DynEd & VOA Radio Courses

New Dynamic English
Radio English Course

Week Twenty-Five
September 2, 2004

The New Dynamic English radio course will help you learn English through listening to conversations with Americans.

This week, on New Dynamic English, Kathy talks with Bob Harris, Maria Alvarez, and Simon Tompkins.

Bob Harris works for the post office.
He started working there in 1990.
Before that he was a carpenter.

Maria Alvarez was born in Los Angeles.
Her family moved to San Jose, California, in 1962.
Her father and her mother were both born in Mexico.

Simon Tompkins is a professional photographer.
When he was seven years old, his parents bought him his first camera.
When he was in the tenth grade, he won first prize in a photography contest.

Visit this website each week for a new Study Activity.
You can also listen to a new Daily Dialog.
Try to answer the Question of the Week.

Back to Week Twenty-Four

 

This Week's Study Activity: Two American Leaders

This week, we will learn about the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez.

Look at this timeline of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/man/MLKtimeline.html

Then look at this biography of Cesar Chavez.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/projects/people_of_century/hum_heroes/chavez.html

Here are some facts about Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez. Which one is it?

X
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Cesar Chavez
1. He was born in Arizona.
X
X
2. He was born in 1929.
X
X
3. His father was a farm worker.
X
X
4. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.
X
X
5. He attended more than 30 elementary schools, because his family moved from place to place.
X
X
6. He graduated from college in 1948.
X
X
7. He got married in 1953.
X
X
8. He led farm workers in their fight for better working conditions.
X
X
9. He led the fight for civil rights for African Americans.
X
X
10. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
X
X
11. He died in 1993.
X
XX

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Answers to last week's Study Activity

Answers from the biography of Albert Einstein.
http://www.sofitec.lu/misc/einstein.htm

True
False
  
X
X
 1. Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Munich, Germany.
Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany.
X
X
 2. His family owned a large factory that manufactured electrical equipment.
His family owned a small shop.
X
X
 3. He was not good at History and Languages.
X
X
 4. Einstein loved school and was a very good student.
Einstein hated the school in Munich.
X
X
 5. When Einstein was fifteen years old, his family moved to Switzerland
His family moved to Italy.

Answers from the timeline of Einstein's life.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/timeline/index.html

1.

What were the names of Einstein's father and mother?
His parents' names were Hermann and Pauline.

2. When did Einstein receive his first compass?
He received his first compass in 1884, when he was five years old.
3. How old was he when he graduated from high school?
He graduate from high school when he was fifteen years old.
4. In what year did he become a Swiss citizen?
He became a Swiss citizen in 1901.
5. What year was Einstein's "Miracle Year?"
The year 1905 was Einstein's "Miracle Year."

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Conversation with Bob Harris

Kathy: You work for the post office, don't you?
Bob: Yes, I do.
  I started working for the post office in 1990.
Kathy: What did you do before that?
Bob: I was a carpenter.
Kathy: A carpenter?
Bob: Yes. I built houses.
  I was a carpenter for about seven years.
Kathy: And before that?
Bob: Before that, I was in college.
  While I was in college, I worked in a Mexican restaurant.

Practice 1: Missing Words

Fill in the blanks with words from the column on the right.

1. Einstein's first job was ______ a clerk.

as

at

for

from

in

to
2. He was a clerk in a government office ______ Switzerland.
3. He worked there ______ seven years, ______ 1902 to 1909.
4. In 1912, he moved back ______ Germany.
5. He became a professor ______ the University of Berlin.
6. He stayed ______ Germany ______ almost twenty years.

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Conversation with Maria Alvarez

Kathy: Maria, where did your parents live before they moved to California?
Maria: My father lived in Mexico City.
  He was born in a small village, but his family moved to Mexico City in 1943.
  My mother was born in Mexico City, and she grew up there.
Kathy: Why did your parents move to the United States?
Maria: They moved to the US to get better jobs.
  My father worked in a factory in Los Angeles.
  And my mother worked in a hotel.

Practice 2: Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with words from the column on the right.

Kathy: Did Einstein ______ return to Germany?

became

become

ever

never

until
Max: He ______ returned to Germany.
  From 1933 ______ his death, Einstein lived in the United States.
Kathy: Did he ______ an American citizen?
Max: Yes, he did. In 1941 he ______ an American citizen.

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Conversation with Simon Tompkins

Kathy:

When did you begin working as a photographer?
Simon: Well, when I was in college, I took pictures for the school newspaper.
  I didn't get paid, but I learned a lot.
Kathy: When did you become a professional photographer?
Simon: In 1972.
  In 1972 I got a job at a small magazine in Denver.
  I worked there for about twelve years, until 1984.
  Then I moved to New York City.
Kathy: What did you do in New York City?
Simon: I went to work for an advertising agency.

Practice 3: Reading for Meaning

Fill in the blanks with words from the column on the right.

1. How ______ Einstein get interested in science?

it

he

did

old

was

does

things

2. What ______ so interesting about a compass?
3. Einstein wondered why ______ always points in the same direction.
4. Why ______ it work?
5. How ______ was he when he saw the compass?
6. That's how ______ became interested in science.
7. He was interested in how ______ work.

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Last Week's Practice 1: Answers

Kathy: What are you reading?
Max: Oh, this book?
  It's a biography of Albert Einstein.
Kathy: Einstein, the famous scientist?
Max: Yes, Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time.
Kathy: He was German wasn't he?
Max: Well, he was born in Germany
  He was born in Germany in 1879.
  But he lived in Germany, Switzerland, and finally the United States.

Last Week's Practice 2: Answers

Kathy: Where did Einstein go to school?
Max: He attended schools in both Germany and Switzerland.
Kathy: How about college?
  Where did he go to college?
Max: He went to a university in Switzerland, where he studied physics.
Kathy: He graduated in 1900.

Last Week's Practice 3: Answers

How many times did Einstein get married?
He got married twice.
He got married for the first time in 1902.
Twelve years later, in 1914 he got divorced.
In 1919, he got married for the second time
He married his second wife about five years after he got divorced.

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Daily Dialog: A School Interview

Listen to the dialog. Fill in the missing words.
Ms. Barclay: So you want to be a teacher, Mr. Handy.
Joe Handy: Yes, I do. I want to teach third grade.
Ms. Barclay: I see that you were a _______ from 1977 to 1997.
Joe Handy: That's right, Ms. Barclay.
  I became a cowboy right after college.
Ms. Barclay: That's very interesting, Mr. Handy...
  But what can a cowboy teach to little children?
Joe Handy: Well... I studied the _______ every night for twenty years.
  I know a lot about stars.
Ms. Barclay: That's very nice, but...
Joe Handy: And mathematics!
  I counted _______ every day when I was a cowboy!
Ms. Barclay: But what do you know about children, Mr. Handy?
Joe Handy: Well... I know that they like to run around, and they eat a lot.
Ms. Barclay: Well, that's all true, but...
Joe Handy: And I know that they need _______ and attention.... just like cows!

Missing words from last week's Daily Dialog: met, lived, long, roommate.

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Question of the Week

Listen to the New Dynamic English radio course on the Voice of America radio network, then answer this week's question.

What is Bob's position at the post office?

Your Answer:
Your Name:
Your E-mail Address:
Your City:
Your Country:

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Last week's Question of the Week: How many years was Sara in medical school?

Answer: She was there for four years.

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If you have any questions or comments, please write to kathy@dyned.com.

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