big block of land in the west?","answers":"[\"They bought it from the French.\",\"They negotiated a treaty with the Native Americans.\",\"They were given it by the British government.\",\"They fought the Native Americans for it.\"]","correct":"They were given it by the British government."},{"id":1966,"question":"According to the speaker, what choice did the Native Americans have as the settlers moved onto their territory?","answers":"[\"Buy new land or sign a treaty\",\"Move off their land or fight\",\"Register their land or go to court\",\"Sell their land or become farmers\"]","correct":"Move off their land or fight"},{"id":1967,"question":"According to the speaker, what did President Hays say about U.S.-Native American relations?","answers":"[\"The U.S. military had a duty to protect settlers.\",\"The Native Americans must stop raiding farmers' land.\",\"The government did not treat the Native Americans as promised.\",\"The Native Americans were responsible for the conflicts.\"]","correct":"The government did not treat the Native Americans as promised."},{"id":1968,"question":"What is the lecture mainly about?","answers":"[\"The changing tactics of the U.S. government in dealing with the Native Americans\",\"The treatment of Native Americans by European Americans\",\"The geographical distribution of Native Americans in the 1800s\",\"The differences in treatment of Native Americans between North and South America\"]","correct":"The treatment of Native Americans by European Americans"},{"id":1969,"question":"According to the speaker, what was the most important factor in the conflict between the government and Native Americans?","answers":"[\"A change in the U.S. army's tactics\",\"A famous battle in Colorado\",\"An outbreak of disease\",\"A new transportation network\"]","correct":"A new transportation network"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":411,"ordering":1000}},{"id":404,"title":"Stay on a Kibbutz","audio":"031-08.mp3","dialog":"\r\n Four years ago, i went to stay on a kibbutz in Israel.\r\nI originally went with a friend, who stayed for two months.\r\nBut she had to come back early, 'coz she was back at university.\r\nBut i was enjoying it so much, i stayed on for an extra two months.\r\nI was there for, four months altogether.\r\nWe arrived in Tel Aviv in the middle of the night.\r\nWhich was quite frightening, and daunting.\r\nA new language, new atmosphere, the heat.\r\nIt was all quite frightening.\r\nBut we were collected by someone from the kibbutz.\r\nAnd taken to our accommodation.\r\nWhich was quite nice.\r\nWe lived in a caravan.\r\nAnd we had our own bathroom, and little kitchenette.\r\nAlthough we were given meals, and our laundry was done.\r\nSo we had quite an easy life, really.\r\nWe worked very long hours in the fields.\r\nWe started work at six o'clock in the morning.\r\nAnd had breakfast at half past nine.\r\nSo it was quite a long wait for breakfast, when you're hungry and tired.\r\nEspecially, if you're a bit hung over from the bar, the night before.\r\nI worked in banana fields, and jojoba fields.\r\nThere was mainly um, digging work to do.\r\nAnd we had to pack the bananas when they were ripe enough.\r\nOr, tag the trees, if they were at a certain stage of ripeness, ready to be picked.\r\nUh, when i was working in the banana fields, i hurt my back.\r\nSo i was moved into the kitchen.\r\nWhere i worked.\r\nI was mainly washing vegetables, and chopping salad.\r\nWhich was quite nice, because i really like cooking.\r\nAnd it was a really good atmosphere.\r\nAnd everyone in the kitchen was friendly.\r\nThe other volunteers there, were from all over the world.\r\nAll different countries.\r\nMainly Europe.\r\nUm, we all got on really well.\r\nI have a friend in Italy, and France, i still keep in touch with.\r\nAnd also a friend in South Africa.\r\nSo, throughout i've made some really close friends.\r\nThat even after this time, we still meet up occasionally, and write to each other, which is nice.\r\nSo, maybe one day i'll, i'll go back to a kibbutz.\r\nIt was a really good atmosphere, and i really enjoyed it.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3791","question":"[1925,1926,1927,1928,1929]","vocabulary":"","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 203\",\"Length: 1:51\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-02-04T00:41:59.000000Z","liked":438,"question_link":null,"duration":111,"size":3110810,"video":0,"video_id":"RvA4jIL6ops","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1925,"question":"Why did the speaker's friend leave Israel early?","answers":"[\"She had to go back to the university.\",\"She had completed all of her work.\",\"She was afraid of learning a new language.\",\"She got sick from the heat.\"]","correct":"She had to go back to the university."},{"id":1926,"question":"What was the speaker frightened by at first?","answers":"[\"Visiting an unfamiliar city at night\",\"Having trouble finding accommodation\",\"Sharing a room with other people\",\"Being picked up by people in a caravan\"]","correct":"Visiting an unfamiliar city at night"},{"id":1927,"question":"Why did the speaker switch jobs?","answers":"[\"She was more interested in preparing food.\",\"She wanted shorter work hours.\",\"She wanted to work with friendlier people.\",\"She had an injury.\"]","correct":"She had an injury."},{"id":1928,"question":"What did the speaker mention about the other volunteers?","answers":"[\"They were experienced travellers.\",\"They were all European.\",\"She managed to stay in contact with some of them.\",\"She sometimes had trouble communicating with them.\"]","correct":"She managed to stay in contact with some of them."},{"id":1929,"question":"What is the purpose of this talk?","answers":"[\"To describe the speaker's experience on a kibbutz\",\"To encourage more people to face their fears\",\"To explain why people should live on a kibbutz\",\"To summarize the speaker's work experience\"]","correct":"To describe the speaker's experience on a kibbutz"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":404,"ordering":1000}},{"id":407,"title":"Student Apathy","audio":"024-19.mp3","dialog":"\r\n <p>\r\n \r\n \r\n In our, in our history course, we studied, among other things, the 1960s in, uh, in America.\r\n<br>Um, and it <b>struck <\/b>me that the students of today, uh, in comparison are extremely <b>apathetic<\/b> about any sort of issues.<br>And they're not really <b>willing <\/b>to get involved, on anything.\r\n<br><\/p><p>The one, the one thing that almost became an <b>exception <\/b>recently, uh, in England was the <b>introduction <\/b>of <b>tuition fees<\/b>.\r\n<br>And some students wanted to try and <b>protest <\/b>against that.\r\n<br>But, um, I went along to a <b>protest<\/b>, uh, a f- few months ago.\r\n<br>And it was very, very disappointing because there wasn't really, any passion in it from anyone.\r\n<br>There was, there was a, there was a lady speaking, and then a- a man spoke after her.\r\n<br>And it wasn't really a very moving speech at all.\r\n<br>And it, it really didn't seem to be, that interested.\r\n<br>That I think it became, not so much a <b>protest <\/b>but more, sort of a form of <b>employment <\/b>while you're a student.\r\n<br>That almost could be something that you could put on your CV for later on, to say that you were a part of.\r\n<br>I don't think they really felt all that strongly about it.\r\n<br>Um, and so i- it, it just seems a shame that, that students now are more interested in, in what they could personally a- achieve for themselves or.<br>Or you know, to just listen to music going out.<br>\r\n<\/p><p>Whatever, they're very much in their own, very much in their own little wo_ in their own little worlds.\r\n<br>There's not much connection horizontally amongst students.\r\n<br>There isn't much <b>solidarity<\/b> for anything.\r\n<br>Um, maybe it's just because the issues haven't come up tha- tha- that re-light, a, a students' fire.\r\n<br>But it appears that, the- there could be a very <b>gradual degeneration <\/b>in any political situation in the country, or social situation.\r\n<br>And students wi- will just too blind to, to, to really get involved.\r\n<br>Or be a force.\r\n<br>I very much doubt the government or the police worry, as much about students as they have done in the past.\r\n \r\n \r\n <\/p>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3671","question":"[1942,1943,1944,1945,1946]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <p><b>strike <\/b>\/stra\u026ak\/ verb<br><b>struck <\/b>\/str\u028ck\/ - <b>struck <\/b>\/str\u028ck\/ <br>[transitive] to give somebody a particular impression<\/p><hr><p><b>apathetic <\/b>\/\u02cc\u00e6p\u0259\u02c8\u03b8et\u026ak\/ adjective<br>\u200bshowing no interest or enthusiasm<\/p><hr><p><b>willing <\/b>\/\u02c8w\u026al\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>to be happy to do something if it is needed:<\/p><hr><p><b>exception <\/b>\/\u026ak\u02c8sep\u0283n\/ noun<br>a person or thing that is not included in a general statement<\/p><hr><p><b>introduction <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026antr\u0259\u02c8d\u028ck\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of bringing something into use or existence for the first time, or of bringing something to a place for the first time<br><\/p><hr><p><b>tuition <\/b>\/tju\u02c8\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>the money that you pay to be taught, especially in a college or university<\/p><hr><p><b>protest <\/b>\/\u02c8pr\u0259\u028atest\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] \u200bthe expression of strong dislike of or opposition to something; a statement or an action that shows this<\/p><hr><p><b>employment <\/b>\/\u026am\u02c8pl\u0254\u026am\u0259nt\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of employing somebody<\/p><hr><p><b>solidarity <\/b>\/\u02ccs\u0251\u02d0l\u026a\u02c8d\u00e6r\u0259ti\/ noun<br>[uncountable] support by one person or group of people for another because they share feelings, opinions, aims, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>gradual <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0261r\u00e6d\u0292u\u0259l\/ adjective<br>\u200bhappening slowly over a long period; not sudden<\/p><hr><p><b>degeneration <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02ccd\u0292en\u0259\u02c8re\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200bthe process of becoming worse or less acceptable in quality or condition<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 272\",\"Length: 1:44\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-02-16T17:53:20.000000Z","liked":746,"question_link":null,"duration":104,"size":2906742,"video":0,"video_id":"tTpEPmtiI2Y","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1942,"question":"Where did the speaker learn about American students of the 1960s?","answers":"[\"A protest\",\"A class\",\"A job\",\"A movie\"]","correct":"A class"},{"id":1943,"question":"What recent change for British students does the speaker discuss?","answers":"[\"New rules against protesting\",\"Requirements for student employment\",\"Introduction of tuition fees\",\"Eliminating courses in history\"]","correct":"Introduction of tuition fees"},{"id":1944,"question":"How does the speaker feel about the speeches he had listened to?","answers":"[\"He was excited by how passionate they were.\",\"He was frustrated that no students attended.\",\"He was disappointed they weren't more exciting.\",\"He was embarrassed because they shamed students.\"]","correct":"He was disappointed they weren't more exciting."},{"id":1945,"question":"Why does the speaker think students are apathetic?","answers":"[\"There are no political decisions affecting students.\",\"They are disconnected from one another.\",\"They trust their government too much.\",\"There are no good student leaders.\"]","correct":"They are disconnected from one another."},{"id":1946,"question":"Overall, what does the speaker conclude about students and politics?","answers":"[\"He expects conflicts between students and the government.\",\"He expects students will become a force in politics.\",\"He expects the apathy to get worse.\",\"He expects the government to accept students' demands.\"]","correct":"He expects the apathy to get worse."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":407,"ordering":1000}},{"id":354,"title":"European Elections","audio":"024-20.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n In the last few days we had, uh, an <b>elections <\/b>to the <b>European Parliament<\/b> in this country.<br>And they counted up the votes last night.\r\n<br>And the Conservatives did better than Labour.\r\n<br>And the U-K Independence Party didn't do too badly at all.\r\n<br>But what has surprised me, is, is the way that <b>politicians <\/b>have reacted to a very, very low <b>turnout<\/b>, in the elections in this country.\r\n<br>Is that they themselves seem quite surprised and upset, by the result.\r\n<br>Bu- but I don't really think anybody should be surprised at all by that.\r\n<br>Because, um, I don't think anyone in this country really knows what they're voting for.\r\n<br>Uh, I think we've been very very badly informed on the whole issue of Europe.\r\n<br>So it's no surprise that the only people turning up to vote, are those that are anti-Europe.\r\n<br>Because it's, it's a form of fear, mixed with <b>ignorance <\/b>about Europe.\r\n<br>So, I think if the <b>politicians <\/b>are really as, as <b>keen <\/b>as they appear in their <b>rhetoric <\/b>about Europe.\r\n<br>It'd be much more helpful, if they'd actually tell us what we can expect in the next few years from Europe.\r\n<br>Considering that we, when we have a general election in this country.\r\n<br>So much care is taken to outline a <b>manifesto <\/b>and be de_ and be detailed about what they can achieve.\r\n<br>Everyone knows that education and health would be important factors to make people feel secure about, in terms of your <b>party<\/b>.\r\n<br>Yet as a voter I'd have had absolutely no idea, what anybody was going to do for me in Europe at all.\r\n<br>So, I think if Europe's got a future, th- then people have to be informed, about what that future's supposed to be, before they're expected to vote for it. \t\t\t\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3672","question":"[1659,1660,1661,1662]","vocabulary":"<p><b>election <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8lek\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] the process of choosing a person or a group of people for a position, especially a political position, by voting<\/p><hr><p><b>the European Parliament<\/b> \/\u00f0\u0259 \u02ccj\u028ar\u0259pi\u02d0\u0259n \u02c8p\u0251\u02d0rl\u0259m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>[singular] the group of people who are elected in the countries of the European Union to make and change its laws<\/p><hr><p><b>politician <\/b>\/\u02ccp\u0251\u02d0l\u0259\u02c8t\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>a person whose job involves politics, especially as an elected member of parliament, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>turnout <\/b>\/\u02c8t\u025c\u02d0rna\u028at\/ noun<br>[countable, usually singular, uncountable] the number of people who attend a particular event<\/p><hr><p><b>ignorance <\/b>\/\u02c8\u026a\u0261n\u0259r\u0259ns\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200ba lack of knowledge or information about something<\/p><hr><p><b>rhetoric <\/b>\/\u02c8ret\u0259r\u026ak\/ noun<br>[uncountable] (formal, often disapproving) speech or writing that is intended to influence people, but that is not completely honest or sincere<\/p><hr><p><b>keen <\/b>\/ki\u02d0n\/ adjective<br>enthusiastic about an activity or idea, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>manifesto <\/b>\/\u02ccm\u00e6n\u026a\u02c8fest\u0259\u028a\/ noun<br>a written statement in which a group of people explain their beliefs and aims, especially one published by a political party to say what they will do if they win an election<\/p><hr><p><b>party <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u0251\u02d0ti\/ noun<br>a political organization that you can vote for in elections and whose members have the same aims and ideas<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 287\",\"Length: 1:21\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-02-17T23:48:01.000000Z","liked":536,"question_link":null,"duration":82,"size":2289416,"video":0,"video_id":"uEETBswT9LU","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1659,"question":"According to the speaker, how did the politicians react to voter turnout in the recent election?","answers":"[\"They were surprised.\",\"They were careful.\",\"They were excited.\",\"They were afraid.\"]","correct":"They were surprised."},{"id":1660,"question":"What does the speaker think explains the voter turnout in the election?","answers":"[\"People were angry about changes.\",\"There were a lot of debates.\",\"People did not have enough information.\",\"There was another election very recently.\"]","correct":"People did not have enough information."},{"id":1661,"question":"According the speaker, what are the issues that voters care most about?","answers":"[\"Global security\",\"Education and health\",\"The European Parliament\",\"Political manifestos\"]","correct":"Education and health"},{"id":1662,"question":"What is the speaker's overall feeling about the recent elections?","answers":"[\"Voters should support the European Parliament.\",\"Politicians must better inform the voters.\",\"Voters should not be so upset.\",\"Politicians must not use strong rhetoric.\"]","correct":"Politicians must better inform the voters."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":354,"ordering":1000}},{"id":350,"title":"Ebony's First Love","audio":"003-02.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <p>\r\n \r\n My love life, my love life started when I was born.\r\n<br>Because I'm a very_ I'm full of so much love.\r\n<br>And I exuded that, and that's why I think I was attracted to_ I mean I was, a- attractive to many people.\r\n<br>I was just... you know people just love me.\r\nAnd I love people.\r\n<br>I love people to this day.\r\n<br>Which is I, I think is one of my <b>downfalls<\/b>, or one of my <b>weaknesses <\/b>or something, I don't know.\r\n<br>But, um... I... I have been hurt a lot too.\r\n<br>And that has allowed me to grow and learn more about how, to love myself, actually and to_ how to love other people.\r\n<br>Because the way I did it, I just gave and gave and gave love.\r\n<br>And, you know <b>unconditional<\/b>.\r\n<br>People could do so much to me before I would stop, you know, stop loving them or re- or respecting them or liking them, even.\r\n<br>Um... I'm a very <b>sensual <\/b>person, I'm not <b>affectionate<\/b>.\r\n<br>Well <b>affectionate <\/b>too.\r\n<br>But ver- I love touching, and just, just making someone feel good about themselves, giving, giving people hugs, I love that too.\r\n<br><\/p><p>Um, now the the official love life, I started, I started_ I first fell in love when I was thirteen years old.\r\n<br>It was my eighth grade year, I had just moved to Montclair, actually my seventh grade year, and that was a... big story.\r\n<br>I loved it, I enjoyed that part of my life, even though it was difficult for me, I enjoyed it.\r\n<br>Um, his name was Evan, and he had a big head.\r\n<br>And he was tall and <b>slinky <\/b>which I loved, tall slinky men.\r\n<br>And, um, he was in my social studies class and I just stared at him all the time.\r\n<br>And he was so cute.\r\n<br>And this song by S-W-V was out, and I always sang it and thought about him.\r\n<br>And, one day I had a party, and I invited him and his friends' would've liked that.\r\n<br>So he'd come cuz,his if,if his friends' were coming, he would come.\r\n<br>And it turned out really well, because like... he came over, we danced all night and it was just wonderful.\r\n<br>And, that turned into a three year type <b>attachment <\/b>thing, like_ I i think it was love because I I sort of know what it feels like.\r\n<br>But,maybe someone else would say it wasn't.\r\n<br>Um, I was attached to him also like I could not_ he would come over I'd let him in my house around twelve in the morning when he came over when he was- wants to be over.\r\n<br>He knocked on my window and I go to the door and open it for him, and then, we'd just hang out in the living room, because the living room was far away from my momma's room.\r\n<br>So, it was, it was possible, you know.\r\n<br>Um, now the third_ the second year of this... long term thing, love aff- love thing.\r\n<br>Um, he was still coming over at twelve in the morning one o'clock in the morning whenever he wanted to.\r\n<br>And my mother decided, once in two years to come to living room at this time.\r\n<br>And she came in the living room and, my life was over.\r\n<br>Oh my life was over.\r\n<br>I was on <b>punishment <\/b>for the next_ the rest of the summer and the next summer after that, for about a month.<br>\r\nUm, she really punished me because she took away my, she took away my music and my T-V.\r\n<br>And, I had nothing.\r\n<br>Music was my, you know, one of my big big things, my big <b>releases<\/b>.\r\n<br>And she took that away.\r\n<br>And... I'm going off my, love life but... it was a bad <b>punishment<\/b>.\r\n<br>And I learned a lot from that, two year ordeal.\r\n<br>And that started off my... trend of finding a guy, and going to <b>crap<\/b>.\r\n<br>And then... mm learning from it <b>somehow<\/b>.\r\n<br>Until I found my first true true true love.\r\n<br>And it's wonderful.\r\n<br>And that's too long a story so I won't go into that.\r\n \r\n <\/p>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3292","question":"[1638,1639,1640,1641,1642,1643]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <b>downfall <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u0251\u028anf\u0254l\/ noun [ C ]<br>something that causes the destruction of a person, organization, or government and that causes a loss of power, money, or health<hr><b>weakness <\/b>\/\u02c8wi\u02d0kn\u0259s\/ noun<br>[uncountable] lack of power, influence or strength of character<hr><b>unconditional <\/b>\/\u02cc\u028cnk\u0259n\u02c8d\u026a\u0283\u0259nl\/ adjective<br>\u200bwithout any conditions or limits<hr><b>sensual <\/b>\/\u02c8sen\u0283u\u0259l\/ adjective <br>strongly or unduly inclined to gratification of the senses<br><hr><b>affectionate <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8fek\u0283\u0259n\u0259t\/ adjectiveIf you are affectionate, you show your love or fondness for another person in the way that you behave towards them. <br><hr><b>slinky <\/b>\/\u02c8sl\u026a\u014bki\/ adjective<br>\u200b(of clothes) fitting closely to the body in a sexually attractive way<hr><b>attachment <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8t\u00e6t\u0283m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>a feeling of love for somebody\/something<hr><b>punishment <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u028cn\u026a\u0283m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] an act or a way of punishing (long and difficult and making you work hard so you become very tired) somebody<hr><b>release <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8li\u02d0s\/ noun<br>[uncountable, singular] the feeling that you are free from pain, worry or some other unpleasant feeling<hr><b>crap <\/b>\/kr\u00e6p\/ noun<br>[uncountable] something of bad quality<hr><b>somehow <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u028cmha\u028a\/ adverb<br>in a way that is not known or certain<hr><br>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Black American\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 175\",\"Length: 3:59\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-02-21T20:39:26.000000Z","liked":643,"question_link":null,"duration":237,"size":6634833,"video":0,"video_id":"D0QVmitXWng","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1638,"question":"How does the speaker portray herself?","answers":"[\"A mature person\",\"A cautious sort of person\",\"A warm person to be around\",\"A weak type of person\"]","correct":"A warm person to be around"},{"id":1639,"question":"What did the speaker's first boyfriend look like?","answers":"[\"He was short and muscular.\",\"He was tall and slim.\",\"He was big and smart.\",\"He was thin and awkward.\"]","correct":"He was tall and slim."},{"id":1640,"question":"Why did the speaker's relationship with Evan end?","answers":"[\"Evan's family moved away.\",\"Her mother made her end it.\",\"She grew tired of him.\",\"Evan found another girl.\"]","correct":"Her mother made her end it."},{"id":1641,"question":"What made the speaker's mother angry?","answers":"[\"Her mother thought Evan was a bad influence.\",\"Her mother thought she did not study hard enough.\",\"Her mother saw her in the living room with Evan.\",\"Her mother thought Evan had bad manners.\"]","correct":"Her mother saw her in the living room with Evan."},{"id":1642,"question":"What did the speaker think was the most difficult punishment of all?","answers":"[\"Not being allowed to go out \",\"Having to stay in her room\",\"Having her TV taken away\",\"Having her music taken away\"]","correct":"Having her music taken away"},{"id":1643,"question":"What is this talk about?","answers":"[\"The speaker's boyfriend\",\"The speaker's life in middle school\",\"The speaker's relationships\",\"The speaker's mother\"]","correct":"The speaker's relationships"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":350,"ordering":1000}},{"id":389,"title":"Paganism","audio":"022-08.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n Paganism... In this country we\u2019ve got, we've got a multicultural society now.\r\nAnd there are lots of different, religions and spiritual paths.\r\nIt used to be, just one religion, Christianity here now, but things have kind of loosened up.\r\nAnd one of the, largest or big_ fastest growing things happening in, in Britain, and i think in other parts of the world.\r\nIs the growth of a thing called paganism.\r\nPaganism, originally was a term of abuse.\r\nIt was almost like saying you have the beliefs of a country bumpkin, or, uh, someone from the backwoods.\r\nWhere as the religions such as Christianity or Judaism was thought of as very <b>sophisticated<\/b>.\r\nBut, strange people\u2019s views now have, have changed and people have, maybe moved away from the, traditional religions at last.\r\nAnd they\u2019re trying to kind of do their own thing.\r\nI think paganism_ put it this way, i- i- in a way you\u2019re born a pagan.\r\nEverybody is born a pagan.\r\nYou know it\u2019s kind of like your natural state.\r\nIt\u2019s a natural state of things.\r\nSo, paganism as a religion is almost like, the natural religion.\r\nThere, there\u2019s a kind of ideas_ assuming that you\u2019re the sort of person who likes to have a spiritual path or, or, or to think in those ways.\r\nWhich i know not everybody does.\r\nThen it\u2019s kind of like... You know fantasy religion in a way.\r\nOr make up your own religion.\r\nOr the.\r\nThe natural thing, the, the spiritual ideas that come to you naturally.\r\nAnd, you know so that might be_ you, you wouldn\u2019t have a, a kind of a priesthood.\r\nIt would be, do your own thing.\r\nYou know you don\u2019t need to have someone tell you, what to believe or what to think.\r\nYou kind of make it up for yourself.\r\nYou make your own contact with whatever you think is the, the spiritual realm.\r\nAnd that quite often involves_ cause it\u2019s natural, a reverence for nature itself.\r\nAnd, and the fact that you think, well, nature is a wonderful thing and maybe nature can actually teach you things.\r\nAnd you can go out and, communicate with it or absorb the atmosphere and the vibes.\r\nAnd that\u2019s quite an important, aspect of, of what paganism\u2019s like.\r\nAnd it\u2019s very much tied up, with cycles and orientating yourself to the natural cycles.\r\nCause i guess, a lot of pagans feel that, modern life has kind of divided us off from a lot of, uh, the natural patterns.\r\nI live in city, in Oxford.\r\nAnd even though it\u2019s not a huge city the, the street lights_ you can\u2019t even the see the stars really at night.\r\nAnd you, you, don\u2019t feel the elements.\r\nAnd you know you\u2019re kind of cushioned from all, all that sort of stuff.\r\nAnd, some of us think maybe we\u2019ve lost something in, in there.\r\nAnd so people are trying to get back to that a little bit.\r\nAnd, and to get sort of subtly back in tune with the cycles of nature.\r\nAnd one of the_ as well as just, being in nature and kind of absorbing the vibes.\r\nAn important way of doing that is to kind of celebrate the turning of the earth.\r\nSo pagans, tend to celebrate_ this.\r\nUh, i, i mean, pagans have lots and lots of different views.\r\nThey have no dogmas.\r\nThey\u2019re very tolerant.\r\nBut one thing that kind of does, unify them i- is this celebration of eight different festivals throughout the year.\r\nYou know, the main ones maybe being Beltane on May morning and Samhain or what\u2019s known, uh, as Halloween.\r\nBu_ but there\u2019s the solstices and the equinoxes or whatever.\r\nSo pagans tend to get together for, whatever they\u2019re, you know the_ their particular style on, on those eight festivals.\r\nAnd it_ as you celebrate them year upon year it gradually kind of reorientates you, and gets you back in touch with you,r your inner self.\r\nAnd those sort of ideas, although they\u2019re very simple, i think, most people can_ when they\u2019re explained to them, can find something that, that there- there\u2019s an element of truth in that.\r\nUh, and i guess because it\u2019s, it\u2019s say, you know get back to some of things that we\u2019ve lost with modern life.\r\nThat must account for the fact why it\u2019s growing so fast in Britain and in, in America at the moment.\r\nAnd a good thing i think that is too.\r\nHaha.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3586","question":"[1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844]","vocabulary":"<p><b>sophisticated <\/b>\/s\u0259\u02c8f\u026ast\u026ake\u026at\u026ad\/ adjective<br>(of a machine, system, etc.) clever and complicated in the way that it works or is presented<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 175\",\"Length: 4:14\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-09T16:00:30.000000Z","liked":426,"question_link":null,"duration":254,"size":7113187,"video":0,"video_id":"KmPnUi8Oth0","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1838,"question":"How does the speaker describe current religious attitudes in Britain?","answers":"[\"There is discrimination against paganism.\",\"People are losing their religious beliefs.\",\"Christianity is the only religion that is practiced openly.\",\"People are more accepting of religious differences.\"]","correct":"People are more accepting of religious differences."},{"id":1839,"question":"What does the speaker say about the early days of paganism?","answers":"[\"It was a word used for anyone who was not Christian.\",\"It was a word used primarily as an insult.\",\"It was primarily popular with young people.\",\"It was only practiced in the countryside.\"]","correct":"It was a word used primarily as an insult."},{"id":1840,"question":"According to the speaker, how is paganism different from other religions?","answers":"[\"It allows people to be spiritual in their own ways.\",\"It is only practiced in small group ceremonies.\",\"It must be taught by spiritual leaders.\",\"It is not as sophisticated as other religions.\"]","correct":"It allows people to be spiritual in their own ways."},{"id":1841,"question":"According to the speaker, what do pagans believe about nature?","answers":"[\"That there is not much more to learn from it\",\"That it is a complicated thing to understand\",\"That it is the only place people should worship\",\"That people should pay more attention to it\"]","correct":"That people should pay more attention to it"},{"id":1842,"question":"Why does the speaker mention the street lights in Oxford?","answers":"[\"To describe how people have disrespected nature\",\"To explain that modern life isolates people from nature\",\"To show that the city has become more modern\",\"To argue that people spend too much time indoors\"]","correct":"To explain that modern life isolates people from nature"},{"id":1843,"question":"What does the speaker say unifies most pagans?","answers":"[\"Famous priests\",\"Historical records\",\"Religious organizations\",\"Important festivals\"]","correct":"Important festivals"},{"id":1844,"question":"What is the speaker's purpose?","answers":"[\"To describe the religious climate in Britain\",\"To discuss thoughts about paganism\",\"To encourage pagans to connect with each other\",\"To encourage people to pay attention to nature\"]","correct":"To discuss thoughts about paganism"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":389,"ordering":1000}},{"id":393,"title":"Playing Live","audio":"024-17.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n Well, I p- play in a band called 'Fluke Style'.\r\n<br>We've been playing, um, in Oxford for, <b>roughly <\/b>two years.\r\n<br>And, um, its, its_ th- the main about playing live, is that if you do it enough, you get better.\r\n<br>No matter, no matter how low a_ base you start from.\r\n<br>Which is good.\r\n<br>Because we had our_ we did our first <b>gig<\/b>, um, at a place called Jericho.\r\n<br>Uh, it must have been about two years ago.\r\n<br>And all we had was, um, one acoustic guitar.\r\n<br>And one electric guitar.\r\n<br>We didn't have any bass or drums or <b>keyboards <\/b>and I couldn't sing.\r\n<br>So i- it was, it was embarrassing.\r\n<br>And the fir_ the first, the first lesson you learn, is not to believe anything anybody says about, how you played when you come off stage.<br>\r\nWhether they're your friends or other people.\r\n<br>Because you'll never, you'll never get an, an honest response.\r\n<br>The most honest response, you could get, from someone, would be, um, not telling you what they thought.\r\n<br>But asking you how it felt to play the <b>gig<\/b>.\r\n<br>So, 'did you enjoy that.\r\n' <br>That's basically, a code for, 'that was an awful gig.\r\nYou should go back to the, you know, go back to the starting point.\r\n'<br>Um, so a- as you improve it is good.<br>\r\nBecause yo- you learn, you learn to look out for what might go wrong, at a <b>gig<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, uh, uh, among the things that can go wrong at a <b>gig<\/b>, is, basically, if your sound isn't very good.\r\n<br>So you have, you have to make sure_ you have a little th- thing called a sound check, before you start.\r\n<br>And you have to make sure then, that the person who is <b>operating<\/b>, your sound.\r\n<br>Who's doing all the technical stuff.\r\n<br>Um, knows what you'd like it to sound like_ that you can play okay.\r\n<br>And then, once you actually come to a gig, uh, you shouldn't eat too much.\r\n<br>And, you shouldn't_ definitely shouldn't drink too much.\r\n<br>And the main thing, I think when you get up there, you learn, is to just enjoy it.\r\n<br>And normally, if you enjoy it, it will come across.\r\n<br>And hopefully people will have a good time.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3669","question":"[1862,1863,1864,1865,1866]","vocabulary":"<p><b>roughly <\/b>\/\u02c8r\u028cfli\/ adverb<br>approximately but not exactly<\/p><hr><p><b>gig <\/b>\/\u0261\u026a\u0261\/ noun<br>a performance by musicians playing popular music or jazz in front of an audience; a similar performance by a comedian<\/p><hr><p><b>keyboard <\/b>\/\u02c8ki\u02d0b\u0254\u02d0d\/ noun<br>the set of black and white keys on a piano or other musical instrument<\/p><hr><p><b>operate<\/b> \/\u02c8\u0252p\u0259re\u026at\/ verb<br>to work, especially in a particular way or from a particular place<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 287\",\"Length: 1:39\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-10T14:18:07.000000Z","liked":647,"question_link":null,"duration":99,"size":2780936,"video":0,"video_id":"riZZg0ut55g","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1862,"question":"Why does the speaker say playing live music is important?","answers":"[\"It makes playing more enjoyable.\",\"It makes you play better.\",\"It makes you less nervous.\",\"It makes the sound better.\"]","correct":"It makes you play better."