Amy Winehouse English Lesson MP3

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THE READING / TYPESCRIPT

Amy Jade Winehouse is an English singer and songwriter. She is known for her marvelous voice and controversial private life. She debuted in 2003 at the age of 20 with the album ‘Frank’. It set her on the road to fame. Music lovers everywhere were excited about her talents and how her career would progress. Today she is one of music’s hottest stars.

She grew up in a family that loved jazz. Her musical talents were clear to see from a very young age. Aged ten, she formed a rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with a childhood friend. She got her first guitar when she was 13 and she began writing music. She signed to a major record label after they heard her distinctive voice.

Winehouse’s second album “Back To Black” made her an acclaimed international star. She won dozens of awards, including five at the 2008 Grammy’s. Some of the biggest names in rock are waiting to collaborate with her. George Michael said: "Amy is the best female vocalist I have ever heard in my entire career, as well as one of the best writers."

Winehouse is constantly the focus of media attention. She cannot escape the reporters who follow her every move.  She has given them good reason to write about her. She battles with drug and alcohol abuse and her self destructive behaviour is often tabloid news. Regardless, the world is holding its breath for her next recordings.

242 words

Fletch Kinkily 6.7

SYNONYM MATCH

Match the words from the article on the left with their synonyms on the right. Are your answers the same as other students’?

Paragraphs 1 and 2
1.	marvelous	a.	unique
2	debuted	b.	develop
3.	progress	c.	started
4.	clear	d.	wonderful
5.	formed	e.	made her first appearance
6.	distinctive	f.	obvious
Paragraphs 3 and 4
7.	acclaimed	g.	continually
8.	collaborate	h.	whole
9.	entire	i.	damaging
10.	constantly	j.	admired
11	destructive	k	waiting excitedly
12	holding its breath	l	work together

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article:

1.	singer and	a.	see from a very young age
2	the road	b.	drug and alcohol abuse
3.	Her musical talents were clear to	c.	dozens of awards
4.	she formed	d.	to fame
5.	her distinctive	e.	to collaborate with her
6.	She won	f.	songwriter
7.	the biggest names in rock are waiting	g.	is often tabloid news
8.	She cannot escape the reporters	h.	voice
9.	She battles with	i.	a rap group
10.	her self destructive behaviour	j.	who follow her every move

LISTENING GAP FILL

Amy Jade Winehouse is an English ___________________. She is known for her marvelous voice and controversial private life. ________________ 2003 at the age of 20 with the album ‘Frank’. It ________________ to fame. Music lovers everywhere were excited about her talents ________________ would progress. Today she is one of music’s hottest stars.

She grew up in a family ________________. Her musical talents were ________________ a very young age. Aged ten, she formed a rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with a childhood friend. She got her first guitar when she was 13 and she ________________. She signed to a major record label after they ________________ voice.

Winehouse’s second album “Back To Black” made ________________ international star. She ________________ awards, including five at the 2008 Grammy’s. Some of the biggest names in rock are _________________ with her. George Michael said: "Amy is the best female vocalist I have ever heard ________________, as well as one of the best writers."

Winehouse is constantly ________________ attention. She cannot escape the reporters ________________ move.  She has given them good reason to write about her. She ________________ and alcohol abuse and her self destructive behaviour is often tabloid news. Regardless, the world is holding ________________ next recordings.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD

Delete the wrong word in each of the pairs of italics:

Amy Jade Winehouse is an English singer and songwriter. She is known / know for her marvelous voice and controversial private live / life. She debuted / debut in 2003 at the age of 20 with the album ‘Frank’. It set her on the road to fame. Music lovers everywhere were excited about her talents and how her career would progressive / progress. Today she is one of music’s hottest stars.

She grew up in a family that loved / loving jazz. Her musical talents were clearly / clear to see from a very young age. Aged ten, she formed a rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with a childhood friend. She got her first guitar when she was 13 and she began wrote / writing music. She signed to a major record label after they heard / listened her distinctive voice.

Winehouse’s second album “Back To Black” made her an acclaimed international star. She beat / won dozens of awards, including five at the 2008 Grammy’s. Some of the biggest names in / on rock are waiting to collaborate with her. George Michael said: "Amy is the best female vocals / vocalist I have ever heard in my entire / entirely career, as well as one of the best writers."

Winehouse is constantly the focus of media / medium attention. She cannot escaped / escape the reporters who follow her every move.  She has given them good reason to writing / write about her. She battles with drug and alcohol abuse and her self destructive behaviour is often tabloid news. Regardless, the world is holding its breath / breathing for her next recordings.

