Task 1

 

In task 1, students will listen to an Education Report about financial aids awarded in the University and then do the exercises as required. Before listening, students are supposed to read the words, expressions and cultural notes related to the report.

 

Transcript

 

Financial Aids Awarded in the University

 

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

This week in our Foreign Student Series, we look at financial aid that comes in ships: scholarships, fellowships and assistantships.

But first we talk about financial aid of another kind: grants. A grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid.

One of our examples this week is the University of Missouri-Columbia, known as Mizzou (pronounced mah-ZOO). Mizzou is a public university with more than one thousand five hundred international students this school year. The total student population is more than thirty thousand.

Mizzou has a grant program for international students. The Curator’s Grant-in-Aid program is for those who get good grades and take part in university activities. Graduate students who receive a grant get nine free credits to take courses. Undergraduates receive between one thousand and five thousand dollars in support.

Students must have attended Mizzou for a year before they can receive a grant. And they must reapply for the awards each semester.

Some grants are called scholarships or fellowships. Scholarships are for undergraduates; fellowships are for graduate students. Awards may be based on financial need or on grades, talents or other requirements. The Global Heritage Scholarship at Mizzou, for example, is only for international undergraduates whose mother or father graduated from there. The scholarship pays seven thousand five hundred dollars a year for tuition. Full tuition is currently almost nineteen thousand dollars. Tuition is about the same at another public university, the University of Arizona in Tucson. It offers an undergraduate scholarship for international students who earned high marks in high school. The program is open to all foreign students who have been admitted to the university. Winners receive between two thousand and ten thousand dollars a year to help pay tuition.

Seventy international students are currently receiving the scholarship. The University of Arizona has more than two thousand international students this academic year. The school had close to forty thousand students during the fall term.

Assistantships are jobs paid with money or free classes. Graduate assistants help professors for about twenty hours a week. They may teach undergraduates, grade papers and tests, and assist with research.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. The earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

(From http://www.ebigear.com/reslist-573-1.html)

 

 

Key to Exercises

 

Exercise 1  Making a Sound Judgment

 

Students are asked to listen to the report and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

 

__F__1) Mizzou is a public university with more than five hundred international students this school year.

__T__2) The Curator’s Grant-in-Aid program is for those who get good grades and take part in university activities.

__F__3) Students must have attended Mizzou for a year before they can receive a grant. And they must reapply for the awards every year.

___F_4) The Global Heritage Scholarship at Mizzou, for example, is for any student.

__T__5) The University of Arizona has more than two thousand international students this academic year.

 

Exercise 2  Essay Writing

 

Suppose students are graduate students who want to pursue their studies in the University of Mizzou. They are required to write an application letters to the University.

 

Sample

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

I wish to apply for admission to your department as a graduate student. I am writing to ask whether it will be possible for you to grant me a full scholarship, considering my academic record and the fact that I have no relatives or friends in America who can act as my sponsor.

I completed a four-year course in chemistry at Beijing University last June. During my four years in the university, I have passed all the required courses of study with satisfactory marks. With Chemistry as my major, I minored in Physics and Mathematics. Enclosed herewith is my transcript from the department concerned.

My English is very good. I have been learning English since early childhood with the help of my father who is a professor of English in Fudan University, Shanghai. I therefore believe that I will not have language difficulties while studying in the United States.

I should be most grateful if you would give my request favorable consideration. Thank you very much and look forward to your reply.

                                                                Yours sincerely

                                                                 Li Li

 

Task 2

 

In task 2, students will listen to an interview between Anderson Cooper and Liz McCartney, who was named CNN Hero of the Year for her work with Katrina victims, and then do the exercises as required. Before listening, students are supposed to read the words, expressions and cultural notes related to the interview.

 

Transcript

 

CNN’s Hero of the Year: Liz McCartney

 

Anderson Cooper interviews Liz McCartney, who was named CNN Hero of the Year for her work with Katrina victims.

 

Anderson Cooper: CNN hero of the year is Liz McCartney. Do you feel like a hero?

Liz McCartney: No, I mean I’m surrounded by amazing people every single day, Anderson. People who are really, really strong and amazingly hardworking, so I don’t, I mean I think this award is, again, really attributed to everybody’s efforts.

Anderson Cooper: What do you think people in St. Bernard Parish are gonna think when they, when they see this and hear that you won?