},{"id":1863,"question":"Which instrument did the speaker's band have at their first gig?","answers":"[\"Keyboards\",\"Drums\",\"Guitar\",\"Bass\"]","correct":"Guitar"},{"id":1864,"question":"According to the speaker, how do people respond to the speaker after a gig?","answers":"[\"They are not honest about it.\",\"They ask many questions about how it felt.\",\"They talk about what went wrong.\",\"They show no interest in talking.\"]","correct":"They are not honest about it."},{"id":1865,"question":"According to the speaker, what should a person not do before a gig?","answers":"[\"Invite friends\",\"Check the sound\",\"Eat or drink too much\",\"Talk to the audience\"]","correct":"Eat or drink too much"},{"id":1866,"question":"What is the main purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To describe the audience at his last gig\",\"To discuss the best instruments for live performances\",\"To describe his band's first gig\",\"To discuss his experience doing live performances\"]","correct":"To discuss his experience doing live performances"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":393,"ordering":1000}},{"id":377,"title":"Learning Spanish","audio":"009-15.mp3","dialog":"\r\n So, I took, uh, Spanish as my second language of choice.\r\n<br>We_ it was a kind of a <b>mandatory <\/b>thing.\r\n<br>And I had to pick, between Spanish, Germany_ German and French.\r\n<br>And so I picked Spanish, because my brother took that.\r\n<br>And, I don't know, I don't_ I honestly, I honestly do not remember learning English in any way.\r\n<br>It was, uh, they were like, \"okay, here's a list of nouns to <b>memorize<\/b>\" <br>and ya- I mean they test you on the vocabulary.\r\n<br>And you learn th- how to say \"tree.\" <br>and you learn how to say \"toilet\" in the same sentence.\r\n<br>And it doesn't really seem how it goes together at all . <br>And it_ and I kept like expecting it'll, later it'll, it'll come together.\r\n<br>And it did later.\r\n<br>That you get to learn the the verbs and the, the different words you're supposed to throw in a the sentence, to make anything make sense.\r\n<br>And so, for the first two years honestly I think we just, <b>memorized <\/b>lists of things.\r\n<br>It's a pain in the butt.\r\n<br>But I mean you need to know all the vocabulary.\r\n<br>I can't, I can't <b>fathom <\/b>how I could've learned all these words in English and_ because there's three words for the thing over there.\r\n<br>The_ like_ and just_ it's pretty <b>astounding<\/b>.\r\n<br>And they never_ they don't really try to do that in Spanish though.\r\n<br>They didn't say \"let's learn synonyms of things.\"<br> they were trying to make it pretty much, standard and, uh, organized so you could figure it out.\r\n<br>And so you would know what to say at the point.\r\n<br>They didn't really draw on that point.\r\n<br>And, so you learn a lists of nouns, and you learn a list of verbs, you learn how to talk in the present tense.\r\n<br>But even past_ I took, uh, (xx) Spanish one two three four A-P Spanish.\r\n<br>Even through Spanish two, you really couldn't, you couldn't talk to somebody in Spanish.\r\n<br>Because you, you could only speak in the present tense at that point.\r\n<br>Maybe you might have learned past tense.\r\n<br>But I mean in normal conversation, you're at_ at one minute you're talking about the piece of paper in front of you.\r\n<br>Two seconds later, you're talking about, when you were over in Egypt visiting somebody.\r\n<br>So that's completely different tense.\r\n<br>And then, it had a whole different conditional probability, and all these different tenses that I didn't even know existed in English.\r\n<br>They say they do.\r\n<br>If someone asked me, what is the subjunctive language, like how would you_ what' the subjunctive form of, to go, in English.\r\n<br>I I couldn't even tell you.\r\n<br>I don't even know.\r\n<br>It's it's_ I guess the way they do it, is that, it, it seems so much different from the way I learned in English.\r\n<br>Cuz it's the whole idea of total immersion.\r\n<br>Like once you're around them, you'll just pick it up as you go.\r\n<br>And, that has to be the only way to go.\r\n<br>Unfortunately the, the, the class, is, it couldn't do that for you, because you're with other people who are learning it.\r\n<br>So they don't know it.\r\n<br>But in the end you learn that_ you learn the tenses and, uh, learn the language as fast as you can.\r\n<br>And, uh, the only the test I've had is that I have a friend who has, a <b>housekeeper <\/b>who speaks only Spanish.\r\n<br>And so whenever I go over there, to his house, like I try to say something.\r\n<br>And you know_ and she's very nice, and she's_ I mean she knows that I'm trying to say something, and I'm pointing at things and I'm making up words.\r\n<br>And it all, it all gets a across.\r\n<br>But it's definitely, it's definitely an experience that is hard.\r\n<br>And it's, it's not_ I'm sure I'm not <b>unique <\/b>in it.\r\n<br>But it's, it's <b>unique <\/b>from everything else I can think of.\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3415","question":"[1773,1774,1775,1776,1777]","vocabulary":"<p><b>mandatory <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u00e6nd\u0259t\u0254\u02d0ri\/ adjective<br>required by law<\/p><hr><p><b>memorize <\/b>\/\u02c8mem\u0259ra\u026az\/ verb<br>(British English also memorise)<br>memorize something to learn something carefully so that you can remember it exactly<\/p><hr><p><b>fathom <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6\u00f0\u0259m\/ verb<br>(usually in negative sentences) to understand or find an explanation for something<\/p><hr><p><b>astounding <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8sta\u028and\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>\u200bso surprising that it is difficult to believe<\/p><hr><p><b>housekeeper <\/b>\/\u02c8ha\u028aski\u02d0p\u0259r\/ noun<br>a person, usually a woman, whose job is to manage the shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. in a house or an institution<\/p><hr><p><b>unique <\/b>\/ju\u02c8ni\u02d0k\/ adjective<br>being the only one of its kind<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 237\",\"Length: 2:55\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-14T09:08:14.000000Z","liked":891,"question_link":null,"duration":175,"size":4909393,"video":0,"video_id":"sq00C7DHQJI","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1773,"question":"How does the speaker describe the beginning of his Spanish studies?","answers":"[\"They learned a lot of synonyms.\",\"They were taught the verb tenses first.\",\"They were given lists of words to memorize.\",\"They had a lot of hard tests.\"]","correct":"They were given lists of words to memorize."},{"id":1774,"question":"How long did the speaker study Spanish?","answers":"[\"He stopped going during his first class.\",\"He took only Spanish One and Two.\",\"He studied Spanish for three years.\",\"He took five Spanish classes at his school.\"]","correct":"He took five Spanish classes at his school."},{"id":1775,"question":"What is the speaker's main point about the best way to study Spanish?","answers":"[\"One should be immersed in Spanish.\",\"Spanish and English are learned the same way.\",\"It is important to learn the subjunctive form.\",\"Learning vocabulary is fun and useful.\"]","correct":"One should be immersed in Spanish."},{"id":1776,"question":"How well could the speaker communicate with his friend's housekeeper?","answers":"[\"He could get his point across.\",\"He could only use the present tense.\",\"He was able to say anything he wanted.\",\"It was hard to communicate anything at all.\"]","correct":"He could get his point across."},{"id":1777,"question":"What is the speaker's conclusion about Spanish?","answers":"[\"Learning Spanish always made sense to him.\",\"Spanish is important only if you travel abroad.\",\"One must use Spanish to learn it well.\",\"English and Spanish are, in fact, quite similar.\"]","correct":"One must use Spanish to learn it well."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":377,"ordering":1000}},{"id":384,"title":"My Time at Oxford","audio":"023-19.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n I spent three years at Oxford university.\r\nAnd it\u2019s safe to say I really hated it.\r\nI liked the first term.\r\nBut after that it deteriorated.\r\nAnd by the time it ended, I\u2019d a chip on my shoulder about Oxford university that, uh, hasn\u2019t gone away nearly fifteen years later.\r\nPeople always ask me why I didn\u2019t <b>drop out<\/b>.\r\nOr why I went there in the first place if I was gonna dislike it so much.\r\nThe truth about Oxford is, it\u2019s not nasty in the way you think it\u2019s going to be nasty.\r\nYou think it\u2019s going to be the upper class.\r\nYou think it\u2019s going to be snobbish.\r\nYou think it\u2019s going to be like Brycehead Revisited (television series).\r\nYou think it\u2019s going to be all Sebastian's and sort of people with names like Farquart and Smith and so on.\r\nIt\u2019s not like that at all.\r\nThere are a lot of upper class people there.\r\nBut you don\u2019t see very much of them because they\u2019re all down in London having a good time with each other.\r\nAnd they\u2019re a relatively small proportion of the students.\r\nWhat it is, is it\u2019s nearly entirely professional classes.\r\nThe a number of people there from any sort of working class background is absolutely minimal.\r\nAnd it loves itself.\r\nAnd that\u2019s the real problem is that it loves itself.\r\nIt\u2019s a university full of people who, have all through their lives been top of the class.\r\nHave been told how good they are.\r\nHave been sent to a place that for seven hundred years has thought it\u2019s the greatest place in the universe.\r\nThat spends it\u2019s time, telling them how wonderful they are.\r\nAnd where as a result of going there, that people can, if they choose, necessarily go on to successful and financially <b>rewarding careers<\/b>.\r\nAnd this means that there is very little pressure on anybody to look at the place and say, \u201cit\u2019s not actually good.\r\nIt\u2019s a myth.\r\nIt\u2019s not clever.\r\nThe people who are here aren\u2019t brilliant.\" because why should they.\r\nThey feel brilliant.\r\nEverybody tells them they\u2019re brilliant.\r\nSo they think they are brilliant.\r\nBut because of that it\u2019s incredibly complacent.\r\nThe terms are very short so that, um, anyone who\u2019s any good can teach you_ hardly teach you for any length of time at all.\r\nBecause they\u2019re all off, having yachting holidays in south of France.\r\nOr, writing their books and whatever.\r\nSo you don\u2019t actually get a lot of high level, high quality teaching.\r\nAnd the intellectual level itself is very low.\r\nI discovered after about half a term of writing history essays, that I could get by by writing essays out of the Encyclopedia Britannica.\r\nAnd I\u2019m not very proud of this.\r\nAnd I feel that I wasted my three years as a result.\r\nBut, once you find out you can get away with this.\r\nAnd once you don\u2019t like the place anyway, so you feel no compulsion to perform.\r\nYou don\u2019t feel, that you\u2019re getting anywhere.\r\nYou don\u2019t feel it\u2019s something you want to be part of.\r\nThen you do necessarily skive and you get away with it.\r\nAnd then you think \u201cwell what sort of quality is this.\" it\u2019s also very socially ignorant.\r\nUm, my mother\u2019s a school teacher.\r\nMy mother was strike the year before I went to Oxford.\r\nProbably had the only parent who was a member of a trade union or had ever been on strike while I was actually there.\r\nUm, apart from the other people who were, um, children of teachers.\r\n'Cause you find you, make up a little sort of special social group.\r\nUm, because, the professional group in this country who are worst paid are, teachers.\r\nSo if all the sons and daughters of professional people are the people at Oxford then the teacher\u2019s, uh, sons and daughters are going to be a little_ not very well off group at the bottom of them.\r\nAnd it came to the point that, because it was snobbish in, that particular sort of way.\r\nBecause it was ignorant that pa- particular way, you would start going round at the start of every year, looking for the people who hated it already.\r\nAnd they would fit almost a certain template.\r\nThey would tend to be provincial and usually, though not always, from the north.\r\nThey would never, ever have gone to public schools.\r\nAnd usually, had gone to <b>comprehensive <\/b>schools.\r\nAnd they'd tend to like football.\r\nAnd there'll be about five percent, of the students.\r\nBut you can still spot them years later.\r\nBecause there are people who you meet, who went to Oxford university and they hate it.\r\nAnd you will meet them in whatever context.\r\nAnd you\u2019ll sit down, and you\u2019ll damn it for hours and hours and hours.\r\nBut of course it doesn\u2019t matter.\r\n'Cause Oxford university has been here for seven hundred years.\r\nAnd it can take, you sitting in the pub and telling them how bad they are.\r\nBecause it will survive.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3625","question":"[1809,1810,1811,1812,1813]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <p><b>drop out<\/b> phrasal verb<br>to quite class or school, etc.<br>\u200bto leave school, college, etc. without finishing your studies<\/p><hr><p><b>rewarding <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8w\u0254\u02d0rd\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>giving a reward, especially by making you feel satisfied that you have done something important or useful, or done something well<\/p><ul><li>Is it a rewarding job? <\/li><li>Textbook writing can be an intellectually and financially rewarding activity.<br><br><\/li><\/ul><p><b>reward <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8w\u0254\u02d0rd\/ (verb)<br><span class=\"def\">a thing that you are given because you have done something good, worked hard, etc.<\/span><\/p><ul><li>Winning the match was just reward for the effort the team had made. <\/li><li>They're playing the game more for the love of sport than for financial reward.<span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><\/li><\/ul><hr><p><b>comprehensive<\/b> \/\u02cck\u0252mpr\u026a\u02c8hens\u026av\/ adjective<br>including all, or almost all, the items, details, facts, information, etc., that may be involved<span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><span class=\"dis-g\"><span class=\"wrap\">(<\/span><span class=\"dtxt\">of education<\/span><span class=\"wrap\">)<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"def\">designed for students of all abilities in the same school<\/span><span class=\"def\"><\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 202\",\"Length: 4:8\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-15T15:21:17.000000Z","liked":890,"question_link":null,"duration":248,"size":6942765,"video":0,"video_id":"2TiEdO_9UC4","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1809,"question":"How does the speaker describe his time at Oxford?","answers":"[\"He was very unhappy there.\",\"It left him very satisfied.\",\"It didn't help him get a job.\",\"He didn't want it to end.\"]","correct":"He was very unhappy there."},{"id":1810,"question":"What kind of people did the speaker mostly find at Oxford?","answers":"[\"Students from the working class\",\"Students who came from professional families\",\"Students from London\",\"Students who were very wealthy\"]","correct":"Students who came from professional families"},{"id":1811,"question":"What problem did the speaker identify?","answers":"[\"The university loved itself too much.\",\"The professors were not good teachers.\",\"There was not enough money for educational programs.\",\"The university buildings needed a lot of repair.\"]","correct":"The university loved itself too much."},{"id":1812,"question":"What did the speaker say about the academic work he did at the university?","answers":"[\"He wasn't challenged by the work.\",\"He spent much time reading in the library.\",\"He enjoyed the classes that were very hard.\",\"He couldn't complete all of his assignments.\"]","correct":"He wasn't challenged by the work."},{"id":1813,"question":"What is the purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To point out problems in the university\",\"To express anger at his former professors\",\"To resolve two different points of view\",\"To convince people to attend university\"]","correct":"To point out problems in the university"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":384,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1334,"title":"The Global Family","audio":"695-AJ-FamilyGlobe.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>OK, Adrienne we are going to talk about your family. How many people are in your family?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong> In <span class=\"audionotes\">my <b>immediate family<\/b><\/span>, there are four of us: my mother, father and my younger sister and I.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong> OK, and now do you see each other a lot. I mean, do you get together with your family often?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong>I see them actually <span class=\"audionotes\"><b>fairly frequently<\/b> considering we all live very far away<\/span> from each other.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>Oh, yeah. Where does everyone live?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong>Well, I live in Tokyo and my mother is living now in Hong Kong and my father lives in Minneapolis and my sister lives in Milwaukee which is not far from Minneapolis but she's a flight attendant, so she's rarely in Milwaukee. She actually flies to the Middle East and Europe mainly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong> Wow. That's pretty cool. You've got this family like everywhere.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong>It is. It's very funny. We often go online to chat with each other and to say hello and <span class=\"audionotes\">we'll be <b>spread out completely across<\/b> the globe<\/span>. It's very funny.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong> So, do you actually go and see your mother in Hong Kong, or your sister in the Middle East?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong> I haven't been to the Middle East. She's never there for long enough to visit, but I have been to Hong Kong several times to see my mom.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong> And how as Hong Kong?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong> Oh, it's a great city. Really interesting city. Lots of water. Obviously it's a harbor city, and mountains and lots of greenery so it's really beautiful for such a big city. <span class=\"audionotes\">It's not completely <b>concrete<\/b><\/span>, like a lot of major cities are.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong> Now, we have vacation coming up. Are you going to be going home and seeing any of your family?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong>I hope so. Yeah, my plan is to go back to America for the holiday and visit everyone there for a couple of weeks. Say hello to my family my grandmothers, my cousins, my sister, my friends, everyone who is there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>So is everyone going to be there, your mom, your dad, and your sister?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong> I'm not sure. I'm hoping that everyone can come together for some kind of <b><span class=\"audionotes\">family reunion<\/span><\/b>. Like I said since we all live so far away.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>Well, I hope you all make it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Adrienne: <\/strong>Me, too.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p> <\/p>\r\n\r\n<p> <\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0651\/T695-AJ-GlobalFamily.htm","question":"[3508,3509,3510,3511]","vocabulary":"<p class=\"items\"><b>immediate family<\/b><\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ul><li>In my immediate family, there are just four of us. <br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p>Your 'immediate family' includes your mother, father,\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t brother and sister. <br>Notice the following:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ol><li>I think that only his immediate family will be at the\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t awards ceremony.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><li>How many people are in your immediate family.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ol>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <hr><p class=\"items\"><b>fairly frequently<\/b><\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ul><li>I see them fairly frequently considering we all live very\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t far away from each other. <br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p>Something that you do 'fairly frequently' is not something\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t you do all the time, but you do do it with regularity.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <br>Notice the following:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ol><li>He doesn't see his friends as much as he used to, but he\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t still sees them fairly frequently.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><li>We eat in restaurants fairly frequently.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ol>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <hr><p class=\"items\"><b>spread out across<\/b><\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ul><li>We'll be spread out completely across the globe. <br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p>If a group of people is 'spread out across' the globe, it\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t means that they are all in different places far away from\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t each other. <br>Notice the following:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ol><li>He has friends spread out across the world.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><li>Most of the people I graduated with are spread out\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t across the country now.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ol>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <hr><p class=\"items\"><b>concrete<\/b><\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ul><li>Hong Kong is really beautiful for such a big city, although\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t it's not completely concrete. <br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p>'Concrete' is a type of hard material that is mixed as a\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t liquid, and then can be formed in to different shapes. It is\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t very strong. Many cities have the reputation of being all\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t concrete, so they would be cold and not very good looking.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <br>Notice the following:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ol><li>All of the buildings in Mexico City are made of\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t concrete.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><li>They want to make the whole driveway concrete.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ol>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <hr><p class=\"items\"><b>family reunion<\/b><\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ul><li>I'm hoping that every one of us can come together for some\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t kind of family reunion. <br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p>A 'family reunion' is when a large group of family members\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t comes together to visit and spend time together. <br>Notice the\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t following:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <ol><li>Every trip to my grandparents house usually ends up as a\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t family reunion.<br>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/li><li>When I was a little girl, we had family reunions every\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t summer.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: American\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-03-20T16:45:55.000000Z","liked":843,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0651\/T695-AJ-GlobalFamily.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0651Q\/Q695.js","duration":137,"size":5470085,"video":0,"video_id":"Ex8Zar_b_mk","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3508,"question":"1) What does she say about her family?","answers":"[\"They see each other often.\",\"They almost never see each other.\",\"There are five people in her family.\",\"All of them.\"]","correct":"They see each other often."},{"id":3509,"question":"2) Where does her family live and work?","answers":"[\"Asia\",\"Middle East\",\"Europe\",\"All of them.\"]","correct":"All of them."},{"id":3510,"question":"3) What does she say about Hong Kong?","answers":"[\"She has visited just once.\",\"Her sister flies there.\",\"The city is very green.\",\"All of them.\"]","correct":"The city is very green."},{"id":3511,"question":"4) Who will she definitely see in America?","answers":"[\"Her grandmother\",\"Her sister\",\"Her cousins\",\"All of them.\"]","correct":"All of them."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1334,"ordering":38}},{"id":423,"title":"The First World War","audio":"017-08.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <p>\r\n \r\n In this <b>lecture <\/b>I'd like to talk about First World War... um, that took place from nineteen fourteen to nineteen eighteen.\r\n[Throat clear] <br>The First World War was one of the most i-i-important events i- in modern history.\r\n<br>Um, in fact, it changed the course of the history of Europe, and many other places in the world.\r\n<br>The First World War was, different from, previous wars... um, many countries from all over the world joined the war.\r\n<br>And it was fought in many different parts of the world.<br>\r\nIt was fought mainly in Europe, of course, but also in Africa in, um, West Asia the Middle East, in Eastern Asia, and the Pacific Ocean and so on.<br>Most of all, though, [throat clear] it was a war which used modern machines, uh, and, uh, modern industrial power.\r\n<br>And the whole population of each country had to work hard, to help the war.\r\n<br>It was probably the first, uh, total war.\r\n<br>Um, o- of course, it had many causes um, but we can only discuss the the the most important ones here. <\/p><p>Um at the end of the nineteenth century, uh, many people thought that the world was going to start a long period of <b>prosperity <\/b>and peace.\r\n<br>The industrial <b>revolution <\/b>had made it possible for everyone to have a higher standard of living.\r\n<br>Um, <b>the Red Cross<\/b> had been started in Switzerland.\r\n<br>The international postal union had been set up and of course, the Olympic games had started.\r\n<br>[Throat clear] <br>However, um, the countries of Europe were also competing against each other, for new <b>colonies <\/b>and throughout much of the world.\r\n<br>And,um, the- they really didn't, uh, trust each other very much, and they were building larger and larger armies.\r\n<br>Uh, and starting with Germany, uh, many of the countries thought that they could protect themselves better if they made <b>alliances <\/b>with other countries.\r\n<br>An alliance is an agreement between two countries, that they will help each other if one is attacked by another country.<\/p><p>Um, so, uh, Germany made alliance, uh, with Italy and Austria. And Russia and France made an alliance together.\r\n<br>And then Britain joined, uh, um, Russia and France.\r\n<br>A- and so most of the countries o-of Europe were connected together in a series of alliances such that, if one were attacked the other country would have to_ some other country would have to, go to their help.\r\n<br>Um, a very dangerous situation.<br>\r\nIf two countries started fighting, they would, become involved_ um, other countries would get involved.\r\n<br>And, thi- this means if one small <b>incident <\/b>could actually lead to a, um, huge war.\r\n<br>And that is in fact what happened.\r\n<\/p><p>On the twenty-eighth of June nineteen-fourteen, uh, this incident, uh, occurred.\r\n<br>It was a simple thing, an Austrian <b>duke <\/b>was, um, killed by, um, some Serbian_ um, by a- a Serbian freedom fighter in, um, what became Yugoslavia.\r\n<br>And this led to a series of events.\r\nUm... The whole of Europe exploded i-i-into warfare.\r\n<br>Um, many countries were involved.\r\nUh, uh, uh, a-and it's not sensible to, list them here.\r\n<br>But basically, there was Germany, Austria and Turkey on one side.\r\n<br>And France, Russia and England on the other side.<\/p><p>\r\nUh, then in eighteen seventeen [he means nineteen seventeen], the Russians left the war, uh, because of the... um, Bolshevik <b>revolution<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, uh, the U-S-A_ at the same time_ the United States joined France and England.\r\n<br>Japan also had a treaty with England which had been made in nineteen-o-two.\r\n<br>And Japan quickly joined the war on the English side but did not really, um, make a major effort.\r\n<\/p><p>The fighting in the [throat clear] um, First World War was very terrible indeed.\r\n<br>Um, the most important weapon was the machine gun.\r\n<br>Um, with this one soldier, could hide i- in a hole in the ground, and kill hundreds of other men very very quickly.\r\n<br>And so the soldiers, uh, lived in trenches, in the ground, and holes in the ground, where they would be safe from machine gun fire.<br>\r\nAnd then they used barbed wire... to create, uh, fences a- as it_ to stop other people, coming to protect themselves.<br>Um... Together the ma- machine guns, uh, and the barbed wired were the ma- major characteristics, of the trench warfare of of the First World War.\r\n<\/p><p>And... Uh, um, i- it's very difficult for us to realise, just how many people were killed, and how easily they, they were <b>slaughtered<\/b>.\r\n<br>Um, the number of soldiers killed in battle was probably something like about eight million.<br>\r\nI mean that\u2019s a huge number.\r\nAnd there were some, days that i- in certain battles, when, huge numbers were killed in one day.\r\n<br>Um, two hundred and fifty thousand or a quarter of a million soldiers killed in one day.\r\n<br>And this occurred, o- on a number of occasions.\r\n<br>And there were also many people killed who were not soldiers.\r\n<br>Um, of course, bombs, famine, disease, um, killed many other people.\r\n<br>Probably about thirty million people, uh, died a- as a result of of the First World War.\r\n<\/p><p>Eventually, after four years, the English, French, uh, and American side won but the cost to everyone, was very great.\r\n<br>A-apart from the, number of people who were killed, many parts of Europe were destroyed.\r\n<br>Millions of people l- lost their homes and, uh, most of the countries who fought were economically ruined.\r\n<\/p><p>There were of course, uh, important, um, political consequences.\r\n<br>Uh, the winners in the war decided that the losers should pay for it, pay for the war.\r\n<br>And th- the losers, um, all lost a a great deal of territory.\r\n<br>And had to pay huge sums of money.\r\n<br>And the map of Europe was completely changed.\r\n<br>Um, many new countries were created.\r\n<br>About ten new countries were made i-in Europe.\r\n<br>And, um, other countries we- were changed in size.\r\n<br>Two empires... disappeared the Austrian Empire and the Turkish Empire, disappeared.\r\n<br>Um, new countries were made in, uh, the Middle East in Western Asia.\r\n<br>Many colonies throughout the world we- changed hands, were moved from one country to another.\r\n<br>And, um, of course some countries in the world finished with different political systems, from when they first entered the war.\r\n<br>The-the most famous case of course being Russia.\r\n<br>Um, the Communist Party started a revolution in nineteen-seventeen and formed a government.\r\n<br>An- and this of course had considerable influence on, the later development of Europe in the twentieth century.\r\n<br>There were many other, um, changes, uh, due to the war.<br>\r\nI-it's impossible to overestimate, uh, the influence of First World War.\r\n<br>There were social changes.\r\n<br>For example, um, it was really because of the war that, that, that, um, women started to take a-a-an active part in the politics.\r\nUh.\r\n<br>During the war, many women took jobs that men had done before.\r\n<br>Because the men went off to fight and the women often, uh, of course did a perfectly good job, and did it quite well and people realised that, that, um, women ne- needn\u2019t- weren\u2019t necessarily second-class citizens.\r\n<br>And the women\u2019s' liberation movement, um, really starts, uh, as a result of this war.\r\n<br>Um, the First World War did change the course of history.\r\n<br>Um, political history economic and social history throughout the, whole world a-a-a-and led to the, future developments of the twentieth century.\r\n <br><br><\/p><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n <p><\/p>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3540","question":"[2032,2033,2034,2035,2036,2037]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><\/p><p>\r\n <b>lecture <\/b>\/\u02c8lekt\u0283\u0259(r)\/ noun<br> a talk that is given to a group of people to teach them about a particular subject<\/p><hr><b>prosperity <\/b>\/pr\u0251\u02d0\u02c8sper\u0259ti\/ noun<br> \u200bthe state of being successful, especially in making money<br><hr><b>Revolution <\/b>\/\u02ccrev\u0259\u02c8lu\u02d0\u0283n\/ noun<p><\/p><ul><li>industrial revolution<br><\/li><\/ul><p> <span class=\"def\">a great change in conditions, ways of working, beliefs, etc. that affects large numbers of people<\/span><\/p><ul><li>Bolshevik revolution<\/li><\/ul><p><span class=\"def\">an attempt, by a large number of people, to change the government of a country, especially by violent action<br><\/span><\/p><p><\/p><ul><\/ul><hr><span class=\"def\"><b>the Red Cross<\/b> \/\u00f0\u0259 \u02ccred \u02c8kr\u0254\u02d0s\/ noun<br> \u200ban international organization that takes care of people suffering because of war or natural disasters. Its full name is the International Movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.<\/span><hr><span class=\"def\"><b>colony <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0251\u02d0l\u0259ni\/ noun<br> [countable] a country or an area that is governed by people from another, more powerful, country<\/span><hr><span class=\"def\"><b>alliance <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8la\u026a\u0259ns\/ noun<br> an agreement between countries, political parties, etc. to work together in order to achieve something that they all want<\/span><hr><span class=\"def\"><b>incident <\/b>\/\u02c8\u026ans\u026ad\u0259nt\/ noun<br> a disagreement between two countries, often involving military forces<\/span><hr><span class=\"def\"><b>duke <\/b>\/dju\u02d0k\/ noun<br>a male ruler of a small independent state<br><\/span>\r\n <hr><p><b>slaughter <\/b>\/\u02c8sl\u0254\u02d0t\u0259(r)\/ verb<br> to kill a large number of people or animals violently<span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Very Slow\",\"Words\/Minute: 118\",\"Length: 9:32\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-22T08:49:28.000000Z","liked":937,"question_link":null,"duration":559,"size":15654079,"video":0,"video_id":"3xubZ6IR5G0","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":2032,"question":"Why was the First World War called a 'world war'?","answers":"[\"There was no clear winner of the war.\",\"The winner of the war would rule the world.\",\"The war was fought by many countries around the world.\",\"The war was not fought in Europe.\"]","correct":"The war was fought by many countries around the world."},{"id":2033,"question":"What does the speaker think of the system of alliances mentioned?","answers":"[\"It helped lead to the Russian Revolution.