On Screen p 59. A Great Catch. Narratives. Word Formation

Does anyone know what a DJI Phantom is? Can you guess?

 

 

KEY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Predict the story with these phrases:

An aerial video
A safety feature
An automatic landing
A GPS (Global Positioning System)



Answer these questions:
1. Is this a hobby that anyone here is interested in – making drone aerial videos ?
2.Can you guess how much a drone like this would cost?
3. There’s something important that isn’t included in the price. Can you guess what it is?
4. Imagine this: you are flying a drone and the battery dies. What do you think would happen?


Answers:
2. (Answer: between 500 € and 1500 € )



3. (Answer: the video camera. Other guesses may include: the remote control; the battery.)



4. (Answer: the DJI Phantom has a safety feature . The drone will make an automatic landing just before the battery dies. A GPS inside the drone will guide it back to the same spot where it took off from.) 


Story text 
Part one
Drone aerial videos are becoming more and more popular these days. Perhaps you’ve seen some on YouTube – bird’s-eye views of urban landscapes and city landmarks for example.
 For amateur enthusiasts , the DJI Phantom is a popular model. A drone from the DJI Phantom series can cost anything from between 500 € and 1500 € . That’s quite an expensive piece of equipment and it doesn’t include the video camera.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the battery died while the drone was in flight? Well, the DJI Phantom has a safety feature . Just before this happens, the drone will make an automatic landing. A GPS (Global Positioning System) inside the machine will guide it back to the same spot where it took off from. Clever, no? What could go possibly wrong?



YOUR TASK:   

Constructing a narrative
 

Tell a story which involves a drone. It takes place in the Netherlands and it involves the following:
- A cold day in December
- An amateur drone aerial video enthusiast
- A ditch filled with ice-cold water
- Fully clothed
- Over 4 million views

Using these prompts construct a narrative! 

Now I want you to work together to guess what you think happens in the story. It doesn’t matter if you are right or if you are wrong. This is a speaking activity. I want you to share ideas and construct a narrative. Consider all of the details!

_____________________________________________________________

TIP: 

The use of adjectives, adverbials, collocations, idioms,... will make your stories more colourful:

Examples of adverbials

relatively, easily, suddenly, extremely, gratefully, desperately, dangerously, continuously, possibly, urgently, immediately,

Attitude adverbials

amazingly, apparently, astonishingly, unbelievably, clearly, conveniently, curiously, disappointingly, disturbingly, evidently, (un)fortunately, funnily, happily, indisputably, inevitably, interestingly, ironically, laughably, luckily, miraculously, naturally, obviously, personally, predictably, presumably, reassuringly, regrettably, rightly, sadly, sensibly, strangely, (not) surprisingly, understandably, undoubtedly, unexpectedly, unmistakably, (un)wisely, worryingly.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Vocabulary:
a ditch : a long hole beside a road or a field that water goes into. Sp. zanja, cuneta, acequia. Note that in the Netherlands, ditches can be very wide and deep!
Google maps:
http://lessonstream.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ditch.jpg

an enthusiast : someone who is passionate about something (a hobby, for example)
fully clothed : If someone is fully clothed, they have all of their clothes on. Fully dressed.

fully dressed. adjective    wearing clothes, including things such as shoes. E.g.  She collapsed fully dressed on the bed



Story text 
Part two 
Sample answer
Story text 
Part two 

A Great Catch

It’s a cold day in December. A (1)_____________ (RELATE) young Dutch man called Zwier goes out with a group of friends to test his brand new DJI Phantom drone. He begins by placing it in the middle of a (2)___________ (FAIR) quiet road. As if by (3)___________ (MAGICALLY), it takes off (4)_______________ (VERTICAL) and Zwier flies it (5)______________ (SMOOTHNESS) above the local (6)______________ (SUBURBS) houses, the (7)______________ (LEAVE) trees, the almost (8)______________ (DESERT) roads and Holland’s (9)________________ (UBIQUITY) canals.

After about 15 minutes, however, Zwier has a (10)_______________ (WHAT) (11)__________________ (EXPECTATIONS) problem: the battery seems to start to die and the (12)____________________ (STATE) drone begins to make an (13)__________________ (AUTOMATE) (14)_______________ (LAND). But to everybody’s surprise, instead of landing on the (15)___________________ (PRACTICE) empty road, the drone slowly starts to come down above a water-filled ditch. The minor problem is that Zwier didn’t set the GPS (16)_______________ (CORRECTNESS)!

