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DICTATIONS

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (22,23,24)

 


 


 


Xi ‘an’s Terracotta Warriors  


 


            Before the world-famous terracotta warriors were unearthed in 1974, Xi’an was little more than a small provincial town in central China.  Since then it has become one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, and its population today numbers over three million inhabitants.


 


            The life-size warriors, made out of baked clay, were discovered by farmers digging a well. They had been made over 2,200 years ago, to protect the tomb of the First Emperor. Work on this colossal project began in 246 BC. They are lined up in wide ditches, standing on military formation. No two faces are alike, and each body was made separately. In addition to the foot soldiers, tourists can also see horses and chariots.  All of these can be visited in separate exhibition halls.


            It is uncertain why so much trouble was taken, but one theory is that the different faces, which represent diverse Chinese minorities, are a celebration of the first unification of China.


 



 


Chameleons


 


            Although almost half the world’s chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar, they can also be found in parts of Africa, Spain, Portugal and Sri Lanka, and have even been introduced to Hawaii and California., where there are warm habitats appropriate to their existence. There are at least 59 species which do not exist anywhere else except in Madagascar. Chameleons are unique creatures, and are known for their ability to change colour, which can range from white to black, passing through yellow, blue, green, red and brown. The reason for these colour changes is communication, contrary to popular belief. Most people think that chameleons change colour to blend in to their surroundings, but the truth is that these changes are a response to temperature, light and mood.


 


            They have extremely extensile tongues, which is used to snap up insects and out-of-reach food, and can be twice as long as the chameleon’s body. They also have stereoscopic eyes, which allow them to survey the world with nearly 360-degree vision. The males are more ornamented than the females.


 



 


Mummification


 


            Ancient Egyptians are perhaps the best-known mummifiers - although initially, it was their climate, not their skill, that preserved their dead. Arid desert winds and blazing hot sand could dry corpses out quickly enough to mummify them.


 


          The first ‘artificial’ Egyptian mummies were made around 3000 BC. These early efforts at embalming were crude, but reflected their belief that preserving people after death enabled them to achieve eternal life.


 


           In the beginning, it was so expensive that only the Pharaoh and a few favourites could enjoy this privilege. But the promise of eternal life was so attractive, that soon rich Egyptians also desired to attain it. By 1550 BC, every Egyptian who could afford it was mummified. Embalming became an art and the process took 70 days. It took forty days to dry out the body. Most of the organs were removed, except for the heart.  The body was then disinfected with wine, stuffed with salt and left to dry out completely. After this it was stuffed with cloth, perfumed and decorated to make it look attractive, ready to be buried.


 


 


 


 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (19,20,21)


Post-its


         Post-it notes, those small, yellow sticky pieces of paper which we all use, were not planned but were the result of a failed experiment. A man named Spencer Silver had been working in the 3M research laboratories in 1970, trying to find a strong adhesive. He developed a new type of glue but it was weaker than what 3M already manufactured. It stuck but could easily be lifted off. It was super weak instead of super strong! No one else knew what to do with it, but Silver did not throw it away - he kept it. Then, one Sunday four years later, another 3M scientist called Arthur Fry was singing in the church choir. He used pieces of paper to keep his place in the hymn book, but they kept falling out. Remembering Silver’s adhesive, Fry put some on the paper. With the weak adhesive, the paper stayed in place but came off without damaging the paper. In 1980, 3M began selling Post-it notes world-wide. Today, they are one of the most popular office products available.


 


 


 The Guillotine


  


 


This method of execution by decapitation was introduced into France by a man named Dr. Guillotin, and it became the symbol of the French Revolution. It stood in what is now the Place de la Concorde, in the centre of Paris.  During the Reign of Terror, or the revolutionary period, the executions were a gory spectacle which attracted crowds of supporters from among the ordinary people, who cheered wildly as a great number of aristocrats were executed.


Many aristocrats were guillotined, mostly because of the hate the revolutionary leaders felt for the upper classes, who had oppressed them for so long. Among the most famous people guillotined were King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who had never been popular among the people, and was despised because of her extravagance.


 


 


Canal Boating


  


         This is definitely a vacation that is not for everyone. If you like to spend your holiday at the beach, or dashing from one place to another, this may not be to your taste.  But if cruising along a narrow waterway at 3-4 miles an hour sounds appealing to you, you have a wonderful ‘activity’ to embark on. Take a leisurely trip on a canal boat, or houseboat, for the most relaxing holiday in your life.


         Canals are typically winding, following the contours of the land. The scenery is varied  and as the canals also cross towns, you can have the best of both worlds. Occasionally you go through tunnels or come in contact with aqueducts. Perhaps you’ll have to operate locks or moveable bridges. This is the opportunity to meet interesting people from other boats and share the work or exchange information and experiences. 


         There is an organized canal system all over Europe and also in the USA and Canada and houseboats can be rented for short and long-term holidays.


 

CONDORITO

SNAKE MASSAGE

Some people are prepared to try anything, but I confess that this is not my cup of tea!

 

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (16,17,18)

Snake Massage

 

 

            Massage is the manipulation of soft body tissues with physical and functional purposes and there are over eighty recognised styles of massage, which include accupressure, Shiatsu, Ayurvedic and Swedish massage. Some of the benefits of massage are pain relief and a reduction in levels of anxiety and depression. It is done on special massage tables or ergonomic chairs, and special oils or aromatherapy substances are used in the process.