\",\"It was one of the reasons the war was so large.\",\"It contributed to the economic problems of France.\",\"It was a sensible decision for smaller countries.\"]","correct":"It was one of the reasons the war was so large."},{"id":2034,"question":"What was the most important weapon used in the First World War?","answers":"[\"The submarine\",\"The airplane\",\"The machine gun\",\"The cannon\"]","correct":"The machine gun"},{"id":2035,"question":"What were the political consequences of the First World War?","answers":"[\"The losers lost territory and paid huge sums of money.\",\"There was political stability that lasted decades.\",\"People around the world were happy.\",\"The economies across the world were prosperous.\"]","correct":"The losers lost territory and paid huge sums of money."},{"id":2036,"question":"What does the speaker imply was a positive outcome of the First World War?","answers":"[\"The change of government in Russia\",\"Stronger economic conditions in the U.S.A.\",\"Improved rights for women\",\"Technological developments\"]","correct":"Improved rights for women"},{"id":2037,"question":"What is the main purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To describe the impact of the First World War\",\"To explain military strategies to win the war\",\"To discuss the life of a soldier in the First World War\",\"To highlight the danger of political alliances\"]","correct":"To describe the impact of the First World War"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":423,"ordering":1000}},{"id":589,"title":"High-achieving teenagers","audio":"B2_high_achieving_teenagers.mp3","dialog":"\r\n <b>Presenter: <\/b>Next on the programme we have an interview with someone who has been writing a book about high-achieving teenagers. Welcome, Louise Hardy.<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Hi, it\u2019s lovely to be here.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Louise, many of these teenagers who have <b>achieved <\/b>success and <b>fame <\/b>early on, have done so through using new technology, haven\u2019t they? Through blogging or using YouTube or Twitter?<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Absolutely, and the greatest example of this is Justin Bieber. As I think everyone on the planet knows, he started off by posting videos on YouTube at the age of 14 and was <b>spotted <\/b>by a talent scout who worked with the R&B singer Usher. After that he very rapidly became a worldwide <b>sensation<\/b>.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> I heard that last year he was said to be more <b>influential <\/b>than Obama!<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> (laughs) Yes, that was because he is number one on Twitter. He has over 35 million followers. There\u2019s a new one every two seconds. A company that analyses social media called Klout said that he is the most <b>influential <\/b>person in the world because of that. But whether he\u2019s really more <b>influential <\/b>than Obama, well \u2026<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Mmmm. All this <b>exposure <\/b>has negative <b>consequences <\/b>for young people too, doesn\u2019t it?<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Yes. Although millions adore Justin, a lot of people don\u2019t. One of his videos was the most disliked ever. And he has a big problem with privacy. He\u2019s followed everywhere by the <b>paparazzi<\/b>, and that\u2019s bad for anyone, never mind a teenager.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> OK, let\u2019s turn to a very different teenager. Tavi Gevinson was even younger when she began, wasn\u2019t she?<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Yes, she was only eleven years old when she started a fashion blog called Style Rookie. By the way, for British listeners, \u201cRookie\u201d is an American word used for a person who is new to something.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Thanks.<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> On her blog she posted photos of herself wearing unusual <b>combinations <\/b>of clothes and wrote about them.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Some of them were quite weird.<br>\r\n<b>Louise: <\/b>Well, yes, I suppose a lot of high fashion is weird. Anyway, she quickly built up a huge following, up to 300,000 readers per day, and many of them were adults. Serious fashion magazines interviewed her and sent her to fashion shows in Europe and to meet top designers, like Karl Lagerfeld.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Some people didn\u2019t believe she was as young as she was, did they?<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> No, one magazine printed an article saying the writer didn\u2019t believe Tavi was only 12, and that upset her. But she <b>bounced back<\/b> and continued blogging. Then, as she grew older, Tavi became interested in other things besides fashion. In 2011, when she was 15, she started Rookie Magazine, an online magazine for teenagers. In less than a week it had one million readers.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> I\u2019ve seen it. It\u2019s very impressive, isn\u2019t it? All teenage girls listening, check out Rookie Magazine.<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Yes, I think it\u2019s fantastic and Lady Gaga called Tavi \u201cthe future of journalism\u201d! She employs about 50 writers and photographers \u2013 both adults and teenagers \u2013 on Rookie, but she is the editor with overall control.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> And all this time she\u2019s continued to lead a normal life, hasn\u2019t she?<br>\r\n<b>Louise:<\/b> Oh yes, she lives a very normal life in a small town and goes to school and so on. She\u2019s not even twenty yet. But I think writing and editing are very different from being a performing artist. There\u2019s a lot less pressure from fans and the press. Although some actors, like Emma Watson, seem to manage a private life and getting a normal education.<br>\r\n<b>Presenter:<\/b> Yes, Emma Watson is now in her twenties, of course, but \u2026\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org\/skills\/listening-skills-practice\/high-achieving-teenagers","question":"[2908,2909,2910,2911,2912,2913,2914,2915,2916,2917]","vocabulary":"<b>achieve <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8t\u0283i\u02d0v\/ verb<br>to succeed in reaching a particular goal, status or standard, especially by making an effort for a long time<hr><b>fame <\/b>\/fe\u026am\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the state of being known and talked about by many people<hr><b>spot <\/b>\/sp\u0252t\/ verb<br>to see or notice a person or thing, especially suddenly <hr><b>sensation <\/b>\/sen\u02c8se\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable, usually singular] very great surprise, excitement, or interest among a lot of people; the person or the thing that causes this surprise<hr><b>influential <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026anflu\u02c8en\u0283l\/ adjective<br>having a lot of influence on somebody\/something<hr><b>exposure <\/b>\/\u026ak\u02c8sp\u0259\u028a\u0292\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the fact of being discussed or mentioned on television, in newspapers, etc.<br>[uncountable, countable] the fact of having the true facts about somebody\/something told after they have been hidden because they are bad, dishonest or illegal<hr><b>consequence <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0252ns\u026akw\u0259ns\/ noun<br>[countable, usually plural] a result of something that has happened, especially an unpleasant result<hr><b>paparazzo<\/b> \/\u02ccp\u00e6p\u0259\u02c8r\u00e6ts\u0259\u028a\/ noun<br>(also <b>pap <\/b>\/p\u00e6p\/)<br>(plural <b>paparazzi <\/b>\/\u02ccp\u00e6p\u0259\u02c8r\u00e6tsi\/)<br>[usually plural] \u200ba photographer who follows famous people around in order to get interesting photographs of them to sell to a newspaper<hr><b>combination <\/b>\/\u02cck\u0252mb\u026a\u02c8ne\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of joining or mixing together two or more things to form a single unit<hr><b>bounce back<\/b> phrasal verb<br>to become healthy, successful or confident again after being ill or having difficulties<hr><br>","note":"[\"\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-22T10:06:23.000000Z","liked":369,"question_link":null,"duration":263,"size":10527391,"video":0,"video_id":"KBjK8ZL2aos","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":2908,"question":"Many famous and successful teenagers have ___________________.","answers":"[\"used new technology\",\"worked from an early age\",\"been inspired by YouTube videos\"]","correct":"used new technology"},{"id":2909,"question":"Justin Bieber started off ___________________.","answers":"[\"singing with R&B star Usher\",\"sending videos to talent scouts\",\"posting videos on YouTube\"]","correct":"posting videos on YouTube"},{"id":2910,"question":"Some people say Justin Bieber is the most influential person in the world because ___________________.","answers":"[\"he has had so many number one songs\",\"he has so many followers on Twitter\",\"he is friends with Barack Obama\"]","correct":"he has so many followers on Twitter"},{"id":2911,"question":"A negative consequence of fame for Justin Bieber is ___________________.","answers":"[\"he has very little privacy\",\"people get bored of hearing about him\",\"people criticise his appearance\"]","correct":"he has very little privacy"},{"id":2912,"question":"Tavi Gevinson started a fashion blog ___________________.","answers":"[\"when she was 11 years old\",\"when she was in 11th grade in high school\",\"in 2011\"]","correct":"when she was 11 years old"},{"id":2913,"question":"\"Rookie\" means ___________________.","answers":"[\"a beginner\",\"a fan\",\"someone who is bad at something\"]","correct":"a beginner"},{"id":2914,"question":"\"Style Rookie\" ___________________.","answers":"[\"allowed readers to post pictures of themselves\",\"soon had a lot of readers\",\"was noticed by Karl Lagerfeld\"]","correct":"soon had a lot of readers"},{"id":2915,"question":"When some poeple didn't believe her age, Tavi ___________________.","answers":"[\"was sad and angry at first\",\"decided to attack them in return\",\"completely ignored them and continued working\"]","correct":"was sad and angry at first"},{"id":2916,"question":"Tavi employs ___________________.","answers":"[\"only teenagers\",\"writers and photographers of all ages\",\"a very small group of people\"]","correct":"writers and photographers of all ages"},{"id":2917,"question":"Louise thinks ___________________.","answers":"[\"it's difficult for Tavi to have a normal life\",\"there's more pressure when you are a writer\",\"there's more pressure when you are a performer\"]","correct":"there's more pressure when you are a performer"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":589,"ordering":126}},{"id":334,"title":"Bob's Family","audio":"009-16.mp3","dialog":"<p>\r\n \r\n Uh, first of all first my family basically... It's really just my <b>immediate family<\/b>. <br>My mother father and brother. <br>Uh, we moved away from the rest of our <b>extended family<\/b>. <br>Uh, they are all in Chicago. <br>We moved to New Jersey. <br>And so really the only family I ever grew up with, was the people around me. <br>And so, I mean my <b>immediate family<\/b>, like I said. <br><\/p><p>So I've got my brother. <br>He is, a little over two years older than me. <br>His name is Ben. <br>He's also in college right now. <br>He's gonna be a_ some kind of math science major. <br>I honestly don't even know. <br>But, uh, we definitely grew up with similar interests. <br>People always they ask,you know, \"did you fight with your brother when you grew up. Did you, uh, you know, does he beat you up a lot.\" <br>cuz, you know, he's older, and that's the thing and how, that's just how it works. <br>They beat you up. <br>And he never really did. <br>He just uh_I mean, I gotta say, I actually <b>admire <\/b>my brother a lot <br>because he'd always be the one_ I almost like followed in his like_ I didn't just follow in his foot steps exactly. <br>But I mean, you know, up through high school, there's not many <b>variations <\/b>on experiences you can do. <br>As far as like social life in the town, a small town. <br>So he'd_ he always did everything first. <br>And so when I'd get_ I would go to do something, and he'd already have been there. <br>He knew everybody. <br>Because my brother, he didn't start_ he started off being a very <b>shy <\/b>kid. <br>Not until, uh, <b>sophomore <\/b>year in high school did he get to be, very <b>outgoing<\/b>. <br>So he knew every but_ but that's when it counted, when he was in high school and he knew everybody. <br>And it was just_ it made everything so much easier for me. <br>So he's definitely a really good guy. <br>Definitely we share a lot of interests together. <br>And, uh, we don't actually hang out that much. <br>But, I mean we, we could. <br>And we have no_ and we do sometimes and we always had a good time. <\/p><p>Then I've got my mom... who definitely_ tennis is her favorite aspect of life. <br>She plays tennis, honestly I think three or four times a week. <br>She's always thinking about tennis. <br>She's always coming back from playing a match in tennis. <br>She can find the most <b>obscure <\/b>tennis <b>tournaments <\/b>to watch, on T-V. <br>Uh... She went to college she went_ met my dad in college. <br>That's how they met. <br> I thought that was pretty funny because, I just recently found out that their first date was to see the movie Patton, which is like a war movie, I think. <br>And it didn't make any_ it didn't sound very romantic. <br>But they liked it, I guess. <br>And they seem'd to like each other. <br>And so, uh, she works part time jobs <b>every now and then<\/b>. <br>Don't really need to. <br>My dad makes a good deal of money, and, uh, he can pretty much support us on that. <br>He has pretty good job security. <br>So we really didn't, really have to worry about that. <br>And I would definitely say she's done a good job raising us. <br>Uh, I mean just, no complaints. <br>Like_ the one thing I got my_ me and my dad are almost completely the same, in that, we are very <b>laid back<\/b>. <br>Not many things really bother us. <br>But as a businessman he basically <b>schmoozes <\/b>all the time now. <br>Just, he talks to them them a lot. <br>You know, wins them over towards his favor. <br>But it's really_ that's, that's, that's what he does. <br>I asked him what he does. <br>He has a book called Schmoozing. <br>He didn't write it but, you know, he' got a book on it. <br>And so we're very <b>laid back<\/b>. <br>It's like things, they just bounce off us. <br>We don't really care. <br>The little things in life normally_ I mean of course they do build up sometimes. <br>But, most of the time we just like, \"yeah whatever.\" <br><\/p><p>My mum and my brother, both very <b>short tempered<\/b>. <br>If something goes wrong, they get _ they're mad. <br>And they're like_ they get in fi- so, they fight with each other a lot. <br>It used to be bad, now it got a lot better. <br>And they don't_ it's not_ it used to be kind of <b>awkward <\/b>for me, you know, always being the younger son and, have my mom be mad at my brother. <br>And my dad, has to be on my mom's side. <br>But, but, of course, you know, he, he personally doesn't care that much. <br>But, you know, he has to be because he's a parent, the parental role, has to be the good father. <br>But, uh, yeah it doesn't, it doesn't really affect me anymore. <br>They pretty much get along really good with it now. <br>And it's all pretty good. <br>But_ and we used to_ I think, actually probably one of the reasons they get along much better now, is we don't do <b>forced <\/b>family events. <br>We like have to go and spend days together. <br>Every now and then we'll s- we'll say we're gonna have dinner tonight, and that'll be it. <br>And when_ since we haven't seen each other in a long time, we haven't been together. <br>And haven't done that many things together in a long time there's always something to say. <br>And it- it's pretty good. <br>It's a good life with my good family. <br>I like them.\r\n \r\n <\/p>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3416","question":"[1549,1550,1551,1552,1553,1554]","vocabulary":"<p><b>immediate<\/b> \/\u026a\u02c8mi\u02d0di\u0259t\/ adjective <br>nearest in space or relationship<br><b>immediate family<\/b><br>Your immediate family includes your closest family members, such as your parents, children, husband or wife, and brothers and sisters.<br><\/p><hr><p><b>extended family<\/b> \/\u026ak\u02ccstend\u026ad \u02c8f\u00e6m\u0259li\/ noun<br>[countable + singular or plural verb]<br>\u200ba family group with a close relationship among the members that includes not only parents and children but also uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>beat up<\/b> phrasal verb<br>\u200bto hit or kick somebody hard, many times<\/p><hr><p><b>admire <\/b>\/\u0259d\u02c8ma\u026a\u0259r\/ verb<br>to respect somebody for what they have done or to respect their qualities<\/p><hr><p><b>variation <\/b>\/\u02ccve\u0259ri\u02c8e\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] variation (in\/of something) a change, especially in the amount or level of something<\/p><hr><p><b>shy <\/b>\/\u0283a\u026a\/ adjective<br>(of people) nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people<\/p><hr><p><b>sophomore <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u0251\u02d0f\u0259m\u0254\u02d0r\/ noun<br>a high school student in the 10th grade<\/p><hr><p><b>outgoing<\/b> \/\u02cca\u028at\u02c8\u0261\u0259\u028a\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>liking to meet other people, enjoying their company and being friendly towards them<\/p><hr><p><b>obscure <\/b>\/\u0259b\u02c8skj\u028ar\/ adjective<br>not well known<\/p><hr><p><b>tournament <\/b>\/\u02c8t\u028arn\u0259m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>a sports competition involving a number of teams or players who take part in different games and must leave the competition if they lose. The competition continues until there is only the winner left.<\/p><hr><p><b>(every) now and again\/then<\/b><br> \u200bfrom time to time; occasionally<\/p><ul><li>Every now and again she checked to see if he was still asleep.<br><\/li><\/ul><hr><p><b>laid-back<\/b> \/\u02ccle\u026ad \u02c8b\u00e6k\/ adjective<br>\u200bcalm and relaxed; seeming not to worry about anything<\/p><hr><p><b>schmooze <\/b>\/\u0283mu\u02d0z\/ verb<br>to talk in an informal and friendly way with somebody, especially in order to gain an advantage by persuading people to like you and do what you want<\/p><hr><p><b>short-tempered<\/b> \/\u02cc\u0283\u0254\u02d0rt \u02c8temp\u0259rd\/ adjective<br>\u200btending to become angry very quickly and easily<\/p><hr><p><b>awkward <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0254\u02d0kw\u0259rd\/ adjective<br>difficult to deal with<br>making you feel embarrassed<\/p><hr><p><b>forced <\/b>\/f\u0254\u02d0rst\/ adjective<br>happening or done against somebody\u2019s will<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 245\",\"Length: 3:55\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-24T18:24:17.000000Z","liked":843,"question_link":null,"duration":235,"size":6588022,"video":0,"video_id":"c0wVJsnVMkY","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1549,"question":"According to the speaker, what is the main effect of having an older brother?","answers":"[\"They always spend a lot of time together.\",\"His brother had already done everything first.\",\"He and his brother fought a lot.\",\"Having an older brother made the speaker shy.\"]","correct":"His brother had already done everything first."},{"id":1550,"question":"How does the speaker's mother like to spend her time?","answers":"[\"Playing tennis\",\"Working her part-time job\",\"Watching romantic movies\",\"Planning family events\"]","correct":"Playing tennis"},{"id":1551,"question":"What does the speaker say about his father?","answers":"[\"They share a similar personality.\",\"His father wrote an important book.\",\"He thinks his father is too serious.\",\"He and his father often argue.\"]","correct":"They share a similar personality."},{"id":1552,"question":"How does the speaker describe his father's job?","answers":"[\"He must always ask his boss for favors.\",\"He often entertains other businesspeople.\",\"He doesn't make much money.\",\"He spends a lot of time reading.\"]","correct":"He often entertains other businesspeople."},{"id":1553,"question":"According to the speaker, what problem did his family have in the past?","answers":"[\"His family didn't spend enough time together.\",\"His family often misunderstood him.\",\"His brother and mother would fight often.\",\"His father didn't care about his family.\"]","correct":"His brother and mother would fight often."},{"id":1554,"question":"Overall, how does the speaker describe his family relationships?","answers":"[\"Very warm, especially between him and his mother\",\"Very close, especially with his extended family\",\"Difficult, because everyone argues a lot\",\"Good, although they are not often together now\"]","correct":"Good, although they are not often together now"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":334,"ordering":12}},{"id":416,"title":"The Books I've Written","audio":"028-16.mp3","dialog":"<p>\r\n \r\n \r\n I've written a couple of novels.\r\n<br>Um, both unpublished.\r\n<br>Both <b>destined <\/b>to remain that way, for the foreseeable future.\r\n<\/p><p>The first one is, uh, science fiction, fantasy.\r\n<br>Um, which evolved into more fantasy, than science fiction.\r\n<br>And I think, if I rewrite it again, the, science fiction element will be completely removed.\r\n<br>And it will be psychological fantasy.\r\n<br>Um, about, a dead person, and the effect that their, funeral, that they've planned for, has on the lives of everyone around them.\r\n<br>Pretty depressing thing to write in the summer.\r\n<br>So, I'm definitely not working on that at the moment.\r\n<\/p><p>Um, the other one, is, about, hm, no it's not really about.\r\n<br>The other one is, a modern, reworking of <em>Snow White<\/em>.\r\n<br>I read a very interesting book, by Marina Warner, about, fairy tale and <b>folklore<\/b>, called, <em>The Beast and the Blonde<\/em> [<em>From the Beast to the Blonde<\/em>].\r\n<br>And one of the things that she pointed out, was that, the stepmother, which is the wicked stepmother character, in English fairy tales.\r\n<br>Is a- a translation from, the French, belle-mere, which also means grandmother in French.\r\n<br>I understand, you may know, better than me.\r\n<br>Um, and, if you- all_ no, mother-in-law, that's it.\r\n<br>It's mother-in-law.\r\n<br>And so, you can reread the stories as_ not as a young girl who has a new old woman, coming into her home to have authority over her.\r\n<br>But you can retell all of the stories, as, um, a young girl, moving into her husband's house.\r\n<br>And having to cope with the, power dynamic, with the old woman who is used to having power in that house.\r\n<br>Whose power will eventually fade as she gets older and weaker.\r\n<br>And the new young wife, obviously, has to take over the reigns of the house.\r\n<br>And I think that makes all of the stories, suddenly, very much more interesting.\r\n<br>And, um, I thought I'd like to do something with that.<br>\r\nSo, I've been playing around with various ways of doing it.\r\n<br>And, I expect I'll continue to play around with various ways of doing it.\r\n<br>The one I've got at the moment seems quite nice.\r\n<br>But, since it involves, a brother and sister pair, and the brother's girlfriend coming in_ and my brother's just about to get married.\r\n<br>I thought i might leave it for a little bit, to be tactful, in case, my new sister-in-law thought it was something to do with her.\r\nHa ha.\r\n <br><br><\/p><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n <p><\/p>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3762","question":"[1992,1993,1994,1995]","vocabulary":"<p>\r\n <\/p><p><b>destined <\/b>\/\u02c8dest\u026and\/ (adjective)<b><br><\/b> \u200bhaving a future that has been decided or planned at an earlier time<b>. <br><\/b><\/p><hr><b>for the foreseeable future<\/b> <br>for\/in the period of time when you can predict what is going to happen, based on the present circumstances<hr><p><\/p><p><b>fantasy <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6nt\u0259si\/ (noun)<br>a product of your imagination; a pleasant situation that you imagine but that is unlikely to happen<\/p><ol><li><span class=\"x\">Her books are usually escapist fantasies.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><hr><b>folklore <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u0259\u028akl\u0254\u02d0r\/ noun<br> \u200bthe traditions and stories of a country or community <hr><br><ol><p><\/p><\/ol>","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 151\",\"Length: 2:42\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-03-28T07:25:44.000000Z","liked":633,"question_link":null,"duration":163,"size":4559770,"video":0,"video_id":"zspESwf_P3s","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1992,"question":"What the purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To get people to buy books she wrote\",\"To share the ideas behind books she wrote\",\"To talk about why she writes books\",\"To explain the difficulty in publishing her books\"]","correct":"To share the ideas behind books she wrote"},{"id":1993,"question":"What does the speaker plan to change in her first book?","answers":"[\"She will take out the depressing parts.\",\"She will make it more modern.\",\"She will make it less psychological.\",\"She will take out the science fiction elements.\"]","correct":"She will take out the science fiction elements."},{"id":1994,"question":"To what does the speaker compare her second book?","answers":"[\"Popular science fiction\",\"A French novel\",\"A Marina Warner book\",\"A fairy tale\"]","correct":"A fairy tale"},{"id":1995,"question":"What reason does the speaker give for stopping work on her second book?","answers":"[\"She is going to get married\",\"She is bored with the idea\",\"She is feeling too depressed\",\"She is getting a new sister-in-law\"]","correct":"She is getting a new sister-in-law"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":416,"ordering":1000}},{"id":347,"title":"Dolphins in the Mekong","audio":"022-16.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n On one of my trips, uh, in Cambodia I went up to a, a village called Sambor.\r\n<br>It\u2019s about two-thirds of the way up the Mekong to the Lao <b>border<\/b>.\r\n<br>It\u2019s_ the nearest big town\u2019s Crache, which is an absolutely <b>gorgeous <\/b>old French <b>colonial <\/b>town.\r\n<br>It\u2019s a beautiful place.\r\n<br>And nobody seems to live there.\r\n<br>And the_ Sambor is supposed to be the nearest place to the, uh, to the site of an old sixth century capital of, uh, the <b>empire <\/b>called Funan.\r\n<br>Which was mentioned in, uh, some Chinese reports.\r\n<br>And, um, I went up there to try and see if there was any evidence there of this old, uh, <b>empire <\/b>and the city.\r\n<br>But there wasn\u2019t it had all been eaten up by the <b>jungle<\/b>.\r\n<br>But on the way there, we stopped for, breakfast at a little_ uh, this little <b>roadside <\/b>caf\u00e9 place which does, good coffee which is a <b>legacy <\/b>of the French colonialism.\r\n<br>Which isn\u2019t so bad at all.\r\n<br>And then we_ and while I was having my brekkie there, somebody mentioned that there were dolphins in the area.\r\n<br>In the Mekong.\r\n<br>So I managed to hire a boat to, to go out into the river with a little boy <b>punting <\/b>it.\r\n<br>And, we went into, kind of a little, a little <b>glade <\/b>it would be in a river.\r\n<br>There_ outside of the main currents.\r\n<br>And the water was really still.\r\n<br>Perfectly still.\r\n<br>And then, just all around the boat, you could see, where ripples_ and if you were looking in the right place at the right time you\u2019d be able to see it\u2019s back, and it\u2019s little <b>stubby <\/b>fin breaking the surface of the water.\r\n<br>But, it was very difficult to see that.\r\n<br>And you couldn\u2019t hear.\r\n<br>You couldn\u2019t listen for the ripples and then turn around.\r\n<br>But, what blew me away was the sound they made.\r\n<br>We couldn\u2019t_ as I said it was difficult to see the dolphins.\r\n<br>But when they came to the surface and they breathed through their blowholes, there\u2019d be this little puffing noises, all around the boat.\r\n<br>Which was, really wonderful.\r\n<br>And we spent, we spent a good part of the morning just floating on the Mekong and listening to the dolphins.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3594","question":"[1626,1627,1628]","vocabulary":"<p><b>border <\/b>\/\u02c8b\u0254\u02d0rd\u0259r\/ noun<br>the line that divides two countries or areas; the land near this line<\/p><hr><p><b>gorgeous <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0261\u0254\u02d0d\u0292\u0259s\/ adjective<br>(informal) very beautiful and attractive; giving great pleasure <\/p><hr><p><b>colonial <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8l\u0259\u028ani\u0259l\/ adjective<br>connected with or belonging to a country that controls another country<\/p><hr><p><b>empire <\/b>\/\u02c8empa\u026a\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>a group of countries or states that are controlled by one leader or government<\/p><hr><p><b>jungle<\/b> \/\u02c8d\u0292\u028c\u014b\u0261l\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] an area of tropical forest where trees and plants grow very thickly<\/p><hr><p><b>roadside <\/b>\/\u02c8r\u0259\u028adsa\u026ad\/ noun<br>[singular] the edge of the road<\/p><hr><p><b>legacy <\/b>\/\u02c8le\u0261\u0259si\/ noun<br>a situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc. that took place in the past<\/p><hr><p><b>brekkie <\/b>= breakfast<\/p><hr><p><b>punting <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u028cnt\u026a\u014b\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200bthe activity of going along a river in a punt<\/p><hr><p><b>glade <\/b>\/\u0261le\u026ad\/ noun<br>a small open area of grass in a wood or a forest<\/p><hr><p><b>stubby <\/b>\/\u02c8st\u028cbi\/ adjective<br>[usually before noun] short and thick<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 177\",\"Length: 2:6\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-04-05T20:31:56.000000Z","liked":494,"question_link":null,"duration":127,"size":3547473,"video":0,"video_id":"8K39KNyvMkQ","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1626,"question":"Why did the speaker go to Sambor?","answers":"[\"To read a Chinese report\",\"To search for an ancient city\",\"To see French colonial architecture\",\"To get to Laos\"]","correct":"To search for an ancient city"},{"id":1627,"question":"Why did the speaker hire a boat?","answers":"[\"To go fishing\",\"To see the Mekong river\",\"To see the dolphins\",\"To go to an island\"]","correct":"To see the dolphins"},{"id":1628,"question":"What is the speaker mainly discussing?","answers":"[\"His love of Cambodia\",\"His experience as a tour guide\",\"His knowledge of the Mekong river\",\"His trip in Cambodia\"]","correct":"His trip in Cambodia"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":347,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1660,"title":"Sale","audio":"L140P2.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <br>A: \"Hey Jackie. What are you doing?\"<br>B: \"Nothing much. I'm just relaxing today. Why? What's going on?\"<br>A: \"I was thinking about <b>heading to the mal<\/b>l. Do you want to go?\"<br>B: \"Are they having a sale?\"<br>A: \"Yeah. Both Bon and Nordstrom's is having there annual sale. It's a great time to buy some clothes you've been <b>holding out on<\/b>.\"<br>B: \"That sounds great. Where should we meet?\"<br>A: \"I'll meet you in front of Nordstrom's in 30 minutes.\"<br>B: \"Sounds good. See you there.\"<br>A: \"What do you think about these shoes?\"<br>B: \"They're cute. But do you think you'll wear them much?\"<br>A: \"No. Not really.\"<br>B: \"This sweater is so pretty. I love the low neck design.\"<br>A: \"I bet it's expensive.\"<br>B: \"It's on sale for $80. What do you think? Should I try them on?\"<br>A: \"For 80 <b>bucks <\/b>it looks great. Go try it on.\"<br>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.talkenglish.com\/listening\/lessonlisten.aspx?ALID=220","question":"[4717,4718,4719,4720]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><\/p><p> <b>head <\/b>\/hed\/ (verb)<br> to move in a particular direction<\/p><ol><li>Where are we heading?<\/li><\/ol><hr><p><\/p><p><b>hold out on<br><\/b>to refuse to give something to somebody. In this case, it mean the clothes she want but she hasn't bought yet.<br><\/p><hr><p><b>buck <\/b>\/b\u028ck\/ (noun)<br>a US dollar.<\/p><ol><li> They cost ten bucks. <\/li><li> We're talking big bucks (= a lot of money) here.<br><\/li><\/ol>\r\n ","note":null,"downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-04-06T17:28:52.000000Z","liked":690,"question_link":null,"duration":44,"size":710151,"video":0,"video_id":"Pqbb3ydSQkE","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":4717,"question":"1. \u00a0Why are they going to the department store?","answers":"[\"They are having a sale\",\"They need to shop for school clothes\",\"They are bored with nothing to do\",\"None of the above\"]","correct":"They are having a sale"},{"id":4718,"question":"2. \u00a0When are they going to meet?","answers":"[\"On Friday\",\"On Saturday\",\"After dinner\",\"In thirty minutes\"]","correct":"In thirty minutes"},{"id":4719,"question":"3. \u00a0What are the two items they are looking at?","answers":"[\"Bags and pants\",\"Rings and necklaces\",\"Shoes and sweaters\",\"Jackets and belts\"]","correct":"Shoes and sweaters"},{"id":4720,"question":"4. \u00a0What is on sale for $80?","answers":"[\"Shoe\",\"Jacket\",\"Sweater\",\"Necklace\"]","correct":"Sweater"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1660,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1527,"title":"Gamers","audio":"884-Jake-Games32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>So if you buy a game, how long does it take you to beat the game? One year or fifteen hours or what? <p><strong>Jake: <\/strong>Well, maybe the shortest one are only about six hours but it all depends on how much you're playing it. If it's something I really like, sometimes I can't put it down and I just keep playing it and I finish it in a few days and sometimes, well, it's alright but <span class=\"audionotes\">I can't get myself to keep playing<\/span> it so sometimes it can take me a few months to finish a game.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Oh, OK. So do you think you're a very skillful video game player?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> No, I'm pretty bad sometimes, especially at the newer games. I'm better at the old ones.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> One final question, do you think it's more important to beat the actual video game or when you're playing with someone to beat the person that you're playing with?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> <span class=\"audionotes\">What do you mean?<\/span><\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>So, you know, when you're friend comes over and you're both playing the video games together and you're competing against one each other, or is it better to actually like beat the video game itself? Does that <span class=\"audionotes\">make sense<\/span>? Don't you usually against your friend?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yeah, sometimes I play against my friends, but it seems like there's less goal to it when you're playing against someone else. You win sometimes and you lose sometimes, but once you finish the game, then you can feel like <span class=\"audionotes\">you've accomplished something<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>Oh, OK. Have you ever been so addicted to a game, and then you finished it and you were disappointed because you liked the game so much?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Actually, that happens a lot. Sometimes you finish a game that you really like and you wish there were more games that you could keep playing it.