SPELLING

The underlined, jumbled words are from the text. Spell them correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	singer and worse turnip
2.	controversial triplet life
3.	Music lovers everywhere
4.	one of music’s eat too stars
Paragraph 2
5.	a family that dole jazz
6.	she reform a rap group
7.	She got her first arbitrage when she was 13
8.	her distinctive divorce
Paragraph 3
9.	She won snogged of awards
10.	naivete to collaborate with her
11.	the best female cocktail I have ever heard
12.	in my soiree career
Paragraph 4
13.	constantly the unfrock of media attention
14.	She cannot Caspar the reporters
15.	She wheelbase with drug and alcohol abuse
16.	the world is jailhouse its breath

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

(    )	career, as well as one of the best writers."
(    )	private life. She debuted in 2003 at the age of 20 with the album ‘Frank’. It set her on the road to fame. Music lovers everywhere
(    )	a rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with a childhood friend. She got her first guitar when she was 13 and she began
(    )	with her. George Michael said: "Amy is the best female vocalist I have ever heard in my entire
(    )	Winehouse is constantly the focus of media attention. She cannot escape the reporters who follow
(    )	She grew up in a family that loved jazz. Her musical talents were clear to see from a very young age. Aged ten, she formed
(    )	were excited about her talents and how her career would progress. Today she is one of music’s hottest stars.
(  1  )	Amy Jade Winehouse is an English singer and songwriter. She is known for her marvelous voice and controversial
(    )	abuse and her self destructive behaviour is often tabloid news. Regardless, the world is holding
(    )	its breath for her next recordings.
(    )	her every move.  She has given them good reason to write about her. She battles with drug and alcohol
(    )	writing music. She signed to a major record label after they heard her distinctive voice.
(    )	Winehouse’s second album “Back To Black” made her an acclaimed international star. She won dozens
(    )	of awards, including five at the 2008 Grammy’s. Some of the biggest names in rock are waiting to collaborate

SCRAMBLED SENTENCES

With your partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	and   English   songwriter   singer   an
2.	about   excited   were   everywhere   lovers   Music   talents   her
3.	one   is   she   Today   stars   hottest   music’s   of
4.	She   family   grew   that   up   loved   in   jazz   a
5.	a   record   She   to   major   label   signed
6.	with   her   the   biggest   names   in   rock   are   waiting   to   collaborate
7.	have   I   vocalist   female   best   the   heard   ever
8.	constantly   attention   media   of   focus   the
9.	and   abuse   battles   drug   alcohol   She   with
10.	the   breath   its   holding   is   world

DISCUSSION (Write your questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	What do you know about Amy Winehouse?
2.	Would you like to meet Amy Winehouse?
3.	What would you like to know about Amy Winehouse and why?
4.	___________________________________________________
5.	___________________________________________________
6.	___________________________________________________
7.	___________________________________________________
8.	___________________________________________________

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	What did you learn from this text about Amy Winehouse?
2.	What questions would you like to ask Amy Winehouse?
3.	What would her answers be to those questions?
4.	___________________________________________________
5.	___________________________________________________
6.	___________________________________________________
7.	___________________________________________________
8.	___________________________________________________

THE AMY WINEHOUSE SURVEY

Write five questions about Amy Winehouse in the table. Do this in pairs/groups. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

Without your partner, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Return to your original partner(s) and share and talk about what you found out.  Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WRITING

Write about Amy Winehouse for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about Amy Winehouse. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. AMY WINEHOUSE POSTER: Make a poster showing the different stages of the life of Amy Winehouse. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about Amy Winehouse. Include an imaginary interview with her. Write about what she does every day and what she thinks about.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Amy Winehouse. Ask her three questions about her life. Give her three suggestions on what she should do in her future. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your “Amy Winehouse expert” partner(s) will try and answer your questions.

ANSWERS

SYNONYM MATCH:

Paragraphs 1 and 2
1.	marvelous	a.	wonderful
2	debuted	b.	made her first appearance
3.	progress	c.	develop
4.	clear	d.	obvious
5.	formed	e.	started
6.	distinctive	f.	unique
Paragraphs 3 and 4
7.	acclaimed	g.	admired
8.	collaborate	h.	work together
9.	entire	i.	whole
10.	constantly	j.	continually
11	destructive	k	damaging
12	holding its breath	l	waiting excitedly

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	singer and	a.	songwriter
2	the road	b.	to fame
3.	Her musical talents were clear to	c.	see from a very young age
4.	she formed	d.	a rap group
5.	her distinctive	e.	voice
6.	She won	f.	dozens of awards
7.	the biggest names in rock are waiting	g.	to collaborate with her
8.	She cannot escape the reporters	h.	who follow her every move
9.	She battles with	i.	drug and alcohol abuse
10.	her self destructive behaviour	j.	is often tabloid news

ALL OTHER EXERCISES:

Check your answers in "THE READING / TAPESCRIPT" section at the top of this page.