 

            A new type of massage is being offered at an Israeli health and beauty spa. Ada Barak’s snake spa, in Talmei Elazar, northern Israel, uses California and Florida king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes for the massages. Ms Barak believes that physical contact with the reptiles can be a relaxing experience.  Once people get over any initial misgivings, they find physical contact with the snakes to be stress-relieving. The size of the snakes depends on the type of massage - the larger ones are said to alleviate deeper muscle tensions and the smaller ones create a ’fluttering’ effect.The snakes’ slithering causes a rubbing sensation on the body. All the snakes used are non-venomous, but if the idea of snakes is too much, a rodent-style massage where mouse and rats are placed on the bottom of people’s feet is offered instead.

 

 

The Flintstones

 

 

            The Flintstones, which is an animated American sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC television, is about a working-class Stone Age man’s life with his family and his next-door neighbour and best friend. Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, strong-willed and level-headed, their daughter Pebbles and a dinosaur pet that barks like a dog live in Bedrock, next to Barney Rubble, his wife Betty and their abnormally strong adopted son Bamm Bamm.The Rubbles also have a pet, a cross between a dinosaur and a kangaroo, named Hoppy. Fred and Barney work at a quarry, and their boss, Mr Slate, has a fiery temper. Wilma and Fred argue often because of Fred’s laziness, and because Fred sometimes flirts with other women. Fred Flintstone’s exclamation ’Yabba Dabba Dooo!’, shouted in the opening credits as well as any time Fred became happy or excited, is widely known.

 

            At least two Flintstones-themed amusement parks exist in the USA, one in Custer, South Dakota and another in Arizona. Both have been in operation for decades.

 

 

 

Rollercoasters

 

 

                 Think about riding your bike to the top of a hill, pedalling like mad, then taking your feet off the pedals and hurtling down the other side. A rollercoaster works the same way. The coaster is only powered at the very beginning of the ride, when the train is pulled up the first hill. When it goes over the top of the hill, the only thing that propels the train is the weight of the train itself, pulled downward by gravity. There are no cables that pull the train around the track. When you are plummeting down a steep drop, the various bits of your body are weightless, each falling individually inside your body. This is what gives you that funny sinking feeling in your tummy, like the sensation you get when you’re in a lift going down quite fast.

 

            Rollercoasters started off as ice slides in Russia more than 500 years ago. They were long, steep wooden slides covered in ice. Riders walked up a ladder to the top of the slide, as high as 70 ft (21 m) up, then got into sledges made out of wood or blocks of ice and shot down the slope. The sleds would crash-land in a sand pile.

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (13,14,15)

 

 

Spanglish


         During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, millions of Europeans and Latin Americans went to live in the USA. Within a couple of generations, most of the French, German, Italian and Russian immigrants spoke only English, but many of the Spanish speakers became bilingual.

 

         Today there are about thirty million Hispanics in the USA who speak Spanish and English. Often the Spanish they speak is Spanglish, which is Spanish, but contains many words of English origin. Some examples of CyberSpanish are maus and chatear. Other words refer to everyday activities, and show a sense of humour: when Spanish speakers want to buy groceries, they ‘compran groserías’, and when they vacuum the carpet, they ‘vacunan la carpeta’.

 

         Spanglish is not only found on the Internet, but it is also spoken on TV, sung to the rhythm of rap and salsa, and even used by a number of famous Puerto Rican poets.

 

Earthquakes  


         Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the world’s surface. Earthquakes happen along ‘fault lines’ in the earth’s crust, and they can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be accurately predicted, although scientists are working on it. Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. you may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt. A survivor of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco said the sensation was like riding a bicycle down a long flight of stairs.

 

         The intensity of an earthquake can be measured. One measurement is called the Richter scale. Earthquakes below 4.0 on this scale do not usually cause damage, but those over 5.0 on the scale do. A magnitude 6.0 is considered strong and magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake. The most powerful earthquake ever felt occurred in Chile in 1960, near Valdivia, with a magnitude of 9.5, and the resulting tsunami reached Japan and the Philippines.

 

Condorito


         Condorito is a famous Chilean cartoon character, a personification of a funny condor living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue, a setting typical of many small Chilean provincial towns. Contrary to popular belief, he is meant to be a representation of the Chilean people exclusively.

 

         Condorito was created by the Chilean cartoonist René Ríos, known as ‘Pepo’.  In spite of his Chilean origin, Condorito is very popular in several Latin American countries, in which the character is considered part of the general popular culture. Condorito and his friends are also featured monthly in a magazine that carries his name.

 

         One peculiar characteristic of this cartoon is that, at the end of almost every strip, the character that  goes through an embarrassing moment always falls backwards to the floor, accompanied by the PLOP! sound effect. Sometimes this effect is replaced by the victim saying, ‘ I demand an explanation!’

 

 

 

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (10,11,12)

 

 

 

Hawaii, the Aloha State

 

 

This beautiful group of islands lying almost in the centre of the Pacific Ocean is more than just another holiday destination. It is not just  one place. It is a myriad of places with an enormous array of resorts and diversions and each island has something different to offer the visitor. The spirit of Aloha is everywhere. For many people, the mention of Hawaii brings Honolulu and Waikiki beach to mind, but all the islands are surrounded by beautiful palm-fringed beaches . The lush vegetation and scenic splendour of Kauai contrast sharply with the barren volcanic wilderness and fields of orchids on Hawaii, whilst Maui with its outdoor lifestyle and superb resorts is the opposite to the tranquil calm of underdeveloped Lanai or Molokai. Oahu, the main island, offers much more than the bright lights of Waikiki, which never sleeps.