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> OK, that happens to me but that's when I am reading a book, or yeah, usually when I'm reading a book or finish a long project but I can't imagine that happening with a video game.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> It's exactly the same as with a book or with a TV series or something else that you really enjoy. When it's finished...<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> <span class=\"audionotes\">It's bitter sweet<\/span>, right?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yes, exactly.<\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T884-Jake-VidoeGame.htm","question":"[3955,3956,3957,3958]","vocabulary":"<div><b>I can't get myself to<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I can't get myself to keep playing.<\/li><\/ul><div>We use the phrase 'I can't get myself' when we should do something but we don't want to do it. <br><\/div><div> Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>I can't get myself to wake up early.<\/li><li>I can't get myself to study on weekends.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>What do you mean?<\/b><\/div><ul><li>Sorry, what do you mean?<\/li><\/ul><div>We often ask 'What do you mean?' when we don't understand the meaning of a question. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>I'm not clear, what do you mean?<\/li><li>What do you mean by that?<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>make sense<\/b><\/div><ul><li>Does that make sense?<\/li><\/ul><div>Something that 'makes sense' is clear, easy to understand and there is usually a good reason for it. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>The plan makes good business sense.<\/li><li>Her story made sense<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>you've accomplished something<\/b><\/div><ul><li>You feel like you've accomplished something.<\/li><\/ul><div>When we are successful at something after a lot of hard work, that means we have 'accomplished' something. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>The best thing about graduating is knowing that you've accomplished something.<\/li><li>Congratulations on your success, you've really accomplished something.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>It's bitter sweet<\/b><\/div><ul><li>When it's finished, it's bitter sweet.<\/li><\/ul><div>A bitter sweet finish is when we feel happy and sad at the same time. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><div><br><\/div><ol><li>Venus Williams beat Serena but it was a bitter sweet victory.<\/li><li>The movie had a bitter sweet ending.<\/li><\/ol>","note":"[\"Accent: US, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-04-13T13:22:30.000000Z","liked":695,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T884-Jake-VidoeGame.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0851Q\/T884.js","duration":124,"size":4945546,"video":0,"video_id":"Feo4KCikiuo","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3955,"question":"1) How long does it take for Jake to beat the game?","answers":"[\"About an hour\",\"Up to few months\",\"Up to a year\"]","correct":"Up to few months"},{"id":3956,"question":"2) Which games is Jake better at?","answers":"[\"Old ones\",\"New ones\",\"Both\"]","correct":"Old ones"},{"id":3957,"question":"3) How does Jake like to play?","answers":"[\"Against a friend\",\"Against his son\",\"Against the computer\"]","correct":"Against the computer"},{"id":3958,"question":"4) What does Lindsay enjoy instead video games?","answers":"[\"Reading a book\",\"Watching TV\",\"Both\",\"None\"]","correct":"Reading a book"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1527,"ordering":1000}},{"id":373,"title":"Jack the Ripper","audio":"022-09.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n A while ago, uh, I had a strange dream hehe. <div>Uh, in which I dreamt that I was gonna solve some famous murder <b>mystery<\/b>, by looking at some photographs or some pictures.\r\n<br>And I t- t- took no notice of that.\r\n<br>But, very soon after that I was <b>approached <\/b>by someone, who asked me to publish a book about someone called Jack the Ripper. <\/div><div>And <b>coincidentally<\/b>, the, the <b>clues <\/b>to the, this murder mystery connected with Jack the Ripper was to be found in certain paintings.\r\n<br>So, uh, I eventually published this book. <\/div><div><br><\/div><div>Anyway for those of you who don\u2019t know Jack_ Jack the Ripper is kind of like, in, in Britain where I come from, the most famous murderer of all time really. <\/div><div>Although it happened, quite a long time ago in a Victorian period.\r\n<br>I think it was eighteen eight-eight.\r\nUh, oh, just in the summer of that period. <\/div><div>That, that these <b>horrendous<\/b> murders took place in, what was then Victorian London, I suppose.\r\n<br>And, maybe I shouldn\u2019t put it this way but, uh, uh, but say five_ there were five murders I believe. <\/div><div>Five women were killed in, in the east end of London.\r\n<br>Which is, then maybe not a very nice area of London, very <b>deprived<\/b>, very poor.\r\n<br>And these were quite poor women, uh, who were murdered in the most <b>horrendous <\/b>ways.\r\n<br>But, I suppose five murders in terms of all the other things. <\/div><div>But i- it f- five murders that have really gripped, the imagination of people all over the world it seems but certainly at the time it totally terrified London, you know. <\/div><div>People were really, really scared.\r\n<br>And, I suppose the, the strange thing about_ the, the murders were strange themselves.\r\n<br>The murders were very <b>brutal<\/b>. <\/div><div>And, in a fact they never actually ever found out who Jack the Ripper was.\r\n<br>I think, uh, the name Jack the Ripper comes from one of the, the notes that the, the guy sent to the police.\r\n<br>Cause he used to <b>taunt <\/b>the police as well, about the fact that they couldn\u2019t find him, you know, and they didn\u2019t know who he was. <\/div><div>So it was all very, strange and, and frightening.\r\n<\/div><div><br><\/div><div>Why people are still interested in it.\r\n<br>I suppose i- it\u2019s what\u2019s, one of the first, I suppose, crimes of the <b>imagination <\/b>in some ways.\r\n<br>Cause i- it wasn\u2019t_ most murders, let\u2019s be honest are about people who get angry with, uh, uh, the_ and in a moment of hatred or whatever, lash out and accidentally kill someone. <\/div><div>But this was sort of so <b>deliberate <\/b>and so, tied up with mur- uh, the <b>imagination<\/b>.\r\n<br>And it was the first time.\r\n<br>Or what people call a serial killer.\r\n<br>So we\u2019ve had all these movies about serial killers and all the rest, and i guess Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer.\r\n<br>Maybe there were others.\r\n<br>But the first of that kind of strange, <b>intense <\/b>crazy killer, if you like.\r\n<br>That has become... more known now.\r\n<br>And people make films about them, and obviously these pe- people exist.\r\n<br>So there there\u2019s continual interest from that.\r\n<br>With the_ because they never found out who, who the murderer was.\r\n<br>Uh, there have been lots of people that have come up with, theories about who he might be.\r\n<br>There have been loads and loads of books speculating about this.\r\n<br>Our particular book <b>speculated <\/b>that it was, um, actually was an artist, a very famous artist in this, country, or_ who was involved with it called Sickert, Walter Richard Sickert. <\/div><div>The_ who's, who was, um, one, one of the most famous of British artists of, of the time.\r\n<br>That obviously didn\u2019t go down very well with the, the Sickert family.\r\n<br>But Sickert\u2019s pictures are_ do depict all sorts of strange incidents and murders and cut up bodies and low_ what they call low life, I suppose.\r\nStreet life and stuff like that.\r\n<br>And there have been theories that it was, members of the royal family trying to sort of hush up, um, some sort of, maybe illegitimate children or marriages that they shouldn\u2019t have had or, or whatever. <\/div><div>Uh, there have been, supposedly doctors have done it.\r\n<br>And say artists.\r\nPerhaps Free Masons have been accused.\r\n<br>But i_ uh, there\u2019s very few people who haven\u2019t been accused of being Jack the Ripper. <\/div><div>It\u2019s something that can_ grips the British imagination and, uh, um, perhaps people around the world.\r\n<br>And I guess it\u2019s gonna grip our imagination for an awful lot longer to come.\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3587","question":"[1754,1755,1756,1757]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>mystery <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u026ast\u0259ri\/ noun<br>[countable] something that is difficult to understand or to explain<\/p><hr><p><b>approach <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8pr\u0259\u028at\u0283\/ verb<br>[transitive] to speak to somebody about something, especially to ask them for something or to offer to do something<\/p><hr><p><b>coincidentally <\/b>\/k\u0259\u028a\u02cc\u026ans\u026a\u02c8dent\u0259li\/ adverb<br>in a way that is not planned, but happens by chance<\/p><hr><p><b>clue <\/b>\/klu\u02d0\/ noun<br>an object, a piece of evidence or some information that helps the police solve a crime<\/p><hr><p><b>horrendous <\/b>\/h\u0259\u02c8rend\u0259s\/ adjective<br>\u200bterrible or extremely unpleasant <\/p><hr><p><b>deprived <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8pra\u026avd\/ adjective<br>without enough food, education, and all the things that are necessary for people to live a happy and comfortable life<\/p><hr><p><b>brutal <\/b>\/\u02c8bru\u02d0tl\/ adjective<br>violent and cruel<\/p><hr><p><b>taunt <\/b>\/t\u0254\u02d0nt\/ verb<br>to try to make somebody angry or upset by saying unkind things about them, laughing at their failures, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>imagination <\/b>\/\u026a\u02ccm\u00e6d\u0292\u026a\u02c8ne\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] (approving) the ability to have new and exciting ideas<br><\/p><hr><p><b>deliberate <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8l\u026ab\u0259r\u0259t\/ adjective<br>done on purpose rather than by accident<\/p><hr><p><b>intense <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8tens\/ adjective<br>very great; very strong<\/p><hr><p><b>speculate <\/b>\/\u02c8spekjule\u026at\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] to form an opinion about something without knowing all the details or facts<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 176\",\"Length: 4:18\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-04-15T20:33:55.000000Z","liked":1038,"question_link":null,"duration":258,"size":7233873,"video":0,"video_id":"mCuaJaf4BWw","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1754,"question":"How is the speaker's dream similar to a book he published?","answers":"[\"Both involve the paintings of Victorian artists.\",\"Both are about using photographs to answer questions.\",\"Both are about following clues to identify a murderer.\",\"Both involve mysteries that remain unsolved.\"]","correct":"Both are about following clues to identify a murderer."},{"id":1755,"question":"According to the speaker, why are the murders of Jack the Ripper so famous?","answers":"[\"They involved well-known women.\",\"They occurred consistently for years.\",\"They were unusually brutal.\",\"They were committed all over the world.\"]","correct":"They were unusually brutal."},{"id":1756,"question":"Why does the speaker mention Walter Sickert?","answers":"[\"He made famous paintings of Jack the Ripper.\",\"He was accused of being Jack the Ripper in a book.\",\"He was a victim of Jack the Ripper.\",\"He suspected many people of being Jack the Ripper.\"]","correct":"He was accused of being Jack the Ripper in a book."},{"id":1757,"question":"What is the purpose of the talk?","answers":"[\"To provide information about a killer's motives\",\"To explain the outcome of a murder investigation\",\"To describe society's fascination with a serial killer\",\"To theorize about an unsolved murder case\"]","correct":"To describe society's fascination with a serial killer"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":373,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1664,"title":"Buying a ring","audio":"L143P3.mp3","dialog":" \r\n \r\n A: \"What a beautiful watch. It goes very well with your ring.\"<br>B: \"Thank you.\"<br>A: \"Is that your wedding ring?\"<br>B: \"I'm not married yet. It's my <b>engagement <\/b>ring.\"<br>A: \"Well, congratulations. When is the big date?\"<br>B: \"In June.\"<br>A: \"Did you have the watch before getting the ring?\"<br>B: \"Actually, we bought the ring together after I got the watch.\"<br>A: \"You did a <b>fabulous <\/b>job with the <b>selection<\/b>. It's <b>gorgeous<\/b>.\"<br>B: \"Thank you so much.\"<br>A: \"What kind of watch is it?\"<br>B: \"It's a Tag Heuer.\"<br>A: \"If you don't mind me asking, how much do they cost?\"<br>B: \"This one is $1500. But they range from $600 to $3000.\"<br>A: \"That's why it looks so nice. I should have figured. You always get what you pay for.\"<br>B: \"Yeah. I would rather get one nice watch instead of 20 <b>mediocre <\/b>ones.\"<br>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.talkenglish.com\/listening\/lessonlisten.aspx?ALID=224","question":"[4733,4734,4735,4736]","vocabulary":" <p><b>engagement <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8\u0261e\u026ad\u0292m\u0259nt\/ noun<br>[countable] an agreement to marry somebody; the period during which two people are engaged<\/p><hr><p><b>fabulous <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6bj\u0259l\u0259s\/ adjective<br>(informal) extremely good<\/p><hr><p><b>selection <\/b>\/s\u026a\u02c8lek\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the process of choosing somebody\/something from a group of people or things, usually according to a system<\/p><hr><p><b>gorgeous <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0261\u0254\u02d0d\u0292\u0259s\/ adjective<br>(informal) very beautiful and attractive; giving great pleasure <\/p><hr><p><b>mediocre <\/b>\/\u02ccmi\u02d0di\u02c8\u0259\u028ak\u0259r\/ adjective<br>not very good; of only average standard<br><\/p>","note":null,"downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-04-17T15:40:18.000000Z","liked":696,"question_link":null,"duration":46,"size":742294,"video":0,"video_id":"CsJtF4yWQUQ","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":4733,"question":"1. \u00a0What type of ring are they talking about?","answers":"[\"A wedding ring\",\"A couples ring\",\"An engagement ring\",\"A lucky ring\"]","correct":"An engagement ring"},{"id":4734,"question":"2. \u00a0When does this person plan on getting married?","answers":"[\"In March\",\"In June\",\"In July\",\"In September\"]","correct":"In June"},{"id":4735,"question":"3. \u00a0What kind of watch are they talking about?","answers":"[\"A Rolex\",\"A Timex\",\"A Tag Heuer\",\"A Cartier\"]","correct":"A Tag Heuer"},{"id":4736,"question":"4. \u00a0How much was the watch?","answers":"[\"$600\",\"$1500\",\"$2500\",\"$3000\"]","correct":"$1500"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1664,"ordering":1000}},{"id":386,"title":"New York and Mammoth Lakes","audio":"036-01.mp3","dialog":"\r\n <p>\r\n Hi. Uh, my name's Bill. <br>I'm fifty years old, and I live in Mammoth Lakes, California. <br>And right now it's snowing. <br>And, when I look outside and see where I live I, have a <b>tendency <\/b>to, uh, think about where I've come from. <br>And, at one point of my life I was in the <b>corporate <\/b>world. <br>And I lived in New York City. <br>And, uh, if you haven't been there, it's an interesting place. <br>Uh, you might want to go some time. <br>But be careful uh, when I was living there, which was uh, back in the early eighties, I um, asked a beautiful woman out. <br>Her name was Alison. <br>And it was my first and last date with Alison. <br>And uh, you might be asking why. <br>Well, we ha_ went out to dinner. <br>And then after dinner we decided to go to the Upper East Side, and uh, go out and go dancing, have a few drinks, and get to know each other. <br>And then we got in a <b>cab<\/b>, and we were at the <b>intersection <\/b>of like Second, and Lexington. <br>And we got hit from behind by another car. <br>It knocked us both out of the back seat. <br>And I immediately, uh, got out of the cab. <br>And, when I stood up and looked back at the car that hit us, a man walked up, uh, put a gun to my <b>temple<\/b>, I will never forget this. <br>He had a pink <b>washcloth <\/b>over the gun. <br>And he said, \"if you move, I'll blow your head off.\" <br>so I said, \"okay. What do you want me to do.\" <br>And he got_ he put me back in the cab, and they <b>grabbed <\/b>the cab driver, put him in their car, and they <b>kidnapped <\/b>us. <br>And uh, two people got in the front. <br>And they, uh, they said, \"give us your money.\" <br>And, uh, we gave them everything we had, except I had a hidden pocket where I had a few extra bucks and I didn't give them that. <br>And they took us up, Manhattan, and then back down, [throat clear] pardon me, FDR Drive. <br>And basically, left us off, where they <b>kidnapped <\/b>us. <br>But, in the process of going up Manhattan, uptown to the East Side, they ran every light. <br>And there was no way I could grab Alison, and <b>bail out <\/b>of the car. <br>So, after they left us off. <br>We, uh, all got together, Alison, myself, and the cab driver, and went to the police station. <br>And, uh, made positive i-ds. <br>And then we went to an Irish bar, and got drunk 'til seven AM and, uh, you know, a few days had passed, and I say, \"Hey Alison, you want to go out again.\"<br>And she said, \"no way McBride. Uh, you didn't save me.\" <br>And so I, you know, we kind of laugh about that, but uh, um, it was a scary time, and, um, and that's the thing about Manhattan is you have to be careful. <\/p><p>So in any event, I um, i_ I'm living in Mammoth Lakes now, where I was in the corporate world before, I now have my own little uh, business. <br>And where I had short hair before, and was a bit <b>pudgy<\/b>, I now have long hair, and my friends <b>tease <\/b>me that I look like Yanni [popular musician]. <br>And I'm in good shape, because I like to ski and climb and run. <br>And uh, and that's one thing about living in the, Mammoth Lakes area. <br>Is that you can do, uh, physical activities year-round. <br>You know, sometimes you have to deal with the environment, but, uh, if you're willing to, you know, go out there and try, you're gonna have a good time. <br>Uh, the things I like to do, uh, include trail running, uh, nordic skiing, which is skate-skiing, and then the classic style. <br>I also like back country. <br>And I have a bunch of friends, and particularly during the spring, when the weather is nice, we'll go into the back country, and pick a line, and, um, traverse back and forth up a mountain, and ski down a gully, or a face. <br>And it's a lot of fun. <br>And, uh, we've never had any problems with <b>avalanches<\/b>. <br>And, um, it's, uh, it's always a pleasure to go up there, and take a look at how beautiful the area is, and be grateful for where we live. <br>Uh, this morning for example, with the snow coming down. <br>I took my dog into the back country. <br>And it was just us. <br>And we were able to ski through the trees with two feet of <b>powder<\/b>, and, uh, we just had a <b>blast<\/b>. <br>It's kind of fun watching him play, because he really enjoys the snow. <br>So, uh, as I'm moving forward in my life. <br>I, uh, I'm very grateful to be where I am. <br>And, um, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. <br><br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3857","question":"[1819,1820,1821,1822]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>tendency <\/b>\/\u02c8tend\u0259nsi\/ noun<br>[countable] if somebody\/something has a particular tendency, they are likely to behave or act in a particular way<\/p><hr><p><b>corporate <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0254\u02d0rp\u0259r\u0259t\/ adjective<br>of or shared by a whole group and not just of a single member<\/p><hr><p><b>cab <\/b>\/k\u00e6b\/ noun<br> a taxi<\/p><hr><p><b>intersection <\/b>\/\u02c8\u026ant\u0259rsek\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable] (North American English or formal, British English) a place where two or more roads, lines, etc. meet or cross each other<\/p><hr><p><b>temple <\/b>\/\u02c8templ\/ noun<br>each of the flat parts at the sides of the head, at the same level as the eyes and higher<\/p><hr><p><b>washcloth <\/b>\/\u02c8w\u0251\u02d0\u0283kl\u0254\u02d0\u03b8\/ noun<br> a small piece of cloth used for washing yourself<\/p><hr><p><b>grab <\/b>\/\u0261r\u00e6b\/ verb<br> [transitive, intransitive] to take or hold somebody\/something with your hand suddenly or roughly<\/p><hr><p><b>kidnap <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u026adn\u00e6p\/ verb<br><b>kidnap somebody<\/b> to take somebody away illegally and keep them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or something else for returning them<\/p><hr><p><b>bail out<\/b> phrasal verb<br>to escape from a situation that you no longer want to be involved in<br> \u200bto jump out of a plane that is going to crash<\/p><hr><p><b>pudgy <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u028cd\u0292i\/ adjective<br>slightly fat<\/p><hr><p><b>tease <\/b>\/ti\u02d0z\/ verb<br>\u200b[intransitive, transitive] to laugh at somebody and make jokes about them, either in a friendly way or in order to annoy them or make them embarrassed<\/p><hr><p><b>avalanche <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6v\u0259l\u00e6nt\u0283\/ noun<br> \u200ba mass of snow, ice and rock that falls down the side of a mountain<\/p><hr><p><b>powder <\/b>\/\u02c8pa\u028ad\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>[uncountable] a very fine, soft, dry substance that you can put on your face to make it look smooth and dry<\/p><hr><p><b>blast <\/b>\/bl\u0251\u02d0st\/ noun<br>[singular] (informal) a very happy experience that is a lot of fun<br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 195\",\"Length: 4:14\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-04-17T22:44:00.000000Z","liked":677,"question_link":null,"duration":254,"size":7116845,"video":0,"video_id":"b4KqRl8nuik","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1819,"question":"What experience does the man describe in New York?","answers":"[\"Going out late at night with two friends\",\"Working as a businessman\",\"Being a cab driver\",\"A date that turned into a dangerous situation\"]","correct":"A date that turned into a dangerous situation"},{"id":1820,"question":"How has the speaker's life changed since he moved to the Mammoth Lakes area?","answers":"[\"He has a better boss.\",\"He spends more time indoors.\",\"He is healthier.\",\"He has more friends.\"]","correct":"He is healthier."},{"id":1821,"question":"What does the speaker enjoy all year in the Mammoth Lakes area?","answers":"[\"Working\",\"Outdoor activities\",\"Sports competitions\",\"Dating\"]","correct":"Outdoor activities"},{"id":1822,"question":"What is the purpose of this talk?","answers":"[\"To describe an athletic event\",\"To teach environmental awareness\",\"To discuss a life transition\",\"To provide safety recommendations\"]","correct":"To discuss a life transition"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":386,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1558,"title":"Shopping Peeves","audio":"853-Reb-Peeves32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Todd: <\/strong>So, Rebecca, we're talking about shopping. Is there anything you don't like about shopping? <p><strong>Rebecca: <\/strong>Yes, I don't like shopping when they're crowds of people. Usually when the sales are on, it can be a good time to shop because there's sales but it also <span class=\"audionotes\">draws a lot people<\/span> and everybody's pushing and trying to get the clothes they want that are on special. Yeah, I don't like that.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> Right. Right. Actually, the thing I really don't like about shopping is having - or clothes shopping - is having to try on clothes. You know, like, you go and you find your size and then you put it on and then it doesn't fit, then you have to try it on again and it's just, <span class=\"audionotes\">it takes forever<\/span>. And you look at the numbers and it's so hard to find the number that fits you.<\/p> <p><strong>Rebecca:<\/strong> Yeah, it seems every year the numbers are changing sizes. You wear a size ten and then the next year it's not that size so. Yeah. That can be a real problem, too.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd: <\/strong><span class=\"audionotes\">It drives me nuts<\/span>. Now in Australia, when you go shopping in the store, do you normally get a lot of personal customer service?<\/p> <p><strong>Rebecca:<\/strong> Yes. Yes. They tend to come up to you as soon as you come into the store, and if you say you're browsing then <span class=\"audionotes\">they leave you alone<\/span> but it can be really good, the shops I shop at. They do help you with the fitting sizes and when you're in the change rooms, you can just say, \"No, I need a new size\" and they will go and get it for you, <\/p> <p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>Yeah, in the States I think the service is really good as well, but what's really annoying is that now they always want to have you join some club or some membership.<\/p> <p><strong>Rebecca:<\/strong> <span class=\"audionotes\">The points cards<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> Yeah, so you just want to buy your shirt and they ask you, \"Would you like a credit card?\" or \"Would you like a discount card or membership?\" <span class=\"style6\">I can't stand it<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Rebecca: <\/strong>Yeah, I know. I think I have so many cards in my wallet, and they're like, \"Oh, are you a member?\" and I pull out all my cards and I'm not a member so they <span class=\"audionotes\">join me up<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> Right. Right. Usually these days I just say no, but it's just so annoying.<\/p> <p><strong>Rebecca: <\/strong>Yeah, it can be. Yes.<\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T853-Reb-Peeves.htm","question":"[3633,3634,3635,3636]","vocabulary":"<div><b>draws a lot of people<\/b><\/div><ul><li>It also draws a lot of people.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>An event that 'draws a lot of people' makes many people want to go there. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>The annual sale always draws a lot of people.<\/li><li>The concert drew a lot of people.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>it takes forever<\/b><\/div><ul><li>It takes forever to try clothes on.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>'It takes forever' is an idiomatic expression we use to talk about something that takes a long time. How long depends on the situation, and we often use it in a way that's not serious. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>It takes forever for me to decide.<\/li><li>It takes my girlfriend forever to put on make up.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>It drives me nuts<\/b><\/div><ul><li>It drives me nuts when sizes change from year to year.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>We use the phrase 'it drives me nuts' to talk about something we hate when it happens. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>It drives me nuts when people are late.<\/li><li>It just drives me nuts when people chat in the library.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>they leave you alone<\/b><\/div><ul><li>If you say you're browsing then they leave you alone.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>When people 'leave you alone,' that means they do not speak to or contact you in any way. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>If you ignore them, they will leave you alone.<\/li><li>I wish they would leave me alone.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>The points cards<\/b><\/div><ul><li>Sign up for points cards.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>Each time a customer buys something, points are added to a customer's 'point card' that can later be exchanged for discounts. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>Do you have a point card?<\/li><li>I forgot my point card.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>join me up<\/b><\/div><ul><li>So they join me up.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>We say 'join me up' when we agree to sign up for a plan or promotion. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>That sounds great. Join me up!<\/li><li>That's not enough to join me up.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Australia, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-04-22T18:54:26.000000Z","liked":542,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T853-Reb-Peeves.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0851Q\/T853.js","duration":137,"size":2739767,"video":0,"video_id":"2Bj4sPn4JGY","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3633,"question":"1) What does Rebecca dislike about shopping?","answers":"[\"Pushy salespeople\",\"The crowds\",\"The lack of sales\"]","correct":"The crowds"},{"id":3634,"question":"2) What does Todd dislike?","answers":"[\"Trying on clothes\",\"Hidden prices\",\"Limited selection\"]","correct":"Trying on clothes"},{"id":3635,"question":"3) How is customer service in Australia?","answers":"[\"Very good\",\"Just OK\",\"Really bad\"]","correct":"Very good"},{"id":3636,"question":"4) What do they find annoying?","answers":"[\"Using credit cards\",\"Chatty salespeople\",\"Store promotions\"]","correct":"Store promotions"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1558,"ordering":47}},{"id":1593,"title":"Thai Tsunami","audio":"913-Tarta-Disaster32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <strong>Todd:<\/strong> Hello, can you introduce yourself please?<p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> Yes. My name is Tarta, I am from Thailand. I live in the southern part, in the east coast.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> So Tarta, you were in Thailand when you had the \"tsunami\"?<\/p> <p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> Yes, I was right back from my Laos trip with my family on the way, because we drive car. We go by car to Laos and then on the way back, then we drive back on to the Seven. Then we saw on the news on television that like the \"tsunami\" hit on the west coast and first we thought like we watching the documentary, that it is somewhere else, not in Thailand but then suddenly it is getting more serious and then ... it's a really sad story ... and 26 it happened and 27, because living not really far away from Phuket and also I really want to go and help them. But then my Dad <span class=\"audionotes\">didn't allow me<\/span> because they say the 27 it gonna have the aftershock, so we wait until the 28th. And then my uncle, my Dad's friend, he have a small company and he really want to help so brought two vans, with one van full of food, like lunchbox for maybe 300 packs, and then lots of necessary stuff like the medicines or water and all those kinds of stuff. So we drove to Phuket and then tried to, you know, <span class=\"audionotes\">distribute<\/span> all the food as much as we can, even though we have no idea where we are. actually that time there were not many <span class=\"audionotes\">volunteers<\/span> still, so we were following ... follow with the other radio staff, local radio staff who really want to help as well. So we went up into the hills, where the people move up because they are afraid of the \"<span class=\"audionotes\">aftershock<\/span>\". So we went there and then there were, like, our villagers around 210 people who were waiting for food because they ... they were living there without any food or water for two days already. So we went there, like, try to <span class=\"audionotes\">provide<\/span> as much as we can, like all the food that we had and then it was very sad because what you see, it's like nothing from T.V. you know.<\/p> \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T913-Tarta-Disaster.htm","question":"[3324,3325,3326,3327,3328]","vocabulary":"\r\n <div class=\"text_box\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p class=\"items\"><b>allow<\/b><\/p><ul><li>My dad didn't allow me to go.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we are not allowed to do something that means it's not\r\n OK. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>She is not allowed to use the computer.<\/li><li>You are not allowed to smoke inside.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>distribute<\/b><\/p><ul><li>We tried to distribute all the food.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>To distribute something means to give it to many people. <br>Note\r\n the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>The government wants to distribute income more equally.<\/li><li>The teacher distributed pencils before the test.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>volunteers<\/b><\/p><ul><li>There were not many volunteers.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we volunteer that means we work to help people for no\r\n money. \r\n <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>The house was built by volunteers.<\/li><li>My friends are volunteers at the local animal clinic.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>aftershocks<\/b><\/p><ul><li>They are afraid of the aftershocks.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>Sometimes the ground continues to shake after an earthquake. \r\n What we feel are aftershocks. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>There were several aftershocks after the earthquake.<\/li><li>The buildings were further damaged by the aftershocks.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>provide<\/b><\/p><ul><li>We went there to provide as much as\r\n we could.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we provide something that means that we give someone what they\r\n need. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>All employees are provided with healthcare.<\/li><li>Students are not provided with a computer. They must buy one.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Thailand, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-05-02T00:52:00.000000Z","liked":799,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T913-Tarta-Disaster.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0901Q\/Q913.js","duration":155,"size":6206738,"video":0,"video_id":"ThMoCL7K7wc","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3324,"question":"1) Where was she during the tsunami?","answers":"[\"flying home\",\"driving home\",\"staying at home\"]","correct":"driving home"},{"id":3325,"question":"2) When did she get to the hit areas? ","answers":"[\"Dec 26th\",\"Dec 27th\",\"Dec 28th\"]","correct":"Dec 28th"},{"id":3326,"question":"3) What did her uncle do?","answers":"[\"Provide food\",\"Provide supplies\",\"Both of these\"]","correct":"Both of these"},{"id":3327,"question":"4) Who did they follow?","answers":"[\"TV staff\",\"Radio staff\",\"The police\"]","correct":"Radio staff"},{"id":3328,"question":"5) How does she describe the situation?","answers":"[\"Not as bad as she expected\",\"Just as television reported\",\"Worse than what was on TV\"]","correct":"Worse than what was on TV"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1593,"ordering":14}},{"id":250,"title":"The Gift Fairy","audio":"020-06.mp3","dialog":"\r\n <p>\r\n \r\n This story is an example of what, um, is sometimes called an <b>urban myth<\/b>.\r\n<br>Which means it's a, it's a current story.\r\n<br>It is a, it is a story that is being composed today.\r\n<br>It doesn\u2019t always sit easy with <b>traditionalists<\/b>, but they are good.\r\n<br>And it is called the Gift Fairy.\r\n<br><\/p><p>Marge, now she had led a good life.\r\n<br>She always fed the birds.\r\n<br>She voted Tory, and she visited her son once a week.\r\nIt was quite a nice <b>jail<\/b>.