by Will Marshall

a space scientist and cofounder of Planet Labs, an American earth imaging private company based in San Francisco.  He was a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center where he helped to formulate the Small Spacecraft Office.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

iconic:  famous, well-known
galvanized:  made people excited
fragile:  easily broken or destroyed
static:  not moving, still
scalable:  able to increase production
ultra:  very very
resolution:  quality of the image
humanitarian:  helping people
mission:  reason, goal
launched:  put into space
capability:  ability to do lots of things
bonded:  held together
democratizing:  making democratic
founders:  people who create a company
passionate:  serious and excited
glints:  shines brightly for a moment
data set:  amount of information
rotates:  spins, turns
scan:  take a picture of
crop yield:  amount of food grown
deforestation:  cutting down forests
universal access:  ability for everyone to get

by Pico Iyer

a British-born essayist and novelist of Indian origin.  He is best known for his travel writing.  He is also an essayist who has been writing for Time magazine since 1986.  He also publishes regularly in Harper’s, The New York Review of Books and The New York Times.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise  below,  read a question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.

Vocabulary:

raised: grew up
classic: traditional
alien: foreigner
straightforward: simple, not complicated
associated with: connected to
stained-glass: lots of pieces
it came home to me: I realized
wildfire: a fire out of control
ash: what’s left after a fire
literally: actually
sense of: idea about
fashion: make, create
beyond: outside of
tribe: group of people
consists of: is composed of
exhilarating: exciting
typical: common
kin: family
evolving: changing
unprecedented: happening for the first time
blend: mix
rooted in: identified with
bearings: understanding
accumulated: gathered, gotten
perspective: understanding
skeptical: not believing
intrigued: really interested
hemmed and hawed: didn’t know what to say
hymnals: religious songs
assured: promised
restless: not able to sit still
pulsing: full of energy
eminently: very
profoundly: strongly
consult: ask
monks: religious people
critical: most important
blindfold: covering over the eyes
hankers: really wants
ultimately: in the end

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Daniel Levitin
an American cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, best-selling author, musician and record producer, who is professor of psychology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

fumbling:  searching
locksmith:  a person who replaces locks
desperate:  needing to do something now
shards:  sharp pieces
contractor:  a person who builds things
neuroscientist:  a person who studies the brain
cortisol:  a brain chemical
recline:  lean back
prevent: stop
minimize:  make small
likelihood:  chance
catastrophe:  when everything goes wrong
crystalize:  become well thought out
post mortem:  figuring out what was done wrong and what could be improved
obvious:  easily seen
designate:  choose
scrupulous:  doing what you know is right
confronted with:  face to face with
proxy:  substitute
benefit:  get something good from
rational assessment:  good thinking
pharmaceutical:  about prescription drugs
prescribe:  give a drug
estimates:  guesses
side effect:  a bad result of a drug.
debilitating:  weakening
ethics:  what is right and what is wrong
typical:  common
predator:  an animal who will eat you
flawed:  not perfect

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Greg Gage

a neuroscientist and engineer who is passionate about helping students understand how our brains and our neurons work, because as he said, “We still know very little about how the brain works, and we need to start inspiring kids early to want to know more.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

organ: important part of the body
complex: complicated, not simple
access: interact with
neurological disorder: problem with the brain, mental illness
affordable: inexpensive
DIY: do it yourself
demonstration: showing something
electrodes: pads that read and send electricity
neurons:  brain cells
motor cortex: part of the brain that controls movement
spinal chord: nerve in the backbone
free will: ability to choose
weird: strange

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Bill Gross

an American businessman who serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Idealab, a company that creates companies.   He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing. 