 

The fresh floral air energises you, the warm, tranquil waters refresh you, and the breathtaking, natural beauty renews you. All this can happen in the six Hawaiian islands. Hawaii was first populated over 1,500 years ago by Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands, who arrived guided only by the stars.

 

 

Eco  Lodges

 

Once located exclusively in the African bush and Central American jungles, these retreats now span nearly every ecosystem and every budget-and their mission has never been more vital From Alaska to the Australian outback, these innovative retreats are committed to conservation  -  with the added value of cultural sensitivity, isolation, and, of course, style. Being green has never been so appealing.

 

            Designed to co-exist  in harmony with their surrounding environment, eco lodges utilize local businesses and labour. They are generally in remote locations but are still often luxurious and always comfortable. Most eco lodges celebrate and preserve native vegetation in their gardens and are usually good spots for watching wildlife. Staying at one permits you easy contact with local people and the opportunity to become familiar with their  way of life. In addition, you can take part in sponsored activities that have low impact on the environment. A true-eco lodge is basic, comfortable and  clean, with some of the usual conveniences and with simple but hearty meals of mainly local stuff to eat.

 

 

 

Wombats

 

 

            Wombats are Australian marsupials, which are animals that carry their babies in a pocket, or pouch. They are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, measuring about one metre in length, with a very short tail.  They can be found in forested and mountainous areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. They prefer to come out in the evening and at night, so they are not normally seen around in the daytime. They live in burrows, which they dig throwing soil backwards. As it has a backward-facing pouch, it does not dirty its babies.

 

            Wombats are herbivores, eating grass, herbs and roots, and their metabolism is extraordinarily slow, taking up to two weeks to complete their digestion. One of their peculiar characteristics is their cube-shaped dung which they leave everywhere they transit. They move quite slowly, but can speed up to about 40 kph and keep up that speed for 90 seconds. Female wombats have one baby in spring, which remains in the pouch for about six to seven months. Their main enemies are dingos and Tasmanian Devils. When attacked, the wombat dives into the nearest tunnel, using its rump to block the attacker.

 

 

 

 

DICTATIONS 7,8,9 (SECOND SENIORS)

 

 

The Swinging Sixties

 

            The sixties refers to the decade which started on January 1st, 1960, and ended on December 31st, 1969. The term also refers to an era more commonly called ‘The Sixties’, in which a social, political and economic upheaval took place in Europe , the USA and parts of Asia, especially Japan. It is called the swinging sixties because of the libertine attitudes and tendency to drug abuse that emerged at this time. especially among young people, like the hippie movement.

 

            In the 1960s, skirts got shorter, hair got longer, and for the first time in the  20th century,  pop music became a driving force in society.  This was especially true in Britain, home of The Beatles, whose songs provided a soundtrack to the era. England’s capital teemed with artists, models, pop stars, photographers, fashion designers, and hairdressers, all dedicated to the creation of new styles for the young. The fashions they set caught on all over the world, and also their message that life could be a party. The biggest sensation was caused by the outrageously short mini-skirt. It was made popular by hip models such as Twiggy. Pale lipstick and black eyeliner for girls were vital for the Sixties look.


 Marijuana


            Marijuana is a complex type of drug, which is obtained from the hemp plant, but unlike other well-known drugs, it is not recognised as a medicine. It is a psychoactive narcotic, extracted from the cannabis plant, which is either smoked or eaten, and has been used since ancient times. Known as marijuana in the Western Hemisphere, it is called kief in North Africa, charas in India and hashish in Egypt.

 

            Marijuana affects the central nervous system. Many people who are emotionally unstable can become marijuana users. It has different effects on different people, such as thirst, hunger, a craving for sweet foods, irritability, talkativeness, fear, depression, mental confusion and even delirium. Its use is forbidden by many countries all over the world, and can lead to stronger drug addiction. Some young people smoke it because of peer pressure or because they see others do it. Some of the short-term effects are memory and learning problems, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem-solving and loss of motor coordination. It affects judgement and decision-making, which could lead to risky sexual behaviour in teens, exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases, such as Aids.

 

  Cork


How many times have you opened a bottle of wine, sniffed the cork, and promptly thrown it out? Just what is that thing made of, and why is it used instead of rubber or screwcaps ?


            Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree.  Two-thirds of the world’s cork supply comes from Spain and Portugal, where the cork oak is cultivated extensively. The older the cork tree, the more cork it produces. Some trees grow to be 170 years old. The purpose of using cork to seal bottles is to prevent oxygen from getting in.

 

            The cork oak grows from 6 to 12 metres tall, and can measure as much as one metre in diameter. The bark of this tree is usually first stripped when the tree is about 20 years old. This doesn’t injure or kill the tree; instead, the stripping actually benefits it. The bark is dried in strips for about 6 months, boiled for about 90 minutes, then dried again for three weeks. Finally, the cork is cut up into the shapes we are familiar with. About nine years later, another stripping is taken. The cork obtained from these two first strippings is coarse and tough. Later strippings, which are made about nine years apart for about a hundred years, give a cork of a finer quality.