The ditch is (17)_______________ (WIDTH) and (18)____________ (DEPTH) and the drone is going to land right in the middle of it. Zwier has (19)____________________ (ABSOLUTE) no choice but to quickly run to the ditch and without (20)____________________ (HESITANTLY) jump in, fully clothed at that. (21)___________________ (OBVIOUSNESS), the ice-cold water (22)_______________ (GRADUAL) comes up to his waist.

Zwier (23)______________(ARDUOUS) wades to the centre of the ditch as quickly as he can, desperate to catch the rather (24)_____________ (COST) drone before it lands in the water. The water gets deeper and deeper as he goes: first, up to his chest, then up to his neck and next up to his chin.

The drone is just centimetres from the surface. However, just in the nick of time, and with all his effort, Zwier reaches out his arms and makes a (25)____________ (HERO) one-handed catch. He spits out a (26)_____________________ (MOUTH) of water and (27)____________ (HAPPINESS) smiles. (28)__________________ (SURPRISE), his friends cheer and applaud him (29)____________________ (ENTHUSIASM). (30)_____________ (CURIOSITY), Zwier’s (31)____________________ (COURAGE) catch was caught on camera, which was attached to the drone that he saved! He then decides to publish the video on YouTube and (32)_____________ (WITH) weeks, it goes (33)_____________ (VIRULENT) and it is viewed over 4 million times.

 

 

KEY

1. relatively

 

 

2. fairly 

 

 

3. magic 

 

 

 

4. vertically 

 

 

 

5. smoothly

smoothness: the quality a surface has when it is completely flat and even, without any rough areas or holes.

• the smoothness of her skin

  

 

 

 

6. suburban

 

 

7. leafy 

 

 

 

8. deserted 

 

 

 

9. ubiquitous

ubiquity noun /juːˈbɪkwəti/ [uncountable] (formal or humorous) ​the fact that something seems to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; the fact that something is very common. E.g. the ubiquity of the mass media.

ubiquitous adjective /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/  [usually before noun] (formal or humorous) ​seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common. E.g. the ubiquitous bicycles of university towns. The ubiquitous movie star, Tom Hanks.

 

 

 

10. somewhat

somewhat adverb /ˈsʌmwɒt/ (rather formal) ​to some degree, rather. E.g. somewhat different/similar. I was somewhat surprised to see him. The situation has changed somewhat since we last met. What happened to them remains somewhat of a mystery. My options are somewhat limited.  

 

 

 

11. unexpected

 

 

 

12. state-of-the-art 

/ˌsteɪt əv ði ˈɑːt/ 

using the most modern or advanced techniques or methods; as good as it can be at the present time

• The system was state of the art.
• a state-of-the-art system
• The Physics Department has state of the art facilities.

 

 

 

13. automatic
/ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/

automate verb /ˈɔːtəmeɪt/ [usually passive] ​to use machines and computers instead of people to do a job or task. Be automated. The entire manufacturing process has been automated. The factory is now fully automated. 

 

 

 

14. landing

 

 

 

15. practically 

 

 

 

16. correctly 

 

 

 

17. wide

 

 

 

18. deep 

 

 

 

19. absolutely 

 

 

 

20. hesitation

hesitantly adverb /ˈhezɪtəntli/ ​in a way that is slow because you feel uncertain, embarrassed or unwilling.     E.g. He smiled hesitantly

 

 

 

21. Obviously

obviousness noun /ˈɒbviəsnəs/  [uncountable] ​the fact of being easy to see or understand. E.g. the obviousness of his injuries. 

 

 

 

22. gradually  

 

 

 

23. arduously

arduously adverb /ˈɑːdʒuəsli/  ​in a way that involves a lot of effort and energy, especially over a period of time. E.g. They searched arduously for clues.

 

 

 

24. costly

 

 

 

25. heroic 

 

 

 

26. mouthful 

 

 

 

27. happily 

 

 

 

28. Unsurprisingly 

 

 

 

29. enthusiastically 

 

 

 

30. Curiously 

 

 

 

31. courageous 

/kəˈreɪdʒəs/ showing courage. brave.

• a very courageous decision
• I hope people will be courageous enough to speak out against this injustice.

