We begin with easy listening pieces. First is a profile of the legendary Robin Hood.
Robin Hood is back at Nottingham Castle this month: the evil Sheriff has captured Maid Marion and only Robin can save her. This is all part of the Robin Hood Pageant which takes place on the weekend of October 25th and 26th. Robin Hood is still very popular today, his courage and brilliance are legendary, but did he actually exist?Who Was He? Historians have searched court records for Robin Hood without success. They have discovered that criminals often adopted the names of Robin and his men, so "Robynhod" became a synonym for criminal.
Hood is still associated with criminals: in 1930s American slang, gangsters were called hoods; while today we have hoodies - young criminals who wear hoods that cover their faces.
Robin Hood first appears in 14th century ballads which tell of a yeoman Robin who became an outlaw, similar to modern heroes like Jesse James. Robin became popular because he broke the strict hunting laws introduced by William the Conqueror. One theory suggests he was a follower of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who died in a rebellion against King Henry III in 1265.
Maid Marion The modern version of the Robin Hood legend transforms him into the Earl of Huntingdom, a Saxon aristocrat, who robs from the tyrannical Norman aristocracy to help the poor, common people. These ideas were literary inventions added in the 16th century. Marion, his true love, is also a later invention. It's impossible to discover the truth today: experts suggest, however, a real Robin Hood did exist, but was soon forgotten, and that the legend took on a life of its own.
Questões:
1. Em que período acontecem as comemorações em homenagem a Robin Hood?
2. Quem só poderia ser salva por Robin Hood?
3. A lenda de Robin Hood é marcada por quais qualidades?
4. Que tipo de pessoas passaram a adotar o nome de Robin Hood?
5. Por que Robin Hood se tornou popular?
6. Quando Robin Hood apareceu pela primeira vez?
7. Como a versão moderna considera Robin Hood?
8. A quem Robin Hood ajuda, segundo a versão moderna?
9. Quem foi Maid Marion?
10. O que os especialistas de hoje sugerem sobre a lenda de Robin Hood?
TRABALHO 2 - 2.º bimestre. Ouça ao audio e responda às questões. Entrega: ________
And in stange stories this month, we look at the world of science.
Science, it seems, is finally accepting the idea that animals have feelings. For years this was considered impossible, but recent studies have shown that dogs have complex emotions and are able to read and respond to those of humans. Apparently, both humans and dogs have complex emotional systems which include sociability, affection, emotional stability, obedience and intelligence. This wouldn't be the first time that science has got it wrong about animals. It is generally believed, for example, that birds evolved from dinosaurs, but only developed modern characteristics such as feathers, when they became small.
The discovery of a dinosaur fossil in China "complicates" this theory: it's a gigantic feathered Gigantoraptor which lived about 70 million years ago. Dr. Gee of Nature Magazine describes the dinosaur: "It was rather strange; it looked like a giant rubber chicken."
And Humans... Scientists also have a habit of exaggerating the obvious. According to a new study, people who fidget are usually thin. Are you the kind of person who can never sit still? If so, you are probably thinner than your calm, relaxed friends because all that movement burns calories.
Researchers have also discovered that people fidget because they have a particular gene.
Questões:
1. O que a ciência está finalmente aceitando?
2. Com emoções complexas, do que os cães são capazes?
3. Quais características possuem humanos e cães por conta de seus sistemas emocionais complexos?
4. Esta é a primeira vez que a ciência se engana a respeito dos animais?
5. Que animal deu origem aos pássaros?
6. O que esses animais ganharam quando se tornaram pequenos?
7. O que foi descoberto na China?
8. Com que se parece o dinossauro Gigantoraptor?
9. O que é "fidget"?
10 . De acordo com os pesquisadores, por que algumas pessoas não conseguem ficar paradas?
TRABALHO 3 - 3.º bimestre - Ouça ao audio e responda às questões. Entrega: ________
In stange stories this month, we take a look at some unusual cars
Everyone is looking for the perfect "green" car of the future and here's an unusual solution: an electric car that city councils can rent to the public. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) has designed a car which folds up so you can stack them like shopping trolleys outside the supermarket. This solves the problem of space as you can park six cars in the space of one tradicional car. The cars recharge their batteries in just ten minutes while they are in a stack. HOT AIR? How about a car that runs on air? American car manufacturer Zero Pollution Motors (Z.P.M.) plans to produce the world's first six seat Air Car. It runs on compressed air with an engine designed by Frenchman Guy Nègre. Compressed air pushes its pistons instead of petrol, so there is zero pollution. The first commercial Air Car will have a top speed of 110 km/h (a hundred and ten kilometers per hour) and a range of 200 km (two hundred kilometers).STEP ON THE GAS There is nothing new about alternative energy: British farmer Harold Bate converted his 1953 (nineteen, fifty-three) Hillman to run on methane gas from chicken manure. In the early 1970s (nineteen, seventies) he patented a special converter which allowed any car or lorry to use the gas which he captured in a special tank in his garage. He advertised a £12 (twelve pound) kit all over the world, but it never caught on, even though he was able to power his own car for many years.