 

 

DICTATIONS 4, 5, 6 (SECOND SENIORS)

Tsunamis

           A tsunami is a giant wave that can do huge amounts of damage when it hits land. To see how one starts, throw a stone into a pond or lake, and watch the ripples spread out on the surface of the water. A tsunami, or tidal wave, starts in a similar way, except that it is not caused by a stone, but by something much bigger, such as an earthquake under the sea.

            Once it has started, a tsunami can move across the ocean for huge distances. Tsunamis can be caused by volcanic eruptions, such as the one on the island of Krakatoa, in Indonesia, in 1883. They could also be generated by a comet or meteor hitting the Earth, although this has never been seen, except in Hollywood films. In the open ocean, a tsunami is difficult to see because most of it is below the surface. The visible part is just one or two metres high, and as it approaches land, the wave slows down. This causes an increase in its height. Tsunamis occur in all major oceans, although they are most common in the Pacific Ocean.

The Loch Ness Monster

            The Loch Ness Monster is a creature believed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Popular interest and belief in the monster has fluctuated since its first sighting in 1933. Most of the information about ‘Nessie’, as the creature is affectionately referred to by the local inhabitants, comes from anecdotes, a few photographs and some sonar readings.  Scientists regard the monster of Lake Ness as a modern-day myth, and explain the sightings as a series of hoaxes and wishful thinking. Despite all this, it remains as one of the most famous examples of cryptozoology., which is the study of hidden animals.

            The story started when a man, who was driving around the lake in 1933, said he had seen a kind of dragon crossing the road by the lake with an animal in its mouth. This story appeared in the local, and later national press, which wrote about a ‘sea serpent’ or ‘monster fish’, and this eventually became known as the Loch Ness Monster. Since then, many people claim to have seen it, but there is no real evidence to support this belief.

Spiders

            Spiders are animals with a history going back many millions of years. They have always been with us, an ancient source of fear and fascination. They are abundant and widespread and are natural controllers of insect populations.  Wherever you live, you’re always close to a spider.

            Spiders are arachnids, not insects,  but both spiders and insects belong to the largest group of animals on Earth, the arthropods -  animals with hard external skeletons and jointed limbs.

            Spiders have two main body parts, eight walking legs, simple eyes and piercing jaws and abdominal spinning organs.  Some spiders are so small that we never see them, and others are bigger, some of them enormous.

            Tarantulas are the movie stars of the spider world. They are cast in films when things hairy, scary and deadly are needed. But despite their appearance and reputation, bites from these spiders usually cause little harm, although not all hairy spiders are tarantulas.

           In 1962, the first Spiderman comic strip was published in a magazine by Marvel Comics. It sold so well that Marvel created a magazine just for Spiderman.

 

DICTATIONS 1, 2, 3 Second Seniors 2009

 

 

Dictation Nº 1                      Chimney Sweeps

         A chimney sweep is a person who cleans chimneys for a living. This job is considered to be one of the oldest in the world.  In the last two hundred years, chimneys grew large enough to hold a man, so this profession developed enormously in the time of the Industrial Revolution.

         In Victorian times, the business became notorious for employing young boys, as they were small enough to enter the chimneys and clean them from inside. The work was dirty and dangerous, and their employers were famous for abusing and exploiting them. Because of this, a special brush with a collapsible handle was invented, and it enabled the sweep to reach up the chimney without having to enter it.

         The image of the chimney sweep has improved, and this can be seen in the film Mary Poppins.  In some parts of the UK it is considered lucky for a bride to see one on her wedding day, so many modern British sweeps hire themselves out to attend weddings.

 

Dictation Nº_____                    Platypuses

 

         The platypus is a semi-aquatic animal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Endemic means it is only found in there in its natural state. It is an egg-laying mammal which baffled European natural¡sts when it was first seen, and several of them considered it to be a fraud. It was thought that somebody had sewn a duck’s bill onto a beaver-like animal. 

         Platypuses are fascinating mammals, because of their bizarre appearance. It has a bill like a duck’s, a tail like a beaver’s, feet like an otter’s, and to cap it all, the male has a venomous spur on the hind foot that can cause severe pain to humans. It is an iconic symbol of Australia and is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20-cent coin. It is also the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales. ‘Syd’ was one of the three mascots chosen for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, together with an echidna and a kookaburra. Platypuses spend a great part of the day foraging for food, such as worms, shrimps and small fish.

 

Dictation Nº 3                      Fairy Tales

         Fairy tales are a type of literary genre which includes stories where princes and princesses meet witches and goblins.  Mythical creatures grant wishes and cast spells.  And in the end, everybody lives happily ever after!

         Fairy tales have been found in every culture over many centuries. They were meant to be a way of teaching adults and children things to watch our for in the way the world works. The best known fairy tales of today originated from folk tales of 17th century France and 19th century Germany. Many tales were told and retold through generations, then edited and changed as they were written down.  Fairy tales were actually written for adults, but are now enjoyed by people of all ages, and not all fairy tales feature fairies in them.

         Fairy tales contain elements of magic, wonder and enchantment which contribute to their continuing popularity. Some examples of the most-loved fairy tales are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Hansel and Gretel, and many more.

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (22,23,24)

Vampire Bats

         While much of the world sleeps, vampire bats emerge from dark caves, mines, hollow tree trunks and abandoned buildings in Mexico and Central and South America. Like the legendary monster from which they get their name, these small mammals drink the blood of other animals for survival. Though it is uncommon, vampire bats occasionally bite humans for blood. They do not actually suck the blood of their victims. They make a sharp cut with their teeth and then lap up the blood with their tongues. These bats are very light and agile and are able to drink blood for 30 minutes without waking it up. The blood sucking does not hurt the animal.

