by Pico Iyer

a British-born essayist and novelist of Indian origin.  He is best known for his travel writing.  He is also an essayist who has been writing for Time magazine since 1986.  He also publishes regularly in Harper’s, The New York Review of Books and The New York Times.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise  below,  read a question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.

Vocabulary:

raised: grew up
classic: traditional
alien: foreigner
straightforward: simple, not complicated
associated with: connected to
stained-glass: lots of pieces
it came home to me: I realized
wildfire: a fire out of control
ash: what’s left after a fire
literally: actually
sense of: idea about
fashion: make, create
beyond: outside of
tribe: group of people
consists of: is composed of
exhilarating: exciting
typical: common
kin: family
evolving: changing
unprecedented: happening for the first time
blend: mix
rooted in: identified with
bearings: understanding
accumulated: gathered, gotten
perspective: understanding
skeptical: not believing
intrigued: really interested
hemmed and hawed: didn’t know what to say
hymnals: religious songs
assured: promised
restless: not able to sit still
pulsing: full of energy
eminently: very
profoundly: strongly
consult: ask
monks: religious people
critical: most important
blindfold: covering over the eyes
hankers: really wants
ultimately: in the end

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Henry Lin

a freshman (Sept. 2013) at Harvard University.  At the age of 17 he won an Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for his mathematical models of distant galaxy clusters.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

clusters:  collections, groups
mutual:  shared
mysterious:  unknown, with secrets
massive:  very, very large
laboratories:  places where discoveries happen
mass:  weight, largeness
isolated:  all alone with no neighbors
systems:  collections of stars
scaled down:  smaller
emitting:  causing, producing
accelerating:  causing something to go faster and faster
rough draft:  a beginning of understanding
properties:  qualities
probing:  examining
matter: stuff
atoms: very small particles
collide:  hit each other
compounded:  made larger
affect:  change
structure:  shape
ingenuity:  creativity
© 2014 Ambien Malecot