sáng kiến kinh nghiệm ngoại ngữ trung học phổ thông

Cùng với đó trong thời đại công nghệ thông tin, các tài liệu nghe thực tế sẵn có và phong phú, có thể sử dụng mang lại nhiều lợi ích và hiệu quả trong việc dạy và học kĩ năng Nghe 2.. Nh

BÁO CÁO SÁNG KIẾN

I Điều kiện hoàn cảnh tạo ra sáng kiến:

Trong bối cảnh toàn cầu hóa hiện nay, tiếng Anh, đặc biệt là kĩ năng nghe là một trong những điều kiện quan trọng giúp con người tiếp cận thế giới, hội nhập với xã hội Trong khi đó, học sinh trung học cũng nhận ra tầm quan trọng của việc học kỹ năng nghe Hiện nay, việc sử dụng tài liệu thực tế trong giảng dạy môn Tiếng Anh, đặc biệt là kĩ năng giao tiếp ngày càng được chú ý và áp dụng rộng rãi Xuất phát chính những nguyên nhân này, chúng tôi đề xuất giải pháp nhằm nâng cao chất lượng dạy và học kĩ năng nghe thông qua đề tài “Thiết kế bài tập Nghe hiểu Tiếng Anh thực tế"

II Mô tả giải pháp:

1 Mô tả giải pháp trước khi tạo ra sáng kiến

Phương pháp dạy kĩ năng Nghe trong các lớp học tiếng truyền thống ở các trường phổ thông thường chỉ là nghe và làm các bài tập trong sách giao khoa Phương pháp này không mang lại hứng thú cho học sinh, do các bài nghe trong sách giáo khoa có nội dung xa lạ hoặc không mời mẻ để kích thích nhu cầu nghe và tìm hiểu trong học sinh

Từ đó, sự cải thiện về kĩ năng Nghe và hiểu biết chung của học sinh không rõ rệt trong quá trình học Trong bối cảnh trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong nói riêng và giáo dục Việt Nam nói chung, việc dạy kĩ năng Nghe đã được chú trọng và đề cao hơn Cùng với đó trong thời đại công nghệ thông tin, các tài liệu nghe thực tế sẵn có và phong phú,

có thể sử dụng mang lại nhiều lợi ích và hiệu quả trong việc dạy và học kĩ năng Nghe

2 Mô tả giải pháp sau khi có sáng kiến: (trọng tâm)

Sau nghiên cứu, người nghiên cứu nhận ra cả học sinh và giáo viên tại trường THPT Chuyên Lê Hồng Phong đều có nhu cầu cải thiện kĩ năng Nghe Nhận thức được những

ưu điểm của tài liệu thực tế, đa số học sinh và giáo viên đều xem tài liệu thực tế là một trong số những tài liệu tiềm năng cho học sinh THPT luyện tập kĩ năng Nghe Trong cuộc sống hàng ngày, học sinh thường tiếp cận với tài liệu nghe thực tế qua các phương tiện truyền thông như các chương trình truyền hình TV và các trang web trên Internet Những nguồn tài liệu này, đặc biệt là các trang web trên Intemet được sử dụng bởi giáo viên để làm tài liệu cho các bài giảng kĩ năng Nghe trên lớp Mặc dù vậy, từ vựng, tốc

độ nói thời gian tìm kiếm, thiết kế tài liệu và khó khăn trong cơ sở vật chất là những trở ngại cho các thầy và trò khi tiếp cận với loại tài liệu này

Với những nhu cầu đó của thầy và trò, cùng những điểm hạn chế của tài liệu thực tế trong sử dụng thử nghiệm, người nghiên cứu đề xuất một số các giải pháp khắc phục với hy vọng giúp học sinh và giáo viên thấy việc học và dạy kĩ năng Nghe hiệu quả và hứng thú

III Hiệu quả do sáng kiến đem lại:

1 Hiệu quả kinh tế (Giá trị làm lợi tính thành tiền):

Như đã nêu trên, do sự sẵn có của mạng Internet nên các giáo viên có thể dễ dàng tìm kiếm và chia sẻ tài liệu Nghe sử dụng cho học sinh Việc in ấn tài liệu và bài tập cho học sinh trong các lớp học cũng không quá tốn kém và giáo viên có thể sử dụng những bài tập này cho các lớp trong cùng khối học