\r\n<br>She always had been kind to her cat and to her late husband, God rest his <b>soul<\/b>.\r\n<br>She had been <b>faithful <\/b>to him, except with the plumber... and the coal man.\r\n<br>In fact, Marge was your average salt of the earth <b>senior citizen<\/b>.\r\n<br>So of course her name went with all the other salt of the earth <b>senior citizens<\/b>, into the draw for the annual Christmas fairy wishes.\r\n<br>And surprise, surprise... her name came up on the fairyland computer.\r\nMarge.\r\n<br>So there was Marge on Christmas Eve sitting with her cat, in front of her single bar electric fire in a <b>council flat<\/b>.\r\n<br>When poof, a flash of light and a puff of smoke.\r\n<br>'Bloody smoke,' said the fairy.\r\n<br>Waving it from her eyes as she stepped out of it.\r\n<br>Now, she was a fairy passed her <b>prime<\/b>.\r\n<br>Both she and her silver tights, had seen better days.\r\n<br>'Who are you.\r\n' said Marge.\r\n<br>'Well who do you think I am.\r\nI am the bloody Christmas Fairy, aren\u2019t I.\r\nCome to give you your two wishes.\r\n'<br>'Two.\r\n' said Marge, 'I thought wishes came in threes.\r\n'<br>'Not under this bloody government they don\u2019t.\r\nThink yourself lucky you got two <b>dearie<\/b>.\r\nNow can we get on with it.\r\nI have a date with a <b>gnome<\/b>.\r\nAnd <b>gnomes <\/b>don\u2019t like being kept waiting.\r\n'<br>'Well,' pondered Marge.\r\n<br>'Oh yes nearly forgot, no cash prizes.\r\n' Said the fairy.\r\n'Not since the lottery.\r\n' <br>And she stood tapping her wand impatiently against her laddered tights.\r\n<br>'Well.\r\n' Said Marge, <b>brow <\/b>wrinkled in thought.\r\n<br>And she brightened suddenly.\r\n<br>'You know what I'd really like.\r\n'<br>'That is what I am here to find out, <b>dearie<\/b>.\r\n'<br>'Well what I'd really like, is to be young and beautiful again.\r\n'<br>'Wouldn\u2019t we all.\r\n' Said the fairy.\r\n<br>'You know,' said Marge, 'like those girls on Bay something.\r\nBaywatch that is it.\r\nLike one of those girls on Baywatch.\r\n'<br>'Ooh dearie, I am not sure we can manage that,' said the fairy, eyeing Marge with some <b>doubt<\/b>.\r\n<br>And she took her mobile phone from the waistband of her tights and dialed a number.\r\n<br>'Listen, I got this old boiler down here who wants to be another Pamela Anderson, can we do that.\r\nWe can only do it for a year.\r\n' <br>She turned to Marge.\r\n<br>'They can only do it for a year, <b>dearie<\/b>.\r\n' she said.\r\n<br>Marge shrugged.\r\n'Well that's better than nothing.\r\n'<br>'She\u2019ll go for it.\r\n' <br>The fairy told her mobile phone and then stuck it back in the waistband of her tights.\r\n<br>'Right, hang on.\r\n' She said.\r\nWaved the wand.\r\n<br>Poof, flash of light, puff of smoke.\r\n<br>'Bloody smoke,' muttered the fairy.\r\n<br>And when she had waved it away, there in the chair sat not the saggy, baggy wrinkled Marge.\r\n<br>But the most <b>gorgeous <\/b>Marge imaginable.\r\n<br>The Marge who <b>leapt <\/b>to her feet like she hadn\u2019t <b>leapt <\/b>for forty years to admire her fabulous self in the mirror.\r\n<br>'Is that all me.\r\n' She said.\r\n<br>'No dear, some of it's <b>cellulite<\/b>.\r\n' said the fairy.<br>\r\nNot a little jealous of this transformation.\r\n<br>'Now can we have your second wish.\r\n' she said.\r\n<br>Well Marge didn\u2019t know what else she could wish for.\r\n<br>And at that very moment her eyes lit on her old tom cat.\r\n<br>Now that cat had been her only <b>companion <\/b>for ten long years.\r\n<br>She had loved that cat more than anything else.\r\n<br>She turned to the fairy and simpered, 'could you, could you turn my cat here into, into a handsome young man.\r\nA sort of.... prince.\r\n'<br>'Oh, princes are easy.\r\n' said the fairy.\r\n<br>'We do princes all the time.\r\nStand back.\r\n' <br>The fairy screwed her eyes up tight and waved her wand towards the cat.\r\n<br>Poof.\r\nFlash of light, puff of smoke.\r\n<br>'Bloody smoke.\r\n' said the fairy.\r\n<br>And there, instead of a cat, stood this really <b>hunky <\/b>young prince beaming at Marge.\r\n<br>With his bright eyes and perfect teeth.\r\n<br>Marge gave a gasp.\r\n<br>'Thomas.\r\n' She cried.\r\n<br>'That's me,' said the cat.\r\n<br>Marge flung her arms about the young man\u2019s neck and planted a kiss upon his mouth.\r\n<br>And they stood there hugging.<br>\r\n'Hmmph, I'm off,' muttered the fairy.\r\n<br>'Some people just can\u2019t wait, can they.\r\n' <br>Poof.\r\nWith just an echo of 'bloody smoke' she was gone.\r\n<br>Leaving Marge, in the arms, of a handsome young prince.\r\n<br>Now he was obviously a bit of a poet.\r\n<br>Probably goes with the job.\r\n<br>But he held the luscious Marge and nibbled her ear, he whispered softly into it, 'thank you for making a man of me.\r\nAre you ready for the bedroom I can see.\r\nBut I think my dear you are about to regret.\r\nThe day you took me to see the <b>vet<\/b>.'\r\n \r\n <\/p>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3556","question":"[1130,1131,1132,1133,1134,1135,1136]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>urban <\/b>\/\u02c8\u025c\u02d0b\u0259n\/ adjective<br>[usually before noun] connected with a town or city<\/p><hr><p><b>myth <\/b>\/m\u026a\u03b8\/ noun<br>something that many people believe but that does not exist or is false<\/p><hr><p><b>traditionalist <\/b>\/tr\u0259\u02c8d\u026a\u0283\u0259n\u0259l\u026ast\/ noun<br>a person who prefers tradition to modern ideas or ways of doing things<\/p><hr><p><b>jail <\/b>\/d\u0292e\u026al\/ noun<br>(also British English, old-fashioned gaol)<br>[uncountable, countable] \u200ba prison<\/p><hr><p><b>soul <\/b>\/s\u0259\u028al\/ noun<br>[countable] the spiritual part of a person, believed to exist after death<\/p><hr><p><b>faithful <\/b>\/\u02c8fe\u026a\u03b8fl\/ adjective<br>\u200bstaying with or supporting a particular person<br>true and accurate; not changing anything<\/p><hr><p><b>plumber <\/b>\/\u02c8pl\u028cm\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>a person whose job is to fit and repair things such as water pipes, toilets, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>senior citizen<\/b> \/\u02ccsi\u02d0ni\u0259 \u02c8s\u026at\u026azn\/ noun<br>an older person, especially somebody who has retired from work. People often call somebody a \u2018senior citizen\u2019 to avoid saying that they are old or using the expression \u2018old-age pensioner\u2019.<\/p><hr><p><b>council flat<\/b> \/\u02c8ka\u028ansl fl\u00e6t\/ noun<br>a flat rented from the local council (a group of people who are elected to govern an area such as a city or county)<\/p><hr><p><b>prime <\/b>\/pra\u026am\/ noun<br>\u200b[singular] the time in your life when you are strongest or most successful<\/p><hr><p><b>dearie <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u026a\u0259ri\/ noun<br>(British English, old-fashioned, informal)<br>used to address somebody in a friendly way<\/p><hr><p><b>gnome <\/b>\/n\u0259\u028am\/ noun<br>\u200b(in stories) a creature like a small man with a pointed hat, who lives under the ground and guards gold and treasure<\/p><hr><p><b>brow <\/b>\/bra\u028a\/ noun<br>\u200b(literary) the part of the face above the eyes and below the hair<\/p><hr><p><b>doubt <\/b>\/da\u028at\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] \u200ba feeling of being uncertain about something or not believing something<\/p><hr><p><b>gorgeous <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0261\u0254\u02d0d\u0292\u0259s\/ adjective<br>(informal) very beautiful and attractive; giving great pleasure <\/p><hr><p><b>leap <\/b>\/li\u02d0p\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] to jump high or a long way<\/p><hr><p><b>cellulite <\/b>\/\u02c8seljula\u026at\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200ba type of fat that some people get below their skin, which stops the surface of the skin looking smooth<\/p><hr><p><b>transformation <\/b>\/\u02cctr\u00e6nsf\u0259\u02c8me\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] a complete change in somebody\/something<\/p><hr><p><b>companion <\/b>\/k\u0259m\u02c8p\u00e6nj\u0259n\/ noun<br>a person or an animal that travels with you or spends a lot of time with you<\/p><hr><p><b>hunky <\/b>\/\u02c8h\u028c\u014bki\/ adjective<br>\u200b(of a man) big, strong and sexually attractive<\/p><hr><p><b>vet <\/b>\/vet\/ noun<br>a person who has been trained in the science of animal medicine, whose job is to treat animals who are sick or injured<br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 141\",\"Length: 6:3\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-02T06:22:43.000000Z","liked":948,"question_link":null,"duration":363,"size":10165439,"video":0,"video_id":"2xxc2ahjzy0","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1130,"question":"What is an urban myth?","answers":"[\"A story about the city\",\"A television story\",\"A modern story\",\"A city story from the past\"]","correct":"A modern story"},{"id":1131,"question":"Why did the Gift Fairy only offer Marge two wishes?","answers":"[\"Because the Gift Fairy was selfish\",\"Because she didn't want Marge to be greedy\",\"Because of budget cuts\",\"Because Marge only deserved two wishes\"]","correct":"Because of budget cuts"},{"id":1132,"question":"What was Marge not permitted to wish for?","answers":"[\"Money\",\"Happiness\",\"Love\",\"Health\"]","correct":"Money"},{"id":1133,"question":"What did Marge wish for herself?","answers":"[\"Fame\",\"Skill\",\"Wisdom\",\"Beauty\"]","correct":"Beauty"},{"id":1134,"question":"What did she wish for her cat?","answers":"[\"That he become wealthy\",\"That he become a man\",\"That he could live forever\",\"That he could talk to her\"]","correct":"That he become a man"},{"id":1135,"question":"What did Thomas imply at the end of the story?","answers":"[\"That the veterinarian had taken something of his\",\"That he didn't love Marge\",\"That he wished to be a cat again\",\"That he was not a real man\"]","correct":"That the veterinarian had taken something of his"},{"id":1136,"question":"What is the main purpose of the talk?","answers":"[\"To explain the history of the gift fairy\",\"To show how much people love their pets\",\"To discuss the value of cats in history\",\"To give an example of an urban myth\"]","correct":"To give an example of an urban myth"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":250,"ordering":0}},{"id":245,"title":"The French Legal System","audio":"023-07.mp3","dialog":"<p>\r\n \r\n Um, most of the time the, the <b>approach <\/b>of the people through a <b>legal <\/b>system is through, um, legal movies.\r\n<br>Um, or the so called <b>tribunal <\/b>movies.\r\n<br>Uh, which often pictures, the American system.\r\n<br>Um, and, where you always see someone which_ sometime really poor and having a sort of, <br>'jus de cause' (just cause) and is arriving in front of a <b>tribunal <\/b>with his lawyer <br>and, against, a very big company and makes a lot of money out of it.\r\n<br>Or, people often hear about things happening in the United States where, for <b>ridiculous <\/b>cases, um, some people can get a very, very large amount of <b>damages<\/b>.<br>Millions and millions.\r\n<\/p><p>Well the French system, um, is very different from it.\r\n<br>And, uh, sometimes people in the street in France are <b>misled <\/b>by this <b>representation <\/b>which come from the United States.\r\n<br>The French system first of all does not allow, um, this big, big <b>damages<\/b>.\r\n<br>Of course you can sue a company or, someone who has <b>damaged <\/b>your garden or, whatever.\r\n<br>Um, but the, the <b>damages <\/b>you'll get from it will be, <b>equivalent <\/b>to the loss you've <b>suffered<\/b>.\r\n<br>This includes <b>psychological <\/b>loss.\r\n<br>But, this won't go to millions and millions.\r\n<br>Unless you have <b>suffered <\/b>millions and millions.\r\n<br>But this happens quite rarely.\r\n<br>Um, as a result, we, we don't have the so called <b>punitive <\/b>damages.\r\n<br>Um, also if, if, uh, um, a judgement_ an American judgement allowing <b>punitive <\/b>damages is_ try to be enforced in France.\r\n<br>It won't be enforced in France.\r\nBecause it is, against, um, our French legal order.\r\n<br>Um, the reason is that we <b>distinguish <\/b>between, um, sort of <b>civil <\/b>punishment and, uh, criminal punishment.\r\n<br>And the, the <b>punitive <\/b>damages, um, as a sort of criminal corrector that we cannot accept in, in_ for <b>civil <\/b>damages, for civil punishment.\r\n<br>The other thing, um, is that, in the United States, it is basically possible for someone really poor to, [not] have access to <b>justice <\/b><br>because, they would get, a lot of damages and, and the lawyers will say that, they would only get paid if, um, the client wins.\r\n<br>And now in France this is different.\r\n<br>Um, we don't have, this.\r\n<br>The lawyers have to be paid.\r\n<br>So as a result, it is either paid by the client, or when the client is not rich enough, it is paid by the state.\r\n<br>Um, in the form of legal <b>aid<\/b>.\r\n<br>The perverse effect of this, um, is that, um, althou- although legal <b>aid <\/b>is provided to for very <b>indigent <\/b>persons.\r\n<br>It is also, um, um, difficult.\r\n<br>Because, most of the time lawyers are appointed by the court on a <b>compulsory <\/b>way, in cases where they have nothing to gain from, um, apart from, um, a little money.\r\n<br>Uh, which is basically really less than what they would make in normal cases.\r\n<br>And they cannot also win a percentage of what their client is going to make.\r\n<br>So, basically lawyers are really disinterested, in the cases of, legal <b>aid <\/b>clients.\r\n<br>As a result you will have some people who find themselves into difficult situations.\r\n<br>Um, go to <b>legal aid<\/b> and are not practically helped.\r\n<br>And are left into difficult situations.\r\n<br>The most critical example I heard of, was when a friend of mine who was a student was fighting against her parents and she had, absolutely no means of living.\r\n<br>Um, and her <b>legal aid<\/b> lawyer arrived, too late at the <b>tribunal<\/b>.\r\n<br>As a result, the <b>tribunal<\/b>, um, decided to postpone the case, of two months.\r\n<br>Now this was a big <b>catastrophe <\/b>for my friend because she had, no money.\r\n<br>She had nothing to eat.\r\n<br>And, um, yet, she was, she was, um, <b>desperate<\/b>. <br>And the answer of her lawyer for this was, 'well, you know don't worry.\r\nYou'll eat pastas for the next two months.\r\n' <br>This is the sort of attitudes, um, which I find very shocking in to <b>legal aid<\/b> lawyers.\r\n<br>And, which unfortunately, um, tends to happen in the French system.\r\n \r\n <\/p>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3613","question":"[1106,1107,1108,1109,1110]","vocabulary":"<p><b>approach <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8pr\u0259\u028at\u0283\/ noun<br>[countable] a way of dealing with somebody\/something; a way of doing or thinking about something such as a problem or a task<\/p><hr><p><b>legal <\/b>\/\u02c8li\u02d0\u0261l\/ adjective<br>[only before noun] connected with the law<\/p><hr><p><b>tribunal <\/b>\/tra\u026a\u02c8bju\u02d0nl\/ noun<br>[countable + singular or plural verb] \u200ba type of court with the authority to deal with a particular problem or disagreement<\/p><hr><p><b>ridiculous <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8d\u026akj\u0259l\u0259s\/ adjective<br>very silly or unreasonable<\/p><hr><p><b>damage <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u00e6m\u026ad\u0292\/ noun<br>[uncountable] harmful effects on somebody\/something<\/p><hr><p><b>mislead <\/b>\/\u02ccm\u026as\u02c8li\u02d0d\/ verb<b><br>mislead <\/b>\/\u02ccm\u026as\u02c8li\u02d0d\/ - <b>misled <\/b>\/\u02ccm\u026as\u02c8led\/ - <b>misled <\/b>\/\u02ccm\u026as\u02c8led\/<br>to give somebody the wrong idea or impression and make them believe something that is not true<\/p><hr><p><b>representation <\/b>\/\u02ccrepr\u026azen\u02c8te\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] the act of presenting somebody\/something in a particular way; something that shows or describes something<\/p><hr><p><b>equivalent <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8kw\u026av\u0259l\u0259nt\/ noun<br>\u200ba thing, amount, word, etc. that is equal in value, meaning or purpose to something else<\/p><hr><p><b>suffer <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u028cf\u0259r\/ verb<br> [intransitive] to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sad feelings, a lack of something, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>psychological <\/b>\/\u02ccsa\u026ak\u0259\u02c8l\u0251\u02d0d\u0292\u026akl\/ adjective<br>[usually before noun] connected with a person\u2019s mind and the way in which it works<\/p><hr><p><b>punitive <\/b>\/\u02c8pju\u02d0n\u0259t\u026av\/ adjective<br>intended as punishment<\/p><hr><p><b>distinguish <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8st\u026a\u014b\u0261w\u026a\u0283\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] to recognize the difference between two people or things<\/p><hr><p><b>civil <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u026avl\/ adjective<br>[only before noun] connected with the people who live in a country<\/p><hr><p><b>justice <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u0292\u028cst\u026as\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the fair treatment of people<\/p><hr><p><b>aid <\/b>\/e\u026ad\/ noun<br>help that you need, especially to perform a particular task<\/p><hr><p><b>indigent <\/b>\/\u02c8\u026and\u026ad\u0292\u0259nt\/ adjective<br>\u200bvery poor<\/p><hr><p><b>compulsory <\/b>\/k\u0259m\u02c8p\u028cls\u0259ri\/ adjective<br>that must be done because of a law or a rule<\/p><hr><p><b>legal aid <\/b>\/\u02ccli\u02d0\u0261l \u02c8e\u026ad\/ noun<br>money that is given by the government or another organization to somebody who needs help to pay for legal advice or a lawyer<\/p><hr><p><b>catastrophe <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8t\u00e6str\u0259fi\/ noun<br>a sudden event that causes many people to suffer<\/p><hr><p><b>desperate <\/b>\/\u02c8desp\u0259r\u0259t\/ adjective<br>feeling or showing that you have little hope and are ready to do anything without worrying about danger to yourself or others<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: French\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 141\",\"Length: 4:38\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-08T18:13:51.000000Z","liked":685,"question_link":null,"duration":279,"size":7806582,"video":0,"video_id":"EkZxuyPJ4zI","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1106,"question":"Why do people think they can make a lot of money suing a big company?","answers":"[\"That is how the legal system works in movies.\",\"That is how most civil cases turn out.\",\"That is how the French legal system works.\",\"That is how most criminal cases turn out.\"]","correct":"That is how the legal system works in movies."},{"id":1107,"question":"According to the speaker, what is one difference between civil and criminal punishment in the French legal system?","answers":"[\"Damages in civil cases must be quite small.\",\"Companies can't be tried in criminal cases.\",\"Legal aid is used only in criminal cases.\",\"Civil cases don't allow punitive damages.\"]","correct":"Civil cases don't allow punitive damages."},{"id":1108,"question":"According to the speaker, why are some people in France not served well by legal aid lawyers?","answers":"[\"The judges are biased against those people.\",\"Lawyers make less money from those people.\",\"Punitive damages are smaller for those people.\",\"Those people must attend court without their lawyer.\"]","correct":"Lawyers make less money from those people."},{"id":1109,"question":"What is the reason the speaker told the story about her friend's legal case?","answers":"[\"To show how quickly the French system works\",\"To provide an example of legal aid services\",\"To explain that her friend was not guilty\",\"To prove how fair the French system is\"]","correct":"To provide an example of legal aid services"},{"id":1110,"question":"What is the main idea of the talk?","answers":"[\"How the speaker feels about the French legal system\",\"Why criminal punishment is less common in France\",\"Why the U.S. should adopt the French legal system \",\"How the speaker feels about the U.S. legal system\"]","correct":"How the speaker feels about the French legal system"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":245,"ordering":0}},{"id":1529,"title":"Text Messaging","audio":"882-Jake-Message32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Jake: <\/strong>So, Lyndsay do you like to text message a lot on your cell phone ? <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Yeah, actually, I text message a lot.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> I don't do it so much. Sometimes I prefer to just call someone on the phone if <span class=\"audionotes\">I'm in a hurry<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>Yeah, <span class=\"audionotes\">I go both ways<\/span>. Sometimes I know I don't really want to talk to the person. I just want to ask them one question, so it's so much easier for me just to text them and say, \"Are you going to the party tonight\" for example instead of calling them, because I know if I call them, I'm gonna have to have a long conversation.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yeah, <span class=\"audionotes\">I can see what you mean<\/span>. Well, usually I get off the phone pretty quickly when I call someone. <span class=\"audionotes\">I'm not a big talker<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Yeah, that's true, Jake. You don't talk a lot. But, in general, I like to call people because I think it adds <span class=\"audionotes\">a more personal touch<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> So are you fast at writing the messages with your thumb?<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Well, when I first got a cell phone, which was actually only five years ago, I was so slow, I thought I would never text message, and I always called people, but then people kept text messaging me so I felt obligated to try to learn how to text message, so now, I'm pretty fast actually. What about you?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Actually, I have the opposite problem, where when I first got my cell phone, I thought it was so cool and I had to text message all my friends who had one, and I was pretty fast with my thumb then, but it seems like now I don't use it so much, and I've gotten slower actually.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Yeah, I think the text message actually is sort of has to do with your age, for example, I text message a lot and I know people younger than me, for example people in high school, they text message a lot, but I asked my father if he text messages, and guess what he said?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> What?<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>Well, of course, he said he never text messages. He thinks it's very <span class=\"audionotes\">juevenile<\/span> and unprofessional to text message someone.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yeah, I can see what he means. It's usually associated with young people and considered pretty informal to text message someone.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay:<\/strong> Yeah, it is really informal, I think, because you're just using your thumb and you're trying to write fast. Rarely do you ever write 'dear' or 'from' or use polite language, right?<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yeah, because you're using your thumb, you have to write the messages as short as you possibly can.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay<\/strong>: Right, I mean, it sort of makes sense, when I think that I would never text message someone I didn't know very well. I only text message people I'm good friends with and comfortable with.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Well, it serves it purpose then, doesn't it.<\/p> <p><strong>Lindsay: <\/strong>Yeah, I guess, I mean it is cheaper than calling someone, but, you know, other times it's better to call someone, don't you think.<\/p> <p><strong>Jake:<\/strong> Yeah, definitely.<\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T882-Jake-TextMessage.htm","question":"[3656,3657,3658,3659]","vocabulary":"<div><b>in a hurry<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I call someone if I'm in a hurry.<\/li><\/ul><div>To be 'in a hurry' means to move quickly, usually because we are late. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>I often forget things when I'm in a hurry.<\/li><li>She was in a hurry so she couldn't talk.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>go both ways<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I go both ways.<\/li><\/ul><div>To 'go both ways' means to use two ways to do the same thing. Here, Lindsay SMSs and calls. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>Study in the morning or evening? I go both ways.<\/li><li>I could go both ways on that.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>I see what you mean<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I can see what you mean.<\/li><\/ul><div>'I see what you mean' is the same as saying 'I understand what you mean'. <br><\/div><div> Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>I see what you mean. It is more difficult.<\/li><li>I see what you mean about the new teacher.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>I'm not a big talker<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I'm not a big talker on the phone.<\/li><\/ul><div>Someone who is not a 'big talker' doesn't chat for a long periods of time on the phone. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><div><br><\/div><ol><li>I'm not a big talker so I SMS a lot.<\/li><li>Dad's not a big talker. He doesn't own a mobile.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>a more personal touch<\/b><\/div><ul><li>I call people because it adds a more personal touch.<\/li><\/ul><div>A 'personal touch' is something extra we do to make someone feel special. In this case, it's personal contact, not a text message. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>Emoticons add a more personal touch to e-mails.<\/li><li>How can we add a more personal touch to our website?<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>juvenile<\/b><\/div><ul><li>It's juvenile to text message someone.<\/li><\/ul><div>'Juvenile' means like a child. We often use 'juvenile' to talk about adults who act like children <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><div><br><\/div><ol><li>I think using emoticons in e-mail is juvenile.<\/li><li>My dad says computer games are juvenile.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: US, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-05-10T11:56:51.000000Z","liked":900,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T882-Jake-TextMessage.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0851Q\/T882.js","duration":165,"size":6591260,"video":0,"video_id":"eJQCk7rKhD8","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3656,"question":"1) What does Jake say about the phone?","answers":"[\"He prefers text messaging.\",\"He has a really big bill.\",\"He is not a big talker.\"]","correct":"He is not a big talker."},{"id":3657,"question":"2) Who has gotten faster at texting?","answers":"[\"Jake\",\"Lindsay\",\"Both\"]","correct":"Lindsay"},{"id":3658,"question":"3) Who does Lindsay talk about?","answers":"[\"Her younger brother\",\"Her father\",\"Both\"]","correct":"Her father"},{"id":3659,"question":"4) How do they describe texting?","answers":"[\"Convenient\",\"Informal\",\"Revolutionary\"]","correct":"Informal"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1529,"ordering":42}},{"id":273,"title":"Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome","audio":"028-12.mp3","dialog":"\r\n <p>A good book. <br>I think the best book in the English language is, \"Three Men in a Boat\" by Jerome K. Jerome. <br>I've read it about fifty times, I would think, by now. <br>But I really couldn't be sure. <br>It could be a lot more than that. <br><b>Certainly<\/b>, I've read parts of it more often than that. <br>Because there are <b>particular <\/b>parts of it, that are so funny, ha ha. <br>That, I still laugh allowed when I read them. <br>And I always take it on holiday with me, and, um, I've managed to train my <b>current <\/b>boyfriend to <b>appreciate <\/b>reading aloud. <br>So, we read it aloud on holiday, to each other, whenever we go on holiday. <br>We bring travel books in general, and read them aloud to each other. <br>But that one, is always one of the ones, that comes with us.<br><\/p><p>It was written about a hundred years ago. <br>And, one of the things that the guy in it does, is makes <b>predictions <\/b>about <b>appalling <\/b>Victorian <b>monstrosities<\/b>, <br>that he says, in his most extreme flight of <b>ridiculous fantasy<\/b>, 'they'll probably think i'm marvellous, in ooh twenty eighty-eight.'<br>Whereas actually they were already they were <b>marvellous <\/b>in 1988. <br>It's the most <b>incredibly accessible <\/b>book. <br>The characters in it, are so, modern somehow. <br>They don't seem to have dated, which I <b>suspect <\/b>means that he wrote more sincerely, probably, than most people write ever. <br>Not just that most people wrote of his time. <br>Because, they aren't_ the description of the characters, while they are behaving, within the culture of the time. <br>The characters feel like people you know. <br>And so, his perception of people has gone beyond the cultural filter. <br>So, it's just <b>superb<\/b>.<br><\/p><p>But, as a <b>hilarious <\/b>book that, I would imagine. <br>Twenty-five percent of people in England, today, know, well enough to recognise the name. <br>And possibly even to quote their favourite bit. <br>It's, it's just <b>hilariously <\/b>funny. <br>I was read it by my father first, when I was about nine. <br>And, I remember the whole family just in tears of laughter, first. <br>Long enough that we all had to put the book down and, and recover. <br>And were giggling about it for the rest of the day. <br>I won't quote you the bits. <br>I won't <b>spoil <\/b>it for you, you should go and find it, and read it. <br>It's not too difficult, you can manage.<br><br><\/p><p><br><\/p>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3758","question":"[1253,1254,1255,1256]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>certainly <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u025c\u02d0rtnli\/ adverb<br>without doubt<\/p><hr><p><b>particular<\/b> adjective<br>[only before noun] used to emphasize that you are referring to one individual person, thing or type of thing and not others<br>very definite about what you like<br><\/p><hr><p><b>current <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u025c\u02d0r\u0259nt\/ adjective<br>[only before noun] happening now; of the present time<\/p><hr><p><b>appreciate <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8pri\u02d0\u0283ie\u026at\/ verb<br>[transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) appreciate somebody\/something to recognize the good qualities of somebody\/something<\/p><hr><p><b>prediction <\/b>\/pr\u026a\u02c8d\u026ak\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] \u200ba statement that says what you think will happen; the act of making such a statement<\/p><hr><p><b>appalling <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8p\u0254\u02d0l\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>\u200b(North American English, formal or British English) extremely bad, especially from a moral point of view<\/p><hr><p><b>monstrosity <\/b>\/m\u0251\u02d0n\u02c8str\u0251\u02d0s\u0259ti\/ noun<br>something that is very large and very ugly<\/p><hr><p><b>ridiculous <\/b>\/r\u026a\u02c8d\u026akj\u0259l\u0259s\/ adjective<br>\u200bvery silly or unreasonable<\/p><hr><p><b>fantasy <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6nt\u0259si\/ noun<br>[countable] a pleasant situation that you imagine but that is unlikely to happen<\/p><hr><p><b>marvellous <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u0251\u02d0rv\u0259l\u0259s\/ adjective<br>extremely good; wonderful<\/p><hr><p><b>incredibly <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8kred\u0259bli\/ adverb<br>extremely<\/p><hr><p><b>accessible <\/b>adjective<br>easy to understand<br>that can be reached, entered, used, seen, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>suspect <\/b>\/s\u0259\u02c8spekt\/ verb<br>to feel that something is not completely right, legal or honest, without having any proof; to not trust something<\/p><hr><p><b>superb <\/b>\/su\u02d0\u02c8p\u025c\u02d0rb\/ adjective<br>excellent; of very good quality<\/p><hr><p><b>hilarious <\/b>\/h\u026a\u02c8leri\u0259s\/ adjective<br>extremely funny<\/p><hr><p><b>spoil <\/b>\/sp\u0254\u026al\/ verb<br>[transitive] spoil something to change something good into something bad, unpleasant, etc.<br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 160\",\"Length: 2:29\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-12T11:04:23.000000Z","liked":749,"question_link":null,"duration":150,"size":4197713,"video":0,"video_id":"7h8F7vF_F7o","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1253,"question":"What is the main purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To describe the most famous book in England\",\"To explain the historical importance of a book\",\"To recommend a funny book to read\",\"To critique a recent English book she bought\"]","correct":"To recommend a funny book to read"},{"id":1254,"question":"When does the speaker say the book was written?","answers":"[\"Very recently\",\"In 1988\",\"Before the Victorian era\",\"About one hundred years ago\"]","correct":"About one hundred years ago"},{"id":1255,"question":"What does the speaker mean when she says the author writes 'sincerely'?","answers":"[\"The characters seem like real people she knows.\",\"The author rejects any ridiculous fantasies.\",\"The book is based on historical events.\",\"The author is honest about the book's problems.\"]","correct":"The characters seem like real people she knows."},{"id":1256,"question":"What happened the first time the speaker listened to the book?","answers":"[\"The book was too difficult to follow.\",\"She spent all day listening to the book.\",\"She was punished for giggling at the book.\",\"Her family laughed so hard that they cried.\"]","correct":"Her family laughed so hard that they cried."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":273,"ordering":0}},{"id":1595,"title":"Online Dating","audio":"911-Jeff-Online32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> So, Jeff, you know, I don't know if I want go out to the pub again on Saturday. LIke the music is a little bit too loud. It's hard to meet people and so on. I don't know. I've been thinking, we should do like some online dating. You know, try to meet some women that way.<p><strong>Jeff:<\/strong> What do you mean? We just sit at home and through the computer. Or how do you do that?<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> No, you don't have a date through the computer. That would be awful. But, you know, in the modern world people are <span class=\"audionotes\">rushed<\/span>. They always don't have time to go out and meet people. If you only go to bars, to try to meet people, you're only meeting a small percentage of the population: the people who do like to go out and drink and have fun, and so on. You're <span class=\"audionotes\">cutting yourself off<\/span> from a lot of people.<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>So how does this work, this online dating? Do I have to pay to use this site?<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Oh, there are some sites where you pay and some where you don't. You can put up a profile of yourself, you know, with a picture if you like, or perhaps you would like to stay more <span class=\"audionotes\">anonymous<\/span> and not put your picture up. You can see a lot of basic information about people even before you're ever in contact with them.<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>So, if I'm living in a city, do I look for dates or women only in that city?