 

 

 

 

32. within  

 

 

 

33. viral

virulent adjective /ˈvɪrələnt/ 

1.  ​(of a disease or poison) extremely dangerous or harmful and quick to have an effect. E.g. a virulent form of influenza. A particularly virulent flu germ. 

2. showing strong negative and bitter feelings

• virulent criticism
• virulent nationalism

Entire text:

It’s a cold day in December. A relatively young Dutch man called Zwier goes out with a group of friends to test his brand new DJI Phantom drone. He begins by placing it in the middle of a fairly quiet road. As if by magic, it takes off vertically and Zwier flies it smoothly above the local suburban houses, the leafy trees, the almost deserted roads and Holland’s ubiquitous canals.

After about 15 minutes, however, Zwier has a somewhat unexpected problem: the battery seems to start to die and the state-of-the-art drone begins to make an automatic landing. But to everybody’s surprise, instead of landing on the practically empty road, the drone slowly starts to come down above a water-filled ditch. The minor problem is that Zwier didn’t set the GPS correctly!

The ditch is wide and deep and the drone is going to land right in the middle of it. Zwier has absolutely no choice but to quickly run to the ditch and without hesitation jump in, fully clothed at that. Obviously, the ice-cold water gradually comes up to his waist.

Zwier arduously wades to the centre of the ditch as quickly as he can, desperate to catch the rather costly drone before it lands in the water. The water gets deeper and deeper as he goes: first, up to his chest, then up to his neck and next up to his chin.

The drone is just centimetres from the surface. However, just in the nick of time, and with all his effort, Zwier reaches out his arms and makes a heroic one-handed catch. He spits out a mouthful of water and happily smiles. Unsurprisingly, his friends cheer and applaud him enthusiastically. Curiously, Zwier’s courageous catch was caught on camera – the camera attached to the drone that he saved! He then decides to publish the video on YouTube and within weeks, it goes viral and it is viewed over 4 million times.

On Screen p 59. How 'The War of the Worlds' Radio Broadcast Created a National Panic. Extra Word Formation Cloze

Look at this photo and predict the story:

 

Orson Welles' radio drama is the most famous broadcast in radio history. 

As the clock struck 8 p.m. in New York City on the Halloween night of October 30, 1938, Orson Welles stood on a podium inside a Madison Avenue radio studio. The 23-year-old (1)______________ (THEATRE) star prepared to direct 10 actors and a 27-piece orchestra for the Columbia Broadcasting System’s (2)_____________ (WEEK) “Mercury Theatre on the Air” programme. Millions of Americans, as they were every night, huddled around their radios, but (3)___________ (RELATIVE) few of them were listening to CBS when it was announced that Welles and his fellow cast members were presenting an original (4)_____________ (DRAMA) of the 1898 H.G. Wells science-fiction novel “The War of the Worlds.” Instead, most of the country was tuned in to NBC’s popular “Chase and Sanborn Hour,” which featured ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy, Charlie McCarthy. Channel (5)____________ (SURF), however, was not a modern-day (6)___________ (INVENT), and (7)____________ (ORIENTATION) listeners who stumbled onto the “Mercury Theatre on the Air” without having heard the (8)____________ (CLAIM) at the top of the radio play were thrust into the middle of an hour-long drama that left some believing that the country was under attack. The CBS programme opened (9)___________ (SERENE) with dulcet dance music played live by an orchestra.” Then, an actor (10)____________ (PORTRAY) an (11)_____________ (ANNOUNCE) broke in with a fake news report that several explosions of incandescent gas had occurred on Mars. In quick (12)____________ (SUCCESSIVE) came a series of (13)______________ (INCREASE) (14)____________ (ALARM), suspense-building newsflashes that culminated with Martian spacecrafts crashing into a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. For the rest of the hour, terror crackled over the airwaves. (15)_____________ (BREATH) reporters detailed an (16)_____________ (TERRESTRIAL) army of squid-like figures that killed thousands of (17)___________ (EARTH) with heat rays and black clouds of poison gas as they penetrated into New York City. Welles and the rest of the cast (18)___________ (PERSON) (19)_____________ (ASTRONOMY), state militia officials and even the Secretary of the Interior, who  sounded like President Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the end of the hour the director wrapped up the radio drama by telling his audience, “This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character to assure you that ‘The War of the Worlds’ has no (20)__________ (FAR) (21)______________ (SIGNIFY) than as the holiday offering it was intended to be. The Mercury Theatre’s own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying ‘boo!’” 

