(Intermediate) Nerdy Jokes

(Intermediate student writing) The highest place I've ever been

Original:

The highest place i´ve ever been:

The highest place i´ve ever been is also the coldest, this beautiful place is located in "Los Andes" mountains, only two shorts hours away from Santiago. This rocky mountain is named "El Plomo" and is 4.500 meters hight, full of snow almost the entire year. You can go to the top only doing hiking, but you have to be trained because is a really hard and sometimes too steep road, also you have to consider that you`ll need a heavy equipment to camp, because it takes almost 10 hours to get to the top. Anyway, it is a wonderful experience, you´ll find a terrific white views of the mountains and a calm place to connect with nature and yourself.

Corrected:

The Highest Place I've Ever Been:

The highest place I've ever been is also the coldest. This beautiful place is located in "Los Andes" mountains, only two shorts hours from Santiago. This rocky mountain is named "El Plomo" and is 4.500 meters high and covered in snow almost the entire year. You can only get to the top by hiking, and you have to be trained because it is a really hard and sometimes extremely steep track. Also, you have to remember that you`ll need to carry heavy equipment for camping, because it takes almost 10 hours to get to the top. Anyway, it is a wonderful experience; you´ll find terrific views of the white mountains and a calm place to connect with nature and yourself.

By Maximo

(Intermediate) She's Leaving Home - the harpist

Sheila Bromberg Played the Harp on this famous Sgt Pepper track. Here she talks about the recording session and meets with Ringo Starr for the first time.
BBC


Watch

Harpist meets Ringo Starr


Guiding questions:

What year was the Sgt. Pepper’s Album released?

What made “She’s Leaving Home” different from most other Beatles songs?

Which instrument sets the tone for the song?

What is a “Fixer”?

Why did Sheila say “yes” to the job?

What kind of accent did Paul McCartney have?

Can you guess what Sheila means by “big guns” (idiom)?

What was Paul McCartney not very good at?

How did the engineers change the sound of the harp in the final version of the song?

Why is Sheila so proud of having played on the song?

How much was Sheila paid?

What was Bing Crosby’s wife like?

What did Spike Milligan ask Sheila to wear?

Why is Ringo surprised during the song?

Can you explain the following words and phrases?

Groundbreaking

Distinctive

Sets the tone

Jingle

Tuning

Gave it a brief look

Bring sth out of the air

Session

The control room

String section

Tuck sth under

The first take

A doubling effect

Engineers

Find a spot for sb

9 quid

surrounded by Heavies

give us a blast

the abridged version

(Upper-Intermediate) Why Do We Age?

Human bodies aren’t built for extreme aging: our capacity is set at about 90 years. But what does aging really mean, and how does it counteract the body’s efforts to stay alive? 

Ted Lesson:

Why Do We Age?

(Intermediate) Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers

Grandma's hands
Clapped in church on Sunday morning
Grandma's hands
Played a tambourine so well
Grandma's hands
Used to issue out a warning
She'd say, "Billy don't you run so fast
Might fall on a piece of glass
"Might be snakes there in that grass"
Grandma's hands

Grandma's hands
Soothed a local unwed mother
Grandma's hands
Used to ache sometimes and swell
Grandma's hands
Used to lift her face and tell her,
She'd say "Baby, Grandma understands
That you really love that man
Put yourself in Jesus hands"
Grandma's hands

Grandma's hands
Used to hand me piece of candy
Grandma's hands
Picked me up each time I fell
Grandma's hands
Boy, they really came in handy
She'd say, "Matty don' you whip that boy
What you want to spank him for?
He didn't drop no apple core"
But I don't have Grandma anymore
If I get to heaven I'll look for
Grandma's hands
Listen:

Grandma's Hands

(Advanced - Film / Lit SPIN) The Haircut

You want it short?

No just a trim.

Watch:

The Haircut

(Advanced Film / Lit SPIN) Down by Law

Down by Law is a 1986 black-and-white independent film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni.

Watch:

Down By Law