2 Hiệu quả về mặt xã hội (Giá trị làm lợi không tính thành tiền (nếu có):

Khi thực hiện phương pháp này trong giảng dạy kĩ năng Nghe cho học sinh, không những khả năng Nghe tiếng Anh của học sinh được cải thiện mà còn giúp học sinh hứng thú hơn với việc học kĩ năng và có thêm nhiều kiến thức thực tế cuộc sống

IV Cam kết không sao chép hoặc vi phạm bản quyền

Chúng tôi xin cam kết sáng kiến trên là do chúng tôi tự làm, không sao chép và vi phạm bản quyền của người khác Tôi hoàn toàn chịu trách nhiệm về cam kết của mình

TÁC GIẢ SÁNG KIẾN

(Ký tên)

Trần Nhật Anh Trần Xuân Bình Trần Thị Phượng

CƠ QUAN ĐƠN VỊ

ÁP DỤNG SÁNG KIẾN

(xác nhận)

(Ký tên, đóng dấu)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1 Statement of research problem and rationale of the study 5

2.1 Different types of authentic materials 8

2.3 Suggestions on how to design different types of listening

3.1 Suggested news sources for designing listening exercises 19

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of research problem and rationale of the study

The process of learning any languages is comprised of four different skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing These four skills are inextricably intertwined, and they always complement one another Therefore, they should be treated on equal terms so that learners can be proficient at using languages However, it is not rare to see that English authentic listening materials are largely marginalized in high schools in Vietnam In most high schools, English teachers virtually make light of listening skills, let alone authentic listening materials As the ultimate target of these schools is to enable students to pass the entrance English test for university, which do not include listening tasks, students mainly concentrate on other skills and realms such as lexico- grammar and reading The recent test structure substantially reduces the time and the opportunities for non- specialized students to be exposed to authentic learning In gifted high schools, authenticity in listening materials is also limited Although listening skill is more meticulously focused on, teaching and learning this skill are still confined to the zeitgeist of utilizing test-oriented materials such as IELTS and FCE practice books These reference books often provide very scripted, stilted and second-rate recordings with an air of inauthenticity Generally, Vietnamese students are suffering from a widespread shortage of genuine listening materials, giving rise to many serious repercussions Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are likely to be misunderstood As a result, communication breaks down and the sender of message can easily become frustrated or irritated If there is one skill that learners need to master, that is listening Despite its importance, listening skill has secured only a tenuous position in Vietnam' s curricula, leading to a woeful lack of authentic listening materials within Vietnamese academic milieu

The scarcity of English authentic listening materials at high schools is nothing other than a hindrance to students' receptive ability to the language Because of the lack of exposure to authentic materials, students will encounter numerous difficulties to comprehend them including news, films and music videos Since

students are only accustomed to recorded listening tapes, it simultaneously means that they practice their listening skill in an inauthentic manner, with formal speeches, consistent speed and similar accent However, in authentic materials, it varies from speed, accent and expressions such as slangs and idioms Consequently, several students will find it hard to catch their gist and overall meaning

Another repercussion is that students are likely to be unnatural and appear too academic in daily situations Indeed, too formal and ingenuine English teaching and learning programs in Vietnamese academic environment are negligently jettisoning the importance of colloquial phrases and expressions in daily conversations Additionally, these programs fail to erect a sense of daily normality

in the process of learning English In a worse case, students will run the risk of misunderstanding or mutual intelligibility, even after graduating from high schools Therefore, it is strongly recommended that teachers should integrate teaching listening to authentic materials into the curriculum Each topic of content in coursebooks should be complemented with videos or listening records in real- life situations that are related to the studying topics, so that students can get used to the accents, expressions and the way words are spoken After each listening material, teachers are responsible for checking the understanding of students by asking questions This strategy can be applied to promote students’ general understanding

of colloquial English, enhance the ability of students to acquire information through auditory medium and indirectly improve students' communication when facing a daily situation

1.2 Aims

This study is conducted with a view to recommending high school teachers potential news pages to design their own authentic listening exercises for in-class lessons, as well as giving them a general idea of designing those exercises via sample listening activities designed from the recommended sources

The aims are expected to be fulfilled by answering the following question:

What are proper news sources for designing listening exercises and how to

design listening activities for those authentic materials?

