by Henry Lin

a freshman (Sept. 2013) at Harvard University.  At the age of 17 he won an Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for his mathematical models of distant galaxy clusters.

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:

clusters:  collections, groups
mutual:  shared
mysterious:  unknown, with secrets
massive:  very, very large
laboratories:  places where discoveries happen
mass:  weight, largeness
isolated:  all alone with no neighbors
systems:  collections of stars
scaled down:  smaller
emitting:  causing, producing
accelerating:  causing something to go faster and faster
rough draft:  a beginning of understanding
properties:  qualities
probing:  examining
matter: stuff
atoms: very small particles
collide:  hit each other
compounded:  made larger
affect:  change
structure:  shape
ingenuity:  creativity
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Michael Pollan (illustrations by Kerry Hyndman)

an American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

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:

nutrition:  the process of taking in food
nutrients:  food
consuming:  eating
calorie:  a unit of energy in food
diet:  the food you eat
corporation:  big business
vast amounts:  a lot
ingredients:  things you mix with other things
addictive:  forcing you into a habit
press our buttons:  make us feel good (idiom)
cravings:  food that we feel we must eat often
food industry:  all the companies that sell food
labor intensive:  requiring lots of work
spatter: hit with tiny drops of grease
it’s a pain:  it’s hard to do (idiom)
special occasion:  birthdays, anniversaries, graduations
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Maya Penn

a young American entrepreneur whose company “Maya’s Ideas” creates eco-friendly clothing and accessories.  She is also a philanthropist, environmental activist, artist and animator.

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:

animator:  a person who creates a movie with drawings
defining moment:  a time when you decide what you want to do in the future
virus:  a tiny computer program that messes up your computer
creatures:  animals and insects
spark:  to get (something) started quickly
movement:  action that is taken by a lot of people at the same time
eco-friendly:  not harming the environment
branding:  getting your company brand known
marketing:  selling your product to your customers
negative impact:  hurting the environment
toxic:  poisonous, harmful
inhales:  breathes in
sustainable future:  a future that is in balance and can continue forever
compromising: going against
diverse:  with lots of differences

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Apollo Robbins.

an American sleight-of-hand artist, security consultant and deception specialist.  He is considered the best in the world at what he does.  In his Las Vegas shows he takes things from people’s jackets, pants, purses, wrists, fingers and necks and then returns them at the end.  People don’t notice what he does.

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:

pickpocket:  a person who takes things from other people’s pockets.
attention:  when your eyes and mind are on the same thing.
predicting:  saying what something will be in the future.
misdirection:  looking at the wrong thing.
icon:  little picture that identifies a computer program (app).
perceptions:  things that you see or hear and understand
process:  think about
data:  information

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Suzana Herculano-Houzel

Associate Professor at the Federal University of Rio De Janeiro.  She is the author of six books on  the neuroscience of everyday life.  Suzana also appears on TV as the host of Neurologica.

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:

mammalian:  of mammals, the kind of animal that includes dogs, horses and humans
neurons:  brain cells
proportional:  equal
cognitive ability:  brain power
cerebral cortex:  the front part of the brain
complex:  complicated, not simple
vexing:  annoying
calories:  units of food energy
evolution:  the slow changing of an animal species
more modest:  smaller
literature:  written things about a topic
dissolving:  disappearing in tiny pieces in water
nuclei:  the center parts of cells [singular = nucleus]
agitate:  shake
homogeneous:  being the same throughout the mixture
rodents:  animals such as rats or mice
primates:  animals such as monkeys, apes and humans
calculate:  find the answer using math
generic: typical
function of:  result of
raw:  uncooked
limitation:  anything that limits something else
feeding:  eating
feasible:  practical or possible
liability:  negative thing
asset:  positive thing
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Arthur Benjamin

professor of math at Harvey Mudd College and entertainer using the title “Mathemagician,”  where he performs mental calculations, memorizations and other math magic.

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:

essentially:  basically
calculation:  adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
application:  making use of math in the real world
inspiration:  getting surprising answers
patterns:  numbers that repeat
motivated:  making students want to learn
and so on:  and it continues
square:  multiply a number by the same number
consecutive:  one followed by the next
rectangle:  a long square
sum:  the result of adding things together
generate:  make
ratio:  the relationship between 2 numbers

More info on Leonardo Fibonacci:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci

Arthur Benjamin’s website:  https://www.math.hmc.edu/~benjamin/

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Hans Rosling

a Swedish medical doctor, academic and public speaker.  He is Professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute, a medical university just outside Stockholm.

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:

gap:  distance between two things
aspirations:  things you want to get
the West:  developed countries
mindset:  the way you think
acquired:  bought
emerging:  catching up with the leaders
projection:  an educated guess about the future
invest:  put money into
in process:  already happening
bubble:  circle

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Richard St. John

a researcher, having interviewed over 500 successful people, and inspirational speaker.  He has a black belt in judo, and is a runner, a cyclist, and a mountain climber.

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:

made it:  became successful
comfort zone:  the place where we feel most comfortable
go downhill:  become unsuccessful
I figured:  I thought
coming up with:  thinking of
hot shot guy:  very important person
ignored:  didn’t focus on
distracted:  not focusing on the right thing
antidepressants:  medicine that makes you feel happy, like Prozac
black cloud:  bad feelings
clients:  people who buy your service
sustain it:  keep it going

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Matt Cutts

head of the Webspam team at Google, a company he joined as a software engineer in 2000.  He wrote the first version of SafeSearch, Google’s parental control program.

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:

in a rut:  doing the same things day after day (idiom)
follow in the footsteps:  do the same thing as another person (idiom)
it turns out:  the result is (idiom)
habit:  an activity that you do without thinking
subtract:  stop doing
challenges:  difficult actions
(time) flying by:  (time) passing quickly (idiom)
memorable:  easy to remember
self-confidence:  feeling of being able to do things
computer nerd:  a person who knows computers really well
adventurous:  willing to do new things
novel:  a book created by someone’s imagination
from scratch:  from nothing (idiom)
sleep deprived:  not getting enough sleep
awful:  terrible
sustainable:  lasting for a long time
stick:  continue forever
guarantee:  promise
give it a shot:  try it, do it (idiom)
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

by Arianna Huffington

a Greek-American author best known for her news website The Huffington Post.  She was named number 12 in Forbes’ Magazine’s first-ever list of the Most Influential Women in Media.

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:

dormant:  present but not active
Type A:  people who work long hours everyday
sleep deprived:  not getting enough sleep
fainted:  fell to the ground unconscious
exhaustion:  having no energy at all
stitches:  sewing of the skin
productive:  doing more things
inspired:  having a lot of motivation
lead the way:  go first
virility symbol:  a thing that makes a man feel masculine
bragged:  said proudly
brilliant:  very smart
IQ:  intelligence quotient, smartness
crises:  dangerous situations
gratitude:  thankfulness
effectiveness:  ability to work well
urge:  strongly want
© 2014 Ambien Malecot