         Vampire bats, unlike other bats, have special adaptations for their feeding necessities. They can walk, run and jump. They also have strong hind legs, and special heat sensors on their noses help them find the best spot on the animal’s body. If they can’t find blood two nights in a row, they will die. Contrary to popular opinion, bat bites are not really harmful. Their only danger is that they can spread rabies among their victims.

 Mummies

         The people of ancient Egypt believed that a person’s soul split into several parts when he or she died, and continued to live on in an afterlife. The best-known forms of the spirit were the ba, the akh, and the ka. The ba was the personality, and it was shown as a bird with a human head, the head of the person it belonged to.The akh was represented by a bird called a crested ibis, and at the moment of death, the akh left the body and flew to the stars to spend eternity in the heavens. The ka was the life force, like our definition of soul, and looked exactly like its person. The ka lived in the tomb for eternity. so it needed personal possessions, such as furniture, weapons, clothing, food and drink. But the most important thing the ka needed was a body to inhabit. If the body rotted away, there would be no afterlife, so it was absolutely necessary to preserve the body as a mummy. That is why the Egyptians made mummies to guarantee eternal life. This process lasted 70 days in total.

The Guillotine

         The guillotine is a device used for carrying out executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which a heavy blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the victim’s head from his or her body. The guillotine is famous for having been the main method of execution in France, especially during the French Revolution.   

   

It was introduced into France by a man called Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, an anatomy professor who was part of a committee in charge of studying a new method to be used on all condemned people regardless of class. It was considered to be a humane form of execution, in contrast to other forms. Noble people were beheaded using either the sword or the axe, with which it was at times necessary to deal several blows, whereas common people were hanged and this sometimes took several minutes. So the guillotine was seen to deliver an immediate death, without misses.

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (19,20,21)

Troglodytes


Troglodytes is the name given to cave dwellers, which means people who live in caves. Do you know that there are millions of people who live in caves? These numbers do not count those who work in underground laboratories, or at other jobs which involve living underground . Some people live underground because they are following the paths of their ancestors. Others desire to move underground in order to avoid overcrowded cities and ground surface pollution. And there are still others who think it is a way to survive in the event of an enemy attack or nuclear holocaust.

There are several advantages to living in a home under the ground. First of all, a cave home maintains an even temperature all year round. Building a cave home is relatively inexpensive. and cheaper than building a home above the ground. These homes can have all the amenities of a regular house, such as plumbing, electricity and gas ducts. People live in homes like these in several parts of the world, such as China, Spain, Tunisia, Australia, Morocco, Afghanistan, Italy and France.


The Toilet: A Useful Invention


Although John Harrington, godson to Queen Elizabeth I was the first person to invent an indoor water closet for his godmother in 1596, simple toilets had been used since Babylonian times. After Harrington made one for the Queen and one for himself, he never made another one, and his invention was forgotten for almost 200 years. In 1775, a London watchmaker named Alexander Cummings patented the forerunner of today’s toilet.

The British word for toilet, ‘loo’, derives from the French ‘garde a l’eau!’. In medieval Europe, people had little conception of hygiene, and used to throw the contents of their chamber pots out of the window into the street below. In France, people would precede this action by ‘garde a l’eau!’, which means ‘watch out for the water!’. In England, this phrase was Anglicised, first to ‘gardy-loo’, then just ‘loo’, and eventually came to mean the toilet itself. The American word for toilet, ‘john’, is called after John Harrington. Curiously, toilet paper is believed to have been introduced in China around 850, long before the introduction of the toilet as we know it.


Henry VIII and his Six Wives


Henry VIII married six times. His first wife was Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. They had a daughter, Mary. Henry divorced Catherine because she could not give him a son, but as she was Catholic, this led to a break with the Church of Rome, and by doing this, changed Britain’s social and cultural life forever. Catherine and Mary were kept prisoner for many years in different castles and homes in England.

His second wife was Anne Boleyn, whose daughter later became Elizabeth I. Unfortunately Anne was beheaded on a charge of treason and adultery. His third wife, Jane Seymour, bore him a son, who later became Edward VI. Next, Henry married a Protestant princess, Anne of Cleves, who was of Flemish origin, for purely political reasons, although he quickly divorced her because he felt tricked by the unrealistic portrait he had been sent of her. His fifth wife was Catherine Howard, who was convicted of adultery and executed. His last wife was Catherine Parr, who luckily outlived him.




Curious Food

Balut

Beondegi

 

Ketchup

 

Extreme Sports

Parkour

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (16,17,18)

Curious Food

Not everybody eats the same things in different parts of the world. What we eat may seem strange, unusual, or uninteresting to others and vice-versa. Some of the curious foods that others consider a delicacy are these.

Bird’s nest soup, eaten by the Chinese for hundreds of years, are the nests of cliff swallows, which are collected by climbers on precariously tall ladders, who then clean them carefully and dissolve them into soup. They are rare and very expensive.

Beondegi, or silkworm pupae, are a popular Korean street snack, and are served fresh or from tins. They could be said to replace Western crisps, as they have a crunchy consistency.

 

A favourite Filipino snack is balut, a three-week-old fertilized duck egg, eaten straight out of the shell, complete with partially formed feathers, feet, eyeballs and blood vessels.