Famous People Lessons: English Lesson on Amy Winehouse

PT. 2: Learn English with Michael Jackson's OD - Breaking News English Lesson Plan on Michael Jackson

June 27, 2009

PRINT:  WORD | PDF (13-page handouts)
LISTEN: MP3 (2:07 - 990KB)
PLAY:    ONLINE QUIZ

1. MICHAEL JACKSON: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Michael Jackson. Change partners often. With your first partner(s), share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

heart attacks / rushed to hospital / respecting privacy / tough times / pop icon / talent / tributes / being sad and confused / massive loss / genius / solo artists / albums

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. LEGEND: What do you remember about Michael Jackson? Complete this table. Talk about what you wrote to your partner. Change partners and share what you heard.

	My memories
His songs
Thriller
His clothes
His dancing
His face
His private life

4. THE KING: Students A strongly believe Michael Jackson is the greatest ever singer; Students B strongly believe Michael Jackson isn’t the greatest.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. ICONS: Who are the world’s biggest icons? With your partner, decide on the biggest icons in each category. Change partners and share what you talked about.

pop star (male) pop star (female) sports star cartoon character

fashion model politician world leader (alive or dead) actor

6. BAD: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘bad’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest.	T / F
b.	Michael Jackson’s brother asked reporters to stay away from his family.	T / F
c.	Michael Jackson’s nickname was the Prince of Pop.	T / F
d.	People will remember his forgettable songs and dances.	T / F
e.	Many people from across the globe said nice things about Jackson.	T / F
f.	Michael’s ex-wife could not say what she wanted about his death.	T / F
g.	Michael performed solo throughout his musical career.	T / F
h.	Jackson’s album Thriller is the second-biggest seller ever.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	heart attack	a.	huge
2	trying	b.	changed
3.	tough	c.	record
4.	transformed	d.	attempting
5.	influenced	e.	brilliance
6.	tributes	f.	legends
7.	greats	g.	cardiac arrest
8.	massive	h.	praise
9.	genius	i.	difficult
10.	album	j.	affected

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one. combination is possible):

1.	died aged 50 after having	a.	this tough time
2	He was rushed	b.	and a true ambassador
3.	respect our privacy during	c.	songs
4.	influenced generations	d.	in from all over the world
5.	his unforgettable	e.	fail me
6.	Tributes to Jackson have poured	f.	a heart attack
7.	his music will live	g.	of singers
8.	words	h.	a solo artist
9.	We have lost a genius	i.	to hospital
10.	globally famous as	j.	on forever

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after having a heart __________ at his Los Angeles home. He was __________ to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour trying to __________ him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this __________ time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop __________ greatly influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was __________ as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary __________. He will be remembered forever for his __________, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.		save status attack talent rushed tough known icon
Tributes to Michael Jackson have __________ in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its __________, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and __________”. She added: "This is such a __________ loss on so many levels, words fail me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a __________ and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his __________ as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with __________ hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling __________ of all time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.		confused smash greats album poured genius career massive

LISTENING:  Listen and fill in the gaps.

Michael Jackson ____________________ after having a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour ____________________. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our ____________________." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. ____________________ influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was known as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging ____________________. He will be remembered forever for his talent, ____________________, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have ____________________ over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music ____________________." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, ____________________." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his ____________________ in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally _____________________ with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling ____________________. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘pop’ and ‘icon’.

pop

icon

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

heart rushed media icon king status

poured greats fail genius solo album

STUDENT MICHAEL JACKSON SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Michael Jackson in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

MICHAEL JACKSON DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the name ‘Michael Jackson’?
c)	Where were you when you heard about Michael’s death?
d)	What do you think caused Michael Jackson’s heart attack?
e)	How do you think Michael Jackson changed music?
f)	What do you think of the media coverage of Michael Jackson’s death?
g)	What do you think of Michael Jackson’s music and dancing?
h)	Where do you think Michael Jackson is in the list of musical greats?
i)	What is Michael Jackson’s most unforgettable song?
j)	How did Michael Jackson change American society?

