Listening Comprehension_Chapter VII

CHAPTER VII

A TIDAL WAVE

What is it? What causes it?

How can we predict it?

I. PRELISTENING

A Listening Preparation

Tidal waves are one of the great forces of nature. Tidal waves can be very dangerous to people. They have caused a lot of destruction to property; and they have killed many people. What exactly is a tidal wave? What causes a tidal wave? How can we predict when a tidal wave will strike? Do you know the answers to these questions? Listen and find out.

B Preview of Vocabulary and Sentences

destructive damaging; causing ruin

to rush to move forward very quickly; to speed

· A tidal wave is a very large and destructive wall of water that rushes in from the ocean toward the shore.

storms heavy, windy rainfalls or snowfalls

· Do you know that tidal waves are not caused by storms?

to shift to change position

· When a seaquake takes place at the bottom of the ocean, the ocean floor shakes and trembles and sometimes shifts.

to predict to tell in advance,- to foretell

· Today scientists can predict when a tidal wave will hit land.

to warn to advise of coming danger

· It is possible to warn people that a tidal wave is coming.

C Rhetorical Listening Cues

In this talk you will hear several definitions given. In other words, the speaker will explain the meanings of some of the words or expressions. Sometimes the speaker will explain an expression by telling you what it is. For example, you will hear, "A tidal wave is a very large and very destructive wave that rushes in from the ocean like a huge tide." And sometimes you will hear the speaker explain a word or expression by telling you what it is not. For example, you will hear, "Tidal waves are not true tides." This is an example of a negative definition. Sometimes the speaker will give you a synonym for a word. Sometimes the speaker will explain a word by breaking it down into its parts. For example, the word "seaquake" is made up of two words: "sea" and "quake." The speaker will explain the meaning of both words. You will hear the speaker define the following word or words: "tidal wave," "true tide," "seaquake," "to quake," and "seismograph."

II. LISTENING

A Initial Listening

Now let's listen to a talk about what a tidal wave is, what causes a tidal wave, and how a tidal wave can be predicted by scientists. It may help you to concentrate on the talk if you close your eyes while you listen. Just relax and listen carefully.

B Mental Rehearsal and Review of the Talk

All right. Let's listen to the talk once again. This time, the talk will be given in message units. Please repeat each unit to yourself silently after you hear it. Remember, don't say the units out loud.

C Consolidation

You will hear the talk given once again. This time as you listen, take notes on what you hear.

III. POSTLISTENING

The Comprehension Check

1. Recognizing Information and Checking Accuracy

Are you ready for a quiz on the story? Column A contains six blank lines. Column В lists some words and phrases from the story. Look over the information in Column B. Here's what you have to do. First, you will listen to a statement. Then you should look at the choices listed in Column B. Match the correct choice with the statement you hear. For example: Look at 1 in Column A. Statement 1 is "In Japanese it means 'storm wave'." The correct match to the statement, "In Japanese it means 'storm wave'" is choice а—tsunami. Put the letter a on line 1. Are you ready to do some more? We'll start with statement 2.

2. Using and Expanding on the Information in the Talk

a. Recapping the Information from Your Notes.

Use your notes to recap the information you learned about tsunamis. Present the information to the class or to one of your classmates.

b. Expanding on the Information in the Talk.

Discuss with a classmate the following issues:

1. Natural disasters threaten many populations throughout the world, but natural disasters are not the only or most frightening disasters people face. Diseases like AIDS might put an end to humankind one day. Natural disasters like tsunamis cannot be prevented, but we can do something about the spread of AIDS. What can we do to prevent the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis, and the other contagious diseases that are on the increase?

2. Life expectancy has increased in most countries of the world. Why?

3. How long would you like to live? Why?

4. Many countries still have very low life expectancy. Why? What can be done to help increase the life expectancy of people in these countries?

5. The worst kind of natural disaster is _____________ because ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Listening Expansion

Task 1. Filling In Information and Answering Questions

In this exercise you will complete a crossword puzzle using words from the story. Some of the words will be written across and some of the words will be written down. When two words meet or cross each other, they will share a common letter. For example, number 1 across and number 1 down both begin with the same letter. Let's do number 1 across together. Are you ready? Number 1 across: It's a word with 11 letters. It's an instrument that records information about an earthquake. The word is "seismograph." Write the word "seismograph" beginning in box 1 and continuing across to box 11. Seismograph is spelled s-e-i-s-m-o-g-r-a-p-h. Are you ready to complete the puzzle? I will tell you how many letters each word has and give you a definition of the word. You may not know how to spell each word. Just do your best. Let's begin.

Task 2. Catching and Correcting Mistakes in Information

In this exercise you will listen to a brief news report about a tidal wave that struck Japan several years ago. Like all news reports, this report is full of factual information. Factual information contains the names of places, dates, numbers, or happenings. After you listen to the report, you will read five statements about the tidal wave. You will check the accuracy of some statements made about the event, about the tidal wave, by catching the errors and correcting the sentences.

Now listen carefully to the news report of the event that happened on May 26, 1983, in northwestern Japan. Ready?

Now read the following statements related to the news report you just heard. Each statement contains one error or one incorrect piece of information. Correct the mistake by restating the sentence correctly. For example, you will read: "An earthquake struck the northeastern coast of Japan." You will say: "An earthquake struck the northwestern coast of Japan."

1. Fifteen people were caught in the tidal wave.

2.The tidal wave hit the coast an hour after the earthquake.

3. A 20-foot-high wave struck the beach.

4.The quake caused widespread destruction of beaches.

5.The president of the United States declared a state of emergency.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 2568