<\/p> <p><strong>Jonathan:<\/strong> Well, most of them have search critereas. You can choose within say twenty kilometers or a hundred kilometers. Anyway where in the world if you like? You don't always find love <span class=\"audionotes\">just around the corner<\/span>. You might find you have a heck of a lot in common with somebody <span class=\"audionotes\">on the other side of the world<\/span>. But with online dating, people put up some information that they are comfortable sharing, so you can see what somebody does in their free time, what somebody's beliefs are, what somebody is interested in finding, so you may find by doing the search that you meet someone that really matches up with you that you would be interested in contacting without ever going out to the bar, or if you just go out and hit the bar, you may feel a one in a million shot to meet the right person, whereas online, maybe you can search a million people and you find that right one.<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff:<\/strong> Online dating. That sounds great. I'm gonna give it a go.<\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T911-Jeff-Online.htm","question":"[3337,3338,3339,3340]","vocabulary":"<div class=\"text_box\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p class=\"items\"><b>rushed<\/b><\/p><ul><li>In the modern world people are rushed.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we are rushed that means we feel we must do things fast. \r\n <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>I hate to feel rushed when I am eating.<\/li><li>When students are rushed they make more mistakes.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>cut ... off from<\/b><\/p><ul><li>If you never go out, you're cutting\r\n yourself off from a lot of people.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>To be cut off means that we are unable to make contact with\r\n others. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>Living on an island, he was cut off from the mainland.<\/li><li>At night, he goes home and cuts himself off from the rest of the\r\n world.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>anonymous<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Some people like to stay more anonymous.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When we are anonymous that means no one knows our name or has any\r\n information about us. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>We recieved a letter from an anonymous sender.<\/li><li>It is impossible to be anonymous on Facebook.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>just around the corner<\/b><\/p><ul><li>You don't always find love just around the\r\n corner.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>'Just around the corner' is an idiom that means near or coming\r\n soon. <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>There is a great coffee shop just around the corner.<\/li><li>This area is getting really dangerous. A man was just murdered\r\n just around the corner.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>on the other side of<\/b><\/p><ul><li>You might find you have lot in common with people on the other side of the world.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>Here, the word 'other' is similar in meaning to 'opposite'. \r\n <br>Note the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>Prices are cheaper on the other side of town.<\/li><li>If you are a good swimmer you might be able to swim to the other\r\n side of the lake.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Canada, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-05-15T18:25:08.000000Z","liked":785,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T911-Jeff-Online.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0901Q\/Q911.js","duration":142,"size":5666525,"video":0,"video_id":"7_5Y9zwd32M","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3337,"question":"1) What does Jonathan say about bars?","answers":"[\"Few people go to bars\",\"The wrong people go to bars\",\"You are not sober at bars\"]","correct":"Few people go to bars"},{"id":3338,"question":"2) What does Jonathan talk about?","answers":"[\"A woman who helped him\",\"How online dating works\",\"Profiles to avoid\"]","correct":"How online dating works"},{"id":3339,"question":"3) What does Jonathan say about love?","answers":"[\"It is hard to find\",\"It is not always nearby\",\"It is best to date friends\"]","correct":"It is not always nearby"},{"id":3340,"question":"4) What does Jeff think about it?","answers":"[\"He is convinced\",\"He is too shy to do it\",\"He wants to try it\"]","correct":"He wants to try it"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1595,"ordering":17}},{"id":327,"title":"An Inspiring Reaction to Violence","audio":"002-19.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Recently I was reading a book about Australian <b>aborigine <\/b>culture.\r\n<br>And I've become very interested in the culture of the <b>aborigines <\/b>in Australia.\r\n<br>I think it's very interesting, and very inspiring even and makes_ it moves me more than, uh, simply being <b>intellectually <\/b>or mentally... Curious to me, or just sort of <b>fascinating <\/b>like looking at some statistics or some data.\r\n<br>It's actually very moving because, it seems to be something which I identify with, or something which I understand, or something which I'd even like to make a part of my own life.\r\n<br>So in this book it told a story of something which happened recently, in Australia.\r\n<br>Europeans first came to Australia about two hundred years ago.\r\n<br>A little bit more now than two hundred years.\r\n<br>And, um, since then, they've done many things, and more or less what the Europeans did when they came to Australia, was change the, culture which was there, changed the culture of the <b>aborigines<\/b>, so that was more like the European culture.\r\n<br>And, um, there's a lot of <b>misunderstanding <\/b>which has happened between the, <b>aborigines <\/b>and the Europeans.\r\n<br>And there's been a lot of pain.\r\n<br>And so the Europeans, <b>misunderstand <\/b>the <b>aborigines <\/b>and the aborigines <b>misunderstand <\/b>the Europeans.\r\n<br>And now, over two hundred years later... people on uh_ people who are <b>aborigines<\/b>, or people who are Europeans, or people who think of themselves that way, are angry at the people who they think are different.<br>\r\nAnd this is a story which describes that situation.\r\n<br>So... On the two hundredth <b>anniversary <\/b>of when the first Englishmen came to Australia, there was going to be a large <b>cerebration<\/b>.\r\n<br>And the Australians who were from Europe, said \"let's celebrate this because this is where we come from, this is our <b>ancestor <\/b>and this is how we got here and, so let's, let's cerebrate this, and let's have a party.\"<br> so they built a big wooden ship, a big uuum ship that they_ this Englishman sailed, this Captain Cook sailed, and they made a big wooden ship like the one he sailed.\r\n<br>And they were going to have it come into the <b>harbor <\/b>where he originally came, and they were going to have fireworks and a big <b>celebration<\/b>.\r\n<br>And the story is that some <b>aborigines <\/b>or some people who had an aborigine background, maybe they were mixed European ab- and aborigine, they were standing on some, uh, cliffs looking out onto the bay and seeing this big ship came_ come in.\r\n<br>One of the younger Aborigines, who was maybe a teenager in his twenties, he said \"you know, we <b>aborigines <\/b>we are strong and we are very, uh, adapted to nature, so I think, you know, we can just swim out in that bay, no one would notice us, and we could, just put some like dynamite_ and what if we just blow a hole in that ship, and we'd end that wh- whole party that these people are having. \"<br> because he was very angry.\r\n<br>He was angry because he was... feeling pain from when the Europeans came and and they did many things which hurt many <b>aborigines<\/b>.\r\n<br>They killed many <b>aborigines <\/b>or made the aberdi- aborigines live the European way of living.\r\n<br>So he was feeling a lot of anger.\r\n<br>And so he said this to one of the older <b>aborigines<\/b>.\r\n<br>And the reply from the older <b>aborigines <\/b>was \"yes, it's true , we have, um, many um, good swimmers, and we are very strong in our bodies and and we are very good in nature.\r\nBut, um, let's not, um, blow a hole in the ship.\r\nI don't think that's a good idea.\"<br> and then the younger person he said \"oh, you know what, your <b>attitude <\/b>is the exact <b>attitude <\/b>of why the Europeans came, and were able to do so many things that have caused so much pain and make me so angry because you didn't fight back, and you didn't stand up for yourself.\r\nSo it's your <b>attitude <\/b>which needs to change and we need to fight back. \"<br> and then the older aborigine said \"if i fought back, if if I, was <b>violent <\/b>about something which I didn't like or which I saw was being done to my people,\" he said <br>\"then I wouldn't be an aborigine.\"<br>and so I thought that was very moving.\r\n<br>That that, um, this book had this story in it.\r\n<br>And I really thought about that.\r\n<br>And I tried to think about what this means that, even if there's violence done to you, or something has made you very angry, that if you, respond or act in a way which is also angry or violent, that then... You don't stand for anything except for the violence\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3287","question":"[1510,1511,1512,1513,1514,1515,1516]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n <p><b>aborigine <\/b>\/\u02cc\u00e6b\u0259\u02c8r\u026ad\u0292\u0259ni\/ noun<br>\u200ba member of the group of people who were the original people living in a country<\/p><hr><p><b>intellectually <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026ant\u0259\u02c8lekt\u0283u\u0259li\/ adverb<br>in a way that is connected with or using a person's ability to think in a logical way and understand things<\/p><hr><p><b>fascinating <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6s\u026ane\u026at\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>extremely interesting and attractive<\/p><hr><p><b>misunderstanding<\/b> \/\u02ccm\u026as\u028cnd\u0259r\u02c8st\u00e6nd\u026a\u014b\/ noun<br> \u200b[uncountable, countable] a situation in which a comment, an instruction, etc. is not understood correctly<\/p><hr><p><b>anniversary <\/b>\/\u02cc\u00e6n\u026a\u02c8v\u025c\u02d0rs\u0259ri\/ noun<br>a date that is an exact number of years after the date of an important or special event<\/p><hr><p><b>celebration <\/b>\/\u02ccsel\u026a\u02c8bre\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable] a special event that people organize in order to celebrate something<\/p><hr><p><b>ancestor <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6nsest\u0259r\/ noun<br>a person in your family who lived a long time ago<\/p><hr><p><b>harbour <\/b>\/\u02c8h\u0251\u02d0rb\u0259r\/ noun<br>an area of water on the coast, protected from the open sea by strong walls, where ships can shelter<\/p><hr><p><b>attitude <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6t\u026atu\u02d0d\/ noun<br>the way that you behave towards somebody\/something<br>confident, sometimes aggressive behaviour that shows you do not care about other people\u2019s opinions and that you want to do things in an individual way<\/p><hr><p><b>violent <\/b>\/\u02c8va\u026a\u0259l\u0259nt\/ adjective<br>involving or caused by physical force that is intended to hurt or kill somebody<br><\/p>\r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 153\",\"Length: 5:8\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-15T22:37:41.000000Z","liked":427,"question_link":null,"duration":308,"size":8630902,"video":0,"video_id":"i5qxO-vi6yU","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1510,"question":"Why does the speaker say he finds Australian aborigine culture interesting?","answers":"[\"It can teach him lessons for his own life.\",\"It is intellectually challenging to understand.\",\"It is very different from his personal values.\",\"It is a very rich and ancient culture.\"]","correct":"It can teach him lessons for his own life."},{"id":1511,"question":"How many years before this incident did the Europeans first come to Australia?","answers":"[\"One hundred years\",\"One hundred and fifty years\",\"Two hundred years\",\"Two hundred and fifty years\"]","correct":"Two hundred years"},{"id":1512,"question":"What did the young aborigine propose doing?","answers":"[\"Fighting the Europeans\",\"Spoiling the party\",\"Having a demonstration\",\"Destroying a ship\"]","correct":"Destroying a ship"},{"id":1513,"question":"What stopped the old man from reacting with violence?","answers":"[\"He was afraid of what the Europeans would do.\",\"He didn't want to hurt anyone.\",\"He thought it contrary to his cultural values.\",\"He didn't think they would be successful.\"]","correct":"He thought it contrary to his cultural values."},{"id":1514,"question":"What does the speaker conclude about the use of violence?","answers":"[\"Our values become those of violence.\",\"Violence does not solve problems.\",\"Violence causes pain to others.\",\"We will suffer violence in return.\"]","correct":"Our values become those of violence."},{"id":1515,"question":"What was the party intended to commemorate?","answers":"[\"The building of a new ship\",\"The founding of Australia\",\"The arrival of a famous man\",\"The defeat of the aborigines\"]","correct":"The arrival of a famous man"},{"id":1516,"question":"What is the purpose of the talk?","answers":"[\"To describe a story the man read\",\"To discuss a place the man visited\",\"To explain why the man wrote a book\",\"To tell about an event the man attended\"]","correct":"To describe a story the man read"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":327,"ordering":1000}},{"id":382,"title":"Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett","audio":"024-28.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n The first book that I ever read by Terry Pratchett was called, <em>Men at Arms<\/em>.\r\n<br>It follows a group of, rather strange individuals, who are in the <b>city watch<\/b>, or the police of a city called Ankh-Morpork.\r\n<br>It's a fictional_ disc world that they live on.\r\n<br>And, characters <b>comprise wizards <\/b>and <b>witches<\/b>, gholands and <b>trolls<\/b>.\r\nDwarfs and <b>giants<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, it's an absolutely incredible cast.\r\n<br>Some of the characters are, very very funny.\r\n<br>Most of them you can relate to somebody that you know.\r\n<br>And, it's very good to read.\r\n<em><br>Men at Arms<\/em>, is the funniest disc world model that I've ever read.\r\n<br>Its <b>parallels <\/b>with our modern world, are, very, clever.\r\n<br>He manages to have no technology, on their world.\r\n<br>Yet, so many things can be invented with imps and devils, and things like that.\r\n<br>People have their personal electronic organisers.\r\nWhich are, worked by imps with, special memories.\r\n<br>That know what's going on in the future, and they can tell you all about it.\r\n<br>Um, Death turns up in quite a few books.\r\n<br>And, unlike most people's traditional view of Death.\r\n<br>In these books he rides around on a large white horse called 'Binkie'.\r\n<br>And, there are very many things like that, which can cause quite a lot of <b>humour<\/b>.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3679","question":"[1802,1803,1804]","vocabulary":"<p><b>city watch<\/b> \/ <b>city guard <\/b>or <b>watchman <br><\/b>a law enforcement and security formation found in many countries and historical periods, usually subordinate to the local municipal government. <\/p><hr><p><b>comprise <\/b>\/k\u0259m\u02c8pra\u026az\/ verb<br>to be the parts or members that form something<br><span class=\"def\">to have somebody\/something as parts or members<\/span><\/p><hr><p><b><span class=\"def\"><\/span> wizard <\/b>\/\u02c8w\u026az\u0259d\/ noun<br>\u200b(in stories) a man with magic powers<\/p><hr><p><b>witch <\/b>\/w\u026at\u0283\/ noun<br>a woman who is believed to have magic powers, especially to do evil things. In stories, she usually wears a black pointed hat and flies on a broomstick.<\/p><hr><p><b>troll <\/b>\/tr\u0252l\/, \/tr\u0259\u028al\/ noun<br>\u200b(in Scandinavian stories) a creature that looks like an ugly person. Some trolls are very large and evil, others are small and friendly but like to trick people.<\/p><hr><p><b>giant <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u0292a\u026a\u0259nt\/ noun<br>(in stories) a very large strong person who is often cruel and stupid<\/p><hr><p><b>parallel <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u00e6r\u0259lel\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] a person, a situation, an event, etc. that is very similar to another, especially one in a different place or time<\/p><hr><p><b>humour <\/b>\/\u02c8hju\u02d0m\u0259(r)\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the quality in something that makes it funny; the ability to laugh at things that are funny<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 200\",\"Length: 1:33\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-18T17:52:04.000000Z","liked":539,"question_link":null,"duration":92,"size":2580525,"video":0,"video_id":"SxWORE03rWc","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1802,"question":"Which of the following is not a reason the speaker likes the book?","answers":"[\"The book has memorable details.\",\"The book is a serious exploration of death.\",\"The book has clever parallels to the real world.\",\"The book has funny characters.\"]","correct":"The book is a serious exploration of death."},{"id":1803,"question":"In the context of the passage, what does 'cast' mean?","answers":"[\"A group of characters\",\"A detailed analysis\",\"A magic ritual \",\"A physical appearance\"]","correct":"A group of characters"},{"id":1804,"question":"According to the talk, which types of books does the speaker like?","answers":"[\"Romance\",\"History\",\"Fantasy\",\"Mystery\"]","correct":"Fantasy"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":382,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1592,"title":"Relief Work","audio":"914-Tart-Relief32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n <strong>Todd:<\/strong> So, I am here with Tarta and we are talking about the \"tsunami\" in Thailand and she helped people after the event. Can you talk about what it was like the few days after the \"tsunami\" hit?<p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> Yes, right away from like from the \"tsunami\" hit, I went on the 28th, so two days after \"tsunami\" hit, so everything is like damaged and, you know all waters are all over the place. There's car on top of the buildings too, like the second floor of the buildings and rotten bodies like everywhere ...<\/p> <p><strong>Todd<\/strong>: Wow, dead bodies.<\/p> <p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> Dead bodies like really everywhere, and because that time there were not many volunteers yet ... so if we just walk through the place that we just want to find a live person to give a food or to help but then we just hit by the dead body, like without knowing because it is a huge body and you can't recognize who is that person because, you know, all the faces are just getting, I just don't want to say it but ... but it really was ...<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> And you actually helped?<\/p> <p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> I helped because I was there so early for two days and then I helped to the volunteer who helped to <span class=\"audionotes\">picking up<\/span> the dead body so I ... whenever I find a dead body so I called the person and then we helped to pick up the dead body into the <span class=\"audionotes\">pick-up car<\/span> and then send it to the temple. To ... for, what do you call the ...<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> The identification?<\/p> <p><strong>Tarta:<\/strong> Yeah, identification at the temple. So, because they have some base over there and <span class=\"audionotes\">carry on<\/span> for almost a week so there are probably, like, 50 organizations who come and help us.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>So after this <span class=\"audionotes\">horrific event<\/span> happened, how did it change you? Like, did it give you a different perspective about life or about nature or ... anything?<\/p> <p><strong>Tarta: <\/strong>Yeah, I do agree. I think, I mean, nature always have a, what do you call, always fair you know? If you do ... everything have <span class=\"audionotes\">cause and effect<\/span>. So if you do something it is going to give you a return in somehow, in someway, like whenever it's going to happen. So, I believe in \"karma\" too, so I think it's a good example that what humans do to the nature and nature give you back. <\/p> \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T914-Tarta-Relief.htm","question":"[3341,3342,3343,3344,3345]","vocabulary":"<div class=\"text_box\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <p class=\"items\"><b>pick up<\/b><\/p><ul><li>We helped pick up all the damage.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>When you pick up something, you collect it and move it to another\r\n place. <br>Notice the following:<\/p>\r\n <ol><li>She helped me pick up all the broken glass from the floor.<\/li><li>Please pick up all your trash before you leave.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>pick-up (truck)<\/b><\/p><ul><li>We put the supplies into the pick-up.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>A pick-up is a small truck with an open cargo area in the\r\n back. <br>Notice the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>He drives an old pick-up truck.<\/li><li>I traded my car for pick-up.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <p class=\"items\"><br><\/p><\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>carry on<\/b><\/p><ul><li>They carried on for almost a week.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>The phrase 'carry on' is similar in meaning to 'continue'. \r\n <br>Notice the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>I am sorry to interrupt. Please carry on.<\/li><li>After the teacher told them to be quiet, they carried on talking\r\n in class.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>horrific<\/b><\/p><ul><li>After this horrific event happened,\r\n how did it change you?<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>The word horrific means very, very bad. <br>Notice the following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>My test score was horrific.<\/li><li>We have been having the most horrorific weather.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div><hr><div class=\"text_box\"><p class=\"items\"><b>cause and effect<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Everything have cause and effect.<br>\r\n <\/li><\/ul>\r\n <p>Here, cause is an action and effect is the result. <br>Notice the\r\n following:<br>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <ol><li>If you eat fast food every day, you will gain weight. It is\r\n simple cause and effect.<\/li><li>If you plant a seed, give it water and put it in sunlight, it\r\n will grow. It is cause and effect.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Thailand, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-05-22T13:06:32.000000Z","liked":428,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0901\/T914-Tarta-Relief.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0901Q\/Q914.js","duration":159,"size":6350933,"video":0,"video_id":"HEfTDRWmGow","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3341,"question":"1) She helped _______ people?","answers":"[\"transport hurt\",\"pick up dead\",\"treat sick\"]","correct":"pick up dead"},{"id":3342,"question":"2) She took people to the ______ . ","answers":"[\"police\",\"hospital\",\"temple\"]","correct":"temple"},{"id":3343,"question":"3) There were about fifty ______ that helped.","answers":"[\"people\",\"doctors\",\"organisations\"]","correct":"organisations"},{"id":3344,"question":"4) She believes in ________ .","answers":"[\"miracles\",\"karma\",\"ghosts\"]","correct":"karma"},{"id":3345,"question":"5) She thinks we need to _______ nature.","answers":"[\"give back to\",\"get out of the way of\",\"be wary of\"]","correct":"give back to"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1592,"ordering":18}},{"id":402,"title":"Social Policies for Chinese Americans","audio":"016-07.mp3","dialog":"<p>\r\n With regard to the secondary school education of Chinese-Americans in Boston.\r\n<br>Various statistics demonstrate that this <b>ethnic <\/b>group actually receives an <b>inferior <\/b>secondary school education compared to that of the general population.\r\n<br>In fact approximately thirty-eight percent of this <b>ethnic <\/b>group have not received a high school diploma.\r\n<br>And their <b>poverty <\/b>rate and <b>incarceration <\/b>rates are higher than those of other <b>ethnic <\/b>groups.\r\n<br>And particularly that of whites in this city.\r\n<br>Now, uh, the question is should the U-S government actually <b>intervene<\/b>.\r\n<br>Or, um, i_ and if s_ if the government do- does int- intervene what measures should actually be int_ undertaken.\r\n<br><\/p><p>First of all, re- regarding the various <b>pros and cons<\/b> of, uh, intervening.\r\n<br>Well with, ah, can I start again.\r\nI am sorry.\r\nYes.\r\nRight now.\r\nTry.\r\nOkay.\r\n<br>With regard to the secondary school education of Chinese- Americans in Boston.\r\n<br>Various statistics demonstrate that this <b>ethnic <\/b>group actually receives an <b>inferior <\/b>education compared to that of other <b>ethnic <\/b>groups in this city.\r\n<br>Particularly that of whites in this city.\r\n<br>Uh, now the a_ the question is, is then raised, should the U-S government actually do something about this.\r\n<br>And, if so what measures should be implemented.\r\n<br>First of all with regard to the various, uh, pros of, of <b>intervention<\/b>.\r\n<br>Intervening can actually increase G-D-P.\r\n<br>For example, if, um, we_ if, uh, Chinese-Americans are, are, i- educated then, then this is going to produce a better skilled work force.\r\n<br>And this could potentially increase G-D-P.\r\n<br>A second advantage is that this could actually then increase savings and investment.\r\n<br>For example if the Chinese-Americans are better educat_ better educated they would then have more <b>disposable income<\/b>.\r\n<br>And then they, uh, des_ then spend more, more of their money on investing in the U-S economy.\r\n<br>A third advantage of intervention is that this would then enable the United States to better compete economically on an international level.<br>\r\nWith a now unified Europe and, a very strong Japan as we enter into the next century.\r\n<br><\/p><p>With regards to the the various cons of, uh, intervention.\r\n<br>There're also, um, various cons.\r\n<br>First of all_ first of all, there's als_ there's the dis_ factor of <b>discrimination<\/b>.\r\n<br>For example, how can the U-S actually intervene, and actually intervene with regard to one ethnic group.\r\n<br>When the- they're, um, using taxpayer funds from the general population.\r\n<br>The- there's, um, there's argument here for <b>discrimination<\/b>.\r\n<br>And second argument, is that the United States has limited resources.\r\n<br>And they cannot possibly respond in every such <b>problematic <\/b>situation.\r\n<br>A third factor is that, uh, from an economic <b>standpoint<\/b>, market forces could actually correct for such problems in the econ- economy.\r\n<br>In other words, that companies would actually, themselves invest in the education of Chinese-Americans.\r\n<br>So that they would then have a better skilled <b>workforce<\/b>.\r\n<br><\/p><p>However, studies demonstrate that the con_ for_ as far as the cons are concerned the market has not in_ corrected itself.\r\n<br>Amer_ the americ_ force have not corrected for such problems in, um, in terms of the Ch_ the education of Chinese-Americans.\r\n<br>And, uh, actually that_ from an economic standpoint this would potentially, and actually probably benefit the U-S economy.\r\n<br>Now, now that, uh, we're jus_ now that we've shown what can be <b>gained <\/b>then.\r\n<br>Ho- how, how ca_ what kind of measures can be undertaken.\r\n<br>Now that is the question.<br>\r\nFirst of all... we should provide for immediate needs.\r\n<br>By immediate needs i, I mean provide for clothing, for books.\r\n<br>The <b>maintenance <\/b>of schools and etceteras.\r\n<br>That is the first goal.\r\n<br>Second, we should provide E-S-L classes for the parents.\r\n<br>In fact, um, the_ many of the parents of Chinese-Americans, ma- many of them do not speak, English.\r\n<br>Or, rather do_ spoo_ speak proficient English.\r\n<br>And that inter- interferes with their, um, their <b>participation <\/b>in the education system of their children.\r\n<br>And, uh, parental <b>participation <\/b>in their children's education has actually sh_ been shown to be a major factor in the educational success of their children.\r\n<br>So, yes our classes, preferably held at night, would probably benefit the, uh, children as a matter of fact.\r\n<br>Uh, a third thing is that we could, uh, increase, we could increase the standarda_ standardization in the <b>curriculum<\/b>.\r\n<br>Right now, uh, it is very much up to, the teachers as far as what they teach in the classroom.\r\n<br>So that, one high school diploma earned at one institution, is very different in, in the terms of the education received.\r\n<br>As compared to the, uh, diploma received at a, at another <b>institution <\/b>even in the same, uh, city.\r\n<br>So that needs to be changed.\r\n<br>So we could standardize curriculum there.\r\n<br>Anoth- another thing is that we can in- increase the, uh, teaching standards.\r\n<br>We can increase teaching standards, and we could possibly provide tutoring for needy students.\r\n<br>Tutoring sessions could, uh, occur during study session.\r\n<br>Which most high schools typically have.\r\n<br>And, uh, these sessions could be held on a daily basis.\r\n<br>An- and at the same time they could also provide the teachers who are teach_ who are seeking a certificate with increased experience.\r\n<br>So, it could be a benefit for both parties.\r\n<br>Now the money for these various <b>proposals <\/b>could come from a corporate tax increase.\r\n<br>A slight one, however, of approximately two percent.\r\n<br>This would then generate, app- approximately twenty-million dollars in, um_ and, and then, then these propositions could be implemented.<br>\r\nAnother thing is that, there could be much more accurate assessment system ri- than we have right now.\r\n<br>And that they curriculum could become more vocation oriented.\r\n<br>Or more practical than it is at present.\r\nAnd in terms of priorty i, I would place, uh, priority for the immediate needs as being the first.\r\n<br>Second thing we could do as a second step, is starting up the E-S-L classes.\r\n<br>The third thing, in terms of priority, would be the, uh, increase teaching standards and tutoring.\r\n<br>The fourth would be to increase, uh, standardization in the curriculum.\r\n<br>And the fifth would be, uh, to provide a more accurate assessment system.\r\n<br>It is in this order because it's in the order of what would probably take the shortest amount of time.\r\n<br>And what's immediately needed and then wh_ towards, towards what would be_ would take a greater period of time.\r\n<br>So this is what I think should be done. \r\n <\/p>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3529","question":"[1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918]","vocabulary":"<p><b>ethnic <\/b>\/\u02c8e\u03b8n\u026ak\/ adjective<br>connected with or belonging to a group of people that share a cultural tradition<\/p><hr><p><b>inferior <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8f\u026ari\u0259r\/ adjective<br>\u200bnot good or not as good as somebody\/something else<\/p><hr><p><b>poverty <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u0251\u02d0v\u0259rti\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the state of being poor<\/p><hr><p><b>incarceration <\/b>\/\u026an\u02cck\u0251\u02d0rs\u0259\u02c8re\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] (formal) \u200bthe act of putting somebody in prison or in another place from which they cannot escape; the state of being there <\/p><hr><p><b>intervene <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026ant\u0259r\u02c8vi\u02d0n\/ verb<br>[intransitive] to become involved in a situation in order to improve or help it<\/p><hr><p><b>the pros and cons<br><\/b>\u200bthe advantages and disadvantages of something<\/p><hr><p><b>disposable income<\/b><br>income remaining after deduction of taxes and other mandatory charges, available to be spent or saved as one wishes.<\/p><hr><p><b>discrimination <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02ccskr\u026am\u026a\u02c8ne\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the practice of treating somebody or a particular group in society less fairly than others<\/p><hr><p><b>problematic <\/b>\/\u02ccpr\u0251\u02d0bl\u0259\u02c8m\u00e6t\u026ak\/ adjective<br>(also less frequent <b>problematical <\/b>\/\u02ccpr\u0251\u02d0bl\u0259\u02c8m\u00e6t\u026akl\/)<br>difficult to deal with or to understand; full of problems; not certain to be successful<\/p><hr><p><b>standpoint <\/b>\/\u02c8st\u00e6ndp\u0254\u026ant\/ noun<br>[usually singular] \u200ban opinion or a way of thinking about ideas or situations<\/p><hr><p><b>workforce <\/b>\/\u02c8w\u025c\u02d0rkf\u0254\u02d0rs\/ noun<br>all the people in a country or an area who are available for work<\/p><hr><p><b>gain <\/b>\/\u0261e\u026an\/ verb<br>[transitive] to obtain or win something, especially something that you need or want<\/p><hr><p><b>maintenance <\/b>\/\u02c8me\u026ant\u0259n\u0259ns\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the act of keeping something in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly<\/p><hr><p><b>participation <\/b>\/p\u0251\u02d0r\u02cct\u026as\u026a\u02c8pe\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] \u200bthe act of taking part in an activity or event<\/p><hr><p><b>curriculum <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8r\u026akj\u0259l\u0259m\/ noun<br>(plural <b>curricula <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8r\u026akj\u0259l\u0259\/ , curriculums)<br>\u200bthe subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>institution <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026anst\u026a\u02c8tu\u02d0\u0283n\/ noun<br>[countable] a large important organization that has a particular purpose, for example a university or bank<\/p><hr><p><b>proposal <\/b>\/pr\u0259\u02c8p\u0259\u028azl\/ noun<br>[countable, uncountable] a formal suggestion or plan; the act of making a suggestion<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 154\",\"Length: 6:51\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-26T16:09:23.000000Z","liked":517,"question_link":null,"duration":412,"size":11528822,"video":0,"video_id":"T4ouZWom69c","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1913,"question":"How does the speaker describe the education of Chinese Americans in Boston?","answers":"[\"Chinese Americans are the most highly educated minority group.\",\"Chinese Americans are not receiving the highest level of education.\",\"Most groups receive a similar level of education.\",\"White Americans are not as educated as Chinese Americans.\"]","correct":"Chinese Americans are not receiving the highest level of education."},{"id":1914,"question":"What does the speaker say about the U.S. GDP?","answers":"[\"Better education will increase it.\",\"Personal investment will make it decrease.\",\"It is not keeping up with Japan's GDP.\",\"Chinese Americans make the highest contribution.\"]","correct":"Better education will increase it."},{"id":1915,"question":"What does the speaker imply about parents\u2019 English language skills?","answers":"[\"They are usually sufficient for basic needs.\",\"They will be improved with a new curriculum.\",\"They are related to children\\u2019s educational success.\",\"They will be passed on to their children.\"]","correct":"They are related to children\u2019s educational success."