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What tribute would you pay to Michael Jackson?
c)	The rapper P Diddy said: “Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat.” What do you think of this?
d)	Was Michael Jackson a part of your life?
e)	Why do you think Michael Jackson was such a music icon?
f)	The music producer Quincy Jones said: "To this day [his] music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all.” What do you think of this tribute?
g)	How should the world remember Michael Jackson?
h)	What do you think about Michael Jackson’s private life?
i)	What three adjectives would you use to describe Michael? Why?
j)	What questions would you like to have asked Michael Jackson?

LANGUAGE

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after (1) ____ a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors (2) ____ over an hour trying to save him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our (3) ____ during this tough time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop icon (4) ____ influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was (5) ____ as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary (6) ____. He will be remembered forever for his talent, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have (7) ____ in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive (8) ____ on so many levels, words (9) ____ me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a (10) ____ and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his career as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with (11) ____ hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of (12) ____ time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	have	(b)	has	(c)	had	(d)	having
2.	(a)	spend	(b)	spends	(c)	spent	(d)	spending
3.	(a)	private	(b)	privacy	(c)	privately	(d)	privatise
4.	(a)	greatly	(b)	greatest	(c)	greats	(d)	great
5.	(a)	knew	(b)	knowing	(c)	known	(d)	knows
6.	(a)	statistics	(b)	statues	(c)	stats	(d)	status
7.	(a)	pouring	(b)	poured	(c)	pours	(d)	pour
8.	(a)	loss	(b)	lost	(c)	loser	(d)	losses
9.	(a)	failure	(b)	fail	(c)	failing	(d)	fails
10.	(a)	genie	(b)	geneticist	(c)	genius	(d)	general
11.	(a)	smash	(b)	punch	(c)	smack	(d)	break
12.	(a)	whole	(b)	ever	(c)	every	(d)	all

WRITING 1: 

Write about Michael Jackson for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

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WRITING 2: 

Singer P Diddy said: “Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!!” Write about this. Read your partner’s paper.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Michael Jackson. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. GENIUS: Make a poster about three different areas of Michael Jackson’s genius. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. MICHAEL JACKSON: Write a magazine article about Michael Jackson. Include imaginary interviews with two huge fans.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Michael Jackson. Ask him three questions about his life. Give him three reasons why you would pay tribute to him. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

T

c.

F

d.

F

e.

T

f.

T

g.

F

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	heart attack	a.	cardiac arrest
2	trying	b.	attempting
3.	tough	c.	difficult
4.	transformed	d.	changed
5.	influenced	e.	affected
6.	tributes	f.	praise
7.	greats	g.	legends
8.	massive	h.	huge
9.	genius	i.	brilliance
10.	album	j.	record

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	died aged 50 after having	a.	a heart attack
2	He was rushed	b.	to hospital
3.	respect our privacy during	c.	this tough time
4.	influenced generations	d.	of singers
5.	his unforgettable	e.	songs
6.	Tributes to Jackson have poured	f.	in from all over the world
7.	his music will live	g.	on forever
8.	words	h.	fail me
9.	We have lost a genius	i.	and a true ambassador
10.	globally famous as	j.	a solo artist

GAP FILL:

Michael Jackson dies aged 50

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after having a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour trying to save him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop icon greatly influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was known as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary status. He will be remembered forever for his talent, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have poured in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his career as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - b

4 - a

5 - c

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 -c

11 - a

12 - d

Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Michael Jackson

ESL Podcast's Fourth Anniversary Video Episode: The World Tour!

Fourth Anniversary Video Podcast

It’s hard for us to believe that it’s been four years since ESL Podcast began. In fact, as of next Monday, we will have released 500 ESL Podcast episodes and 200 ESL Cafe episodes! It’s amazing to us that we are still going and that you are all still listening!

We want to thank all of those who helped us by sending us their Flat Jeffrey photos for our Fourth Anniversary Video Podcast. We were able to include at least one from each submission and Flat Jeffrey got to see some very interesting places!

Finally, we want to thank all of you listeners, especially those who have become Premium and Basic Members, who have purchased courses through the ESL Podcast Store, and those who have sent us donations. It is through this generous support that we are able to continue producing ESL Podcast. If you want to support our efforts, please also consider becoming an ESL Podcast Member.

Below is the Fourth Anniversary Video Podcast. We hope you enjoy it!