Liz McCartney: Well, I, I hope they are honored, you know, this award is really about them and their families and communities and getting them back to where they were before the storm. When you are in an area where people have suffered so much loss, you realize what’s really important and what’s really important is family, and homes and communities.

Anderson Cooper: Do you think this is a reminder to a lot of folks that of, that there are still a lot of work that needs to be done there?

Liz McCartney: I surely hope so, I hope the message is loud and clear, that while we are making a lot of progress thanks to all the help that we’ve received, there’s still a long way to go. What I like to do tonight is to dedicate this award to everybody in the New Orleans area that was affected by this storm.

Anderson Cooper: What is it being like being here on this night, I mean, you have celebrities, you know talking about you, and this crowd and your picture being taken, is it surreal?

Liz McCartney: It’s totally weird, you know, I mean I am used to like walking around in jeans and T-shirts.

Anderson Cooper: All of our heroes got 25,000 dollars, you are the CNN hero the year of the award, there’s an additional 100,000 dollars. Do you know what you plan to do with the money?

Liz McCartney: Oh, absolutely, we are rebuilding another ten families’ homes, with that money, yeah, so it’s going to right back into community.

(From http://www.ebigear.com/reslist-1716-1.html)

 

Key to Exercises

 

Exercise 1  Listening for Details

 

Students are asked to listen to the interview and answer the following questions.

 

1) What kind of hero was Liz McCartney and Why?

She was named CNN Hero of the Year 2008 for her work with Katrina victims.

2) Whom will she dedicate the award to according to Liz McCartney’s words?

She will dedicate the award to everybody in the New Orleans area that was affected by the storm.

3) How many dollars was she awarded? And how does she plan to do with it?

She was awarded 125,000 dollars. And she plans to rebuild another ten families’ homes with the money. 

 

Exercise 2  Listening for Deeper Understanding

 

Students are asked to listen to the interview again and choose the best answers to the questions.

 

1) B    

2) C   

3) C

 

Additional Listening

 

In this section, students will listen to a lecture about the differences between Intention and Intent from BBC Learning English and then do the exercises as required. Before listening, students are supposed to read the words and expressions related to the lecture.

 

Transcript

 

Intention/Intent

 

Gareth Rees answers:

    Hello Babak. Thank you for your question about intent and intention. Both words are nouns that come from the verb intend, which means to have something in mind as a plan or purpose.

    In terms of meaning, there is little difference between these two nouns. They both mean a plan, or purpose, to do something. However, there is a difference in the way we use the words. Intent is used in more formal situations, such as in legal contexts, whereas intention is used in a wide range of situations; it is a more everyday word. Also, in grammatical terms, intent is an uncountable noun and intention is a countable noun.

    So, for example, in a newspaper report about a court case you might read he was carrying a gun with intent to commit a bank robbery. Whereas, in a conversation with a friend, someone might say I went to the bank with the intention of opening a bank account, but I forgot to take my passport, so I couldn’t even do that.

    There is one other important difference. Intent is also an adjective, but intention is only a noun. If you are intent on doing something, you are determined to do something. For example, she was intent on becoming an actress, so she went to drama school even though it was against her parents’ wishes.

    So, my intention was to answer your question, and I hope, Babak, that I've managed to that.

(From http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/)

 

Key to Exercises

 

Exercise 1  Listening for Details

 

Students are asked to write down the two differences between Intention and Intent according to the lecture.

 

1) Intent is used in more formal situations, such as in legal contexts, whereas intention is used in a wide range of situations; it is a more everyday word. Also, in grammatical terms, intent is an uncountable noun and intention is a countable noun.

2) Intent is also an adjective, but intention is only a noun.

 

Exercise 2  Listening for Specific Information

 

Students are asked to choose Intention or Intent to fill in the blanks.

 

1) He was carrying a gun with intent to commit a bank robbery.

2) If you are intent on doing something, you are determined to do something.

3) I went to the bank with the intention of opening a bank account, but I forget to take my passport, so I couldn’t even do that.

4) So, my intention was to answer your question, and I hope, Babak, that I’ve managed to that.

 

Exercise 3  Identifying Confusable Words

 

Students are asked to choose the appropriate words to fill in the blanks.

 

1) Home is the place where we are treated the best, but complain the most. (home, family, household)

2) Don’t employ someone you suspect, nor suspect someone you employ. (suspect, doubt)

3) I want to further my career by taking some management courses. (farther, further)