University English Podcast

This is a podcast which picks up a few interesting things that have appeared in the news in recent weeks. In this episode we have something on sport, science, and the environment.

In sport, we find that a group of Sumo wrestlers saved a woman from drowning in Tokyo.

You learn more about this story here:

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200611/p2a/00m/0na/019000c

In science, we learn about the wonderful ways that lasers are being used to learn more about the world around us.

You can read more about this story here:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jun/03/maya-structure-discovered-mexico-lidar-aguada-fenix

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/science/ocean-biology-larvaceans-lasers.html

And finally, in the environment, we see that pangolins, which are on the brink of extinction, are being saved from poachers and re-introduced to the wild.

You can read about it here:

https://theconversation.com/back-from-extinction-a-world-first-effort-to-return-threatened-pangolins-to-the-wild-138621

This is a podcast which picks up a few interesting things that have appeared in the news in recent weeks. In this episode we have something on health, history and archaeology and world news.

In health, we learn about an international collaboration to create a vaccine for COVID-19.

You learn more about this important story here:

https://blog.csiro.au/two-vaccine-candidates-acdp/

In the history/archaeology, we hear that an important sacred site has been destroyed by a mining company.

You can learn more about this shameful story here:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/26/rio-tinto-blasts-46000-year-old-aboriginal-site-to-expand-iron-ore-mine

And finally, in world news we see that sometimes people are just a little too serious about things that aren’t very important. Read about it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/11/not-the-perfect-time-to-ring-french-target-tasmanian-farm-over-rhubarb-champagne

Worksheet Answers:

1. C  2. C  3. B

This is a podcast which picks up a few interesting things that have appeared in the news in recent weeks. In this episode we have a story on science, or the environment, one on archaeology and psychology.

In our first story, we learn that scientists have created an enzyme which can help to recycle plastic much more quickly and efficiently than ever before. You read more about it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/scientists-create-mutant-enzyme-that-recycles-plastic-bottles-in-hours

In our second story, we hear that researchers have found a fossil of one of our oldest ancestors, a small organism 555million years old. You can learn more about it here:

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/03/17/2001045117

And in Psychology, we learn what some researchers think about how people might react during the coronavirus crisis. You can try to get to understand this more here:

https://theconversation.com/personalities-that-thrive-in-isolation-and-what-we-can-all-learn-from-time-alone-135307 

https://psyarxiv.com/8ze6w/   

Worksheet Answers:

1. A    2. B    3. D

This is a podcast which picks up a few interesting things that have appeared in the news in recent weeks. In this episode we have three stories on the coronavirus from Australia.

In our first story, we learn that scientists have been warning us about the dangers of diseases like COVID 19 for a long time. You read more about it here:

https://www.theage.com.au/national/we-should-have-had-vaccine-already-australian-expert-who-cracked-virus-code-20200327-p54elr.html

In our second story, we hear about a scientist who made a silly mistake while trying to do something to help people with the coronavirus. You can read more about it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/30/astrophysicist-gets-magnets-stuck-up-nose-while-inventing-coronavirus-device

And in Sport, we discover that the football has been postponed. Will it be played again this year? Find out what’s going on here:

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/

https://www.afl.com.au/

Worksheet Answers:

1. B 2. D 3. B

In February 2020, middle school pupils from Matsubara City, Japan wrote recorded and edited English podcasts to send out to the world.

In this podcast, a boy talks about rugby, his favourite sport, and in particular about the All Blacks team.

This is a podcast which picks up a few interesting things that have appeared in the news in recent weeks. In this episode we have stories from science, world news, and sport.

In our first story, we learn that the DNA of rats in cities and towns might be changing because they live in proximity to humans. You read more about it here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/08/new-york-rats-evolve-to-mirror-human-habits

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.07.938969v1

In world news we hear a really lovely story about a ring, lost almost 50 years ago in the USA, being found buried in a park in Finland. You can read more about it here:

http://tiny.cc/oeoalz

https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000006375135.html?fbclid=IwAR2DSCiWuDD7_061QkM0aAmPrDfk8UMu5Sc2YHncM_tTzqHUVw13u71PplA (Finnish)

And in Sport, we find out what’s going on in the football in Australia. Will games be played? How will Essendon this season? Find out here:

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/

https://www.afl.com.au/

Worksheet Answers:

1. D     2. C     3. A

In February 2020, middle school pupils from Matsubara City, Japan wrote recorded and edited English podcasts to send out to the world.

In this podcast, a girl talks about her favourite manga, Demon Slayer.

In February 2020, middle school pupils from Matsubara City, Japan wrote recorded and edited English podcasts to send out to the world.

In this podcast, a girl talks about her favourite manga, Demon Slayer.

Chinese characters are used in several countries in the East Asian region. Calligraphy with Chinese characters is a beautiful and ancient art form which varies from place to place. In Japan, particular styles of creating this beautiful art have evolved, which include not only Chinese characters (called kanji – 漢字 in Japanese), but the local Japanese scripts, hiragana and katakana. In Japan this is known as shodo – 書道.

In these videos, students from Nara University of Education demonstrate how to write or draw different characters. We hope you enjoy their work.

In February 2020, middle school pupils from Matsubara City, Japan wrote recorded and edited English podcasts to send out to the world.

In this podcast, a boy asks the question, "Why do we go to school?" and tries to explain what a school actually is.