1.3 Scope of the study

Due to time constraint, the research merely focused on designing common types of listening exercises based on authentic materials, namely short-answer question, Gap filling, Multiple matching and True-False

1.4 Significance of the study

After the study, the researcher hopes to alleviate teachers’ confusion, hence hesitation when it comes to designing their own listening tasks for in-class activities Once they are more willing to create their own authentic listening exercises, teachers may become less reliant on test-oriented books Moreover, this change in attitude and teaching practice, hopefully, can make a minor contribution

to directing teaching listening skills trend in high schools, especially those for gifted students towards attaching academic lessons to practical circumstances, so that students can be better equipped and more confident during daily communications with English speakers

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this part, an overview of literature background related to the study is exposed, laying the solid foundation for the next parts Key concepts of news, types of listening tasks in some international English proficiency exams and national exam for the gifted are meticulously explained

2.1 Different types of authentic materials

2.1.1 News

News is a term with multiple meanings defined differently from person to person

According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries news (noun) is defined as follows:

• new information about something that has happened recently

• reports of recent events that appear in newspapers or on television or radio

• the news: a regular television or radio broadcast of the latest news

• a person, thing or event that is considered to be interesting enough to be reported as news

In general, the definition of news items is dependent on:

• The size of community (Reader)

• Periodicity of the publication (Weekly, Daily)

• Social character and economic base of the community

• Focus of attention or emphasis of the community

2.1.2 Talk shows

A talk show is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation A talk show is distinguished from other television programs by certain common attributes In a talk show, one person (or group of people or guests) discusses various topics put forth by a talk show host This discussion can be in the form of an interview or a simple conversation about important social, political or religious issues and events

2.1.3 Podcasts

A podcast is a recording of audio discussion on a specific topic, like business or travel, that can be listened to

Podcasts have some typical features as follows:

• They can be any length, from a 1- minute news snippet, to a 3-hour in-depth interview

• They can be any frequency, from daily to monthly

• They can be any format, from simple solo shows up to mammoth, person audio dramas

multi-• They can cover ANY topic, many of which would never make it onto radio

2.2 Listening tasks in exams

2.2.1 IELTS listening tasks

2.2.1.1 Format

Section 1: conversation between 2 speakers about everyday situations

They will usually be making some kind of booking (e.g at a restaurant or travel agents) or requesting information (e.g about a membership to a sports club or an education course)

This is the easiest section Speaker talks quite slowly, making pauses The key information is usually repeated

Section 2: a monologue about everyday situations

Speaker talks quite slowly, but makes less pauses than in previous section

A variety of topics come up, but common things to hear about are explanations of tours, such as where you can go, how to book, them and how much they cost, or someone on the radio giving advice about something or explaining some charity work they have been involved in

Section 3: a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or

training context, e.g a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment This section is harder than the two previous, speakers discuss topics at a faster pace and sometimes use advanced vocabulary

Section 4: a monologue on academic subject

It is the most difficult section There is no break in the middle, the speaker talks quite quickly and uses a wide range of vocabulary

2.2.1.2 Types of questions and purposes

- Multiple choice: used to test a wide range of skills The test taker may be

required to have a detailed understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points of the listening text

- Short-answer questions: focuses on the ability to listen for concrete facts, such

as places, prices or times, within the listening text

- Sentence completion: Sentence completion focuses on the ability to identify the

key information in a listening text Test takers have to understand functional relationships such as cause and effect

- Notes, summary, diagram, table or chart completion: This focuses on the

main points which a listener would naturally record in this type of situation

- Matching: assesses the skill of listening for detail and whether a test taker can

understand information given in a conversation on an everyday topic, such as the different types of hotel or guest house accommodation It also assesses the ability

to follow a conversation between two people It may also be used to assess test takers’ ability to recognise relationships and connections between facts in the listening text

