Read the transcript HERE

Here are two simple things you can do to improve your pronunciation.

Words in This Story
​practice – v. to do something again and again in order to get better at it
phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence
eager – adj. feeling a strong and impatient desire to do something or for something
tense – n. a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened
negative – adj. expressing denial or refusal

Follow the script HERE

Transcript - Joey Jefferson (JJ) and Jerry Morrison (JM)JJ: Why do you like space so much?
JM: Uh, there’s so much sights to see: nebulas, hot jupiters and supernova remnants. 
JJ: Yeah.
JM: They look so beautiful.
JJ: You know how I fell in love with space? My mom gave me a really cool space shuttle. You would wind it back, and then…
JM: Oh, I have that.
JJ: You have that? So I remember playing with that all the time, and I wanted to become a pilot. I used to fly planes when I was 17 years old. And then after that, I started commanding spacecraft at NASA. 
JM: Have you ever been to space?
JJ: I have not been to space but it’s a dream of mine. 
JM: I want to live on another planet.
JJ: Another planet?
JM: Like, what kind of planet would you live on?
JJ: (Sighs) Of course everybody’s going to say Mars, right? Are you gonna say Mars?
JM: No. Kepler-452b.
JJ: Oh, yeah. So Kepler-452b is your favorite planet. 
Do you know what we call those?
JM: Exoplanets…
JJ: And there’s, actually, we estimate to be trillions of galaxies out there. So there’s a lot of stars and a lot of exoplanets that we got to find. And so we need people like you to keep doing what you’re doing. And it’s one thing to get to this place where you know all this knowledge but it’s another thing to teach a knowledge. 
JM: Yeah.
JJ: So you were in kindergarten and you taught the fifth graders, right?
JM: Yeah. 
JJ: How did you like that?
JM: It was a big opportunity for me. I, like, taught all the planets. It was awesome.
JJ: (Laughs) How do you feel when we visit each other and we get to talk about space?
JM: It feels good. I learned from you a lot, like more than I could imagine.
JJ: You’re my favorite person to talk about space to. You know that?
JM: Yeah.
JJ: And you’re learning so much by yourself too, that you’re teaching me as well. 
JM: Ha-ha…
JJ: And that’s really cool.
The more you learn the more we realize the little things in life we take for granted are the very things that make life possible. So when I look up in the stars, I think about that.
JM: That is pretty cool.
JJ: My hope is that you are always going to be doing and learning about the things that you love the most. You can do whatever you want, but in the future, I think you’re going to go to Kepler 452b.

Listen to this short explanation of the difference between these two tricky little verbs.
Get ready to summarise what you heard, in class.
​Any new lexis?

Transcript HERE

This is the first in a series of audios to help you to use the VOA website to get better at speaking English and improve your listening skills.

As you listen, think about this question:
What are the 3 key points the narrator makes?

BEFORE YOU LISTEN: Think about the title
- what does it mean?
- what do you think this audio will be about?
​- what type of vocabulary might you hear?

A virtual judge hears litigants in a case before a Chinese "internet court" in Hangzhou, China. 

Video screens show citizens taking part in an "internet court" system, based in Hangzhou, China.

A visitor walks past a mural displaying robots from Chinese robot maker Canbot - World Robot Conference 

China's "internet court" system, based in Hangzhou, China, lets citizens communicate and receive court decisions by text or through major messaging services.

AFTER YOU LISTEN:
- what specific areas of law do the Internet courts deal with?
- how would Internet courts work in your country?
​- What new phrases did you hear?

Transcript HERE