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C1 : Futurists

Below is a B2 listening activity about former US President Barack Obama 2024 DNC speech about US Vice President Kamala Harris.  

The Futurists Doc ---.jpg

What is a futurist? 

futurist

adjective

us  /ˈfjuː.tʃɚ.ɪst/ uk  /ˈfjuː.tʃər.ɪst/

Add to word list 

(also Futurist)

belonging or relating to futurism, a way of thinking in the arts that started in the early 20th century and tried to express through a range of art forms the characteristics and images of the modern age, such as machinesspeedmovement, and power:

a futurist painter

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Also known as the Pacific trash vortex, the garbage patch is actually two distinct collections of debris bounded by the massive North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

great-pacific-garbage-patch.jpg

Cleaning Up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (With A Gigantic Net) | A Brief History of the Future

Great Pacific Garbage Patch​

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Also known as the Pacific trash vortex, the garbage patch is actually two distinct collections of debris bounded by the massive North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.​​​

Vocabulary 

Dismay 

​Decouple 

Interceptors 

Quiz 1 

1 What city is the company The Ocean Clean Up is located in what city?

a. Nottingham 

b. Rotterdam 

c, Amsterdam 

d, Buckingham  

e. Cunningham 

f. None of the Above  

2. TheCEO and Founder of The Ocean Clean Up is named 

a. Josey Wales 

b. Boyan Slat 

c. Hans Zimmer 

d. Dom DeLuise 

e. Albert Speer 

f. None of the Above 

 

3. The Founder stated "I was sixteen years old when I  went scuba diving in Greece and I was hoping to see all of these beautiful things and I looked around me and I just saw a garbage dump. I saw more plastic bags than fish and I was so _________ and __________ by that." 

a. Confused & devastated 

b. disgusted & overwhelmed 

c. Horrified & angered 

d. Dismayed & Shocked 

e. Repulsed & dissatisfied  

f. Sickened & Traumatized 

4. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is halfway between Hawaii and California. It spans twice the size of the U.S. of __________. 

a. Guam, California, Nebraska 

b. Hawaii, Alaska, Tennessee 

c. Hawaii, California, Texas 

d. Mariana Islands, Oregon, Alaska 

e. Marshall Islands, Washington, New Mexico 

f.  Samoa, California, Texas 

5. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains a staggering __________ pounds of trash. 

a.100 

b.150 

c. 200 

d..250 

e. 300 

f.. 400

6. There's now __________ known to be directly impacted by plastic pollution 

a. 500 

b. 600 

c. 700 

d. 800 

e. 900 

f. None of the above 

7. According to the founder the company has interceptors inn __________ rivers to help stop t]he flow of plastic in the world's oceans. 

a.  7 

b.  8 

c.  9

d. 10 

e. 11 

f.  12 

8. The founder stated "But if there's one bit of advice that you should really ignore is people saying that something can't be done". 

True or False 

9. What product was made in the video was made from plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

a. Clothing

b. Cell Phones 

c. Sunglasses 

d. Water bowls for dogs 

e. Tires for cars

f. None of the Above 

10. A number of animals are effected to the point where they could go extinct.

​True or False 

Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex

Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, also called Noor Power Station is a solar power complex and auxiliary diesel fuel system located in the Drâa-Tafilalet region in Morocco, 10 kilometres from Ouarzazate town, in Ghessat rural council area. At 510 MW, it is the world's largest concentrated solar power plant

Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, also called Noor Power Station is a solar power complex an

Quiz 2.0 

1 What country is Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex faculty located?

a. Egypt 

b. Turkey 

c. Morroco 

d. United Arab Emirates 

e. Saudi Arabia 

f. None of the Above 

2.  The Noor IIi technology it’s called GSP __________ 

a. Concentrated Synergetic Power  

b. Concentrated Synthetic Power 

c. Concentrated Smart Power

d. Concentrated Solar Power 

e. Concentrated Swedish Power 

f. None of the Above 

​3.How many mirrors are at the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex faculty?

a. One Million 

b. Two Million 

c. Three Million 

d. Four Million 

e. Five Million 

f. None of the Above 

4. The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex faculty generates enough energy to power __________ homes in Morocco . 

a. One Million 

b. Two Million 

c. Three Million 

d. Four Million 

e. Five Million 

f. Six Million 

5. What is the hope and dream of the Moroccan people who built and operate the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex faculty? 

a. To not be financially dependent on other countries  

b. to not be energy dependent on other countries. 

c. To not be dependent on other countries to provide clean water 

d. To not be dependent on other countries to provide non GMO food

e. To not be dependent on other countries to provide COVID-19 Vaccines 

f. None of the Above 

6. Scientists from Northern California are working on a project called __________. 

a. Project X 

b. Manhattan Project 

c. Project 2025 

d. Ignition Project 

e. Project Euler 

f. .None of the Above 

​​

3. In what order does the NOOR III technology work? 

a. This molten salt goes through the power block to make a thermal exchange with water

b. And then turns the turbine and produces electricity

c. So this heliostat reflects all solar radiation coming from the sun And concentrates to the top of the tower

d. and produces steam 

e. and the top of the tower has molten salt we heat it to achieve temperature of 600 degrees Celsius 

f. Where we have tower with a heliostat 

Answer Key 3.0 

3. 

a Where we have tower with a heliostat 

b So this heliostat reflects all solar radiation coming from the sun 

c And concentrates to the top of the tower

d 3 and the top of the tower has molten salt we heat it to achieve temperature of 600 degrees Celsius 

e 4 This molten salt goes through the power block to make a thermal exchange with water and produces steam 

f And then turns the turbine and produces electricity

The Power of Deliberative Democracy (feat. Emmanuel Macron) | A Brief History of the Future

Vocabulary 

Blush 

Primates 

Gaze 

Tribalism 

Quiz 4 - The Power of Deliberative Democracy (feat. Emmanuel Macron)

1. Humans and the great apes are the only animals in the animal kingdom that can blush. 

True or False 

2. We (humans) are the only primates that has white in the eyes.

True or False 

3. The human gaze helps establish trust amongst our species. 

​True or False 

4. It is not in our human DNA that we have been optimized for trust

True or false 

5. What is tribalism?

a, a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia

b, People who do not belong to any particular political party

c, This word is also used to describe situations where people are overly loyal to their own group.

d, People who are independent and like doing things on their own, rather than doing them with other people.

e. a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu

f, the faith, practice, and church order of the Roman Catholic Church.

6. We (humans) currently (2024) have a deepening crisis with trust

True or False 

7. Today (2024) The democratic ideals and institutions that govern western society, long taken for granted,  are being challenged in new and unsettling ways. 

True or False ​

8. In Palo Alto, California, at Stanford University, ____________ is working with her team at the Deliberative Democracy Lab to better understand where we are now (2024) and what we can do to create lasting change moving forward. 

a. Lucy Liu ​

b. Hunan Shu 

c. Alice Siu 

d. Elaine Choo 

e. Michelle Kwon 

f. None of the Above 

9. In France they started holding __________ - forums designed to better engage their citizens in addressing major issues and opportunities before them. 

a. Citizen symposiums 

b. Citizen meetings 

c. Citizen conventions 

d. Citizen conferences 

e. Citizen town halls 

f. None of the above 

10.  Who is the person from France talking about the positive changes these new ideas about citizen inclusion was having major success in France. 

a, François Hollande

b, Jacques Chirac

c, Charles de Gaulle

d, Nicolas Sarkozy

e, Emmanuel Macron

f, Albert Lebrun

 

​11. 

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Quiz 1

Other English Listening Activities

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