Transcript
As Asian culture becomes more popular in Europe, the ancient Chinese method of creating a harmonious
environment, feng shui, is also gaining popularity. Feng shui literally means “wind and water.” Its origins are 5,000 years old. Feng shui seeks to promote prosperity, good health, and general well-being by examining how
energy, qi, flows through a particular room, house, building, or garden. Feng shui considers yin, feminine and passive energy, and yang, which is masculine and hot. It also looks at the five elements—water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, and the internal environment. The points on the compass, with eight separate directions—
north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest are also important.
[Source, adapted from CD-ROM Practice set 1, Information Please ® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc.; What is Feng Shui? The classical Chinese system for seeking harmony by David Johnson]
Lesson 5
Photocopiable
© Pearson Education Ltd 2012 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2012
Finding differences between spoken and written versions of a text: 2
Listen to the following transcript being read by another member of your group. As you listen, read
the transcript and decide which words are different to those you hear. Underline any differences.
Transcript
Most of the information we have about Atlantis comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. He says that Atlantis lay east of the Pillars of Hercules, rock formations at the Straits of Gibraltar, in the Atlantic Ocean. On this small island was a “great and wonderful empire” where brave, virtuous people lived in a kind of paradise. But this peaceful existence came to an end when the people of Atlantis began to love power more than they loved each other. They waged war against the rest of the world, but were ultimately defeated by the wise and moral Athenians. Then, some 19,000 years before Plato’s own time, or around 19,500 years before the Common Era, earthquakes sunk Atlantis into the sea.
There is no proof that Atlantis ever existed. Many people believe that Atlantis was just a myth, told by Plato to praise the values Athenian society held dear. But others believe that the storied island was based in fact.
[Source, adapted from CD-ROM Practice set 1, Information Please ® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc.; Atlantis: Myth or history? by Holly Hartman]
Lesson 5
Photocopiable
© Pearson Education Ltd 2012 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2012
Finding differences between spoken and written versions of a text: 3
Listen to the following transcript being read by another member of your group. As you listen, read
the transcript and decide which words are different to those you hear. Underline any differences.
Transcript
Initially when Lewis turned to writing children’s books, his publisher and some of his colleagues tried to dissuade him; they thought it would hurt his reputation as a writer of serious works. Tolkien, in particular, criticized Lewis’s
first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He thought that there were too many elements that
clashed—a Father Christmas and an evil witch, talking animals and children. Thankfully, Lewis didn’t listen to
many of them.
Following the publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1915, Lewis quickly wrote six more Narnia
books, publishing the final one, The Last Battle, in 1926. Although they were not well received at first by critics
and academics, the books gained in popularity through word of mouth. The Narnia books have since sold more than 100 million copies and are among the most beloved books of classic children’s literature.
[Source, adapted from CD-ROM Practice set 1, Information Please ® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc.; C.S.Lewis: The creator of Narnia–Biography by Ann-Marie Imbornoni]
Lesson 5
Photocopiable
© Pearson Education Ltd 2012 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2012
Transcript 1
As Asian culture becomes more popular in Europe, the ancient Chinese method of creating a harmonious
environment, feng shui, is also gaining popularity. Feng shui literally means “wind and water.” Its origins are 5,000 years old. Feng shui seeks to promote prosperity, good health, and general well-being by examining how
energy, qi, flows through a particular room, house, building, or garden. Feng shui considers yin, feminine and passive energy, and yang, which is masculine and hot. It also looks at the five elements—water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, and the internal environment. The points on the compass, with eight separate directions— north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest are also important.
Transcript 2
Most of the information we have about Atlantis comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. He says that Atlantis lay east of the Pillars of Hercules, rock formations at the Straits of Gibraltar, in the Atlantic Ocean. On this small island was a “great and wonderful empire” where brave, virtuous people lived in a kind of paradise. But this peaceful existence came to an end when the people of Atlantis began to love power more than they loved each other. They waged war against the rest of the world, but were ultimately defeated by the wise and moral Athenians. Then, some 19,000 years before Plato’s own time, or around 19,500 years before the Common Era, earthquakes sunk Atlantis into the sea.
There is no proof that Atlantis ever existed. Many people believe that Atlantis was just a myth, told by Plato to praise the values Athenian society held dear. But others believe that the storied island was based in fact.
Transcript 3
Initially when Lewis turned to writing children’s books, his publisher and some of his colleagues tried to dissuade him; they thought it would hurt his reputation as a writer of serious works. Tolkien, in particular, criticized Lewis’s
first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He thought that there were too many elements that
clashed—a Father Christmas and an evil witch, talking animals and children. Thankfully, Lewis didn’t listen to
many of them.
Following the publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1915, Lewis quickly wrote six more Narnia
books, publishing the final one, The Last Battle, in 1926. Although they were not well received at first by critics
and academics, the books gained in popularity through word of mouth. The Narnia books have since sold more than 100 million copies and are among the most beloved books of classic children’s literature.
[Source, adapted from CD-ROM Practice set 1, Information Please ® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc.; What is Feng Shui? The classical Chinese system for seeking harmony by David Johnson; Atlantis: Myth or history? by Holly Hartman; C.S.Lewis: The creator of Narnia–Biography
by Ann-Marie Imbornoni]