- Plan, map, diagram labeling: This type of task assesses the ability to

understand, for example, a description of a place, and to relate this to a visual representation This may include being able to follow language expressing spatial relationships and directions (e.g straight on/through the far door)

2.2.2 TOEFL

2.2.2.1 Format

In total, candidates listen to four to six lectures and two to three conversations Each lecture lasts three to five minutes and comes with six questions, while each conversation lasts about three minutes and comes with five questions They will

hear each audio clip only once The Listening section measures test takers’ ability

to understand spoken English from English-speaking countries

2.2.2.2 Types of questions

There are three question types: standard multiple choice, multiple answer, and Replay in order to :

- Ask for Main Idea: As each listening passage starts, the narrator will inform you

of the main topic of the academic talk or dialogue so you have a slight idea of what

to expect No matter what the topic is, you should be able to understand what the main idea of the passage is

- Ask for Detail: The detail type of listening question asks you to identify factual information that is stated directly in the passage Usually the information is given

to support or expand or provide an example related to the main idea

- Ask for purposes: Dialogues, rather than academic talks, mostly use this type The prompt generally asks why one speaker visits the other speaker So you need

to be able to understand why the dialogue, what its purpose is, is happening You're looking for the overall reason for the talk, instead of any detail

- Ask for organization: This listening question type will ask a "why" or "how" question and is more common to be found after hearing an academic talk You are expected to understand how the passage is organized, why it is presented to you in

a certain way Sometimes the question will ask why something was included in the talk when it seems to be unimportant or off-topic It was included for a reason; you need to be able to figure out that reason You might also be asked how something functions in relation to what is said before or after it Maybe it's being used to signal the change to a subtopic or used to set off an example

- Ask for implication: Based on what you hear in the listening passage, you should

be able to decide what logically might happen next, or be able to reason what the speaker means – what is implied – by saying or asking something For this type of question, it's the opinions, feelings, thoughts of the speaker you need to be able to understand and not just the factual information It's a difficult type, but it's also not

used very often

2.2.3 CAE

2.2.3.1 Format

Part 1 (6 questions) of the paper requires candidates to listen to three brief

excerpts of conversation and then answer two questions about each of the recordings

Part 2 (8 questions) features a 3-minute monologue, with candidates being

required to complete a number of sentence-completion problems using information gleaned from the recording

Part 3 (6 questions) involves a 4-minute recording of a conversation featuring

multiple speakers Candidates will be required to answer questions about both the information discussed in the conversation and the speakers themselves (attitude, tone, opinion, etc.)

Part 4 (10 questions), which consists of a series of five, 30-second monologues all

discussing a central theme Two tasks are associated with this part

2.2.3.2 Types of questions

- Sentence completion: listening for specific information, stated opinion

- Multiple-choice: listening for feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function,

agreement, course of action, gist, detail, etc

- Matching: listening for gist, attitude, opinion, main points, speaker purpose and

feeling; interpreting context

2.2.4 CPE

2.2.4.1 Format

The C2 Proficiency Listening paper has four parts For each part candidates have

to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions You hear each recording twice

Part 1: Three short, unrelated recordings lasting approximately 1 minute each

Part 2: A monologue or prompted monologue lasting 3–4 minutes The questions

are a series of incomplete sentences

Part 3: A recording with interacting speakers lasting 3–4 minutes

Part 4: Five short, themed monologues, of approximately 35 seconds each There

are two multiple-matching tasks Each multiple-matching task requires the selection of the five correct options from a list of eight

2.2.4.2 Types of questions

- Multiple choice – 3 options: listening for gist, detail, function, purpose, topic,

speaker, addressee, feeling, attitude, opinion, etc

- Sentence completion: listening for specific information, stated opinion

- Multiple choice – 4 options: listening for opinion, gist, detail, inference

- Multiple matching: listening for gist, attitude, main points, interpreting context

2.2.5 Vietnam National Exam for gifted students

The English test in National exam for gifted students usually consists of 3 to 4 parts Candidates’ language proficiency is expected to be at C1 and C2 level

Common question types:

- Note completion (similar to section 1 in IELTS)