~ Jeff and Lucy

ESL Podcast Fourth Anniversary Video Podcast: The World Tour

ESL Podcast is celebrating our fourth anniversary! It’s an important event…

so we decided to have a big party.

There was drinking –a little too much.

And things, well, they got really crazy.

I got flattened after the roof fell on me. But don’t worry, this is a good thing…

Now I can visit some of my friends around the world.

The first place we decided to go is Montreal, Canada, to visit my friend, Abdelmajid.

Here I am in Montreal. My friend told me they speak French, so I can practice my French. Luckily, they speak English, too!

Here I am in front of the famous church in the old Montreal called Notre Dame. I’m going to pray that my French gets better! Canada is great, eh? But now we have to take a trip to England.

We’re going to fly British Airways. They’re not as advanced in technology as the Americans technology.

Here I am in London with my friend, Suzana. She’s originally from Argentina, but don’t cry for her – she’s just visiting her sons who live there. Here we’re in front of the Parliament building in London. Suzana is a little embarrassed about being seen with me, so she put me in her purse. Not very comfortable. Next I decided to take a train to the famous university in England, or one of them, Cambridge.

Gregorex, my old friend, is showing me some of the great old buildings here in Cambridge. Here I am in front of King’s College. I’m hoping to study a little Shakespeare and maybe meet Harry Potter.

Well, I have to get back to London. Since I don’t have a lot of money, my friend suggested I take a boat called a punt. I told you the British were a little behind in technology.

Next, we’re on a train to Paris, going through the “chunnel” between England and France.

Here I am eating some very typical French food, cheese, with my friend Frederic’s beautiful daughter, Apolline. Isn’t she beautiful?

Well, now I’m off to Spain. I’m going to to the capital, Madrid, to visit my friends Emiliano and Cuca who are going to show me the city.

The first place we go is the Gran Via of Madrid, a busy street where I have to be careful so I don’t get run over by cars. I’m already Flat Jeffrey – I don’t want to be Dead Jeffrey!

Next, we visited the Plaza de Callao and we get some Spanish wine.
Then we went to see a statute of Don Quixote. But I guess we drank too much wine, because it’s a little blurry!

Finally, Emiliano and Cuca invited me back to their apartment for a nice meal. We had a great time. Notice also what a wonderful artist Emiliano is.

Next, I decided to visit my friend Miguel in Zaragoza, Spain. Miguel wants me to climb the mountain behind him, but he does not know me very well. I don’t climb mountains, Miguel!

I have to say good-by to Spain, because my friend Carlo is waiting for me in Cremona, Italy.

Here I’m standing in front of the cathedral of Cremona – I guess my friends think I need a lot of prayers! Cremona is famous for producing musical instruments. You can see here I’m playing a Stradavarious.

Well, after visiting Cremona, it’s off to Rome. My friend Mario invited me to come and visit him, and I thought I’d get to see all the famous sites of the city. But instead, I’m at his office working. Some vacation this is! At least I got to see Mario’s fake (not real) Oscar statue. I’m hoping this video will win an Oscar, too.

Now we go to northern Europe, to Germany.

Hermann invited me to Stuttgart. Here I’m in the first four-wheeled motor vehicle, developed by two German engineers. We’re next to the first television broadcast tower in the world. And I’m about to take my first drink of German wine. Tastes great!

Here I am in the vineyard that Hermann has, where they grow grapes to make wine from. If I owned a vineyard, I’d probably be drinking all the time like Hermann here.

Next, I rent a car to drive next to Brno, in the Czech Republic. This Mercedes Benz looked nice. We were going there…

…to meet my buddy Michal. Here we are in front of a pub or bar, ready to get a drink. No wonder I need to pray a lot – I never stop drinking!

Michal takes me on the bus to see the town. Not as nice as my Mercedes, but that’s okay. Because we’re going to see..

My girlfriend, Barunka. Here she’s holding my hand. Well, actually, she’s Michal’s girlfriend, but don’t tell him – or my wife.

Next, we’re off to Russia, with love, before Michal finds out about me and Barunka.

Here I am in the Red Square of Moscow with my friend Nikolay. Good thing I have my red tie on.

Here I am again in Red Square. It’s so beautiful, so red! Thanks, Nikolay. My other friend in Moscow, Stanislav, arranged a meeting for me with the president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev. We talked for a while, and then old Dmitry said he was “busy” and had to go to another meeting with some guy named…Obama.?

