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Learn the VOA Technical Report in Special English.
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Access the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcknnl17tbY&list=PL02D94E1D33933A51&index=5
(1) Watch the video several times. Try to get the main idea.
(2) Read the transcript.
(3) Watch the video again. Pay attention to how the newscaster’s mouth moves. Don’t read the transcript while watching it.
(4) [overlapping] Read the transcript aloud as you watch the video. (Read it at the same time the news caster reads the report. Add your voice to that of the newscaster’s.)
(5) [shadowing] Repeat what the newscaster says as you watch/listen to the video. Don’t look at the transcript.
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If you want to practice individual English sounds (its vowels and consonants), you can use a
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) video program for free. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/
VOA Learning English: Technology Report in Special English
Building Machines with Human-Like Senses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcknnl17tbY&list=PL02D94E1D33933A51&index=5
From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report in Special English.
Every year, IBM chooses five new technologies that the company believes will change the world within the next five years. The list is called "5 in 5." IBM says it considers its own research and the new directions of society and business when identifying the technologies.
This year, the list describes devices that will extend our five senses. Imagine looking for clothes online and touching your computer or smartphone to feel the cloth. IBM's vice president of innovation, Bernie Meyerson, says this technology could be available in the next five years. Touch is just one of the senses that technology will help to extend.
IBM says smart machines will soon be able to listen to the environment and give us information about the sounds they hear. For example, Bernie Meyerson says an advanced speech recognition system will tell new parents why their baby is crying.
Smart machines will also help identify medical conditions. If you sneeze on your computer or cell phone, the device will study the molecules that came out of your mouth. It will then tell you

whether you need to see a doctor.
Another prediction is that computers will be better able to not just look at images but understand what they show and act on that information.
Bernie Meyerson says IBM scientists are also developing a computer system that can examine and combine molecules to create the most popular flavors and smells.
Mark Maloof is a computer scientist at Georgetown University. He says it will be exciting to see what young people will do with the mobile technology, networking and computing power of tomorrow. For VOA Learning English, I'm Carolyn Presutti.

stressed syllables
Practice 1
Practice 2
Repeat after the teacher.
[pair work] Student A reads the list and Student B listens and repeats without looking at it. Change roles.
English believes business imagine available recognition understand flavors technology considers identify computer machines conditions developing exciting report research describes smartphone environment molecules examine mobile special directions devices president information prediction combine networking company society extend innovation example images create tomorrow backward repetition
Practice 1 Repeat after the teacher.
Practice 2 [pair work] Student A reads the phrases and Student B listens and repeats without looking at them. Change roles.
 technologies new technologies five new technologies chooses five new technologies
IBM chooses five new technologies.
 five years the next five years within the next five years change the world within the next five years
The company will change the world within the next five years.
 society directions of society the new directions of society considers the new directions of society
IBM considers the new directions of society.
 five senses extend our five senses. devices that will extend our five senses describes devices that will extend our five senses
The list describes devices that will extend our five senses.

asking questions

(a)
IBM’s vice president says
(b) this technology could be available
(c) in the next five years.

Ask a yes/no question.

Ask a wh-question to find information (a).

Ask a wh-question to find information (b).

Ask a wh-question to find information (c).

(a)
Smart machines will be able to
(c)
[give us
(b) information about the sounds they hear].

Ask a yes/no question.

Ask a wh-question to find information (a).

Ask a wh-question to find information (b).

Ask a wh-question to find information (c).

(a)
An advanced speech recognition system tells
(b) new parents
(c) why their baby is crying.

Ask a yes/no question.

Ask a wh-question to find information (a).

Ask a wh-question to find information (b).

Ask a wh-question to find information (c).

(a)
The device
(c)
[studies
(a) the molecules that came out of your mouth].

Ask yes/no question.

Ask a wh-question to find information (a).

Ask a wh-question to find information (b).

Ask a wh-question to find information (c).
Practice 1
Practice 2
For each sentence above, follow the directions and ask questions.
[pair work] For each of the questions above, Student A asks it and Student B answers. Change roles. (When you answer a question, make sure you use pronouns (he/she/it/they) wherever appropriate.)