Listening: Leonardo daVinci 1
Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
He was a painter, an architect, an engineer and a scientist.
He was born in Vinci, Italy in 1452.
Vinci is a town just outside of the great Italian city, Florence.
His name, Da Vinci, means “of Vinci”.
Leonardo’s father was a lawyer and landowner, and his mother was a peasant.
Leonardo’s parents were never married to each other.
Leonardo lived with his mother until he was around 5 years old.
When he was 5, he moved into the home of his father.
By then his father had marred a 16-year-old girl.
Leonardo’s mother married another man and moved to another town.
She had many more children after that, with several different men.
In the end, Leonardo had more than 15 half sisters and brothers.
As a young man, Da Vinci didn’t go to school.
He was educated at home in reading, writing, and mathematics.
In other subjects, he was mostly self-educated.
He had access to books at his father’s home.
Leonardo spent a lot of time outdoors and developed a strong interest in nature.
He loved to observe things, especially birds.
He was also interested in the properties of water.
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Listening: Leonardo da Vinci 2
Leonardo’s early drawings and paintings demonstrated a rare talent.
His father and his father’s friends recognized his talent and encouraged him.
When he was 15, he was sent to Florence.
In Florence, he became an apprentice to a famous master painter.
For the next few years, Leonardo worked at his master’s workshop.
It wasn’t long before his ability surpassed that of his master.
Some people say that his master became jealous of Leonardo’s great talent.
They say that the master vowed to never paint again.
In 1478, with his father’s help, Leonardo set up his own workshop.
In 1482, he entered the service of a powerful man in the city of Milan.
This man was the Duke of Milan.
For the next few years, Leonardo designed buildings, machinery and weapons of war.
Weapons were important, because Italy was constantly at war during this period.
From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced designs for a variety of weapons.
In his notes, he predicted the development of advanced weapons such as submarines and flying machines.
In 1499, the French invaded Italy and Leonardo left Milan.
Altogether, Leonardo spent 17 years in Milan.
During this period, he spent much of his time studying nature.
He dissected bodies, both human and animal, to study and illustrate anatomy.
His detailed illustrations are masterpieces.
Leonardo filled many notebooks with drawings and ideas.
He wrote backwards, so you need a mirror to read them.
After 1500, Leonardo spent time in a number of Italian cities.
He worked very slowly and the range of his interests was very wide.
As a result, Leonardo left many paintings and projects unfinished.
One painting that he did finish, was the Mona Lisa, one of world’s most famous paintings.
People are still interested in this painting 500 years after he painted it.
Though there are many theories, nobody knows who the woman in the painting really was.
In 1516, Leonardo left Italy for good when the French King, Francis the first, offered him a position.
There, he had the freedom to paint and draw whatever he wanted.
Leonardo died in 1519 at the age of 67.
Some say that the French King, who had become a close friend, was with him when he died.
He was buried in the church which was destroyed during the French revolution.
The exact location of his remains is unknown.
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Vocabulary: Sources of Pollution
Waste water and carbon gases from farm animals are bad for the environment.
Animal wastes and other chemicals flow into the ground and pollute water supplies.
Exhaust gases from automobiles are a major cause of air pollution and global warming.
As a result, many companies are trying to produce more efficient and cleaner cars.
Pesticides and fertilizers are used by farmers to grow crops such as fruits and vegetables.
These chemicals pollute water supplies when they flow into the ground or rivers.
Factories like this one, allow harmful chemicals to get into the air or water.
Companies need to try harder to protect the environment and our health.
Nuclear waste products are radioactive and can pollute the environment for thousands of years.
They need to be safely transported and stored in a safe place.
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Vocabulary: Historical Figures
The British writer, Jane Austen, was born in England in 1775, one of seven children.
She wrote some of the most popular love stories of all time.
One of the most famous female rulers in history, Cleopatra had affairs with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony.
She was known for her great beauty and charming voice.
Born in 1756, Mozart composed and performed some of the world’s greatest classical music.
He was the youngest of seven children, and by the age of 5, he was already composing music.
The sun of a king, Alexander the Great was a military leader who created one of the largest empires in the ancient world.
As a youth, Alexander was taught by the Greek philosophy, Aristotle.
Mahatma Gandhi was a 20th century leader who used nonviolence resistance to lead India to independence.
Gandhi dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth.
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Dialogue: An Urgent Call
M: I’d like to speak with Mr. Bennett, please.
W: I’m sorry, but he’s not here right now. would you like to leave a voice message?
M: It’s urgent that I speak with him. It’s an emergency.
W: Oh, I see. What kind of emergency?
M: It’s very personal so I can’t give you any details.
W: Without more details, I’m afraid I can’t give you his number. Give me your number and I’ll let him know about your call. Then maybe he’ll call you back, would that be okay?
M: Sure, my number is 5834987. It would be great if he could call me within the next half hour.
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Dialogue: Settling the Bill
M1: That was a great dinner. Here, put away your wallet, I’ll pay the bill.
M2: You paid last time, this time is my turn to pay.
M1: Hey, you don’t have a job, and I do, let me pay.
M2: Thanks for the offer, but I can handle it.
M1: Wait, let’s flip for it.
M2: Flip for it? What does that mean?
M1: Do you see this coin? This side is heads and the opposite is tails. I’ll flip up in the air. If it comes down with heads facing up, I’ll pay. If tails are the up, you can pay.
M2: Ok, that’s fine with me.
M1: Look, it’s heads up, so I’ll pay.
M2: Thanks, it’s very nice of you.
M1: It’s my pleasure
W: Do you want anything else, sir? Would you like to see the desserts menu?
M: No, thanks, I’m ready for the check. Here is my credit card.
W: I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t take credit cards.
M: You’re joking, right?
W: No, sir. I’m not joking. Do you see that sign? It says cash only.
M: I didn’t see it when I came in. I don’t have enough cash to pay the bill.????????????????????????
W: There is a bank down the street, sir. If you let me hold your driver’s license, you can go and get the cash.
M: Ok, I hope the bank is open.
W: The bank is closed, but you can use the ATM to get your cash.
