English Conversation Questions

Universe

Questions

1. Are you interested in the universe?
2. What would you like to know about the universe?
3. Would you like to travel around the universe?
4. Who is the centre of your universe?
5. Do you think McDonalds and Starbucks will be in the outer regions of the universe one day?
6. What three adjectives would you choose to describe the universe?
7. What do you think the edge of the universe looks like?
8. What did you learn about the Universe at school?

Videos

Passage written by Carl Sagan for the book Pale Blue Dot published by Random House,
Copyright ©1994 Democritus Properties, LLC

Category:  Science
Keywords: Universe | Unknown
The earliest time measurements were observations of cycles of the natural world, using patterns of changes from day to night and season to season to build calendars. More precise time-keeping eventually came along to put

[more]

time in more convenient boxes. But what exactly are we measuring? Andrew Zimmerman Jones contemplates whether time is something that physically exists or is just in our heads.

Lesson by Andrew Zimmerman Jones, directed by Nice Shoes.

[less]

Category:  Science
Keywords: Time | Universe
The Earth is 4.6 billion years old — but how can humans relate to a number so colossal, and where do we fit on the geologic timeline? Comparing the Earth’s lifetime to one calendar year, events like the extinction of

[more]

dinosaurs and Columbus setting sail took place relatively recently. Joshua M. Sneideman reminds us of our time and place in the universe. Lesson by Joshua M. Sneideman, animation by Powerhouse Animation Studios Inc.

[less]

Category:  Geography & Travel | Science
Keywords: Age | Earth | Universe
Jedidah Isler first fell in love with the night sky as a little girl. Now she’s an astrophysicist who studies supermassive hyperactive black holes. In a charming talk, she takes us trillions of kilometers from Earth to introduce us

[more]

to objects that can be 1 to 10 billion times the mass of the sun — and which sometimes shoot powerful jet streams of particles in our direction.

[less]

Category:  Science
Keywords: Sun | Universe
At Switzerland’s Kulmhotel Gornergrat, guests sleep among the mountains and under the stars. The establishment is home to an observatory that has drawn astronomers from around the world. The lack of light pollution and

[more]

dry air create the optimal conditions for stargazing. At an elevation of over 10,000 feet, it is the highest hotel in Switzerland, nestled among a mountain range that includes the Matterhorn.

[less]

Category:  Geography & Travel | Science
Keywords: Hotels | Universe
Vox
What it took to collect these 54-million-year-old photons from a supermassive black hole.
On April 10, 2019, the team announced their results: They had successfully imaged the supermassive black

[more]

hole in the center of the galaxy m87, which is nearly 54 million light-years away from us. They were able to achieve unprecedented resolution using very long baseline interferometry, which combines the observations of multiple radio telescopes across the globe.

The team wanted to find out whether Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity holds up in the extreme environment of black holes, and the results do, in fact, seem to be consistent with the predictions. In the future, we may see more and sharper images of black holes as the team targets smaller wavelengths of light and recruits more telescopes. Eventually, they may include an orbiting space telescope.

[less]

Category:  Science
Keywords: Pictures | Universe

Vocabulary:
cove
secluded
float
shore
anchor
lighthouse
greenhouse
handsaw
hammer
power tool
nail
board (noun)
ton
land sick
biomass
canoe
paddle
real estate
prosper
fulfilled

Expressions:
subsistence living
hon

Vocabulary:
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word

Expressions:
expression
expression
expression
expression

Vocabulary:
prestigious
involuntary
swindler
fraudulence
unwarranted
concern
unfounded
impostor
syndrome
faculty
pervasive
prevalent
disproportionately
underrepresented
downplay
abnormality
self-esteem
spiral
accolade
threshold
susceptible
voice (verb)
peer
dismiss
excel
ease
mentor
competence
banish
frank

Expressions:
nagging doubt
shake a feeling
put something to rest
surefire way

Vocabulary:
filmmaker
principle
handcuff
clown
distill
underdog
aspect
familiar
unfamiliar
chopsticks
keyboard
organic
grounded
clarity
stuntman
steady
gag
perfectionist
rhythm
distinct
continuity
elbow
bunch
flail around
unlike
invincible
impressive
humanize
asset
payoff
relentlessness
finale

Expressions:
kick ass
going above and beyond
get smacked in the face
sell a joke

Vocabulary:
explosion
smoke (noun)
engine
unique
pilot
route
unemotional
terror
instant
reach out (to someone)
postpone
urgency
purpose
regret
humanity
ego
reflect
eliminate
frame (verb)
artistic
talent
bawl
miracle

Expressions:
bucket list
brace for impact
mend fences
make sense
connecting dots