Views of American and China (source: The Economist)
Two giants. One has been the global superpower for the past 50 years, but the other may someday soon have a larger economy. Everybody has an opinion about the United States. This is to be expected. But more and more people around the world have an opinion about China, too. How do people feel about the US and China? Do you believe opinion toward the US would trend positive or negative? Is the US a bully or a friend? Do you believe that China makes people hopeful or nervous?
A large survey of opinions toward the US and China was carried out by the Pew Foundation (an American organization that studies journalism and democracy). In this podcast, I describe and discuss the findings.
Read the transcript: Opinions Toward the US and China
Listen to the Podcast: Attitudes toward US and China
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Waste Management Around the World (poster prepared by the UN Environment Program)
Waste. It’s not pretty – but the information in the poster is pretty interesting. Do you know how much waste people produce in your country? Are people trying to reduce waste by recycling or cutting back on consumption? What are the most common forms of waste disposal in your country? Does your country dispose of waste in ways that are environmentally friendly?
With this podcast, you will give your listening comprehension a good workout. You will hear plenty of statistics, numbers, explanation and analysis. And you should become very familiar with such terms as consumption, disposal, recycling, incineration and landfill. If you have questions or comments, please send them in!
Download the transcript: Waste_transcript
Pre and Post Questions (without transcript): Waste Questions
Waste
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He believes in global warming! (photo by Mila Zinkova / Wikimedia Commons
Are you a global warming believer or are you a skeptic? Do you look at the facts (such as melting glaciers) and say, “Yes. There is plenty of evidence that global warming is occurring.” Or do you look at the same facts and find alternative explanations?
I was somewhat skeptical in the 1990s. I couldn’t believe we had the ability to predict such large-scale and long-term changes in the climate. But I became more and more of a believer in the 2000s. The facts seem harder to ignore.
But in this podcast, I discuss an article that may cause some people to become skeptical again. Or maybe not. I read it in the BBC. It’s called, “What happened to Global Warming?”
Read the transcript: Global_Warming_or_Cooling_Transcript
Comprehension questions: Global_Warming_or_Cooling_Questions
Global_Warming_or_Cooling
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How high is your trust and admiration for your country? Do you trust your country a lot or only a little? What do you admire about your country? Do you admire your current government? Or do you admire your system of government?
The Economist recently published a graph showing how much trust the people in different countries have for their country. The results are quite surprising. Countries that you would expect to score quite high actually came out low.
In the podcast, I describe the graph. And I offer some of my opinions about the results. You will listen to a lot of comparisons in this podcast. And you will hear these key words used: Trust, Respect, Admire/Admiration, Patriotic/Patriotism.
New Feature: Pre and Post Questions. Questions
Read the transcript and study guide: Do You Trust Your Country
Listen to the Podcast: Do_You_Trust_Your_Country
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Bus Repair, India 1982 (Photo by Gerald)
As you know, there are many differences between “written English” and “spoken English.”
Written English tends to be a lot more grammatically correct and uses a wider variety of sentence types and vocabulary. Written English must follow these conventions, or else it would be difficult to read.
In speaking, people use less complicated grammar and a narrower vocabulary. Sentences may be simpler – and they may run on and on. In speaking, the message is communicated by gestures, volume and tone of voice and intonation as much as it is by the words themselves.
To help you become more familiar with the differences between spoken and written English, I’ve decided to present the same story in two ways. You can listen to the story here. And you can read the story on What’s For English. The transcript below mostly follows the spoken version.
Read the “speaking” transcript: Your Last Photo
Listen to the Podcast: Your Last Photo
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The Buzz and the Bulge (by David McCandless)
In Podcast #8, I discussed the rising rates of obesity in the United States. Obesity is a complex phenomenon, but many say that high calorie drinks adds much the bulging waistlines of Americans. Could coffee be a cause? If you drink your coffee black, you have no cause to worry. But the expensive, attractive coffee drinks at places like Starbucks can pack a lot more calories than you’d think. In this podcast, I discuss a chart that shows the amounts of caffeine and calories in many popular coffee drinks.
Read the transcript: Coffee, Calories and Caffeine
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Obesity has increased in just 10 years (from www.economist.com)
In your country, has there been an increase in the rate of obesity? Are there more overweight people than in earlier times? In the US, more people are carrying more weight than ever before. Is obesity an epidemic? Should we be concerned?
In this podcast, I discuss a chart that shows how much obesity has increased in the US in just 10 years. Look at the graphic and listen in.
Read the transcript: Obesity in the US
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Coffee Consumption in 18 Countries (Information from nationmaster.com, OECD)
How much coffee do people drink in your country? How much coffee do you believe people drink in other countries? In this podcast we look at coffee consumption in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and Japan. The results might surprise you!
Before listening, what do you believe about coffee consumption?
- All European countries consume about the same amount of coffee. YES NO
- Japan drinks less coffee than any European country. YES NO
- Americans are among the top coffee drinkers. YES NO
- The country that invented espresso (Italy) must consume a lot of coffee. YES NO
More questions, a transcript and word explanations are here: how_much_coffee_do_people_drink
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Coffee Bean Farmers
We drink over 500 billion cups of coffee per year! Coffee may be the second largest trading commodity in the world after oil. But coffee farming and processing is a labor-intensive industry, and coffee farmers and workers are paid little. The Fair Trade movement tries to change conditions for farmers by guaranteeing higher wages.
In this podcast, you will learn about Fair Trade Coffee. Here are some questions to guide your listening:
- Does coffee farming require a lot or a little physical labor?
- Do the farmers have any control over the price of coffee?
- Is coffee a commodity product?
- How does “fair trade” benefit the coffee farmers, buyers and consumers?
Use the transcript and study guide! Read along for better comprehension! What is Fair Trade Coffee
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Coffee Plant (Photo by Forrest & Kim Starr
Where is coffee grown? How long have people been drinking coffee? Is there a connection between coffee and great developments in history? This short podcast tries to answer some of these questions.
To guide your listening, think about these questions as you listen:
- Is Coffee a plant or a tree?
- Did coffee originate in Africa or South America?
- What conditions are needed to grow the best coffee?
- What is older: tea drinking or coffee drinking?
- Where did coffee drinking begin – in the Arab world or in Europe?
- Why was coffee popular in the Arab world?
- What did Europeans drink all day long before they discovered coffee?
- Where did the Europeans eventually grow coffee?
- Is there a connection between coffee and “The Age of Enlightenment?”
- Why is the coffeehouse the “18th century internet?”
Download the transcript: history-of-coffee (Note that the transcript will NOT follow the podcast word-for-word. The podcast is in more of a “spoken style.” )
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