 

Fugu, eaten in Japan, is a puffer fish. Only specially qualified chefs are allowed to prepare this dish, because it contains deadly toxins that must be eliminated. At least 300 people die each year after eating it. The Japanese emperor isn’t allowed to eat it, lest it be his last meal.

 

Ketchup

 

Ketchup! Hamburgers seem naked without it. Nearly every American household has a bottle of it in the fridge. How did ketchup attain this status as America’s most popular condiment?

 

The roots of ketchup are linked to pickles. Hundreds of years ago, the Chinese and Malaysians used the brine from pickled fish as dipping sauce. Known as kachiap, the sauce had a savoury taste, flavoured by the brine spices and fish. In the 1600s, after traders brought the idea to Britain, the affluent classes there commonly served dishes with the rich brine from pickled walnuts and mushrooms. Eventually, the Brits began bottling these succulent condiments, calling them catsup.

 

Colonial Americans borrowed and experimented with the British catsup recipes, trying different vegetables and spices. At first, they were tart, not sweet, but later, around the mid-nineteenth century, entrepreneurs exploited the American taste for sweet foods and sold catsup made with tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt. The growing popularity and availability of tomato catsup took off in the 1870s, when the young Heinz company marketed it as ‘ketchup’ in their product line of condiments.

 

 

Extreme Sports

 

Extreme sports are known for their ability to introduce an adrenaline rush in participants, although it is not due to fear, as some people may think, but it is produced by increased levels of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin because of the high level of physical exertion. They tend to be individual rather than team sports and a probable result because of mismanagement or mistakes is death.

 

One sport classified as extreme is wingsuit flying, the art of flying the human body through the air using a special jumpsuit, which shapes the human body so as to create lift. It is also called a birdman suit or squirrel suit.

 

Another extreme sport is Parkour, also known as PK. It is a physical discipline of French origin, in which participants attempt to pass obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible, using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves. The obstacles can be anything in one’s environment, so it is often practised in urban areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings, rails and walls.

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (14,15)

Sharks

 

Sharks

       Just the mention of the word ’shark’ still strikes fear into the heart of most people. The word evokes images of huge maneaters, like the great white shark in the film ’Jaws’, that attack swimmers and divers, tear them to pieces or even swallow them whole. Such brutal attacks do occur, but very rarely, because sharks attack humans for very specific reasons, which are three. Sharks are territorial creatures, and when we swim in their territory, we are invading it. Divers are especially vulnerable to these attacks. Also, because of our size and shape we are appropriate food size for them, and possibly they mistake us for seals and sea lions. Some researchers say that surfers are also very vulnerable when they are lying on the surfboard. Finally, another common reason is the immaturity of young sharks, who act in the same way as a human child, enjoying anything that can be bitten or nibbled, often with horrible results.

 

 

Crocodiles

     Crocodiles inspire fear, which may have something to do with their dominating presence.  After all, for nearly 100 million years during the Mesozoic era (248-65 million years ago), the crocodilian order ruled the Earth. Today’s crocodiles have changed remarkably little since then. They are still the most advanced reptile species, and they still terrify most people.

     Crocodiles, colloquially called crocs, are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout tropical areas in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.  They tend to gather in slow-moving rivers and feed on a wide variety of living and dead mammals and fish.  The larger types of crocodiles can be very dangerous to humans, some of them killing hundreds of people each year.

     Crocs are very fast over short distances, even out of water. Their jaws are powerful and their teeth are sharp for tearing flesh, but cannot open their mouth if it is held closed. They have limited movement in their neck, so you can protect yourself from an attack by getting even a small tree between yourself and the croc!

 

 

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (7,8,9)

 

 

The Tragedy of the Dodo

 

         In the year 1598, Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the island of Mauritius discovered a previously unknown species of bird, the Dodo. As it had been isolated by its island location from contact with humanity, the dodo greeted the visitors with child-like innocence. The sailors mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear of the new predators, as stupidity. They called the bird “dodo”, which means something like “simpleton” in the Portuguese language. It was unable to fly, and fed on plants and fruit. Once a year it laid an egg in a nest on the ground.

 

         Later, Dutch expeditions were the cause of the bird becoming extinct. The dodos were not very tasty, but the sailors who landed on the coast after long voyages were hungry, so they ate the adult birds, which were too big to hide and too fat to run; the animals they brought with them on their ships ate the young birds and the eggs. By 1681, the last dodo on Mauritius had been eaten.     

 

 

 

Condorito

 

Condorito is a famous Chilean cartoon character, a personification of a funny condor living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue, a setting typical of many small Chilean provincial towns. Contrary to popular belief, he is meant to be a representation of the Chilean people exclusively.

 

         Condorito was created by the Chilean cartoonist René Ríos, known as ‘Pepo’.  In spite of his Chilean origin, Condorito is very popular in several Latin American countries, in which the character is considered part of the general popular culture. Condorito and his friends are also featured monthly in a magazine that carries his name.     

   

         One peculiar characteristic of this cartoon is that, at the end of almost every strip, the character that  goes through an embarassing moment always falls backwards to the floor, accompanied by the PLOP! sound effect. Sometimes this effect is replaced by the victim saying, ‘ I demand an explanation!’

 

 

   

                  

Spanglish

 

         During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, millions of Europeans and Latin Americans went to live in the USA. Within a couple of generations, most of the French, German, Italian and Russian immigrants spoke only English, but many of the Spanish speakers became bilingual.

