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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

DailyStep-5_news-webcams-002_GB-01

James: My goodness! Listen to this!

Sarah: I thought you were looking particularly engrossed in that article.

What does it say?

James: Basically, some school in the States has been accused of spying

on its pupils using remotely-activated webcams on the laptops the school

gave out for free.

Sarah: Really? You mean the school allowed the pupils to take the

laptops home then started some kind of covert surveillance on them?

That’s absolutely outrageous.

James: You’re telling me. And guess how they found out how they were

being spied on?

Sarah: How?

James: One of the pupils got told off at school for – and I quote -

‘engaging in improper behaviour at home’, based on images sent back

from his webcam.

Sarah: My goodness, that really is quite shocking, isn’t it? I mean, it’s

like something out of 1984.

James: They didn’t have webcams in 1984.

Sarah: No, not the year, the book, you know, the one by George Orwell

where everyone is watched and monitored through the screens of their

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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

TVs by the government. It’s where the expression ‘Big Brother is watching

you’ comes from.

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Situation: Sarah and James discuss a surprising newspaper article.

Style: general conversation

.

Functions:
1. Expressing surprise: My goodness! Listen to this! (note: please copy the tone
and emphasis carefully here.)
2. Asking for clarification: You mean the school allowed the pupils to take laptops
home...?
3. Expressing strong disapproval: That’s absolutely outrageous. (note: please
copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
4. Agreeing strongly: You’re telling me. (note: please copy the tone and emphasis
carefully here.)
5. Introducing a quote from a book or newspaper: One of the pupils got told
off at school for – and I quote - ‘engaging in improper behaviour at home’,...
(note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
6. Comparing a situation to a film or book: I mean, it’s like something out of
1984. (note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
.

Notes:
1. My goodness (idiom) = I can’t believe it! / How surprising
2. I thought you were looking particularly engrossed in = You appeared to be very
engrossed in
3. engrossed in = extremely interested in and focussed on
4. the States = The United States of America
5. article = newspaper article
6. has been accused of = is thought to be guilty of
7. spying on (phrasal verb) = observing secretly
8. pupils = students at a school
9. remotely-activated = controlled by a remote control
10. webcams = cameras that are fixed to computers and used on the internet
11. laptops = portable computers
12. gave out (phrasal verb) = distributed
13. You mean...? = You are saying that...?
14. allowed the pupils = gave the pupils permission
15. covert surveillance = secret observation
16. That’s absolutely outrageous = That is an terrible thing to do
17. You’re telling me (idiom) = Yes, I agree with you very strongly
18. found out (phrasal verb) = discovered
19. One of the pupils got told off (phrasal verb) = One of the pupils was reprimanded
(more formal) / One of the pupils was verbally punished (note: we never actually
say it like this!)

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
www.DailyStep.com
Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

20. and I quote = and I’m repeating word for word (using another person’s words
from a book or a newspaper)
21. engaging in improper behaviour (more formal) = behaving badly
22. based on = because of
23. sent back (phrasal verb) = returned
24. shocking = upsetting / disturbing
25. something out of 1984 = something you might read in the book 1984
26. monitored = observed and checked

Audio file name: DailyStep-5_news-webcams-002_GB-01

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step