KEY

 

1. theatrical

 

 

 

2. weekly

 

 

 

3. relatively

 

 

 

4. dramatization

 

 

 

5. surfing

 

 

 

6. invention

 

 

 

7. disoriented

 

 

 

8. disclaimer

disclaimer: a statement in which somebody says that they are not connected with or responsible for something, or that they do not have any knowledge of it. Sp. declaración de limitación de responsabilidad.

E.g.

They protect themselves by issuing various disclaimers. 

9. serenely

serenely: /səˈriːnli/ in a calm and peaceful way.

E.g.

a serenely beautiful scene
She smiled serenely.

 

dulcet /ˈdʌlsɪt/ sounding sweet and pleasant.

E.g.
I thought I recognized your dulcet tones (= the sound of your voice).

 

 

 

10. portraying

 

 

 

11. announcer

 

 

 

12. succession

 

 

 

13. increasingly

 

 

 

14. alarming

 

 

 

15. Breathless

 

 

 

16. extraterrestrial

 

 

 

17. earthlings

earthling: (in science fiction stories) a word used by creatures from other planets to refer to a person living on the earth.

 

 

18. impersonated 

 

 

 

19. astronomers

 

 

 

20. further

 

 

 

21. significance 

 

Related Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZgTPgmJAWc 

 

The National Panic That Followed The War of the Worlds 

The fright that Welles put into America, however, was much greater than he thought. Although the program included a reminder at intermission that it was a dramatization, thousands of anxious and confused listeners believed it to be real. They besieged police departments, newspapers and CBS with phone calls. In New Jersey, ground zero for the fictitious invasion, national guardsmen wanted to know where they should report for duty, and the Trenton police department fielded 2,000 calls in under two hours. In Providence, Rhode Island, hysterical callers begged the electric company to cut power to the city to keep it safe from the extraterrestrial invaders. Fear and anxiety had become a way of life in the 1930s, and it took little to rattle jittery Americans. The Depression had emptied their wallets, the gathering crisis in Europe threatened to ignite into war and just weeks earlier the Hurricane of 1938 had roared ashore. Plus, the Hindenburg disaster, which had been broadcast over the airwaves just the year before, was still fresh in the country’s collective psyche. The newspaper industry also felt unease from the increasing popularity of radio as an informational and advertising medium, and seeing a chance to strike back at its growing rival, it gleefully collected the sporadic reports of individual confusion generated by “The War of the Worlds” and weaved them into a narrative of “mass hysteria.” Newspapers reported suicide attempts, heart attacks and exoduses from major metropolitan areas. The New York Daily News printed the feverish headline “Fake Radio ‘War’ Stirs Terror Through U.S.” along with the photograph of a “war victim,” a woman in a sling who had heard the reports of black gas clouds in Times Square and ran out from her midtown apartment into the street where she fell and broke her arm. Similar stories of woe were printed from coast to coast and unleashed a media frenzy. Orson Welles' Response With threats of lawsuits swirling in the press, CBS went into damage control. At a hastily called press conference, a doe-eyed Welles displayed his theatrical acumen and expressed his remorse and shock at the public reaction. “I can’t imagine an invasion from Mars would find ready acceptance,” he said when asked if he pranked the country. Decades later, however, Welles admitted, “The kind of response was merrily anticipated by us all. The size of it, of course, was flabbergasting.” The Federal Communications Commission did not sanction CBS or Welles, and the radio dramatist quickly spun his Halloween trick into a treat. Thanks to what became known as the “panic broadcast,” the radio program signed Campbell’s Soup as a sponsor, and soon after, Welles inked a deal to direct “Citizen Kane,” named by the American Film Institute as the greatest movie of all time.

 Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” radio play is broadcast

 

“The War of the Worlds”—Orson Welles's realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth—is broadcast on the radio on October 30, 1938. Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells’s 19th-century science fiction novel The War of the Worlds for national radio. Despite his age, Welles had been in radio for several years, most notably as the voice of “The Shadow” in the hit mystery program of the same name. “War of the Worlds” was not planned as a radio hoax, and Welles had little idea of how legendary it would eventually become. The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. A voice announced: “The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in ‘War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells.” Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. But most of these Americans were listening to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy “Charlie McCarthy” on NBC and only turned to CBS at 8:12 p.m. after the comedy sketch ended and a little-known singer went on. By then, the story of the Martian invasion was well underway. Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to “the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra.” Putrid dance music played for some time, and then the scare began. An announcer broke in to report that “Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory” had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer’s field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey. Soon, an announcer was at the crash site describing a Martian emerging from a large metallic cylinder. “Good heavens,” he declared, “something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now here’s another and another one and another one. They look like tentacles to me … I can see the thing’s body now. It’s large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather. But that face, it… it … ladies and gentlemen, it’s indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it, it’s so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate.” The Martians mounted walking war machines and fired “heat-ray” weapons at the puny humans gathered around the crash site. They annihilated a force of 7,000 National Guardsman, and after being attacked by artillery and bombers the Martians released a poisonous gas into the air. Soon “Martian cylinders” landed in Chicago and St. Louis. The radio play was extremely realistic, with Welles employing sophisticated sound effects and his actors doing an excellent job portraying terrified announcers and other characters. An announcer reported that widespread panic had broken out in the vicinity of the landing sites, with thousands desperately trying to flee. The Federal Communications Commission investigated the unorthodox program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more cautious in their programming in the future. The broadcast helped Orson Welles land a contract with a Hollywood studio, and in 1941 he directed, wrote, produced, and starred in Citizen Kane—a movie that many have called the greatest American film ever made.

 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-War-of-the-Worlds-novel-by-Wells

On Screen p 58. University Life. Listening

Progress Check 3 – Exercise 3 (p. 58)
Interviewer: Welcome to Scholastic Spotlight. Today we’re talking to Jessica Harper, a second year media student. Good to have you in the studio, Jessica.
Jessica: Hey, happy to be here.
Interviewer: So, Jessica, how’s it going so far this year? You settling back in OK?
Jessica: Yeah, fine. It’s a lot easier second time round to find your sea legs so to speak.
Interviewer: So, what’s the major difference you’ve noticed between this time last year and now?
Jessica: Well, navigating the ins and outs of life on campus is much easier when you know the lay of the land. I no longer feel like a fish out of water and my workload is a bit more manageable, now that I know what to expect, but a striking difference that I maybe wouldn’t have expected is how much more I miss home this time round. I guess I was so caught up in the newness of everything and trying to meet new people and make new friends last year that I didn’t have time to miss anyone.
Interviewer: How can you not have the time to miss people?
Jessica: OK, it wasn’t so much that I didn’t have the time, more that my mind was occupied with so many other things. Last year was a huge undertaking, the first time I’d lived away from home and I was concentrating so much on making it work and putting all my energy into it, that I suppose my priorities were shifted. But after catching up with all my friends and family over the summer, I realised how much I missed them. So this year I’m going to make a concerted effort to keep up-to-date with everything that’s happening with them. I mean it’s important not to lose contact with where you come from because that constitutes a major factor in who you are.

Interviewer: Too true, and there are lots of ways to catch up with loved ones.
Jessica: Absolutely, but not every method is suitable for everyone.
Interviewer: What do you mean?
Jessica: Well, I use social media to message my friends. It’s great for catching up with someone wherever they are and you can stay in constant contact, continuously updating your information. It’s perfect for the younger generation. But I would never use it to talk to my parents or my grandparents. It just doesn’t seem right, and, quite frankly, my grandparents wouldn’t know their way around it, they aren’t exactly tech savvy although I did manage to get my grandad to download an instant messaging app on his phone before I left.
Interviewer: And how’s that going?
Jessica: He’s struggled a bit with it. I’ve had a few conversations with him over the phone trying to talk him through all the functions, but he loves the fact that I can send him pictures and videos of what I’m doing. It’s a great way to include him in my new life. Another great way to include everyone is with video calling on the computer. With that we can have a face-to-face conversation with the whole family, my parents, my grandparents, my brother, who’s studying in France, and me. The only problem with that is arranging when we’re all free.
Interviewer: Yeah, group chats can be fun, but you can also miss a lot if people are talking at the same time.
Jessica: Mmm, they do take a bit of getting used to, but I think the novelty of seeing everyone is worth it. Plus, you can use it to make telephone calls. I didn’t see the point in getting a landline while I was studying but my parents and grandparents still have theirs and I use the computer to call them. My grandma is very happy about that. She loves having long conversations on the phone.
Interviewer: She sounds like most people’s grandmas.