- True/ False questions: Listening to a conversation and deciding whether a

statement is True or False The statement is usually paraphrased Normally, the statement gives a variety of information If it is a false one, only part of the statement is incorrect You have to figure out the parts that are likely to be mentioned so that deciding whether it is true or false will be easier

- Sentence completion: focuses on the ability to identify the key information in a

listening text The words can be paraphrased Identifying the word type and when the information is mentioned are important

- Multiple choices (report or conversation of 2 people): used to test a wide range

of skills The test taker may be required to have a detailed understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points of the listening text

- Multiple matching (similar to matching tasks in IELTS)

Authentic materials are usually adapted to design completion, True-False and Multiple matching tasks The other tasks may be adapted from published language practice materials

2.3 Suggestions on how to design different types of listening exercises

2.3.1 Multiple-choice questions

Multiple-choice questions are familiar with both teachers and students To form a multiple-choice question there should be one question (stem) and several possible answers (choices) including the correct answer and several incorrect answers

(distractors)

It takes time and effort to write these questions because it is a difficult task to

produce several plausible distractors

Tips for writing good multiple-choice items:

In the stem:

- Long / complex sentences

- Trivial statements

- Negatives and double-negatives

- Ambiguity or indefinite terms, absolute

statements, and broad generalization

- Extraneous material

- Item characteristics that provide a clue to the

answer misconceptions

In the choices:

- Statements too close to the correct answer

- Completely implausible responses

- ‘All of the above,’ ‘none of the above’

- Overlapping responses (e.g., if ‘A’ is true)

In the stem:

- Your own words – not statements straight out of the textbook (using synonyms)

- Single, clearly formulated problems

Avoid Do use

- True statements that do not answer the questions

- Short options – and all same length

- Correct options evenly distributed over A, B, C, etc

- Alternatives that are in logical or numerical then ‘C’ is also true) order

- At least 3 alternatives

2.3.2 True-False questions

‘True/False’ questions are also a common type of task in the listening test

'True' Answers: For a statement to be true, the recording must clearly support the

information stated in that statement

'False' Answers: For a statement to be false, the passage must clearly state that the information in the passage is not true

The problem with these types of questions is that many candidates expect to hear the answer as it is written in the True/False statement

Have a look at these other ‘traps’ in True/False questions:

- Changing the modifier

Statement: All students have to register before 08 August

Tape script: “Most students have to register before 08 August “

Answer: False (‘Most’ is not ‘All’)

- Changing the answer twice

Statement: Peter decides to go to the cinema

Tape script:

PETER: “Let’s go to the cinema, there’s a new film on.”

JANE: “I’d like to go to the theatre instead to see the play.”

PETER: “OK, that’s fine, we’ll go to the theatre.”

JANE: “Great, thanks, oh no – maybe the cinema would be better.”

PETER: “OK – the cinema it is then.”

JANE: “Are you sure?”

PETER: “Yes, sure No, the theatre – definitely!”

Answer: False

- Using words that mean the same (synonyms)

Statement: All students have to register before 08 August

Tape script: “All students have to enroll before 08 August.”

Answer: True (‘enroll’ and ‘register’ are synonymous)

- Using opposites (antonyms)

Statement: Robert is very unhappy

Tape script: “I’m worried about Robert, he isn’t happy at all these days.”

Answer: True (‘isnt happy’ has the same meaning as ‘unhappy’)

- Changing the wording

Statement: You have to pay on or before 08 August

Tape script: “You can’t make payment after the 7th of August.” Answer: False

2.3.3 Short answer questions

Short answer questions are typically composed of a brief prompt that demands a

written answer that varies in length from one or two words to a few sentences

They are most often used to test basic knowledge of key facts and terms

Example:

Question: “What do you call an exam format in which students must uniquely

associate a set of prompts with a set of options?”

Answer: Matching questions

Alternatively, this could be written as a fill-in-the-blank short answer question:

“An exam question in which students must uniquely associate prompts and options

is called a _ question.”

