University of Quindío

Modern Languages Program

Listening exercises – Awesome

I. Vocabulary. Read the sentences (1-6). The words in bold will be used in a TED Talk. First, guess the meaning of the words.
Then, match the words with their definitions (a-f).

1. I’m full of admiration for the way Sue has passed her
exams in such difficult conditions. ___ a. Magnificent and very special.
2. The new concert hall is absolutely majestic. It’s a
___ b. Entering a country by force.
fantastic building.
3. It was so disappointing when the goalkeeper let the ball ___ c. A jump over a large distance.
roll past him and into the net. ___ d. Great liking and respect.
4. Napoleon still amazes historians today with his skill in
planning a military invasion. ___ e. A continuous line of products in a factory.
5. I was astonished when the horse crossed the river in one ___ f. To move by turning over repeatedly.
leap.
6. It’s astonishing the way the same conveyor belt moves
the TVs through the whole production process.

II. Authentic Listening skills. Listening for gist

III. Watch the edited version of the TED Talk. Jill Shargaa mentions all of these things. Tick ( ) the things
she says are awesome.

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TXnQT0T64&list=PLu2JG3vjsOr5HB0-c28oUPnNIkNJ1Qasn&index=17

Act VI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeuZHTm6KEE&t=1s
 University of Quindío
Modern Languages Program
Listening exercises – Awesome

IV. Watch the first part (0.00 – 2.35) of the talk again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

V. Watch the second part (2.35 – to the end) of the talk again. Here are six of the things Jill Shargaa describes as
awesome. Choose the reason (a-b) she gives.

1. The wheel… 4. Bees…

a. helps you to move things. a. pollinate crops.
b. rolls everything to your home. b. make honey.

2. The great pyramids… 5. The moon landing…

a. are incredibly old. a. was 66 years after the first airplane flight.
b. were the tallest structures for thousands of years. b. is 240.000 miles away.

3. The Grand Canyon… 6. Sharks…

a. is millions of years old. a. have teeth that move forward.
b. gets 80 millions visitors a year. b. have 3.000 teeth in their jaw.

VI. Watch the clips from the TED Talk. Choose the correct meaning of the words.

VII. Look at the presentation tips box. Then watch the clip from the TED Talk. Do you think Jill Shargaa’s presentation
reflected her personality? Which of these adjectives do you think describe her?

Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TXnQT0T64&list=PLu2JG3vjsOr5HB0-c28oUPnNIkNJ1Qasn&index=17

Act VI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeuZHTm6KEE&t=1s