A boxed-set of lesson notes and exercises initially designed for professional engineers and mechanics. The levels vary from beginner to advanced.
Contents:
Listening: Far Flung Floyd BBC TV (advanced)
Listening: Robot dog (advanced)
Listening: World’s strongest robot (beginner to advanced)
Listening: Top Gear BBC TV program (advanced)
Speaking practice and vocabulary (advanced)
breaking the law / Coffee shop talk / going green / buying a motorbike /
Video clip: China’s high-speed train.
Vocabulary: Cars / Car manufacturers / Environmental concerns (advanced) / tools (beginner)
Listening
Keith Floyd (TV chef) ‘Far Flung Floyd’
Floyd in Vietnam (12.53 – 15.29): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO6cSQ8Vly8
What ingredients does he use ?
What does he say as he starts cooking ?
How long does it simmer for ?
What does ‘moisten’ mean ?
Listening: robot dog (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op0bhZNUJFE
Do you understand any of the engineering terms / words in English ?
Newsinlevels.com (World’s strongest robot – choose your own level, 1,2 0r 3) https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/strongest-robot-in-the-world-level-2/
What country produced this robot ?
How much can it lift ? That is the same as … ?
Is it delicate or sturdy ? What word is used to describe this ?
Top Gear
Break for the border part 1: (0 – 0.52)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0K8AXUEH8E
How much petrol do the chaps (men) have ? How many points for getting to the border ?
What is the phrasal verb for using all the petrol ? What is the punishment for this ?
What does Richard say about this ? Which country has the closest border ?
Break for the border part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3StTHXS2Ic&t=3s
What word does James use to mean ‘the winner’ ?
What expression does Richard use to mean he will stop trying to beat James ?
What expression does James use to show he is in trouble ?
We hear the word ‘gloat’ twice … what does it mean ?
What is the phrasal verb for using up ALL the petrol ?
What is the ‘hard shoulder’ ?
What does Richard say when he sees Jeremy ?
Top Gear: £1500 Porsche challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jPaYnaKVDk&t=317s&list=PL97HViQblvdEM3zsauRxnIg1baFTNmsDM&index=16
Top Gear in Vietnam
Full video on Facebook:
Vietnam clip (39.00 – 43.00)
New Vocabulary / expressions
set about = to do something
pay someone back for something = to get revenge
cross = angry / furious = very angry
(people have) turned out = arrived
borrow = to get something from someone, then give back
hang on = wait a little
metaphor = phép ẩn dụ
What does Jeremy say is a metaphor for Vietnam ?
What phrasal verb does James use to mean he stops trying ?
What does the Viet lady do to the bikes in the car park ?
Speaking & vocabulary practice
Exercise 1: New vocabulary:
prosperity / represent / footage/ annoyed / superior / essentially
to sue / suing / law suit / (law) case / ruling / embezzle/ lawyers / judge
pocketing (UK slang) / cost of living (rent, food, travel etc) / can vary
therefore / out and about / basically / you see / obviously /though (although)
Dale Sorry I’m late. Hope you’re not annoyed, I’ve been out and about.
Gordon Not at all. It’s been very exciting here. Mr Smith was caught
embezzling company money. The boss is suing.
Dale What the hell !How much was he pocketing ?
Gordon Who knows ? A lot, that’s for sure. Basically, he’s been stealing
for the last six months.
Dale I know the cost of living is increasing, but he was essentially a
great worker though he did always drink superior cognac.
Gordon And buy superior clothes, particularly designer shirts.
Mr Kim and Mr Chi also discuss this incident 3rdMarch 2018
Kim He was caught on CCTV footage. He’s had to engage a lawyer.
Chi If the ruling goes goes against him, it could mean a fine and prison.
Kim Yes, it can vary from two to twenty years. When’s the case ?
Chi The suit will be heard later this year. The company are shocked.
Kim Obviously. You see, they trusted him, he had been here for years.
Chi That’s awful. This year has started out terribly, therefore it can only
get better !
Kim Yes, it mustn’t get us down, we need to learn from this experience.
Exercise 2: Coffee shop talk / talking shop / the environment
Don, Joe & Tim are on break at work. Tim looks stressed.
Don Hi guys, what’s happening ? What’s wrong with Tim ?
Joe The supervisor has been giving him a hard time because of his punctuality.
Tim Sorry, I’ve gotta lot of things on my mind … and tons of work.
Don In my experience, work’ll lighten up. Do you agree, Joe ?
Joe Spot on ! Although, less work, less money, obviously.
Tim Actually, it’s my girlfriend; she has a terrible habit.
Don Oh, what is it ?
Tim She has a habit of spending MY money !
Later, at lunch at Coffee House
Joe We should think more about the environment. Our company should go green.
Tim What’s on your mind ? What do you recommend ?
Don Yeah, aside from recycling what steps can we take ?
Joe Well, switching to unleaded petrol, saving water and making sure we turn off …
Tim Our brains ? No, I’m pulling your leg. In fact, those are brilliant ideas.
Don I agree totally. Anyway, what are you having to eat ?
Joe I’m not hungry, I had a snack earlier. I’ll just take a coffee.
Tim Ah, here comes our coffee. Things are looking up.
Joe WAIT ! … mmmmm, this is a damn fine cup of coffee !