},{"id":1916,"question":"According to the speaker, what varies across schools?","answers":"[\"Curricula\",\"Teacher qualifications\",\"Schedules\",\"Tutoring programs\"]","correct":"Curricula"},{"id":1917,"question":"Where should the funds for the ideas mentioned come from, according to the speaker?","answers":"[\"Taxes paid by wealthy individuals\",\"Charitable donations\",\"Tuition increases\",\"Taxes paid by companies\"]","correct":"Taxes paid by companies"},{"id":1918,"question":"What is the speaker\u2019s main point?","answers":"[\"New policies can solve inequalities in education.\",\"ESL classes create equality across ethnic groups.\",\"Chinese Americans have the biggest economic impact.\",\"Schools in Boston must reform their curricula.\"]","correct":"New policies can solve inequalities in education."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":402,"ordering":1000}},{"id":331,"title":"Ancient Egyptian Religion","audio":"022-06.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n One of the things that really interests me is, Egyptology or the study of ancient Egypt.\r\n<br>I guess I\u2019m... kind of <b>addicted <\/b>to, old things and old ideas.\r\n<br>And, uh, first of all that got me into studying India.\r\n<br>Which at the time I thought was probably some of the oldest groups of, ideas and, and people around.\r\n<br>But then I discovered that, in fact the oldest religious text, or <b>spiritual <\/b>text in the the world, come from ancient Egypt.\r\n<br>And they\u2019re, <b>inscribed <\/b>on the insides of <b>pyramids <\/b>and things.\r\n<br>You know the whatever.\r\n<br>So <b>inscribed <\/b>on the insides of the <b>pyramids<\/b>, there are things, called the <b>pyramid <\/b>text.\r\n<br>And they happen to be the oldest religious text that they\u2019ve ever found.\r\n<br>And in fact even though they\u2019re written in stone, on the inside of these great buildings, <br>when you read them, they actually say that they\u2019re copying from <b>manuscripts<\/b>.\r\n<br>So they\u2019re even older than the <b>pyramids<\/b>.\r\n<br>Now I guess the <b>pyramids <\/b>are about... they say about, three and a half thousand B.\r\nC.\r\n<br>So what\u2019s that.\r\n<br>About five and a half thousand years old.\r\n<br>So that\u2019s, that\u2019s kind of pretty old.\r\n<br>And that\u2019s, that\u2019s interesting.\r\n<br>And the, and the ideas themselves are,also you know when you read them, they\u2019re quite, they\u2019re quite <b>complicated <\/b>and quite strange.\r\n<br>But they\u2019re they\u2019re <b>sophisticated<\/b>.\r\n<br>The, Egyptians love nature.\r\n<br>They had a great sort of connection with, with nature.\r\n<br>And they thought that their_ whole of their country in fact was, kind of a special place.\r\n<br>It was a very special place which was closer, to the gods.\r\n<br>That the gods actually lived there.\r\n<br>They called it the Temple of the Cosmos almost.\r\n<br>As if it was a_ and, and lots of people after them actually believed them in this.\r\n<br>That there was something special about, about Egypt and the <b>landscape <\/b>and the, the lights ,and the, elements there, that set it apart from any other place.\r\n<br>They, didn\u2019t believe in just one <b>principle<\/b>, one sort of, uh, god or goddess.\r\n<br>Which kind of makes them a bit different to a lot of other people around the world.\r\n<br>They kind of thought that, there were lots and lots of gods and goddesses and things.\r\n<br>In fact I, I believe there\u2019s, there\u2019s about a hundred and fifty, two hundred different spirits and gods that you could find in the Egyptian religion.\r\n<br>And that\u2019s a bit, complicated really.\r\n<br>Yo_ you know I can\u2019t get my head around that.\r\n<br>And I don\u2019t think the Egyptians could really get their heads around it.\r\n<br>So they kind of organized them into family groups.\r\n<br>So they sort of understood the gods as being a kind of a family of, uh, you know that starts with_ well it starts with one, maybe one <b>principle<\/b>.\r\n<br>Which is always thought of as very <b>mysterious <\/b>and <b>abstract<\/b>.\r\n<br>Nobody can understand that.\r\n<br>And then it kind of splits up and the family grows up.\r\n<br>And you get, so kind of.\r\nUh.\r\n<br>You know, a god and a goddess and they have children.\r\n<br>You\u2019ve got this kind of family of about eight or nine, gods and goddesses.\r\n<br>And just like any other family where you\u2019ll get good families don\u2019t you.\r\n<br>And you get kind of bad families.\r\n<br>So kind of good things go on in the family.\r\n<br>And then you get the kind of real things, the real arguments and the, the <b>wicked <\/b>uncles and the kind of <b>jealous <\/b>sons, and all that sort of stuff.\r\n<br>And it just <b>strikes <\/b>me as kind of quite a... quite easy to <b>cope <\/b>with really as a, as as a set of spiritual ideas.\r\n<br>It\u2019s because you know everybody\u2019s got a family and you kind of relate to it.\r\n<br>So that\u2019s, that\u2019s basically how, how, how they <b>approach <\/b>the world I mean I guess they were trying to become_ they were very influenced by the elements and by nature, right.\r\n<br>And, so, so it\u2019s a kind natural religion if you like.\r\n<br>And that, that appeals to me quite a lot as well.\r\n<br>Yeah I, I think I would just say that, i_ for me the appeal of, of the, of the Egyptian religion is the fact that, they think the world is quite complicated.\r\n<br>And they don\u2019t try and break it down, uh, or, or reduce it.\r\n<br>It\u2019s just one principle.\r\n<br>And that one principle is, is, is what <b>governs <\/b>everything.\r\n<br>They say the world is complicated therefore the world of human beings and the world of spirituality is also complicated.\r\n<br>And has to be represented by lots of different things.\r\n<br>Uh, and that to me seems a more sophisticated way of looking at the world than some of the ones that maybe we were taught when we were children.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3584","question":"[1531,1532,1533,1534,1535,1536]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>addicted <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8d\u026akt\u026ad\/ adjective<br>[not before noun] addicted (to something) unable to stop using or doing something as a habit, especially something harmful<\/p><hr><p><b>spiritual <\/b>\/\u02c8sp\u026ar\u026at\u0283u\u0259l\/ adjective<br>[usually before noun] connected with the human spirit, rather than the body or physical things<\/p><hr><p><b>inscribe <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8skra\u026ab\/ verb<br> \u200bto write or cut words, your name, etc. onto something<\/p><hr><p><b>pyramid <\/b>\/\u02c8p\u026ar\u0259m\u026ad\/ noun<br>a large building with a square or triangular base and sloping sides that meet in a point at the top. The ancient Egyptians built stone pyramids as places to bury their kings and queens.<\/p><hr><p><b>manuscript <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u00e6njuskr\u026apt\/ noun<br>a very old book or document that was written by hand before printing was invented<\/p><hr><p><b>complicated <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0252mpl\u026ake\u026at\u026ad\/ adjective<br>\u200bmade of many different things or parts that are connected; difficult to understand<\/p><hr><p><b>sophisticated <\/b>\/s\u0259\u02c8f\u026ast\u026ake\u026at\u026ad\/ adjective<br>having a lot of experience of the world and knowing about fashion, culture and other things that people think are socially important<\/p><hr><p><b>landscape <\/b>\/\u02c8l\u00e6ndske\u026ap\/ noun<br> [countable, usually singular] everything you can see when you look across a large area of land, especially in the country<\/p><hr><p><b>principle <\/b>\/\u02c8pr\u026ans\u0259pl\/ noun<br>[countable, usually plural, uncountable] a moral rule or a strong belief that influences your actions<\/p><hr><p><b>mysterious <\/b>\/m\u026a\u02c8st\u026ari\u0259s\/ adjective<br>difficult to understand or explain; strange<\/p><hr><p><b>abstract <\/b>\/\u02c8\u00e6bstr\u00e6kt\/ adjective<br>existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical reality<br>not representing people or things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist\u2019s ideas about them<\/p><hr><p><b>wicked <\/b>\/\u02c8w\u026ak\u026ad\/ adjective<br>\u200bmorally bad<\/p><hr><p><b>jealous <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u0292el\u0259s\/ adjective<br>feeling angry or unhappy because somebody you like or love is showing interest in somebody else<\/p><hr><p><b>strike <\/b>\/stra\u026ak\/ verb<br>to come into somebody\u2019s mind suddenly<br>[transitive] to give somebody a particular impression<\/p><hr><p><b>cope <\/b>\/k\u0259\u028ap\/ verb<br>[intransitive] \u200bto deal successfully with something difficult<\/p><hr><p><b>approach <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8pr\u0259\u028at\u0283\/ noun<br>[countable] a way of dealing with somebody\/something; a way of doing or thinking about something such as a problem or a task<\/p><hr><p><b>govern <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0261\u028cvn\/ verb<br>[transitive, intransitive] govern (something) to legally control a country or its people and be responsible for introducing new laws, organizing public services, etc.<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Northern England\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 178\",\"Length: 4:27\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-05-27T05:06:14.000000Z","liked":523,"question_link":null,"duration":269,"size":7532296,"video":0,"video_id":"X6QxRxV1EOA","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1531,"question":"Why did the speaker study India?","answers":"[\"He is interested in world religions.\",\"He is interested in collecting ancient artefacts.\",\"He is interested in old ideas.\",\"He is interested in learning new languages.\"]","correct":"He is interested in old ideas."},{"id":1532,"question":"According to the speaker, why did he become interested in Egypt?","answers":"[\"It has famous architectural achievements.\",\"It is a culturally diverse country.\",\"It has uncommon social structures.\",\"It is the oldest civilization in the world.\"]","correct":"It is the oldest civilization in the world."},{"id":1533,"question":"Why is the speaker fascinated with the pyramids?","answers":"[\"They house the oldest spiritual texts.\",\"They are not as old as previously thought.\",\"They were built from different types of stone.\",\"They are believed to have mystical powers.\"]","correct":"They house the oldest spiritual texts."},{"id":1534,"question":"According to the speaker, what did Egyptians believe about their gods?","answers":"[\"That they closely resembled humans\",\"That they built the oldest temples in Egypt\",\"That they lived among the people in Egypt\",\"That they had a close connection to nature\"]","correct":"That they lived among the people in Egypt"},{"id":1535,"question":"According to the speaker, how did the Egyptian religion differ from other religions?","answers":"[\"Egyptians spent more time in nature.\",\"Egyptians worshipped with large family groups.\",\"Egyptians held elaborate religious ceremonies.\",\"Egyptians worshipped multiple gods.\"]","correct":"Egyptians worshipped multiple gods."},{"id":1536,"question":"Why is the speaker attracted to the Egyptian religion?","answers":"[\"It reflects beliefs he held as a child.\",\"It distinguishes between good and evil.\",\"It does not attempt to simply the world.\",\"It is centred on one clear principal.\"]","correct":"It does not attempt to simply the world."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":331,"ordering":1000}},{"id":318,"title":"A Simple History of West Africa","audio":"033-05.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n A simple history of West Africa.\r\n<br>Nowadays, the, the economic_ the <b>vibrant <\/b>countries, of West Africa, are the, are the Coastal Nations.\r\n<br>Ghana, perhaps is, is coming on.\r\n<br><b>Cote d'Ivoire<\/b>, Nigeria.\r\n<br>They are the, the players in the region, which, are the strongest.\r\n<br>But that has not always been the case.\r\n<br>And in fact, the whole access of economic wealth, was orientated towards the Saharan <b>fringes<\/b>.\r\n<br>Some three to four hundred years ago.\r\n<br>Control of the <b>lucrative <\/b>trans-Saharan trade was, was where power was.\r\n<br>The Savannah kingdoms, was where the wealth was.\r\n<br>And, it's only through the, the <b>colonial<\/b>, um, and the traders, who, who came into the region, and altered the ch_ altered the access, of, um, of con_ of power in the region.\r\n<br>Looking back, at that period, you can still see imprints of it, in, British society today.\r\n<br>The Guinea coin, refers to the fact that the, the gold, came from the Guinea region of West Africa.\r\n<br>But, it didn't come via th_ via the, the, the co- coastal route.\r\n<br>It crossed the Sahara.\r\n<br>Um, and went up to the, the trading place of Tripoli, and, um, Dakara.\r\n<br>And their great trains, camel trains, which went across the desert, and the oasises where they drunk, and watered, and got supplies.\r\n<br>That_ and there were great kingdoms which controlled, these, these trading points.\r\n<br>And then, when, they dropped further south into the, the gulf hills in Ghana, or the diamond mines in Sierra Leone.\r\n<br>Or, to get_ um, the s- slaves were an important resource which was_ were traded at that time.\r\n<br>But the focus was northwards, across the Sahara, towards the, um, towards the, the Orient.\r\n<br>There were Colonial, um, <b>expansion <\/b>in trading.\r\n<br>Particularly, the Portuguese started it in about the sixteen hundreds.\r\n<br>Setting up slowly, slowly, um, trading points, along the, the coast.\r\n<br>Um, and the British, and the Dutch, and the French.\r\n<br>Slowly the access changed, and particularly the west, west Atlantic <b>slave <\/b>trade.\r\n<br>That was a great focus for_ of changing the, the access.\r\n<br>But then, the, the starting of plantations, the f_ the exploitation of the s_ the southern forest resources in the, in the tropical forests.\r\n<br>Um, the plant_ cocoa plantations, oil_ everything has changed the, the access of, um, of West Africa.\r\n<br>And, that's the short history, of West Africa.\r\nHa ha.<br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3847","question":"[1462,1463,1464,1465,1466]","vocabulary":"<p><b>vibrant <\/b>\/\u02c8va\u026abr\u0259nt\/ adjective<br>full of life and energy<\/p><hr><p><b>C\u00f4te d'Ivoire<\/b> \/\u02cck\u0259\u028at di\u02d0\u02c8vw\u0251\u02d0r\/ noun<br>[singular] \u200ba country in western Africa<\/p><hr><p><b>fringe <\/b>\/fr\u026and\u0292\/ noun<br>[countable] (British English) the outer edge of an area or a group<\/p><hr><p><b>lucrative <\/b>\/\u02c8lu\u02d0kr\u0259t\u026av\/ adjective<br>\u200bproducing a large amount of money; making a large profit<\/p><hr><p><b>colonial <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8l\u0259\u028ani\u0259l\/ adjective<br>connected with or belonging to a country that controls another country<\/p><hr><p><b>expansion <\/b>\/\u026ak\u02c8sp\u00e6n\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable, countable] an act of increasing or making something increase in size, amount or importance<\/p><hr><p><b>slave <\/b>\/sle\u026av\/ noun<br>a person who is owned by another person and is forced to work for and obey them<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: English\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Slow\",\"Words\/Minute: 130\",\"Length: 3:0\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-01T05:15:37.000000Z","liked":521,"question_link":null,"duration":176,"size":4927679,"video":0,"video_id":"8fXBZi6Z788","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1462,"question":"According to the speaker, where was economic wealth in the region concentrated three to four hundred years ago?","answers":"[\"Around the border of the Sahara\",\"On the coast of Ghana\",\"In the region surrounding Guinea\",\"In the diamond mining regions of Sierra Leone\"]","correct":"Around the border of the Sahara"},{"id":1463,"question":"Why does the speaker mention camel trains?","answers":"[\"To describe why development was so slow\",\"To describe the West African trade routes\",\"To describe ways to transport food and water\",\"To describe a West African measure of wealth\"]","correct":"To describe the West African trade routes"},{"id":1464,"question":"According to the speaker, which European power first expanded into West Africa?","answers":"[\"The British\",\"The Portuguese\",\"The Dutch\",\"The French\"]","correct":"The Portuguese"},{"id":1465,"question":"According to the speaker, what kind of trade had the first major impact on economic access in the coastal region?","answers":"[\"The slave trade\",\"The cocoa trade\",\"The diamond trade\",\"The gold trade\"]","correct":"The slave trade"},{"id":1466,"question":"What is the purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To criticize European colonial traders\",\"To show consequences of West African slave trading\",\"To illustrate economic changes in West African history\",\"To explain why West Africa remains underdeveloped\"]","correct":"To illustrate economic changes in West African history"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":318,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1662,"title":"Boyfriend and jewelry","audio":"L143P1.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n A: \"I love your <b>bracelet<\/b>. When did you get it?\"<br>B: \"I got it awhile ago, but I haven't worn it much. You really like it?\"<br>A: \"Yeah. It's beautiful. Is it white gold or silver?\"<br>B: \"It's white gold.\"<br>A: \"Where did you buy it?\"<br>B: \"My boyfriend took me to the Shane Co. and he let me <b>pick it out<\/b>.\"<br>A: \"That's so sweet. What was the occasion?\"<br>B: \"That's the best part. It wasn't for anything special. He just wanted to buy me something.\"<br>A: \"You're so lucky. If he bought you something for no special day, I wonder what he would buy you for your birthday.\"<br>B: \"My birthday is coming up next month. We'll find out pretty soon.\"<br>A: \"What do you want?\"<br>B: \"I wouldn't mind a <b>necklace<\/b>. I was at the jewelry shop looking around, and they have a couple of beautiful necklaces I want.\"<br>A: \"Why not a ring?\"<br>B: \"I don't think I'm ready for a ring from him yet.\"<br>A: \"But you're ready for everything else?\"<br>B: \"Damn right.\"<br>\r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.talkenglish.com\/listening\/lessonlisten.aspx?ALID=222","question":"[4725,4726,4727,4728]","vocabulary":"<p><b>bracelet <\/b>\/\u02c8bre\u026asl\u0259t\/ noun<br> a piece of jewellery worn around the wrist or arm <\/p><ol><li>She had a charm bracelet on her wrist.<\/li><\/ol><hr><p><b>pick somebody\/something out<\/b><br> \u200bto choose somebody\/something carefully from a group of people or things<\/p><ol><li>She was picked out from dozens of applicants for the job. <\/li><li>He picked out the ripest peach for me.<\/li><\/ol><hr><p><b>necklace <\/b>\/\u02c8nekl\u0259s\/ noun<br> a piece of jewellery consisting of a chain, string of beads, etc. worn around the neck<br><\/p>","note":null,"downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-06-02T15:46:29.000000Z","liked":625,"question_link":null,"duration":50,"size":799554,"video":0,"video_id":"xyraGEFBK9c","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":4725,"question":"1. \u00a0What material is the bracelet?","answers":"[\"Platinum\",\"Silver\",\"White gold\",\"Gold\"]","correct":"White gold"},{"id":4726,"question":"2. \u00a0What was the occasion of the gift?","answers":"[\"No occasion\",\"A birthday present\",\"Anniversary present\",\"A wedding present\"]","correct":"No occasion"},{"id":4727,"question":"3. \u00a0What does she want next?","answers":"[\"A ring\",\"A bracelet\",\"A necklace\",\"A pendant\"]","correct":"A necklace"},{"id":4728,"question":"4. \u00a0When does she want a ring from her boyfriend?","answers":"[\"As soon as possible\",\"Next year\",\"Never\",\"A little later after she is ready\"]","correct":"A little later after she is ready"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1662,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1671,"title":"The Ex-girlfriend","audio":"L179P2.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n A: \"What happened to that girl you were seeing?\"<br>B: \"Oh Jackie? We <b>broke up<\/b> last week.\"<br>A: \"That was a short relationship. You only started dating 2 months ago.\"<br>B: \"It was actually a long two months. She was a <b>psycho<\/b>.\"<br>A: \"What do you mean?\"<br>B: \"She would be laughing one moment, and if I said something <b>insensitive<\/b>, she would start crying. I didn't want to deal with that.\"<br>A: \"She sounds very <b>emotional<\/b>.\"<br>B: \"She was a <b>psycho <\/b>man. One time we were suppose to get together. I was waiting for her call, and when she finally called, she was screaming why I wasn't at her place.\"<br>A: \"Were you suppose to be there?\"<br>B: \"I thought she was going to call when she was done shopping. It was a misunderstanding. She was <b>literally <\/b>screaming on the phone over this.\"<br>A: \"Ok. You're right. She's a <b>psycho<\/b>.\"<br>B: \"I'm just glad it's over.\"<br>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.talkenglish.com\/listening\/lessonlisten.aspx?ALID=231","question":"[4761,4762,4763,4764]","vocabulary":"<p><b>break up<\/b> (with somebody)<br>\u200bto end a relationship with somebody<\/p><hr><p><b>psycho <\/b>\/\u02c8sa\u026ak\u0259\u028a\/ noun<br>a person who is mentally ill and who behaves in a very strange violent way<\/p><hr><p><b>insensitive <\/b>\/\u026an\u02c8sens\u0259t\u026av\/ adjective<br>not realizing or caring how other people feel, and therefore likely to hurt or offend them<\/p><hr><p><b>emotional <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8m\u0259\u028a\u0283\u0259nl\/ adjective<br>showing strong emotions, sometimes in a way that other people think is unnecessary<br><\/p><hr><p><b>literally <\/b>\/\u02c8l\u026at\u0259r\u0259li\/ adverb<br>used to emphasize the truth of something that may seem surprising<\/p><hr><p> <br><br><br><\/p>","note":null,"downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-06-03T07:09:49.000000Z","liked":783,"question_link":null,"duration":45,"size":726831,"video":0,"video_id":"WjCW2aBflPo","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":4761,"question":"1. \u00a0How does he feel after breaking up with his girlfriend?","answers":"[\"Depressed and sad\",\"Relieved and glad\",\"In extreme pain\",\"Crying all day long\"]","correct":"Relieved and glad"},{"id":4762,"question":"2. \u00a0How long did the relationship last?","answers":"[\"1 month\",\"2 months\",\"1 year\",\"2 years\"]","correct":"2 months"},{"id":4763,"question":"3. \u00a0Why did they break up?","answers":"[\"She was too emotional\",\"He didn't treat her well\",\"She found another guy\",\"He was going abroad to study\"]","correct":"She was too emotional"},{"id":4764,"question":"4. \u00a0What other term was used that is similar to being too emotional ?","answers":"[\"A cry baby\",\"A psycho\",\"A mama's boy\",\"A freak\"]","correct":"A psycho"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1671,"ordering":1000}},{"id":363,"title":"Homeopathy","audio":"028-09.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n I started studying <b>homeopathy<\/b>, in my mid-twenties.\r\n<br>The idea came to me, one summer.<br>\r\nAnd I'd already changed career, three times, since I left university.\r\n<br>And so, I was very <b>strict <\/b>with myself, and said, that I wasn't allowed to study homeopathy, this year.\r\n<br>But if I still wanted to next year, ha ha, I would.\r\n<br>And I did still want to the next year.\r\n<br>So, I bought all the books on the reading list.\r\n<br>Read them all, still liked it, so I enrolled in a course in Devon.<br>\r\nAnd, it was very, interesting.\r\n<br>Both as, a healing method.\r\n<br>I've had homeopathy, and, um, other people I know had had some, and I, i_ it seemed to work.\r\n<br>Um, I wouldn't say that I was, kind of, a real total believer.\r\n<br>But, I was prepared to give it a go.\r\n<br>And, um, I was interested in... being taught it really.\r\n<br>Mm, because I was curious.\r\n<br>Um, but I found it also <b>particularly <\/b>interesting to study.\r\n<br>Because you view_ because it's a <b>holistic <\/b>therapy, and, you view a patient as a whole person.<br>\r\nAnd then you match them with a whole image of a <b>remedy<\/b>.\r\n<br>It's a, uh, a great training in s- sort of some pattern recognition, in psychology, and in events in the world.\r\n<br>Which is very useful, for, fiction writing, and just amusing yourself in all sorts of ways.\r\n<br>Going, 'mm, that's like that.\r\n<br>Oo...'In fact, when I was, kind of_ towards the end of my training, uh, I would_ I was rather inclined to categorise everybody on that, all the time.\r\nAt the back of my head I was going, 'mm, a bit of a (xx xx), hmm.\r\n' <br>Ha ha, and it was probably very annoying for all my friends.\r\n<br>Um, it was great fun to study.\r\nBut, I just wasn't quite <b>convinced <\/b>enough, of... <br>The, the truth of it, to sit someone down and take money from them, for my consultation.<br>\r\nI do <b>prescribe <\/b>for my friends.\r\n<br>And I do prescribe for myself, now.\r\n<br>But I couldn't actually make a business out of it.<br>\r\nI just_ I wasn't_ st_ there's was_ there's a level of confidence when you take money from people, that I didn't have.\r\n<br>So, i, I haven't carried on with it in that way.\r\n<br>But, I seem to have cured my brother's, um, permanent hay fever.\r\n<br>He had it all year round.\r\n<br>Um, and I reckoned, you know_ I mean it was_ it's pretty disabling to be, constantly, streaming eyes and streaming nose.\r\nAnd none of the, um, sort of antihistamines he took seemed to really help.\r\n<br>And that's fixed.\r\n<br>And I'll reckon that's a worthwhile use of two thousand pounds, as well as having some fun studying interesting stuff. \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3755","question":"[1707,1708,1709,1710,1711,1712]","vocabulary":"\r\n <p><b>homeopathy <\/b>\/\u02cch\u0259\u028ami\u02c8\u0251\u02d0p\u0259\u03b8i\/ noun<br> \u200ba system of treating diseases or conditions using very small amounts of the substance that causes the disease or condition<\/p><hr><p><b>strict <\/b>\/str\u026akt\/ adjective<br>used to refer to someone who follows the rules and principles of a belief or way of living very carefully and exactly, or a belief or principle that is followed very carefully and exactly<\/p><hr><p><b>particularly <\/b>\/p\u0259r\u02c8t\u026akj\u0259l\u0259rli\/ adverb<br> \u200bespecially; more than usual or more than others<\/p><hr><p><b>holistic <\/b>\/h\u0259\u028a\u02c8l\u026ast\u026ak\/ adjective<br> \u200bconsidering a whole thing or being to be more than a collection of parts<\/p><hr><p><b>remedy <\/b>\/\u02c8rem\u0259di\/ noun<br> a way of dealing with or improving an unpleasant or difficult situation<\/p><hr><p><b>convinced <\/b>\/k\u0259n\u02c8v\u026anst\/ adjective<br> [not before noun] completely sure about something<\/p><hr><p><b>prescribe <\/b>\/pr\u026a\u02c8skra\u026ab\/ verb<br> (of a doctor) to tell somebody to take a particular medicine or have a particular treatment; to write a prescription for a particular medicine, etc.<br><\/p>\r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 162\",\"Length: 2:50\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-04T07:46:59.000000Z","liked":890,"question_link":null,"duration":171,"size":4776273,"video":0,"video_id":"ppSiwHc1Q9U","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1707,"question":"What does the speaker conclude about her study of homeopathy?","answers":"[\"She will start a new career practising homeopathy.\",\"She enjoys practising homeopathy for friends and family.\",\"Studying homeopathy was a waste of her time.\",\"Studying homeopathy helped her writing.\"]","correct":"She enjoys practising homeopathy for friends and family."},{"id":1708,"question":"Why did the speaker wait a year to begin studying homeopathy?","answers":"[\"Because she had already changed jobs several times\",\"Because she had to save money for books\",\"Because the course was only offered in summer\",\"Because her parents were very strict with her\"]","correct":"Because she had already changed jobs several times"},{"id":1709,"question":"How did the speaker initially feel when she learned about homeopathy?","answers":"[\"She was interested but a little sceptical.\",\"She didn't believe it was healthy.\",\"She didn't like it but was curious.\",\"She was convinced of its benefits right away.\"]","correct":"She was interested but a little sceptical."},{"id":1710,"question":"What does the speaker mean when she describes homeopathy as an 'holistic therapy'?","answers":"[\"It takes a long time to work for people.\",\"It is related to religious beliefs.\",\"It uses writing as a therapy.\",\"It looks at people as whole beings.\"]","correct":"It looks at people as whole beings."},{"id":1711,"question":"Why hasn't the speaker started a business in homeopathy?","answers":"[\"She never completed the course.\",\"She never wanted to practice homeopathy.\",\"She can't find patients who will pay her.\",\"She isn't confident enough in homeopathy.\"]","correct":"She isn't confident enough in homeopathy."},{"id":1712,"question":"Why does the speaker mention her brother?","answers":"[\"He gave her two thousand pounds.\",\"He was treated by homeopathy successfully.\",\"He is permanently disabled.\",\"He introduced her to homeopathy.\"]","correct":"He was treated by homeopathy successfully."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":363,"ordering":1000}},{"id":1543,"title":"The River","audio":"868-Jeff-Canoe32.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <strong>Todd:<\/strong> So, Jeff, we're talking about your trip down the Amazon, and so you took a truck to the Amazon and then you got a canoe. You got on a canoe. Can you talk about your journey down the Amazon? <p><strong>Jeff:<\/strong> The Amazon... What people think of the Amazon is a beautiful river with a nice green jungle and lots of animals, and it's not like that. It's not a beautiful place. It was... the river was muddy and dirty. It looked like coffee. The side of the river, the side of the Amazon was very <span class=\"audionotes\">overgrown<\/span> and full of mosquitos and black flies. We didn't see any wild animals because the canoe was just a long, thin wooden canoe <span class=\"audionotes\">piled high<\/span> with things like rice and food other materials that the villagers needed and it had an <span class=\"audionotes\">outboard motor<\/span> that was very noisy, so it wasn't romantic at all, the ideas of the Amazon river, and the beauty and the adventure. It was difficult and dirty and hot and dangerous, so <span class=\"audionotes\">it wasn't romantic at all<\/span>.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> It doesn't sound like it. Where did you stay as you would go down? Would you sleep on the canoe?<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>No. Every night they would stop at a little village, and it was just made out of little village, a little <span class=\"audionotes\">cluster<\/span> of bamboo thatched houses just on the side of the river. They'd clear a little spot out of the jungle and then they'd have a, say a dozen bamboo houses there and we'd sleep say on the floor of one of their houses in our sleeping bags.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd: <\/strong>Were these houses made especially for travellers?<\/p> <p><strong>Jeff: <\/strong>No, no. There was no travelers. There's no houses for travelers. These are just with the villagers. There's no restaurants or no hotels. There are no internet cafes. Half the villages didn't have power, so it was real basic village life.<\/p> <p><strong>Todd:<\/strong> Wow! <\/p> \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T868-Jeff-Canoe.htm","question":"[3629,3630,3631,3632]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <div><b>overgrown<\/b><\/div><ul><li>The Amazon was very overgrown.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>'Overgrown' plants and trees have grown in an uncontrolled way. If we don't cut the grass around our home for example, it quickly becomes overgrown. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>The path was overgrown with plants.<\/li><li>It's time to trim the overgrown trees.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>piled high<\/b><\/div><ul><li>A canoe piled high with rice and food.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>The phrase 'piled high' means a group of similar things that are put on top of each other. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>His dirty clothes were piled high on the floor.<\/li><li>The truck was was piled high with supplies.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>outboard motor<\/b><\/div><ul><li>It had an outboard motor.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>An 'outboard motor' is found on the outside of a boat. We usually see outboard motors on smaller boats. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>We couldn't start the outboard motor.<\/li><li>The outboard motor was small but powerful.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>it wasn't romantic at all<\/b><\/div><ul><li>The trip wasn't romantic at all.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>The word 'romantic' usually talks about feelings of love between two people. But, a romantic journey makes you think about love or someone you love while traveling. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>It was a romantic restaurant.<\/li><li>They took a romantic walk on the beach.<\/li><\/ol><div><b><br><\/b><\/div><hr><div><b>cluster<\/b><\/div><ul><li>A little cluster of houses.<br><\/li><\/ul><div>A 'cluster' is a group of people or similar things that are close together. <br><\/div><div>Notice the following:<\/div><ol><li>A cluster of people were standing on the corner.<\/li><li>It's behind that cluster of trees.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Canada, US\"]","downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-06-04T08:29:08.000000Z","liked":877,"question_link":"http:\/\/www.elllo.org\/english\/0851\/T868-Jeff-Canoe.htm\/..\/..\/..\/quiz\/views\/0851Q\/T868.js","duration":123,"size":2462347,"video":0,"video_id":"xj-TD9v1KP4","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":3629,"question":"1) How does Jeff describe the Amazon River?","answers":"[\"Very beautiful\",\"Kind of beautiful\",\"Not beautiful\"]","correct":"Not beautiful"},{"id":3630,"question":"2) What was noisy?","answers":"[\"The animals\",\"The river\",\"The canoe\"]","correct":"The canoe"},{"id":3631,"question":"3) Where did he sleep at night?","answers":"[\"In the jungle\",\"In a village\",\"On the canoe\"]","correct":"In a village"},{"id":3632,"question":"4) How does he describe the villages?","answers":"[\"Very basic\",\"Dangerous\",\"Touristy\"]","correct":"Very basic"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1543,"ordering":40}},{"id":108,"title":"A Year at a Convent Boarding School","audio":"026-07.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n When I was ten years old I was sent to a <b>convent <\/b>in Sussex.\r\n<br>At first it <b>seemed <\/b>like a really good idea.\r\n<br>But, when the day came for me to go, <b>reality dawned<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, it was, probably one of the_ my worst days I have ever had.\r\n<br>Leaving home and leaving your parents.\r\n<br>It was_ when you're a child, it was just terrible,\r\nI hated it.\r\n<br>Um, but I was only there for a year, because I didn't <b>settle down<\/b> at all.\r\n<br>Um, and in that year, um, it was just the worst year of my life I think.\r\n<br>And it's, sort of, affected me I suppose, in... in ways it shouldn't of.\r\n<br>Um, it was run by_ it was a <b>convent<\/b>.\r\n<br>It was sort of_ no, it was run by nuns.\r\n<br>And, uh, it was_ they were the most <b>inhumane <\/b>sort of, group of people I've, I've ever come across.\r\n<br>And, they acted so <b>bitter<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, um, they were just so, <b>horrid<\/b>.\r\n<br>I, I can't sort of, explain.\r\n<br>And, to get away from it, I used to play the piano.\r\n<br>And I'd hide myself away, in the piano rooms.\r\n<br>Um... and <b>escape <\/b>I suppose.\r\n<br>And then, also playing tennis.