Answer: Matching

Short-answer questions have many advantages Many instructors report that they

are relatively easy to construct and can be constructed faster than multiple-choice

questions Unlike matching, true/false, and multiple-choice questions, short answer questions make it difficult for students to guess the answer Short answer questions provide students with more flexibility to explain their understanding and demonstrate creativity than they would have with multiple choice questions; this also means that scoring is relatively laborious and can be quite subjective Short answer questions provide more structure than essay questions and thus are often easier and faster to mark and often test a broader range of the course content than full essay questions

Tips for writing good short answer items:

- Long / complex sentences

- Your own words

Suggestion: When using short answer questions to test student knowledge of

definitions consider having a mix of questions, some that supply the term and require the students to provide the definition, and other questions that supply the definition and require that students provide the term The latter sort of questions can be structured as fill-in-the-blank questions This mix of formats will better test student knowledge because it doesn’t rely solely on recognition or recall of the term

2.3.4 Matching questions

Students respond to matching questions by pairing each of a set of stems (e.g., definitions) with one of the choices provided on the exam These questions are often used to assess recognition and recall and so are most often used in courses where acquisition of detailed knowledge is an important goal They are generally

quick and easy to create and mark, but students require more time to respond to these questions than a similar number of multiple choice or true/false items

Example: Match each question type with one attribute:

1 Multiple Choice a) Only two possible answers

2 True/False b) Equal number of stems and choices

3 Matching c) Only one correct answer but at least three choices

Tips for writing good matching items:

- Long stems and options

- Heterogeneous content (e.g., dates

mixed with people)

Suggestion: You can use some choices more than once in the same matching

exercise It reduces the effects of guessing

2.3.5 Gap filling questions

Tips for writing gap-fill sentences

- Your aim is to write a sentence with a gap in which both the correct answer and the distractor(s) can fit logically and grammatically

- The gapped sentence shouldn’t be too long or complex to process

- However, the sentence does need to be long enough to provide enough context for students to know what they’re looking/listening out for

- Don’t let the answer be guessable Students should be able to work out what kind

of word they are looking or listening out for (e.g a number, a place or a job) but it shouldn’t be possible for them to guess the exact word So, for example, the missing word should not be part of a strong collocation (e.g earn _.)

- The words in the sentence should paraphrase the words in the text, not report them directly In a listening, for example, if the words weren’t paraphrased, it would become like a dictation

CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

This chapter is going to suggest some sources of news that may be utilized to design listening tasks as well as give some sample listening tasks designed from those sources

3.1 Sources of news for designing listening tasks

3.1.1 DNEWS

DNews provides science news, big questions and fun knowledge topics every day

of the week It's fun to be smart and DNews wants to question anything and test everything Main hosts include Trace Dominguez, Anthony Carboni, Wilson Cleveland

3.1.2 The Infographics shows

The Infographics Show is a YouTube channel and a company that provides

educational videos This YouTube channel frequently uploads animated educational videos These educational videos include health facts, political facts, economical facts, comparisons, life's biggest questions and even videos about serial killers and their origins There are also a wide variety of other animated educational videos they upload

Business Insider has several channels on youtube, each of which covers a specific topic For example, Tech insider provides videos on topics about technology: innovation, gadgets, how-to's, gaming; Science Insider offers videos on topics about science: space, medicine, and biotech, along with explainers

3.1.4 National Geographic

National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and

filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible

3.1.5 TED

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) on Technology, Entertainment and Design plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more

3.1.6 National news

A lot of national news provides broadcasted news, some even with subtitles Some highly recommended news sources are BBC news (The UK), NBC news (The US) and ABC news (Australia)

3.2 Suggested listening activities

3.2.1 Short-answer questions

3.2.1.1 Listen and answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR NUMBERS for each answer

Why babies can’t drink water? | SCIENCE INSIDER

1 How much water is an infant’s body made up of?

7 What is often added a lot of water to by chance?

1 ROUGHLY 75% 2 dilutes the salt/ sodium

3 vomiting, muscle spasm 4 skull

5 a few ounces 6 circulatory system

7 baby formula 8 fluids

3.2.1.3 Audio Script

There is a time in every person's life when drinking water is deadly Even as much