NOTE: the colour green is associated with the environment
Exercise 3: buying a motorbike
Jim is talking with his buddy (friend) Kev about buying a motorbike. He asks for advice.
Jim Which do you suggest ? The Honda or the Yamaha ? I’m miserable without a bike.
Kev Buy both … no,I’m pulling your leg.In my opinion, Yamaha looks cool.
Jim Yeah, I agree totally. Blue and white. However, Yamahas are uncomfortable.
Kev Good point. In my experience, Hondas are very reliable. Good engineering.
Jim Maybe I should buy a German bike ? Sounds good ?
Kev Sure, buy a luxury BMW, really cool … but really, really expensive !
Jim Ok, so I’ll take the Honda. Wait … what is that awful sound ?
Kev Oh no ! The karaoke has started. All day, every day. I want to scream !
Video Clips
AC / DC current explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9aR2wKv0U
High-speed trains in China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JDoll8OEFE
Tech flops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Rzd21U-1c
Vocabulary
Cars:
Car parts vocabulary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aazWo7OeJJY
Which of these cars would you like ?
Land Rover / Toyota / Volva / Dacia
I choose the …
because it’s …. cool /economical /fast / beautiful / reliable
however, it’s also … expensive / ugly /unreliable /uneconomical /slow
Vocabulary: Car parts
How many parts can you name ?
Automobile companies
| 1. Abarth | 16. Ford | 31. MG | 46. Smart |
| 2. Alfa Romeo | 17. Honda | 32. Mini | 47. Ssangyong |
| 3. Aston Martin | 18. Hyundai | 33. Mitsubishi | 48. Subaru |
| 4. Audi | 19. Infiniti | 34. Morgan | 49. Suzuki |
| 5. Bentley | 20. Jaguar | 35. Nissan | 50. Tesla |
| 6. BMW | 21. Jeep | 36. Noble | 51. Toyota |
| 7. Bugatti | 22. Kia | 37. Pagani | 52. Vauxhall |
| 8. Cadillac | 23. Lamborghini | 38. Peugeot | 53. Volkswagen |
| 9. Caterham | 24. Land Rover | 39. Porsche | 54. Volvo |
| 10. Chevrolet | 25. Lexus | 40. Radical | 55. Zenos |
| 11. Chrysler | 26. Lotus | 41. Renault | |
| 12. Citroen | 27. Maserati | 42. Rolls-Royce | |
| 13. Dacia | 28. Mazda | 43. Saab | |
| 14. Ferrari | 29. Mclaren | 44. Seat | |
| 15. Fiat | 30. Mercedes-Benz | 45. Skoda |
This is a list of the 15 largest manufacturers by production in 2016.[35]
| Rank | Group | Country | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | Japan | 10,213,486 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Group | Germany | 10,126,281 |
| 3 | Hyundai | South Korea | 7,889,538 |
| 4 | General Motors | United States | 7,793,066 |
| 5 | Ford | United States | 6,429,485 |
| 6 | Nissan | Japan | 5,556,241 |
| 7 | Honda | Japan | 4,999,266 |
| 8 | Fiat Chrysler Automobiles | Italy / United States | 4,681,457 |
| 9 | Renault | France | 3,373,278 |
| 10 | PSA | France | 3,152,787 |
| 11 | Suzuki | Japan | 2,945,295 |
| 12 | SAIC | China | 2,566,793 |
| 13 | Daimler | Germany | 2,526,450 |
| 14 | BMW | Germany | 2,359,756 |
| 15 | Changan | China | 1,715,871 |
Tesla, Inc. (formerlyTesla Motors) is an American multinational corporation that specialises in electric vehicles, energy storage and solar panel manufacturing based in Palo Alto, California. Founded in 2003, the company specialises in electric cars, lithium-ion battery energy storage, and residential photovoltaic panels(through the subsidiary company SolarCity).The additional products Tesla sells include the Tesla Powerwall and Powerpack batteries,solar panels and solar roof tiles.
CEO Elon Musk said that he envisions Tesla as a technology company and independent automaker, aimed at eventually offering electric cars at prices affordable to the average consumer.
Tesla Vs Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KEN-cxmGw8
Some famous UK car companies
Rolls-Royce and Bentley have been owned by VW since 1998
The Mini is owned by BMW
Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Tata Motors (India)
Who owns the ‘British’ car companies ? https://www.borro.com/uk/borro-blog/british-car-brands-owners
The second biggest car manufacturer is VW. Why are they so big ?http://The second biggest car manufacturer is VW. Why are they so big ?
BMW = beemer
Cadillac = Cadi = gas guzzler (guzzler = drink a LOT!)
Environmental concerns / issues (advanced) http://shanghaiist.com/2017/06/15/polluting-companies.php
Does this news story surprise you ? Is China worse than Vietnam (in your opinion).
recent/ investigate / emission standards / specifically
ignore / strict / established
World’s biggest polluters
Which countries do you think are in the top ten worst ?https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/who-are-the-worlds-biggest-polluters-idUSRTXRKSI
Any surprises here ?
I’m surprised to see …. on the list / make the list
It doesn’t surprise me that …
Identify these tools. What are they used for ?
There is one black and red hammer. It is used …
Thay Paul's Notes 
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