\r\n<br>And, I had ways of, trying to <b>cope <\/b>with it, um, obviously, when we weren't having lessons.\r\n<br>And I used to <b>look forward to<\/b> going to sleep because it was, when I was on my own.\r\n<br>Um, I always remember one crate that_ one of the nuns who used to, um, sleep next to me.\r\n<br>She had a sort of_ we all had a <b>corridor<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, um, we, we slept sort of in a <b>communal<\/b>, um, corridor.\r\n<br>There were, um, about twenty beds in.\r\n<br>And, um, she was brushing my hair, late one night.\r\n<br>And, um, I was very excited because my father was coming at the weekend.\r\n<br>And, he was, um, going to take me camping.\r\n<br>And so I was relieved that I would not be staying, that weekend in the school.\r\n<br>And I explained this to the nun.\r\n<br>She was brushing my hair, and she said, 'never plan ahead.\r\nYou never know when you might die.\r\n'<br> I told my father this, and, um, he was <b>outraged<\/b>.\r\n<br>And, promptly took me out of the school.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3690","question":"[469,470,471,472,473]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <p><b>convent <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0251\u02d0nvent\/, \/\u02c8k\u0251\u02d0nv\u0259nt\/ noun<br>a building in which a Christian community of nuns (= members of a female religious community) live together<\/p><hr><p><b>seem <\/b>\/si\u02d0m\/ linking verb<br>used to make what you say about your thoughts, feelings or actions less strong<\/p><hr><p><b>reality<\/b> \/ri\u02c8\u00e6l\u0259ti\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the true situation and the problems that actually exist in life, in contrast to how you would like life to be<\/p><hr><p><b>dawn <\/b>\/d\u0254\u02d0n\/ verb<br>[intransitive] to become obvious or easy to understand<\/p><hr><p><b>settle down<\/b> phrasal verb<br>to start to have a quieter way of life, living in one place<\/p><hr><p><b>inhumane <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026anhju\u02d0\u02c8me\u026an\/ adjective<br>not caring about the pain or problems of other people or animals; very cruel<\/p><hr><p><b>bitter <\/b>\/\u02c8b\u026at\u0259r\/ adjective<span class=\"def\"><br>feeling angry and unhappy because you feel that you have been treated unfairly<\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><b>horrid <\/b>\/\u02c8h\u0254\u02d0r\u026ad\/ adjective<br>very unpleasant or unkind<\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><b>escape <\/b>\/\u026a\u02c8ske\u026ap\/ verb<br>to be forgotten or not noticed<\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><b>cope <\/b>\/k\u0259\u028ap\/ verb<br>[intransitive] to deal successfully with something difficult<\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><b>look forward to<\/b> phrasal verb<br>\u200bto be thinking with pleasure about something that is going to happen (because you expect to enjoy it)<\/span><\/p><hr><p><span class=\"def\"><b>corridor<\/b> \/\u02c8k\u0254\u02d0r\u026ad\u0254\u02d0r\/ noun<br>a long narrow passage in a building, with doors that open into rooms on either side<\/span><\/p><hr><p><b>communal <\/b>\/k\u0259\u02c8mju\u02d0nl\/ adjective<br>\u200bshared by, or for the use of, a number of people, especially people who live together<span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><\/p><hr><p><b>outrage <\/b>\/\u02c8a\u028atre\u026ad\u0292\/ verb<br>[often passive] to make somebody very shocked and angry<span class=\"def\"><br><\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 215\",\"Length: 2:16\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-04T11:58:33.000000Z","liked":1085,"question_link":null,"duration":137,"size":3827610,"video":0,"video_id":"pVPK4iSaHd8","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":469,"question":"How did the speaker feel when leaving for the convent school?","answers":"[\"She was surprised by her parents' decision.\",\"She was excited about the opportunity.\",\"She was sad to leave her parents.\",\"She was curious to try a new school.\"]","correct":"She was sad to leave her parents."},{"id":470,"question":"How does the speaker describe the nuns?","answers":"[\"Kind\",\"Confusing\",\"Bitter\",\"Peaceful\"]","correct":"Bitter"},{"id":471,"question":"How was the piano important to the speaker during her time at school?","answers":"[\"She had a brilliant teacher.\",\"She would play for her father often.\",\"It helped her sleep.\",\"It helped her cope.\"]","correct":"It helped her cope."},{"id":472,"question":"Why does the speaker share the story about the nun who was brushing her hair?","answers":"[\"To explain why she left the school\",\"To point out the nun's kindness\",\"To explain why planning ahead is important\",\"To point out how the rooms were designed\"]","correct":"To explain why she left the school"},{"id":473,"question":"What is this talk mainly about?","answers":"[\"Her interest in becoming a nun\",\"Her terrible experience at the convent school\",\"How she learned to play piano and tennis\",\"How the convent school helped her grow\"]","correct":"Her terrible experience at the convent school"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":108,"ordering":0}},{"id":294,"title":"Why I Chose Nursing","audio":"014-07.mp3","dialog":"<p>\r\n \r\n I think when I was a young girl, a cousin of mine, was a <b>navy <\/b>nurse and when she was, off <b>duty <\/b>she would come out and visit us.\r\n<br>And spend a week with us and tell us all about her travels, on board ship as a <b>navy <\/b>nurse.\r\n<br>And then we had another cousin who was also a nurse.\r\n<br>And, um, she worked in an <b>orphanage<\/b>... <br>And it was really <b>fascinating<\/b>, the different tales that these women would, bring back to us.\r\n<br>There're five girls in my family and three boys.\r\n<br>And of course the girls were always <b>fascinated <\/b>with all these stories and, actually their_ they both were a great <b>inspiration <\/b>to all of us because three of us in the family became <b>registered nurses<\/b>.\r\n<br>We went to university and became <b>registered nurses<\/b>.\r\n<br>And we all practised nursing for years.\r\nHehehe.\r\n<br>As a matter of fact my youngest sis- one of my youngest sisters who lives near here is still practising nursing.\r\n<br>She is now working with the, uh, drug <b>abuse <\/b>program up the_ the medical center nearby.\r\n<br>And she's in her seventies.\r\n<br>So the type of nursing I do now_ I'm_ I'm_ I'm just sort of digressing here a bit.\r\n<br>I'm sort of nurse <b>companion <\/b>and, uh, listener and all that sort of stuff.\r\n<br>And sometimes I help with treatments if they can't get mi- minor treatments.\r\n<br>But, um, my oldest sister was the one who first became a nurse.\r\n<br>And she went off the college right out of, uh, high school.\r\n<br>So, uh, I didn't know what I wanted to do.\r\n<br>As I said there were so many of us in the family, there there was just enou- not enough money for us all to go off to school when we finished high school.\r\n<br>So anyway, she was in her, second or last year of training when I finished high school.\r\n<br>And there just wasn't enough money for me to go off and I just didn't know what I wanted to do <br>so my dad... asked me to stay home and help him in the <b>orchard <\/b>business.\r\n<br>At that time he was, uh, in the <b>orchard <\/b>business full time.\r\n<br>He had been a county <b>superintendent <\/b>of schools.\r\n<br>And when I was a junior in high school he had to give up that job_ that work, because it was affecting his health, it was too much stress.\r\n<br>So he, um, expanded the <b>orchard <\/b>and then because my_ both my brothers were in college at the time, I was sort of his main stay.\r\n<br>We had the sales room and all that.\r\n<br>And we had the care of the trees all the year round.\r\n<br>So... I became rather_ I would say very knowledgeable about the <b>orchard <\/b>work, uh, a- and different types of fruit that we were raising.\r\n<br>But, uh, as a result of my staying home he paid my <b>tuition <\/b>to, the nursing school.\r\n<br>Which I was very happy he did because I didn't know how I was going to do it.\r\n<br>But, um, so I went to the same school, same college, the University College sat, uh, i- in Cincinnati, Ohio, the university there.\r\n<br>And our, uh, training hospital was the huge Cincinnati General Hospital, the big City hospital.\r\n<br>So we had the medical school down the street from us.\r\n<br><\/p><p>We had the Children's Hospital_ the City of Children's Hospital, then we had a private_ a small private hospital.\r\n<br>All within two or three blocks radius.\r\n<br>And then we had_ this was a fifteen hundred bed hospital... with patients.\r\n<br>And then we had, two buildings where_ with three stories where they did medical research.\r\n<br>So it was just a_ an exciting, fascinating, training period of my life.\r\n<br>Then I stayed there a couple of years after I graduated.\r\n<br>And then I got married and moved out because, um, my husband was drafted into the army during the second world war.\r\n<br>But I still continued to work where we moved before he was <b>drafted<\/b>.\r\n<br>And that's another_ and this again was a very interesting experience.\r\n<br>Because it was another medical school setting.\r\n<br>But it was interesting, th- the men and the women's colleges_ the university pa- uh, parts were separated.\r\n<br>So if I wanted to continue my studies I had to go all the way downtown to the women's campus, after I got off duty.\r\n<br>Which I did because I wanted to further my education.\r\n<br>I_ my husband didn't want me to go in the army so I said \"well I might as well do something worthwhile\". \r\n \r\n <\/p><p><br><\/p>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3490","question":"[1345,1346,1347,1348,1349,1350]","vocabulary":"<p><\/p><p><b>navy <\/b>\/\u02c8ne\u026avi\/ noun<br>\u200b[countable + singular or plural verb] the part of a country\u2019s armed forces that fights at sea, and the ships that it uses<\/p><hr><p><b>duty <\/b>\/\u02c8dju\u02d0ti\/ noun<br> [uncountable] the work that is your job<\/p><hr><p><b>orphanage <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0254\u02d0rf\u0259n\u026ad\u0292\/ noun<br>\u200ba home for children whose parents are dead<\/p><hr><p><b>fascinating <\/b>\/\u02c8f\u00e6s\u026ane\u026at\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br>extremely interesting and attractive<\/p><hr><p><b>inspiration <\/b>\/\u02cc\u026ansp\u0259\u02c8re\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the process that takes place when somebody sees or hears something that causes them to have exciting new ideas or makes them want to create something, especially in art, music or literature<\/p><hr><p><b>registered nurse<\/b> \/\u02ccred\u0292\u026ast\u0259rd \u02c8n\u025c\u02d0rs\/ noun<br>(abbreviation RN)<br>\u200b(North American English) a nurse who has a degree in nursing and who has passed an exam to be allowed to work in a particular state<\/p><hr><p><b>abuse <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8bju\u02d0s\/ noun<br>[uncountable, singular] the use of something in a way that is wrong or harmful<\/p><hr><p><b>companion <\/b>\/k\u0259m\u02c8p\u00e6nj\u0259n\/ noun<br>a person or an animal that travels with you or spends a lot of time with you <\/p><hr><p><b>orchard <\/b>\/\u02c8\u0254\u02d0rt\u0283\u0259rd\/ noun<br>a piece of land, normally separated from the surrounding area, in which fruit trees are grown<br><\/p><hr><p><\/p><p><b>superintendent<\/b> \/\u02ccsu\u02d0p\u0259r\u026an\u02c8tend\u0259nt\/ noun<br>a person who has a lot of authority and manages and controls an activity, a place, a group of workers, etc.<\/p><hr><p><b>tuition <\/b>\/tu\u02c8\u026a\u0283n\/ noun<br><b>tuition (in something)<\/b> (formal) the act of teaching something, especially to one person or to people in small groups<\/p><hr><p><b>draft <\/b>\/dr\u00e6ft\/ verb<br>to order somebody by law to join the armed forces<\/p><hr><p><br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 180\",\"Length: 4:15\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-05T11:32:33.000000Z","liked":923,"question_link":null,"duration":256,"size":7162925,"video":0,"video_id":"AkMx0L8XpKs","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1345,"question":"What inspired the speaker to become a nurse?","answers":"[\"The school nurse from her elementary school\",\"A family friend who was a nurse\",\"A nurse she met while travelling\",\"The stories of two cousins who were nurses\"]","correct":"The stories of two cousins who were nurses"},{"id":1346,"question":"What type of nursing is the speaker trained to do?","answers":"[\"She was trained to be a psychiatric nurse.\",\"She was trained to work as a military nurse.\",\"She was trained to assist in operations.\",\"She was trained as a registered nurse.\"]","correct":"She was trained as a registered nurse."},{"id":1347,"question":"Why didn't the speaker go straight into nursing when she left school?","answers":"[\"She needed to help her father on their fruit farm.\",\"She wanted to travel after graduation.\",\"Her father didn't want to pay for her education.\",\"She planned to get married first.\"]","correct":"She needed to help her father on their fruit farm."},{"id":1348,"question":"Where did the speaker get her training?","answers":"[\"At a university in Cleveland, Ohio\",\"At Ohio State University\",\"At the University of Ohio\",\"At Univesity College in Cincinnati, Ohio\"]","correct":"At Univesity College in Cincinnati, Ohio"},{"id":1349,"question":"Why did the speaker move to another medical school?","answers":"[\"Her father sold the fruit farm.\",\"Her husband's company transferred him to another job.\",\"Her husband joined the army.\",\"She found a nursing job in another state.\"]","correct":"Her husband joined the army."},{"id":1350,"question":"Why did the speaker mention the Children's Hospital?","answers":"[\"She worked there after graduation.\",\"She was a patient there as a child.\",\"It was near her university.\",\"It was the location of her first job.\"]","correct":"It was near her university."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":294,"ordering":0}},{"id":454,"title":"Why I Did Maths","audio":"028-08.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n Why did I do a maths degree. <br>Uh, <b>by accident <\/b>really. <br>Um... I had this big family <b>reputation<\/b>, as a <b>people person<\/b>. <br>And I didn't really want to be defined as a people person. <br>It sounded far too fluffy. <br>And, I felt, that it would just be <b>amusing<\/b>, ha ha, when I discovered that maths, was less hard than I'd anticipated. <br>'Cos I did quite well in my exams so... I swapped it to do maths really, just to kind of surprise, and <b>startle <\/b>my family. Ha ha. It worked. Ha ha. <br>It was a bit of a mistake when I got there. <br>I got the degree. <br>Um, I do like maths, but then I do like, almost everything. <br>So, that wasn't necessarily a good enough reason. <br>Um, I like maths because there's a right answer. <br>What I'd got accepted for_ to do at university, was economic and social history. <br>And there's no right answers. <br>You always feel like you're going to be wrong. <br>You can always completely rewrite the essay. <br>You can always take, the opposing point of view. <br>When you've finished a maths problem, you've got the right answer. <br>That's it, you can go to the pub. <br>You're done. Ha ha. That's a_ that's very... very <b>reassuring<\/b>, actually. <br>Um, and there's no background reading, so you have more time, anyway, to play around, and enjoy being a student. <br>Um, there's also stuff about, how beautiful maths is. <br>But, unless you can see that, in the first place, you_ it's, it's not explainable. <br>It's, you know, a matter of taste like, whether or not you think that a certain kind of dress is pretty. <br>You know, sometimes I would_ even in my incredibly <b>cynical<\/b>, half-hearted way of doing a maths degree, I would sit there in a middle of a lecture, losing my place, and the notes I was taking just going, 'wow, that's, beautiful.' <br>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3754","question":"[2202,2203,2204,2205]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n <p><b>by accident<\/b><br>without intending to, or without being intended<\/p><ol><li>I found her letter by accident as I was looking through my files.<\/li><\/ol><hr><p><b>reputation <\/b>\/\u02ccrepju\u02c8te\u026a\u0283n\/ (noun)<br>the opinion that people have about what somebody\/something is like, based on what has happened in the past<\/p><hr><p><b> people person<\/b><br>a person who enjoys or is particularly good at interacting with others.<\/p><hr><p><b>amusing <\/b>\/\u0259\u02c8mju\u02d0z\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br> \u200bfunny and giving pleasure<\/p><hr><p><b>startle <\/b>\/\u02c8st\u0251\u02d0rtl\/ verb<br> \u200bto surprise somebody suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them<br><\/p><hr><p><b>reassuring <\/b>\/\u02ccri\u02d0\u0259\u02c8\u0283\u028ar\u026a\u014b\/ adjective<br> \u200bmaking you feel less worried or uncertain about something<\/p><hr><p><b>cynical <\/b>\/\u02c8s\u026an\u026akl\/ adjective<br>not trusting or respecting the goodness<br>not believing that something is good or important<br><\/p>\r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Medium\",\"Words\/Minute: 162\",\"Length: 1:57\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-05T21:16:24.000000Z","liked":1289,"question_link":null,"duration":118,"size":3311222,"video":0,"video_id":"3lQ9XJIVVYw","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":2202,"question":"What is the main purpose of the speaker's talk?","answers":"[\"To share her complex feelings toward maths\",\"To encourage other students to study maths\",\"To explain why maths is so beautiful\",\"To show how much maths she knows\"]","correct":"To share her complex feelings toward maths"},{"id":2203,"question":"How does the speaker describe her reputation among her family?","answers":"[\"She has a lot of accidents.\",\"She is good with people.\",\"She does well in math.\",\"She always does surprising things.\"]","correct":"She is good with people."},{"id":2204,"question":"Why does the speaker describe her decision to study maths as a mistake?","answers":"[\"She often wanted more time with friends.\",\"She often got the wrong answers.\",\"She would have preferred an economics degree.\",\"She should have had a better reason.\"]","correct":"She should have had a better reason."},{"id":2205,"question":"Why does the speaker mention a dress?","answers":"[\"To give an example of personal tastes\",\"To point out what students are interested in\",\"To explain her future career interests\",\"To share what she thought about during lectures\"]","correct":"To give an example of personal tastes"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":454,"ordering":3}},{"id":368,"title":"Impressions of Hong Kong","audio":"026-12.mp3","dialog":"\r\n I arrived in Hong Kong about four days before the hand-over, in 1997.\r\nAt this time... There was sort of a euphoria of, excit- excite_ um, lots of exciting things going on, and people_ um, it was a great time to be there.\r\nUm... Lots of people, you know, going to bars, and I mean it was just, fantastic time to, to be in Hong Kong.\r\nUm, and obviously on the day of the hand over, everyone knows it rained.\r\nAnd, um, experienced massive, massive flooding.\r\nAnd, it was just very exciting to be there, and to, be in a_ to actually live there.\r\nI ended up living there for about a year and a half.\r\nUm, i did have_ after a while i kind of got quite annoyed with the, the culture and the materialistic lifestyle that_ i mean i just, started to, think that, these people were only thinking about money and_ um, Prada handbags, or Prata handbags, if it's a rip off name or_ it's, um_ i just_ it's just all money orientated.\r\nShopping, shopping, shopping, until you drop.\r\nOr window shopping.\r\nIt's_ but it's got_ it's fun.\r\nThe first six months were excellent.\r\nAnd i had a fantastic time.\r\nAfter that the novelty wore, wore off a little bit.\r\nAnd, um, i, i kind of, i don't know i, i, felt it was a bit of a superficial, environment.\r\nUm... Not, not_ i don't mean to sort of... Well that's, that's how i, felt about it.\r\nBut, um_ and then, uh_ but now, i mean it's, it's sort of a_ it's not so exciting i don't think it_ there's, um, a feeling of sort of despondency and_ but i don't know.\r\nHa.\r\nUm, i think... I think what drives them_ i don't know, i think there's_ i, i admire them in a way.\r\nUm, they're_ there's so much, um... But_ there's um_ they're always going to make money there.\r\nThey're so keen, they're so_ they've got so much energy.\r\nThat, um... You know, I can't sort of_ um, decry them too much.\r\nBut, um... I, i just couldn't really get on with, living there for too long.\r\nIt was quite nice to live where i did.\r\nWhich was slightly away from the metropolis.\r\nIt's a fantastic place.\r\nI mean, full of energy, vibrancy.\r\nBut, um, a bit too much of a shopping mall, for me.\r\n <br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3694","question":"[1732,1733,1734]","vocabulary":"","note":"[\"Accent: Southern England\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 196\",\"Length: 2:31\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-08T16:56:58.000000Z","liked":518,"question_link":null,"duration":152,"size":4251107,"video":0,"video_id":"45mYeBWWVlY","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1732,"question":"How does the speaker describe her arrival in Hong Kong?","answers":"[\"A time of new business opportunities\",\"An exciting time in Hong Kong's history\",\"A period of financial disasters\",\"A dangerous period of public unrest\"]","correct":"An exciting time in Hong Kong's history"},{"id":1733,"question":"What happens to the speaker after a few months?","answers":"[\"She gets arrested.\",\"She moves away.\",\"She becomes annoyed.\",\"She makes a fortune.\"]","correct":"She becomes annoyed."},{"id":1734,"question":"What is the speaker's overall impression of Hong Kong?","answers":"[\"Too much time spent not working\",\"Not enough protection of the environment\",\"Not enough attention to personal freedom\",\"Too much emphasis on buying and selling\"]","correct":"Too much emphasis on buying and selling"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":368,"ordering":1000}},{"id":173,"title":"Just Deserve","audio":"007-04.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n My friend and I were playing baseball, last week.\r\n<br>And we went to a baseball <b>field<\/b>.\r\n<br>It was just he and I that were playing.\r\n<br>My girlfriend was with us.\r\n<br>But she decided that she wanted to take a <b>nap <\/b>in the <b>outfield<\/b>.\r\n<br>Um, so she took a <b>blanket <\/b>and she was laying down.\r\n<br>And she was in_ she was pretty much out of the way.\r\n<br>She was in the safe place for the most part.\r\n<br>But, a little bit later in the afternoon, my friend was batting and I was <b>pitching<\/b>.\r\n<br>And I threw the ball and he hit, he hit the ball <b>relatively <\/b>close to her.\r\n<br>And she was sleeping and she had no idea the ball was coming toward her.\r\n<br>So I started <b>yelling<\/b>, and the ball just missed her.\r\n<br>I saw_ the ball just missed her.\r\n<br>So I started <b>yelling <\/b>at her to move.\r\n<br>And she wouldn't listen to me.\r\n<br>She was just sleeping saying that everything was okay.\r\n<br>So screaming and screaming and screaming at her to move, and she just wouldn't move.\r\n<br>So I got <b>fed up<\/b> and thought that \"all right fine if a ball hits her she <b>deserves <\/b>it.\r\nShe <b>deserves <\/b>to be hit she's being too <b>stubborn<\/b>.\"<br> So I said to my friend, \"Nick you know what, go ahead and hit her.\r\nShe deserves it.\"<br>On the very next pitch, he hit the ball real real hard and it hit right into my leg, and dropped me.\r\n<br>I I fell down in serious pain.\r\n<br>My girl friend came running over.\r\n<br>It was very <b>ironic<\/b>.\r\n<br>And he'd hit me so hard that the stitching on the baseball left imprint on my leg that lasted for about two days.<br><br><div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\" href=\"market:\/\/details?id=com.kimco.english.grammar.in.use.test.ultimate.englishgrammar\">Learn And Test Your Grammar - Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3366","question":"[769,770,771,772,773]","vocabulary":"\r\n \r\n \r\n <p><b>field <\/b>\/fi\u02d0ld\/ noun<br>[countable] an area of land used for playing a sport on<\/p><hr><p><b>nap <\/b>\/n\u00e6p\/ noun<br>[countable] a short sleep, especially during the day<\/p><hr><p><b>outfield <\/b>\/\u02c8a\u028atfi\u02d0ld\/ noun<br>[singular] \u200bthe outer part of the field in baseball, cricket and some other sports<\/p><hr><p><b>blanket <\/b>\/\u02c8bl\u00e6\u014bk\u026at\/ noun<br>a large cover, often made of wool, used especially on beds to keep people warm<\/p><hr><p><b>pitch <\/b>\/p\u026at\u0283\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] (in baseball) to throw the ball to the person who is batting<\/p><hr><p><b>bat <\/b>\/b\u00e6t\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] bat (something) to hit a ball with a bat<\/p><hr><p><b>relatively <\/b>\/\u02c8rel\u0259t\u026avli\/ adverb<br>to a fairly large degree, especially in comparison to something else<\/p><hr><p><b>yell <\/b>\/jel\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] to shout loudly, for example because you are angry, excited, frightened or in pain<\/p><hr><p><b>fed up<\/b> \/\u02ccfed \u02c8\u028cp\/ adjective<br>[not before noun] \u200bbored or unhappy, especially with a situation that has continued for too long<\/p><hr><p><b>deserve <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8z\u025c\u02d0rv\/ verb<br>be given something because of your actions or qualities<\/p><hr><p><b>stubborn <\/b>\/\u02c8st\u028cb\u0259rn\/ adjective<br>(often disapproving) determined not to change your opinion or attitude<\/p><hr><p><b>ironic <\/b>\/a\u026a\u02c8r\u0251\u02d0n\u026ak\/ adjective<br>expressing irony (the funny or strange aspect of a situation that is very different from what you expect; a situation like this)<\/p><hr><p><br><br> <br><br><\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","note":"[\"Accent: General American\",\"Gender: Male\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 231\",\"Length: 1:15\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-10T03:08:37.000000Z","liked":1084,"question_link":null,"duration":75,"size":2104365,"video":0,"video_id":"7y7lgfrayIs","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":769,"question":"What did the woman decide to do while they were playing baseball?","answers":"[\"Lay down to sleep\",\"Complain about the field\",\"Read a book\",\"Watch them play\"]","correct":"Lay down to sleep"},{"id":770,"question":"Why did the speaker start yelling at the woman?","answers":"[\"He couldn't see her.\",\"She wouldn't play with them.\",\"He wanted her to watch him.\",\"She might be hit by the ball.\"]","correct":"She might be hit by the ball."},{"id":771,"question":"What did the speaker suggest to his friend?","answers":"[\"That they move to a safer place\",\"To hit the woman with the ball\",\"To be more careful\",\"That they go talk to the woman\"]","correct":"To hit the woman with the ball"},{"id":772,"question":"What happened that the speaker said was ironic?","answers":"[\"The woman moved.\",\"He threw the ball too hard.\",\"The woman was hit by the ball.\",\"He was hit by the ball. \"]","correct":"He was hit by the ball. "},{"id":773,"question":"What is this story mainly about?","answers":"[\"What happened during a baseball game\",\"A funny thing that happened\",\"A practice the man attended\",\"How the man met his girlfriend\"]","correct":"A funny thing that happened"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":173,"ordering":0}},{"id":1656,"title":"Asking Martha to marry me.","audio":"L91P1.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n A: \"Hey Jack. What's going on?\"<br>B: \"Hey Matt. I'm going to ask Martha to marry me?\"<br>A: \"Really? When did you decide this?\"<br>B: \"I always knew she was the one, but I decided to <b>pop the big question<\/b> about 2 weeks ago. I'm just <b>debating <\/b>on how to do it.\"<br>A: \"That's exciting man.\"<br>B: \"So how did you <b>propose<\/b>?\"<br>A: \"You shouldn't use my example. It wasn't special. I kind of wish I made it more special but it's too late now.\"<br>B: \"What do you think I should do?\"<br>A: \"There are a lot of options. You can surprise her over dinner, or ask her in a public area, or if you <b>have the balls<\/b>, ask her father in front of her.\"<br>B: \"I never thought about that.\"<br>A: \"Thought about what?\"<br>B: \"Asking her father in front of her. How do you think she will react?\"<br>A: \"I don't know. You should know how she's going to react. She is your girlfriend.\"<br>B: \"I think that's the idea I was looking for. Thanks man.\"<br>A: \"<b>Don't mention it<\/b>. Good luck. You're going to need it.\"<br>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.talkenglish.com\/listening\/lessonlisten.aspx?ALID=216","question":"[4701,4702,4703,4704]","vocabulary":"<p><b>pop the question<\/b><br>(informal) to ask somebody to marry you <\/p><hr><p><b>debating <\/b>\/d\u026a\u02c8be\u026at\u026a\u014b\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the activity of discussing something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution<\/p><hr><p><b>propose <\/b>\/pr\u0259\u02c8p\u0259\u028az\/ verb<br>[intransitive, transitive] to ask somebody to marry you<\/p><hr><p><b>have the balls<br><\/b>To have complete control or dominance over one. <\/p><hr><p><b>don\u2019t mention it<\/b><br>\u200b(informal) used as a polite answer when somebody has thanked you for something<br><\/p>","note":null,"downloaded":null,"updated":"2024-06-10T21:03:55.000000Z","liked":572,"question_link":null,"duration":59,"size":943333,"video":0,"video_id":"dFxWM7C2HSQ","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":4701,"question":"1. \u00a0What is Jack going to ask Martha?","answers":"[\"To get married\",\"To be his girlfriend\",\"To go fishing with her father\",\"To borrow her father's car\"]","correct":"To get married"},{"id":4702,"question":"2. \u00a0What does it mean \"to have balls\"?","answers":"[\"To like sports\",\"To be frightened of everything\",\"To be brave\",\"To be a coach of a sporting team\"]","correct":"To be brave"},{"id":4703,"question":"3. \u00a0How is Jack going to ask Martha?","answers":"[\"Ask her in a restaurant\",\"Ask her in a public area\",\"Ask her father in front of her\",\"None of the above\"]","correct":"Ask her father in front of her"},{"id":4704,"question":"4. \u00a0When did Jack decide to ask this question?","answers":"[\"About 2 weeks ago\",\"About a month ago\",\"Last night\",\"Today\"]","correct":"About 2 weeks ago"}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":1656,"ordering":1000}},{"id":374,"title":"Jennifer's Education","audio":"026-16.mp3","dialog":"\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n I went on to, a <b>boarding school<\/b> <b>later on<\/b> in life.\r\n<br>When I was thirteen years old.\r\n<br>And, it was a <b>convent <\/b>boarding school. <div>There was_ um, it was run by German <b>nuns<\/b>.\r\n<br>The Precious Blood Sisters.\r\n<br>And... I had an older sister in the school and that is why I was sent to the school. <\/div><div>They had very, very <b>strict <\/b>rules.\r\n<br>We were not allowed to look out of the windows in the <b>dormitory<\/b>.\r\n<br>We were not allowed to look out onto the road.\r\n<br>We were supposed to go for <b>mass <\/b>twice a day on Wednesdays and once-a-day throughout the week.\r\n<br>We could not miss <b>Mass <\/b>even on Sundays.\r\n<br>Even if you were <b>Muslim <\/b>we had to go for Catholic Mass.\r\n<br>And there were very <b>strict <\/b>rules.\r\n<br>We had to wake up at five in the morning.\r\n<br>Um, the food was terrible but it was much better than some of the food we had to live with at home.\r\n<br>At least there was enough of it.\r\n<br>And...I studied very hard because I wanted to be a doctor.\r\n<br>But it didn't work out that way.\r\n<br><\/div><div><br><\/div><div>Um, after I left the <b>boarding school<\/b>, I went to another <b>boarding school<\/b>, that was very <b>lax<\/b>. <\/div><div>The rules were very <b>lax<\/b>, and we could go out at night.\r\n<br>We'd go s- slip under the gate and go out, <b>clubbing<\/b>.\r\n<br>And nobody cared where we were. <\/div><div>So I hadn't wanted to go to that school.\r\n<br>And I told my dad but, he didn't want me going to another school.\r\n<br>Because he just wanted me in a <b>boarding school<\/b>.\r\n<br>But that changed my life because, they didn't let me do the subjects I'd wanted to do in life.<\/div><div>I wanted to do sciences, they wanted me to do languages, because I was good at those.\r\n<br>And, I ended up missing my chance to be a doctor.\r\n<br>When I left school, I had my eldest daughter.\r\nThat's Angela. <\/div><div>Uh, she was born a year after I left school.\r\n<br>And her father was in the university.\r\n<br>He'd already gone onto the university.\r\n<br>So we weren't living together. <\/div><div>Um... After two years I went to nursing school, because it was the closest to what I wanted- I wanted to do in life.\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n ","status":1,"link":"http:\/\/www.englishlistening.com\/\/index.php\/passage?passage=3698","question":"[1758,1759,1760,1761]","vocabulary":"<p><b>boarding school<\/b> \/\u02c8b\u0254\u02d0d\u026a\u014b sku\u02d0l\/ noun<br>\u200ba school where children can live during the school year<\/p><hr><p><b>later on<\/b><br>(informal) at a time in the future; after the time you are talking about<\/p><hr><p><b>convent <\/b>\/\u02c8k\u0252nv\u0259nt\/ noun<br>\u200ba building in which a Christian community of nuns (= members of a female religious community) live together<\/p><hr><p><b>nun <\/b>\/n\u028cn\/ noun<br>\u200ba member of a religious community of women who promise to serve God all their lives and often live together in a convent<\/p><hr><p><b>strict <\/b>\/str\u026akt\/ adjective<br>that must be obeyed exactly<\/p><hr><p><b>dormitory <\/b>\/\u02c8d\u0254\u02d0m\u0259tri\/ noun<br>\u200b(also informal dorm)<br>a room for several people to sleep in, especially in a school or other institution<\/p><hr><p><b>Mass <\/b>\/m\u00e6s\/ noun<br>\u200b(sometimes mass)<br>[uncountable, countable] (especially in the Roman Catholic Church) a ceremony held in memory of the last meal that Christ had with his disciples<\/p><hr><p><b>Muslim <\/b>\/\u02c8m\u028azl\u026am\/ adjective<br>\u200bbelieving in and practising Islam; connected with the religion of Islam<\/p><hr><p><b>lax <\/b>\/l\u00e6ks\/ adjective<br>(disapproving) not strict, severe or careful enough about work, rules or standards of behaviour<\/p><hr><p><b>clubbing <\/b>\/\u02c8kl\u028cb\u026a\u014b\/ noun<br>[uncountable] the activity of going to nightclubs regularly<br><\/p>","note":"[\"Accent: Kenyan\",\"Gender: Female\",\"Speed: Fast\",\"Words\/Minute: 207\",\"Length: 2:21\"]","downloaded":0,"updated":"2024-06-11T01:12:00.000000Z","liked":899,"question_link":null,"duration":141,"size":3961462,"video":0,"video_id":"8vzZ7WSqyJI","has_sub":1,"fixed":0,"grammars":[],"questions":[{"id":1758,"question":"What does the speaker say about her first boarding school?","answers":"[\"It was easy to sneak out of.\",\"It had very strict rules.\",\"It taught mostly sciences.\",\"It had very good food.\"]","correct":"It had very strict rules."},{"id":1759,"question":"What does the speaker say about her second boarding school?","answers":"[\"It was more religious than the first one.\",\"It forced her to study languages.\",\"It had worse food than the first one.\",\"It forced her to wake up early.\"]","correct":"It forced her to study languages."},{"id":1760,"question":"What does the speaker most want to study in school?","answers":"[\"Medicine\",\"Languages\",\"Education\",\"Religion\"]","correct":"Medicine"},{"id":1761,"question":"What overall influence do the boarding schools have on the speaker's life?","answers":"[\"They prevent her from achieving her goal.\",\"They teach her to respect rules.\",\"They make her social life more difficult.\",\"They expose her to many interesting subjects.\"]","correct":"They prevent her from achieving her goal."}],"pivot":{"cat_id":3,"dl_id":374,"ordering":1000}}]