 

         Today there are about thirty million Hispanics in the USA who speak Spanish and English. Often the Spanish they speak is Spanglish, which is Spanish, but contains many words of English origin. Some examples of
CyberSpanish are maus and chatear. Other words refer to everyday activities, and show a sense of humour: when Spanish speakers want to buy groceries, they ‘compran groserías’, and when they vacuum the carpet, they ‘vacunan la carpeta’.

 

         Spanglish is not only found on the Internet, but it is also spoken on TV, sung to the rhythm of rap and salsa, and even used by a number of famous Puerto Rican poets.

 

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS 2008 (1,2,3,4)

Dictation Nº 1

Fireworks

 

                       

         A fireworks event (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics) is a spectacular display of the effects produced by firework devices on various occasions. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places. The biggest fireworks event in the world is held in Madeira,  Portugal,  at the New Years' Eve celebrations, as referred in the Guinness World Records.   

         The earliest information on fireworks dates back to 12th century China, where they were first used to frighten away evil spirits with their loud sound, and also to pray for happiness and prosperity. Eventually the art and science of firework-making developed into a profession of its own.    

          In 2004, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, began using aerial fireworks launched with compressed air rather than gunpowder. The display explodes in the air using an electronic timer, and this reduces the fumes and gives greater accuracy in height and timing.

Any event – a birth, death, wedding, coronation, or New Year’s Eve celebration -  has become an appropriate occasion for the use and enjoyment of fireworks.

  

Dictation Nº 2

Zoos

            A zoo is a place where all types of animals are confined and displayed for the public to see.  Zoos give people an opportunity to observe animals they would never otherwise get the chance to see. In many zoos the animals are also studied and bred. There are hundreds of zoos all over the world, but the first zoo was called the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, which means ‘establishment of luxury and  curiosity for animals and plants’. It was founded in Paris in 1794.

 

            London founded the Zoological Society of London in 1828, and the name was abbreviated to ‘zoo’. The first zoo to open in the United States was in New York, in 1860, and it was named the Central Park Zoo.

 

            Today zoos are trying hard to keep animals in enclosures that replicate their natural habitat. The animals seem to do much better in this type of environment and the patrons seem to enjoy seeing the animals in a natural setting. Many zoos also have a petting zoo where children are allowed a close-up look at animals, many of them babies. Zoos create educational programs and tours which provide wonderful opportunities to learn about animals.

  

Dictation Nº 3

  

 

Cirque du Soleil

 

            Cirque du Soleil, which means ‘Circus of the Sun’ in French, is an entertainment empire based in Montreal, province of Quebec in Canada, and was founded by two former street performers. Initially they toured Quebec as a performing troupe, encountering financial difficulties which were solved by a government grant in 1983. Later it became a proper circus, but without a ring and no animals, which made it the modern circus it is today.  Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world and has its own central theme and storyline which brings the audience into the performance by having no curtains, continuous live music and the performers themselves change the props.

 

            Today the Cirque has 3,500 employees from over 40 different countries doing fifteen shows, which tour every continent, spreading the magic of their performances  among children and adults alike. There are permanent shows in Las Vegas which play to more than 9,000 people every night. Cirque’s creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions .    

   

Dictation Nº 4

Chimney Sweeps

 

            A chimney sweep is a person who cleans chimneys for a living. This job is considered to be one of the oldest in the world.  In the last two hundred years, chimneys grew large enough to hold a man, so this profession developed enormously in the time of the Industrial Revolution.

 

            In Victorian times, the business became notorious for employing young boys, as they were small enough to enter the chimneys and clean them from inside. The work was dirty and dangerous, and their employers were famous for abusing and exploiting them. Because of this, a special brush with a collapsible handle was invented, and it enabled the sweep to reach up the chimney without having to enter it.

 

            The image of the chimney sweep has improved, and this can be seen in the film Mary Poppins.  In some parts of the UK it is considered lucky for a bride to see one on her wedding day, so many modern British sweeps hire themselves out to attend weddings.

                  

DICTATIONS FIRST SENIORS (19,20,21)

Mazes

  

         Mazes hold a mystic spell that cannot be described.  What exactly is a maze?  It is a labyrinth, surrounded by walls or hedges of vegetation. They can be entered, but it is difficult to find an exit. Other materials to make mazes include bricks, logs, concrete, stone, and gravel. Also, while not all mazes are high, which permits people to find their way out more easily, there are some that are over-eye level.

 

         The origin of mazes is rather vague. There are traces of mazes that go back to pre-history, usually in the form of spirals. An early maze existed in a temple in Egypt, and it had 3000 rooms and a forest of pillars that made it impossible for people to go in and out of the temple.

 

         For some people, mazes are an enjoyable challenge, but for others, it is a waste of time.  

The Dirty Truth About Smoking 

     

                      There are many reasons not to smoke. Smoking stinks—literally! It makes breath, hair and clothes smell like smoke. It's expensive. It dulls your sense of taste and smell. It raises blood pressure and causes shortness of breath. Some smokers can't stop coughing. And it kills. Each year, about half a million Americans die from smoking-related illnesses. Cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug. Nicotine is also a poison! Arsenic, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, tar and carbon monoxide are some of the other poisons found in cigarettes. No wonder smoking is linked to heart disease and cancer.  What did anti-smoking activists Wayne McLaren and David McLean have in common? They were former “Marlboro Men,” the rugged cowboys in ads that helped make Marlboro the world's best-selling cigarette. Both died of lung cancer in the 1990s.