as a few ounces is enough to kill The average healthy adult is made up of 55 to

60% water The average baby, on the other hand, is roughly 75% (Q1) water And

that difference is why babies shouldn't drink water before they're at least six months old Not from the tap or a well or a spring Plain water is just plain off limits You see, everyone's kidneys have a limit to how much water they can handle Break that limit, and the excess water will back up into your bloodstream,

where it dilutes the salt, or sodium, (Q2) in your blood Once your blood dips

below 0.4 ounces of sodium per gallon, you're at risk of a condition called Hyponatremia It happens when your cells try to return sodium level to normal by absorbing the extra water and swell up like a water balloon in the process, causing

complications like confusion, vomiting and muscle spasms (Q3) Hyponatremia

is common in marathon runners who drink too much too fast during a race without also providing enough sodium to balance out their blood And if you keep drinking, that excess water will eventually reach the cells in your brain By this point, you have a dangerous case of water intoxication, which affects roughly 200,000 Americans each year It occurs when your brain cells swell, which builds

up pressure inside your skull (Q4) that can lead to seizures, brain damage, and, in

sever cases, death But don't worry, dying from water intoxication is extremely hard for a fully-grown human An adult would have to drink 2.5 to 5 gallons every few hours to reach that point But for newborns, it's a different story Their kidneys are about half the size of an adult's, so they can't hold much water to begin with

And it takes just a few ounces (Q5) to cause problems On top of that, their

kidneys aren't developed enough yet to properly filter water, so any water that

enters their body ends up in the circulatory system, (Q6) where it dilutes their

blood and increases their water content by 7 to 8% But it's not just drinking straight H2O that poses a threat In fact, most cases of water intoxication in infants

don't even involve a glass of water A common mistake is when people dilute baby formula (Q7) too much by accident, or when parents dunk their infants up and

down in a swimming pool, and in the process the infant gulps in too much water It's important that if your baby is showing signs of water intoxication that you take

them to the hospital immediately, where a doctor will likely provide some form of fluids (Q8) like intravenous saline solution to bring the infant's sodium levels up to

normal

3.2.2 Gap-filling

3.2.2.1 Complete the summary using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND NUMBERS for each answer

HOW TO GET A JOB IN SPACE | DNEWS

After 18 months, eight applicants, four males and four females, were selected to join the crew of NASA astronauts who are (1) _ They are the most capable candidates for a job regarded as an (2) _ The eight chosen come from different backgrounds, major in different domains of science and have had to take a (3) Yet, not until they finish (4) _ at global space center will they all be set up for the mission in the cosmos with an extremely generous salary

NASA, however, is not the only options for space-related employment For

example, a (5) _ called SpaceX is looking for some new employees The vacancies, among many, include a (6) _, whose duty is to invent ways to improve dragon crew As the (7) is flourishing, a number of jobs are on the horizon like space tourism, or exploiting (8) _ on celestial bodies

(Video is retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcNthPiVNgA)

3.2.2.2 Keys

1 in active duty 2 elite career

3 rigorous medical examination 4 basic training

5 private spaceflight company 6 spacesuit design engineer

7 private space industry 8 precious materials

3.2.2.3 Audio scripts

You might not have the right stuff but don’t worry there are still plenty of jobs in space Hey guys I’m Anthony this is dnews and this week eight brand-new astronauts reported for duty at NASA after a year and a half of searching four men and four women were selected out of more than 6,000 applicants to be one of only

47 NASA astronauts in active duty (Q1) What’s interesting is that this is the first

time the new astronaut class includes equal numbers of men and women, and according to NASA’s director of flight crew operations at the Johnson Space Center they didn’t intentionally go for a 50/50 gender split it just turned out that way because space is equal opportunity All the newcomers happen to be the most

qualified for the job So what does it take to be chosen for this elite career (Q2)

You probably just have to be kind of a short guy with thick glasses and bad knees who really love space No See, the eight recruits came from really diverse backgrounds but five of them do serve in different branches of the military and all

of them have advanced degrees in medicine physics engineering or biology, and

they all had to pass a pretty rigorous medical examination (Q3) and now that

they’ve cleared that hurdle it’s still going to be a few years before they’re sent to