 

Vocabulary

 settling back in: to have returned to where you used to live, and to get accustomed once again to life as it used to be, with your old habits.

E.g.

When the war was over I settled back into my routine" = Terminado la guerra regresé confortablemente a mi rutina. 

 

sea legs: a person's ability to keep their balance while walking on a moving ship and to not be ill.

E.g.

find/get your sea legs  I felt awful yesterday. But, thankfully, I’ve found my sea legs now 

It won't take you long to find your sea legs.

 

the ins and outs of something all the facts and details of something. 

E.g.

The book guides you through the ins and outs of choosing and growing garden flowers. 

the ins and outs of the problem     

He quickly learned the ins and outs of the job

the lie of the land (British English) (North American English the lay of the land) 

1. ​the way the land in an area is formed and what physical characteristics it has         

E.g.

The castle was hidden by the lie of the land.     

2. ​the way a situation is now and how it is likely to develop.

E.g.

Check out the lie of the land before you make a decision.

be/get caught up in something ​to become involved in something, especially when you do not want to be. 

E.g.

Innocent passers-by got caught up in the riots.

 

undertaking: an important job, piece of work, or activity that you are responsible for. Sp. proyecto, tarea.

E.g.

Starting a new business can be a risky undertaking.

 

A concerted effort or attempt is determined and serious. Sp. hacer un gran esfuerzo.

E.g.

There has been a concerted campaign against the proposals. 

He's making a concerted effort to improve his appearance.

(all/only) too true used to say that you know something is true, when you do not like it. Used for saying that something is true when you wish that it was not. 

E.g.

‘It’s not as easy as it looks.’ ‘Too true!’  

It is only too true that people are judged by their accents.

Sadly the rumour is all too true.

talk somebody through something to explain to somebody how something works so that they can do it or understand it.      Sp. explicarle algo a alguien paso por paso

E.g.

Can you talk me through the various investment options?

 

see the point in (doing) (something) To understand or appreciate the meaning, reason, or importance of (doing) something. 

E.g.

I just don't see the point in another year in high school when I know I can go find work now! 

I hope you see the point in all the things your mother and I do for you! 

On Screen p 54. Languages and Globalisation. Speaking

1. MONOLOGUE. Prepare a talk of AT LEAST 5 minutes on the subject. You may use the pictures above and the contents below if you wish:

"The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language, and no single language is capable of expressing all forms and degrees of human comprehension."  

Ezra Pound (Ezra Weston Loomis Pound) (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic who was a major figure of the early modernist movement.

Do you think the majority of languages around the world will eventually die out? Do you think that governments should have programmes to protect minority languages, or should we accept that they will die out? Can you think of any dead languages? Do you think that their speakers would have predicted that their languages would eventually die out? Is social media saving dying languages?
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of having a global language?

You may make some notes for your talk to take into the exam. These should not exceed five lines.

2. INTERACTION
In this part of the test, the examiner will ask you some questions about issues related to the TOPIC. Remember that you are expected to have a conversation as natural as possible and give full answers. This part of the examination will last AT LEAST 5 minutes. You will not see the questions below.
________________________________________



TEACHER'S QUESTIONS

1. Do you appreciate it when English speakers make an effort to enunciate each word slowly and carefully so that you understand them? or do you find it patronising? Are they being thoughtful and considerate? or do you feel belittled? Does it bolster your confidence? or do you get the impression they are demeaning you?
2. Do you like the way your mother tongue is changing? What do you think the future of your mother tongue is?
3. Can you think of any advantages and disadvantages of using English as a lingua franca?
4. Do you like to adopt new words and expressions?
5. Can you think of any instances in which people are expected to have a good command of English?
6. In what situations should you mind your language?
7. Can you tell us about the last time you faced a language barrier?
8. When was the last time you couldn't get a word in edgeways?
9. Do you prefer to listen to someone who beats about the bush or who gets to the point?

10. When was the last time you witnessed two people talking at cross purposes?
11. Have you ever had to give anybody a good talking-to?
12. Do you have any friends who always talk shop? How do you feel about it?
13. Do you find it irritating when they ask you to run everything by again?
14. Have you ever been in a situation in which you couldn't make head nor tail of what was being said?
15. When was the last time you got the wrong end of the stick? 