Vocabulary:

factors:  reasons
startup:  a new company
human potential:  What’s possible for a person to achieve
systematic:  with a plan so nothing is forgotten
instincts:  feelings
misperceptions:  wrong beliefs
execution:  doing the job
punched:  hit with a fist
adapt:  change in response to something happening
revenues:  money from sales
funding:  money from others to get a company started
timing:  the correct time to start something new
competitors:  other companies selling the same thing
attributes:  good qualities
definitive:  the correct answer
gaining traction:  becoming more successful
recession:  bad economic period
revenues:  money coming in
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Tanniar Leba

an immigrant who came to Canada in 2004 to start a new life in this country.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

originally:  at the beginning
refugee:  someone who had to leave their country to be safe
landed:  came to the country
challenging:  difficult to do
housing:  a place to live
shelters:  cheap housing where many people live together
employment:  a job, work
welfare:  money from the government for people with no jobs
orientation session:  introduction talk
volunteer:  work for no money but for the experience
position:  job
opening:  job with no worker yet
background:  history, preparation
give back:  help other people
rights:  the things you have the legal power to do
responsibilities:  the things you should do
patient:  able to wait
benefit:  get help
talent:  skill, easy ability

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Salman Khan
the founder and faculty of the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org), a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.  He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an M.Eng and B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in mathematics from MIT.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

montage:  series of pictures
blow your mind:  give you great joy
remotely:  from a distance
feedback:  saying what’s good and what’s bad
profound:  important
automated version:  recorded video
notion:  idea
concept:  idea
viewership:  people who watch
dawned on me:  was realized or understand by me
supplement:  addition to a person’s learning
home schoolers:  students who are educated at home
one size fits all:  every student does the same thing
humanize:  make more gentle and kind
primitive:  simple
paradigm:  model, pattern
analogous to:  similar to
unicycle:  a one-wheeled bicycle
mastery:  being able to do something well
gutted:  threw away, got rid of
proficient:  able to do it
data:  Information
diagnose:  figure out, find out
grandiose:  including everything
self-paced learning:  learning at the speed of each student
gifted:  smart, intelligent
remediate:  learn things you should have already learned
peer:  student
merit badges:  indications of success
leaderboards:  lists of the top students
collaboration:  working together
radical:  so very different

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Nick Noorani

a well-known authority on the successful integration of immigrants in Canada.  He’s originally from Mumbai, India.  His book, Arrival Survival Canada, is a best seller among immigrants to this country.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

founder:  the person who starts an organization or business
author:  writer
resources:  the things that are necessary
guide:  source of information
flip burgers:  have a low paying job
faced with:  have something in front of you
my take:  my understanding
gleaned from:  learned from
qualified:  able to do the job
invaluable:  very expensive
value:  importance
brushing up: practicing, learning (idiom)
skills: abilities
embrace:  take into your heart
resume:  information about yourself that helps you get a job
take a deep breath:  relax (idiom)
positive:  hopeful for a better future
been there:  I’ve had that same experience (idiom)
sociable:  friendly
network:  large group of people you know and who they know
negativity:  hopelessness
risks:  things that you’re afraid to do
play safe:  not take any risks (idiom)
volunteering:  working for no money

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Marco Tempest
a Swiss magician who lives in New York City.  He is known for his multimedia magic and use of interactive technology and computer graphics in his presentations.  He stars in the eight part television series “The Virtual Magician,” which has been broadcast in over 50 countries.

Preview the vocabulary below, and then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.

Vocabulary:

illusion:  something that is not real
data:  information
cyber:  using technology
symbols:  pictures that represent things
interpreted:  understood
lunar:  of the moon
tide:  the level of the ocean
coincidence:  two things that are the same for no reason
total:  add together
mischief:  playful action
pogo stick:  a toy that jumps you up and down
exaggeration:  saying that something is better than it really is
evil:  very bad
supernatural:  not natural
odds:  chances that something will happen
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Michael Norton
a social science researcher and associate professor at the Harvard Business School.  His research was featured in the New York Times Magazine Year in Ideas issues of 2007 and 2009.

First preview the vocabulary below.  Then do the exercise by first reading a single question and then listening for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

experiment:  a test to see if something is true
ruined:  broken and not repairable
debt:   owing money
bug:  ask repeatedly
fantasizing:  creating a story in your head
extort:  get money to not share a secret
antisocial:  not liking to be with other people
prosocial:  doing things for other people
affluent:  having lots of everything
correlated:  related
charity:  organizations that help people
dominate:  have the most wins
league:  a group of teams that play together
benefit:  do good things for

© 2014 Ambien Malecot