I later found out Dmitry didn’t like me too much. He told Barak about me. Notice how he’s showing Obama what I look like. And Barak says, No way! Meaning I don’t believe it. Jeffrey! Of course, the president knows all about me. Well, I decided it was time to visit my female friends up in St. Petersburg.

Here I am with Anna at the Peterhoff, the home of the Russian tsars, built in the 18th century, near St. Petersburg. I’m thinking of buying of it as my summer home.

Here I am with Nastia, also in St. Petersburg. She showed me some of the popular sites in St. Petersburg.

Here I am in front of the horses.

Next we decided to visit the Russian Vodka Museum. More drinking?

And here Nastia is showing me where she lives.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here– taking a nap, I think. Don’t tell Barunka.

Well, now I’ve had a good nap, it’s time for me to go to Asia – to Singapore to meet my good friend, Cynthia, from China.

Cynthia takes me to this beautiful hotel. She tells me is where Michael Jackson used to stay. Hmm. Not sure this is a good place for me.

Next we visit the famous symbol of Singapore, the Merlion. It’s hot today, so I take a little swim.

Next we go for some rest and relaxation on the beautiful beach of Setosa Island. Ah, this is great!

Well, now I’m off to Vietnam.

I’m going to visit my friends Ngugyen and Tien in Ho Chi Minh City celebrating the Tet holiday flower festival. That’s Tien here in the photograph. I love Vietnam, but I have to go to Taiwan to see my friend Yvonne.
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We take the Hello Kitty airplane, my favorite.

Once we get to Taipei, we go and have some good Chinese food. I eat but, once again, I have to get going because I have a long trip to South America to visit my friend Luiz in the beautiful country of Brazil. Luiz wants to introduce me to some friends of his in Pocos de Caldas.

Here I am in front of the lovely Palace Hotel. I believe Michael Jackson used to stay here. Next, we decide to play a little tennis.

Here I am with Jacare and Ronaldo.

Here’s Luiz, in the blue T-shirt, next to Jacare.
And of course, Luiz and I win all of our games.

Finally, we visit Luiz’s beautiful wife, Deborah, next to this great waterfall. Now I am off to…

Uruguay, to Montevideo, to visit my friend, Juan Manuel.

He’s preparing a special drink for me called “mate” a very strong tea made from leaves of a plant called Yerba Mate. Uruguayans get together to drink mate and to talk. At least it’s not alcohol!

Finally, it’s back to the United States. But after all that traveling, I think I need a vacation from my vacation, and the best place for that is Hawaii!

Fortunately, my friends Roberto and Loreto invited me on their Hawaiian vacation. They’re originally from Spain. Notice that Loreto put a hat on me so I don’t get sunburned. Well, that’s the end of our trip. I want to thank everyone who invited me to come and visit them. You know, next time I should probably invite Lucy.

We want to thank all of those who helped us by sending us their Flat Jeffrey photos. We were able to include at least one from each person.

We also want to thank all of you listeners, especially those who have become Premium and Basic Members, who have purchased courses through our Store, and who have sent us donations. It is through this generous support that we are able to continue producing ESL Podcast. If you want to support our efforts, please also consider becoming a member of ESL Podcast.

Podcast 499 - Marrying a Gold Digger

Thursday - July 30, 2009
ESL Podcast 499 - Marrying a Gold Digger
   
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Tags: Relationships

Audio Index: Slow dialogue: 1:29 Explanations: 3:30 Fast dialogue: 16:48

Nazi: Isn’t Jesse wonderful? I’m so glad you got to meet him last night.     Sinbad: Uh, he’s a little young for you, don’t you think? I know you’ve had boy toys in the past, but he takes the cake.     Nazi: He’s no boy toy! It’s true that there’s a 30-year age difference, but who cares about age when you’re talking about love?     Sinbad: Well, he’s certainly dressed for the part, with all of that bling. That watch must have set him back a couple of grand, at least.     Nazi: Oh, that was a little token of my affection for our one-month anniversary. I just wanted him to know how much I cared about him.     Sinbad: Well, he certainly knows now who holds the purse strings, if he didn’t before. I only hope he’s not preying on you.     Nazi: How can you say that? I’ve never met anyone more honest or sincere.     Sindbad: He has you wrapped around his little finger, that’s for sure. I hope, for your sake, he’s not a gold digger, or that you see his true colors before you make it to the altar – again.     Nazi: Oh, I knew it was a mistake talking to you about Jesse. You’re such a cynic!     Sinbad: And you’re a hopeless romantic!

Podcast 499 - Marrying a Gold Digger