Useful language

Monologue questions: sample answer
Some languages are in a very poor state nowadays, particularly given today’s climate of mass culture and so on.
For instance, I have often heard stories of punishment that my parents received for speaking their own language at school. They are able to laugh about it now, but at the time it was considered deeply shaming. It made them feel as the country bumpkin, someone to be despised.
On the one hand these punishments were effective in the sense that they lowered the status of a language. On the other hand they also caused resentment and made people more defiant towards the authorities. You know, it can be a bit like pruning a tree- if you cut it back, it grows much stronger.
However, globalisation and tourism are much more powerful forces which represent a much bigger threat to the survival of a minority language
Although tourism can give a language status by attracting outside interest in it, it can also have a negative effect on local cultures. You know, here in Mallorca, the natives moan about the influx of outsiders and how they buy up land at giveaway prices to build holiday cottages, and how it’s destroying their culture, and so on. But then the very same people are selling up their farms so they can run hotels or open souvenir shops. Understandable, perhaps, but they’re encouraging the very thing they’re complaining about.
If no positive action is taken, some languages will simply die out. The problem is that some people are indifferent, and even hostile to their own language. They think it’s of no use in the modern world, which they so desperately want to be part of. Fortunately, though, there are enough people around who realize that to lose your mother tongue is like losing a part of yourself. Your language makes you who you are. And if you spoke a different language, maybe you would be a different person.

People on their own can’t do much. It is really up to the authorities to legislate to ensure the survival of minority languages.
I think there are several things you can do. Firstly, of course, the authorities would have to bring in some language experts to analyse the present situation. Secondly, these experts…

Many languages in the world are slowly dying from increased globalisation and wider dissemination of more dominant or popular languages. Many countries have one main language of use and several other dialects that are being forgotten or abandoned.
In South America, where there used to be huge linguistic diversity, many of these native languages have become extinct or are in danger of extinction, with the huge promotion of Spanish and Portuguese as the lingua franca. However, with the advent of new technology, some of these dying languages can now also reach to wider audiences.
In Southern Chile, youth that speak a language called Huilliche produce rap videos and post them on the internet in their native tongue. In the Philippines, youth send text messages to each other in their native tongues. It seems that although technology helps bring ideas, and thus language assimilation, to the most remote parts of the world, it also gives these languages a chance to reach out and fight off extinction.
Linguists have noted that youth are more keen to use their native language through modern technology when their peers use it, especially through texting, because it is deemed as “cool.” There has been a direct correlation between teenagers’ access to technology and more interest in learning and retaining their native languages and dialects.

Some believe that a global language would be beneficial because the idea that one country is better than another just because they speak one language would be forgotten. Everyone could get along and maybe even the wars would fade away, eventually. Also, communication would no longer be a problem. Business, travel, and trade would be much easier because we could all talk to each other easily.
On the other hand even though one global language would be nice to have, humans come from diverse ethnic backgrounds and many cultures. A single global language would lead to homogeneity /ˌhɒmədʒəˈniːəti/ as opposed to differentiation. Verbal understanding would be better, but the diversification /daɪˌvɜːsɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ of ideas would cease. Darwin's theory of evolution preaches diverse species survive whereas ones that can't adapt fail. Humans need diverse languages in order to move forward with our society in a positive way.

Vocabulary
enunciate (something)  to say or pronounce words clearly. E.g. He doesn't enunciate (his words) very clearly. She enunciated each word slowly and carefully.

patronise (somebody) (also -ize)(disapproving) to treat somebody in a way that seems friendly, but which shows that you think that they are not very intelligent, experienced, etc. E.g. Some television programmes tend to patronize children.

belittle somebody/something to make somebody or the things that somebody does seem unimportant. E.g. She felt her husband constantly belittled her achievements. By saying this, I do not mean to belittle the importance of his role. He spoke to me in a belittling tone. A person who belittled our efforts to do the job right.

bolster: /ˈbəʊlstə(r)/ to improve something or make it stronger. E.g. to bolster somebody’s confidence/courage/morale. More money is needed to bolster the industry. She tried to bolster my confidence/morale (= encourage me and make me feel stronger) by telling me that I had a special talent. They need to do something to bolster their image.

