Hi. In the classroom today you will learn about gay marriage.
Same-sex marriage is a term for a legally or socially recognized
marriage between two people of the same sex.
"Same-sex marriage" and "gay marriage" are the most common terms
used in news media and politics.
While same-sex marriage is a relatively new phenomenon in the modern
world, same-sex unions have been documented throughout human
history.
The first country to legalize same-sex marriage was the Netherlands,
in 2001.
Since then, six other countries have followed suit.
Proponents of same-sex marriage regard it as a human right to have
the benefits of marriage regardless of sexual orientation.
Those opposed often do so for religious reasons, defining marriage
as the union between a man and a woman only.
Civil unions between same-sex couples are recognized in sixteen
countries.
Do you think gay marriage should be legal?
Until next time.
From
YOUR Teacher:Gay
Marriage
This is a very controversial topic in America. Many
states in American vote on whether or not gay marriage
should be legal. Please take the survey below and post a
comment with your opinion at the bottom of this page.
Survey:Do
you think gay marriage should be legal?
Many gay couples are considering getting married these
days. Decide if you think gay
marriage should be legal on the survey below.
Additional Lessons
About These
Lessons
The following classroom lessons are great for students
who want additional conversation, listening, and reading
practice.
Conversation Lesson -
Beginner Level. Let's
Learn English conversation lesson
with a conversation video, a video script, audio
listening practice, video speaking practice, video
pronunciation practice, a new
words section, and a writing activity.
Conversation Lesson
42 - I Was Minding My Own Business
(Beginner -
Conversation, Listening, Reading)
In this lesson Anna sees a crime and tries to help find
the robbers. She hurts her arm. The news reporter wants
to know, "How did she hurt herself?"
Lesson Video
Watch the video and then do the activities on this page.
Video Script
Guy: Hello. I'm Guy Newsman with News Channel XYZ. I’m here in Washington, D.C.
at the scene of a crime.
Guy: We are talking with this woman.
Guy: She saw the crime during her lunch break. It looks like she hurt herself
while she was trying to stop the crime.
Guy: Tell us your name.
Anna: Hi, Guy. I'm Anna.
Guy: Anna, what did you see and what happened to your arm?
Anna: Guy, I was minding my own business. See, I work over there.
Guy: Um-hum
Anna: I left work to get some lunch. Then suddenly, I heard a woman yelling. She
was yelling like this ... “Help! Help!”
Guy: Um-hum
Anna: Two robbers were grabbing her bag like this. She was hitting them with her
umbrella.
Guy: Is that when you hurt your arm?
Anna: No. At that time, I was not fighting the robbers.
Guy: Um-hum.
Anna: See. I was too far away and I didn't have my own umbrella.
Guy: So, what happened next?
Anna: They grabbed her bag and ran away! So, I grabbed her umbrella and ran
after the robbers.
Guy: Then that is the time that you hurt your arm?
Anna: No. I was yelling, “Stop, robbers! Stop!” She was yelling, “Hey, come back
with my umbrella!”
Guy: Were you afraid?
Anna: I had no time to be afraid, Guy. Well, I had time while I was resting on a
bench. I had a lot of time.
Guy: Then what happened?
Anna: The robbers got on a bus. So, I ran after the bus.
A VO: While I was running, I tripped and fell.
Guy: And that is the time that you hurt your arm?
Anna: No. While I was lying on the ground, someone stepped on my arm!
Guy: Ouch. That’s too bad.
Anna: Yeah. And they didn’t apologize. Well, then the robbers got themselves
kicked off the bus.
Guy: Why?
Anna: They didn’t pay. You've got to pay when you get on a bus. The police came
and took them away.
Guy: And that’s when you hurt your arm!
Anna: No.
Guy: Then, when did you hurt yourself?
Anna: Well, Guy, by this time, I was feeling very hungry. So, I went to my
office to get a snack.
C: Anna, I'm calling for help right now.
C: (on the phone) Hello? Yes, please come right away. My co-worker is stuck in a
vending machine.
Guy: You hurt your arm in a vending machine buying a bag of chips?
Anna: I was really hungry and the bag was stuck. I had to -
Guy: That’s all from News Channel XYZ. This is Guy Newsman saying goodbye.
Guy: Okay, we have to find ourselves another story, guys.
Anna: Until next time! Hi Mom!
Listening
Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation.
Speaking
In this video, learn how to say the new words. Then learn how to use reflexive
pronouns like herself, ourselves, and yourself.
Pronunciation
Use this video to understand how English speakers pronounce the words "did you"
quickly and learn to say them as /didjə/.
New Words
arm -
n. either one of the two long body parts that
join the top of your body at the shoulder and that end at the hand or wrist
chips -
n. thin, hard, and usually salty pieces of food
crime -
n. an illegal act for which someone can be
punished by the government
fall (past tense: fell) -
v. to come or go down suddenly from a standing
position
grab -
v. (past participle: grabbing) to quickly take
and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms
ground -
n. the soil that is on or under the surface of
the earth
kick off -
phrasal verb. (past tense: kicked off) force
(someone) to leave
lie -
v. (gerund: lying) to be in a flat position on
a surface
minding my own business -
idiom. doing what you normally do and not
bothering anyone
robber -
n. a criminal who steals money or property or a
thief who robs people
snack -
n. a small amount of food eaten between meals
step -
v. to put your foot down - usually + in or on
stuck -
adj. difficult or impossible to move from a
position
trip -
v. (past tense: tripped) to fall or nearly by
accidentally hitting your foot on something as you are walking or running
umbrella -
n. a device that is used for protection from
the rain and sun
vending machine -
n. a machine that you put money into in order
to buy food or drinks
Activity
In this lesson, Anna hurt herself in the vending
machine. Did you ever hurt yourself by accident? What
were you doing when you hurt yourself? Write about it in
the Facebook Comments section below. Then practice
writing and using the past continuous tense and
reflexive pronouns.
Click
lesson activity to get the printable PDF version. The
page opens to a new window.
Study all 52 English conversation lessons. Let's Learn
English conversation lessons each with a conversation
video, a video script, audio listening practice, video
speaking practice, video pronunciation practice, a new
words section, and a writing activity.
These
lessons are for beginners.
Avoid Ineffective Study Methods. An audio lesson to help
you study English more effectively. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed. Great English study tips.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program.
