English Recordings

Unit 4: Learning World

Lesson 4: Vocabulary and Listening – Verbs: Studying a language
Are you a SUPER language student?

Answer the questions. Score 1 point for every YES answer. Then look at the key.
1. Do you ever listen to English when you’re out of school?
2. Do you know the alphabet? Can you spell your name in English?
3. Do you check words in a dictionary or a wordlist?
4. Do you repeat a new word if you want to learn it?
5. Do you ever practise your pronunciation?
6. Do you revise before an exam?
7. Do you ask questions when you don’t understand?
8. Do you usually concentrate when you do your homework?
9. Do you make notes about grammar or write new vocabulary in your notebook?
10. Do you ever read books, articles or comics in English?

Unit 4: Learning World
Lesson 2: Reading – Schools project

WORLD CLASS! A PROJECT BY LIAM MURPHY

This is a geography class in Bangladesh. It isn’t a traditional primary school – these students are studying on a ‘boat school’. It’s a great idea because transport can be a big problem here when there’s a lot of rain. The boat isn’t moving at the moment, but at the start and the end of the day, it goes along the river to the students’ villages.

Look! What is the teacher doing? She is teaching English, but she is not at her school. Her students are staying at home and learning lessons on television. In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, students can have such lessons on the channel of HTV Key. It is another learning way for them – digital learning.

Eton College is one of Britain’s oldest and most expensive private schools and it looks like the students are wearing Britain’s oldest, most expensive uniforms! Not very practical! They’re walking to a lesson. This is a boarding school – students study, eat and sleep here.

This is my secondary school in Ireland. We’re having a dance class and it’s a lot of fun. There are a lot of traditional dances in Ireland. I’m not dancing – I’m watching the dancers. Our teachers are playing the musical instruments.

Unit 4: Learning World
Lesson 1: Vocabulary – School subjects

*School questionnaire
1. Are you good at PE?
2. When’s our next geography exam?
3. Are you a maths genius?
4. Is your science notebook organised?
5. Have we got an ICT class tomorrow?
6. Do you study other languages, like Spanish?
7. Have you got history homework today?
8. Do you think that our English textbook is interesting?
9. How many art teachers are there in the school?

Care/car
Fair/far
Stairs/stars
Bear/bar
Tear/tar

Cat/cart
Ham/harm
Ants/aunts
Back/bark
Shack/shark
Hat/heart
Had/hard
Am/arm

Hi, my name is Kevin, I like french fries, chocolate, tomato and ice cream.

Hi my name is Victor, I like eggs, french fries, pizza and ice cream.

Hi, my name is Bob, I like cheese, pizza, hamburger and eggs.

Hello, my name is Luke, I like chocolate, cheese, hamburger and french fries.

Hello, my name is Charles, I like pear, apple, tomato and banana.

Hello, my name is John, I like banana, tomato, apple and chocolate.

The swimming pool is in the corner, next to the bank.
The shopping centre is opposite the bank and the shoe shop.
The bakery is opposite the gym.
The cinema is next to the bakery.
The theatre is opposite the cinema.
The post office is behind the gym.
The bus stop is behind the shopping centre.
The police station is opposite the swimming pool and next to the shopping centre.

1. He can lift heavy things.
2. He can't shoot lazers.
3. He can't turn into animals.
4. He can fly.
5. He can become invisible
6. He can't control the weather
7. He can create lightning.
8. He can't teleport.

Queen Elizabeth's favourite meal is breakfast. She prefers to keep it simple when it comes to breakfast.
For breakfast, she usually drinks a cup of tea. She doesn't drink coffee. She doesn't have sugar in her tea. She eats cornflakes with a spoonful of apricots, prunes, strawberries or macademia nuts. She eats biscuits, she loves jam pennies biscuits but she doesn't eat scones for breakfast.

At weekends, she sometimes has eggs and smoked salmon. She also likes toast and marmelade and she loves chocolate cake.

The song Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 was released in 1983.
It is one of the band’s most political songs and probably U2’s most famous song in the world. In the song, the singer adopts the point of view of a witness of The Troubles and particularly of the terrible events of January 30th 1972 in Derry in Northern Ireland.
That day, a peaceful demonstration was organised by Catholic protesters to denounce the discrimination they were victims of in Northern Ireland. The protesters were unarmed and peaceful but the British troops shot and killed 13 Catholic civil rights protesters.

This song is about The Troubles but it denounces violent wars and conflict in general. During an interview, Bono said : « this is not a rebel son. It is a song against violence. The message is that people die because of stupid political conflicts everywhere in the world and that’s not acceptable anymore. »

Bono also said about the song « We are not taking side in the Catholics and Protestants conflict, we are not accusing anyone. What we are saying is that this conflict -The Troubles- kills people, destroys families and that it needs to stop. » Unfortunately, the song did not have any real impact on the conflict in Northern Ireland. However, it raised awareness about the violence of this event and the absurdity of war.

What is Waitangi Day?
Waitangi Day is a public holiday in New Zealand that is celebrated annually on the 6th of February. It's to commemorate the Waitangi Treaty, signed in 1840.
The Waitangi Treaty is often called the ‘founding document of New Zealand’

It's an agreement between representatives of the British Crown (England and The Queen) and many of the Māori chiefs. The Treaty is written in two languages, Māori and English.

The Treaty of Waitangi outlines the principles to which Māori chiefs and British officials made a political agreement to establish a government.

Ceremonies take place at Waitangi and all around the country to commemorate the signing of the treaty.

On this day, New Zealanders come together to celebrate with activities inspired by Māori culture. These include traditional Mori food, kapa haka performances, and tree planting to commemorate the coming together of people.