demean somebody/something to make people have less respect for somebody/something. Degrade. E.g. Such images demean women. Behaviour like this demeans politics. 

lingua franca: /ˌlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə/ a medium of communication used between people who speak different languages. E.g. English has become a lingua franca in many parts of the world.

global language: a language used all around the world. E.g. English has become a global language. 

command of a language: /kəˈmɑːnd/ ability to use a language. E.g. Applicants will be expected to have (a) good command of English. 

mind/ watch your language: pay attention to the words that you use (for example, in order not to appear rude). E.g. Watch your language, young man! 

language barrier: a breakdown in communication as a result of people not having a common language in which to communicate.  The difficulties faced when people who have no language in common attempt to communicate with each other. E.g.  Investigators faced a language barrier because the husband and wife only spoke Cantonese. The couple then went to a local French hospital, but the language barrier proved a slight problem. 

(not) get a word in edgeways (not) to be able to say anything because somebody else is speaking too much. E.g. When Mary starts talking, no one else can get a word in edgeways. 

beat about the bush (British English) (North American English beat around the bush) to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point. E.g. Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.

to the point expressed in a simple, clear way without any extra information or feelings. Pertinent. Relevant. E.g. The letter was short and to the point. His evidence was brief and to the point.  Please get to the point of all this. Will you kindly get to the point? (get to the important part).

cross purposes: /ˌkrɒs ˈpɜːpəsɪz/ if two people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking about or aiming at different things, without realizing it. E.g. I think we're talking at cross purposes; that's not what I meant at all. I think we're/they're at cross-purposes (Sp. creo que estamos/están hablando de cosas distintas). We seem to be talking at cross-purposes (Sp. esto parece un diálogo de sordos).

talking-to: a serious talk with somebody who has done something wrong. E.g. to give somebody a good talking-to. They gave Peter a talking-to about solving problems with words, not fists. The boss gave us a real talking-to at half time and we came out with more aggression for the second half.

run something by (someone) (again) to explain something to someone again; to say something to someone again. E.g. I didn't hear you. Please run that by me again. Please run it by so we can all hear it.

get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick (British English, informal) to understand something in the wrong way. To misunderstand something. E.g. The game was probably the most sensitive treatment and realistic treatment of battle displayed in a video game at that point, so obviously, the media got the wrong end of the stick. 

reach out to someone to ask someone for help. E.g.  She urged him to reach out to his family.

fight somebody/something off to resist somebody/something by fighting against them/it. E.g. The jeweller was stabbed as he tried to fight the robbers off.

deem: to have a particular opinion about something. Consider. E.g. The evening was deemed a great success. I deem it an honour to be invited. She deemed it prudent not to say anything. They would take any action deemed necessary.

On Screen p 54. Languages. Oral Mediation

A friend of yours from England is studying linguistics and his teacher has asked him to write a report about the state of languages in different parts of the world. While doing his research, he came across these pictures about languages in Spain on Google. He sends them to you so that you can shed some light on the state of languages in your country. Your friend also asks you some questions about this topic. You decide to send your friend a voice message with an explanation of 2 minutes.

1. Could you please comment on the pictures I have sent you?
2. Is English used as a lingua franca in Spain when you need to speak with people from different parts of the world?
3. Are there any minority languages in Spain? Are they marginalised or preserved? Are any of them dying out? What is being done to ensure their survival? What else could be done?
4. Are languages in Spain tools of communication and understanding or instruments of conflict?
5. Is Spain a multicultural society nowadays? What are the benefits and drawbacks?
6. Do Spanish parents like to raise multilingual children? Why? What challenges does it pose?
7. Do Spanish people learn languages even in their adult life? Why? What challenges does it present?
8. Does the media in Spain incorporate terms from other languages? Do they use Anglicisms? What Anglicisms do Spanish people use in their everyday lives? In what fields of knowledge can you find foreign words in Spain? Do people embrace these terms? Does an excessive use of borrowings cause controversy at times?
9. What languages may be useful for Spaniards to learn? Why?


Useful language to describe a chart:
 
This chart illustrates how...
This chart compares...
The results that are shown in the chart are...
As can be seen from these results, ...
According to this chart, 
From the data in the above chart, it is apparent that ...
We can see on this chart how... 
The chart indicates that...
The chart represents...
The information given in the chart...
The percentage of people who... is shown on the chart.  
The chart shows quite clearly the impact of...