   

Condorito         

    

         Condorito is a famous Chilean cartoon character, a personification of a funny condor living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue, a setting typical of many small Chilean provincial towns. Contrary to popular belief, he is meant to be a representation of the Chilean people exclusively.

 

         Condorito was created by the Chilean cartoonist René Ríos, known as ‘Pepo’.  In spite of his Chilean origin, Condorito is very popular in several Latin American countries, in which the character is considered part of the general popular culture. Condorito and his friends are also featured monthly in a magazine that carries his name.     

   

         One peculiar characteristic of this cartoon is that, at the end of almost every strip, the character that  goes through an embarassing moment always falls backwards to the floor, accompanied by the PLOP! sound effect. Sometimes this effect is replaced by the victim saying, ‘ I demand an explanation!’

  

 

           

 

DICTATIONS SECOND SENIORS (18,19,20)

 

The Potato Crisp    

       The potato crisp was the invention of George Crum, in 1853. He worked as a chef at a popular resort in the USA. One day, a customer decided that he didn’t like the thickness of his fried potatoes, and sent them back to the kitchen.  Crum made some more, but the man returned these as well, making the same complaint.  Crum got angry and hoping to annoy the man, he made a third batch which were much thinner and could not be eaten with a fork. To his amazement, the man loved them – and so potato crisps were invented. Since then, their popularity has increased dramatically, and they are eaten all over the world. But George Crum was unaware at the time that his invention would cause great confusion in the future between the Americans (who call them chips) and the British (who call them crisps). He also didn’t know that his crisps would cause the number of obese people in the world to rise enormously!  

  

The Invention of Toothpaste 

         Toothpaste is an invention which doesn’t seem to have a definite inventor or date. Something like it was known in ancient Egypt, where people used a paste made of a mixture of ash and powdered egg shells, which they rubbed on their teeth with their fingers.

         In 1873, the Colgate Company – the same one that makes toothpaste today – introduced Colgate Dental Cream, which smelled and tasted much nicer than anything used until them. Soon after this, people began to use toothbrushes instead of sticks or fingers, which made cleaning teeth much easier.

         However, most Americans didn’t brush their teeth regularly until the 1940s, when American soldiers who had spent several years in Europe and learned the habit there, went home after the Second World War.

  

 Tea  Bags 

         These days, in millions of homes around the world, people make cups of tea with tea bags.  But who first thought of putting tea leaves into small bags? It was an American, in 1919. At that time, the bags were mainly used by tea companies to allow customers to try the tea before buying it. But the idea of the tea bag too hold, and by 1935 most were being bought for use at home.

 

         Soon tea bags started to become popular outside the United States. But they were not an immediate success everywhere. In Britain, people held very strong views on how to make a good cup of tea. There was a strict procedure which involved warming the teapot, putting one spoonful of tea for each person into the pot and then filling it with boiling water. The pot was then left for five minutes before the tea was poured into cups, and milk and sugar were added.

          However, times have changed, and due to the busy lives people lead nowadays, over 75% of the cups of tea drunk in Britain are made with tea bags.              

DICTATIONS FIRST SENIORS (17,18,19)

 

iPod

 

         iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. Devices in the iPod range are primarily digital audio players, designed around a central click wheel.

 

         iPod came from Apple’s digital hub strategy, when the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices being purchased by consumers.  Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players “big and clunky or small and useless” with user interfaces that were “unbelievably awful,” so Apple decided to develop its own. The product was developed in less than a year and unveiled on October 23, 2001.

 

         The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public.

 

         As of April 2007, the iPod had sold over 100 million units worldwide, making it the best-selling digital audio player series in  history.

 

 

Whose Phone is Ringing? 

 

         Cellphones have become an essential item for most people. The phone lets you remain connected to friends and family, check e-mail and the Internet, and listen to music or watch TV just about anywhere. The invention has simplified our lives in many ways. But it has also made our lives more complicated, too.

 

         A recent phenomenon connected with cellphones is a feeling of anxiety. Experts and the media are calling this “ringxiety.” Some people think they hear the phone while in the shower, or shaving. Others often check their phones while watching TV, or walking down the street.

 

         A doctoral student named David Laramie came up with the word. He swears that TV advertisements, songs on the radio, even running water can trigger his ringxiety.  Most people believe that ringxiety is a result of the modern world, but there are a few people who see it as mind control via TV and radio broadcasts.

 

Speaking Beyond the Grave 

         Harry Houdini, who was a master escape artist, died eighty-one years ago.  He remains famous. His name is associated with magic, vanishing acts, and death-defying escapes. But few people know about his fight against spiritualists. Houdini believed that they were greedy people who cheated others out of money. They were frauds, and the magician spent the last years of his life exposing their lies.

 

         Houdini died from a punch in the stomach and a ruptured appendix. However, there are rumours that he was poisoned. And now modern-day scientists and investigators will examine the body and will finally put to rest the question: “Was Houdini murdered?”

 

         Questions about the death certificate have caused additional speculation over the years. It stated that Houdini’s appendix was on the left side rather than the right, and strangest of all is the fact that the death certificate was completed after Houdini had been buried.

 

         In a bizarre twist, though, Houdini’s body may have the chance to speak from beyond the grave.