Questões
1. O que todo mundo está procurando?
2. Qual é a solução incomum apresentada?
3. Como é o carro projetado pelo M.I.T.?
4. Quanto tempo leva para se recarregar as baterias desses carros?
5. O carro projetado pela Z.P.M. acomoda quantas pessoas?
6. Qual é a autonomia do carro movido a ar?
7. Qual é a velocidade máxima do carro movido a ar?
8. Que combustível Harold Bate usou em seu carro?
9. Onde ele estocava o combustível?
10. Quanto custava o kit conversor que ele inventou?
Questões
1. O que todo mundo está procurando?
2. Qual é a solução incomum apresentada?
3. Como é o carro projetado pelo M.I.T.?
4. Quanto tempo leva para se recarregar as baterias desses carros?
5. O carro projetado pela Z.P.M. acomoda quantas pessoas?
6. Qual é a autonomia do carro movido a ar?
7. Qual é a velocidade máxima do carro movido a ar?
8. Que combustível Harold Bate usou em seu carro?
9. Onde ele estocava o combustível?
10. Quanto custava o kit conversor que ele inventou?
TRABALHO 4 - 4.º bimestre. Ouça ao audio e responda às questões. Entrega:__________
First, a profile of Rhonda Byrne
Rhonda Byrne is talking to you. She wants to tell you a secret, but she isn't whispering, she's shouting out her message with joy. She wants everyone to know about the Law of Attraction - the most powerful law of the universe. Thanks to Rhonda, thousands of people throughout the world use this secret every day. Have you read her book or seen her documentary? They are both called... The Secret.
GREAT MINDS In 2004 (two thousand and four) Byrne, an Australian film producer, hit a crisis in her life: her father died suddenly and she had a breakdown. Her daughter gave her a book, The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles, 1910 (nineteen, ten), which talked about the Law of Attraction. Byrne then discovered the origins of this "universal law," how the world's greatest minds - Plato, Galileo and Einstein - had used it, and how it was hidden from people.
PRIME TIME She asked her team to help her explain the Law of Attraction in The Secret. This documentary explains how you can obtain anything you want. First, decide what it is, visualise it in you mind, and imagine that it's already yours. The universe will then reorganise itself and give it to you. All you have to do is ask and wait. Simple. Did she ever doubt the success of the film? "Of couse not," she replies, "we visualised incredible success throughout the world, and that's what has happenned!"ON OPRAH Indeed, it has! The film and subsequent book have sold millions of copies with the help of prestigious patrons such as American TV personality Oprah Winfrey. Time Magazine named Rhonda one of the world's 100 (one hundred) most influential people. Rhonda does have critics: some people disapprove of The Secret's focus on material possessions. They also warn that its claims to cure diseases, such as breast cancer, without tradicional medicine, may be fatal. Yet most people agree on one thing: the Law of Attraction does work... sometimes.
GREAT MINDS In 2004 (two thousand and four) Byrne, an Australian film producer, hit a crisis in her life: her father died suddenly and she had a breakdown. Her daughter gave her a book, The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles, 1910 (nineteen, ten), which talked about the Law of Attraction. Byrne then discovered the origins of this "universal law," how the world's greatest minds - Plato, Galileo and Einstein - had used it, and how it was hidden from people.
PRIME TIME She asked her team to help her explain the Law of Attraction in The Secret. This documentary explains how you can obtain anything you want. First, decide what it is, visualise it in you mind, and imagine that it's already yours. The universe will then reorganise itself and give it to you. All you have to do is ask and wait. Simple. Did she ever doubt the success of the film? "Of couse not," she replies, "we visualised incredible success throughout the world, and that's what has happenned!"ON OPRAH Indeed, it has! The film and subsequent book have sold millions of copies with the help of prestigious patrons such as American TV personality Oprah Winfrey. Time Magazine named Rhonda one of the world's 100 (one hundred) most influential people. Rhonda does have critics: some people disapprove of The Secret's focus on material possessions. They also warn that its claims to cure diseases, such as breast cancer, without tradicional medicine, may be fatal. Yet most people agree on one thing: the Law of Attraction does work... sometimes.
Questões
1. O que Rhonda quer te contar?
2. O que ela quer que todo mundo conheça?
3. Qual é a profissão de Rhonda Byrne?
4. O que ela ganhou da filha?
5. Onde ela encontrou a explicação da "lei universal?"
6. O que ela ensina no documentário?
7. O que ela diz sobre o sucesso do filme?
8. Que personalidade a ajudou alcançar tal sucesso?
9. Como ela foi considerada pela revista Time?
10. Quais são os argumentos usados pelos críticos?
1. O que Rhonda quer te contar?
2. O que ela quer que todo mundo conheça?
3. Qual é a profissão de Rhonda Byrne?
4. O que ela ganhou da filha?
5. Onde ela encontrou a explicação da "lei universal?"
6. O que ela ensina no documentário?
7. O que ela diz sobre o sucesso do filme?
8. Que personalidade a ajudou alcançar tal sucesso?
9. Como ela foi considerada pela revista Time?
10. Quais são os argumentos usados pelos críticos?
