Intermediate Listening Power

Activity 1.

Listen to the file.

A Rare Solar Eclipse

Activity 2.

Listening Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. What type of solar eclipse occurred on December 25, 2000?
A. annular
B. total
C. partial

2. What made this eclipse so unique?
A. its location for viewing in the world
B. its timing on the calendar
C. its movement across the sky

3. Who is the most likely audience for this news report?
A. intermediate skywatchers
B. novice observers
C. avid astronomers

4. Which statement was NOT mentioned about viewing an eclipse?
A. Sunglasses block out only a limited amount of the sun's ultraviolet rays that can damage the eye.
B. Sunglasses can only filter harmful rays during total solar eclipses at their greatest magnitude.
C. Sunglasses tend to cause the center of the eye to enlarge allowing in more intense light.

5. What is one fact we do not learn from the final commentary of the video?
A. the date of an upcoming solar eclipse
B. where the next Christmas eclipse will occur
C. how to record an eclipse for your posterity

Activity 3.

Listening to Details. Listen to the file for the last time and fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

On December 25, 2000, many people across North America received a rare Christmas ⁽¹⁾when the moon passed in front of the sun resulting in a partial solar eclipse.

Solar eclipses ⁽²⁾ when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, and the moon's shadow covers part of the Earth, and a total solar eclipse takes place when the moon's shadow blocks out the sun ⁽³⁾. What made this particular solar eclipse unique was that this event has occurred on December twenty-fifth only 30 times during the past 5000 years, the last time in 1954.

But people must be exceptionally careful when attempting to ⁽⁴⁾ a solar eclipse. Without taking precautionary measures, one can permanently damage the retina of the eye; however, there are several safe ⁽⁵⁾ of witnessing this heavenly marvel.

First, you can view a solar eclipse by using eclipse safety glasses for filtering out the sun's ⁽⁶⁾ rays. They should be used when any part of the sun is visible.

Sunglasses can block out some of the sun's ultraviolet rays, but the results can be very ⁽⁷⁾. The eye's natural reaction to this darken state when wearing sunglasses is to make the pupil larger, which allows in more light and can intensify the damage to your eye.

You can watch an eclipse by projecting the sun's ⁽⁸⁾ on a piece of paper either by using a telescope, or easier yet, by creating a pinhole in a piece of paper and viewing the result on another piece of paper, thus called a pinhole projector.

Only during a total eclipse when the sun is completely and ⁽⁹⁾covered can you watch the eclipse without eye protection. Even then, extreme caution should be taken.

In case you didn't catch this last spectacular eclipse on December twenty-fifth, 2000, there's no need to ⁽¹⁰⁾. Your posterity can record the next eclipse on Christmas in the year 2307, but only if they're visiting the west coast of Africa for the holidays.

Activity 4

Vocabulary. Read and study the following words.

• treat (noun): a special experience
  - Going to Disneyland for Christmas will be a real treat for the kids.

• partial (adjective): incomplete
  - The win for the team was only a partial victory since their starting player was injured and will be unable to compete for the next few games.

• exceptionally (adjective): extremely
  - The boy is exceptionally bright for his age.

• precautionary (adjective): taken in advance to protect against possible danger
  - As a precautionary step, I believe we should check all of the equipment again to make sure it is working properly.

• measures (noun): steps, methods, or procedures
  - The astronauts took drastic measures to prevent a collision with the oncoming asteroid.

• witness (verb): watch or view
  - I'm not sure if we will be able to witness the lunar eclipse because the skies are cloudy.

• deceptive (deceive) (adjective, also verb): mislead, often deliberately or inadvertently
  - The stars at times seem to twinkle in the night sky, but this perception can be somewhat deceptive. Actually, the star light passing through the atmosphere creates this effect.

• intensify (verb): to make stronger
  - Over the past several weeks, solar flare activity has intensified disrupting radio transmissions in some parts of the world.

• fret (verb): to worry unnecessarily of excessively, or be unhappy
  - The boy fretted over losing his favorite toy.

Activity 5.

Discussion. Answer the following questions related to the conversation.

• What is the difference between an annular and total solar eclipse?
•  When will the next eclipse of each type occur? 
• What are the best ways to view a solar eclipse?