Vocabulary and Listening –
TED Talk by Bono: The good news on poverty
(Yes, there's good news)
Paul David Hewson KBE (born 1960), known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer, musician, venture capitalist and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist and lyricist of the Dublin -based rock band U2. Bono, the lead singer of U2, spent several weeks in Ethiopia helping with a famine relief project in 1985. The experience shocked him and he began to use his celebrity to fight for social justice worldwide: to end hunger, poverty and disease, especially in Africa.
He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and, with Bill and Melinda Gates, was named Time Person of the Year in 2005, among other awards and nominations, Time magazine ranked him at the 8th place on its list of the “Most Influential Celebrities” in 2013; he was the only person from the music industry in the Top 10.
In this exercise, you will watch a video excerpt in which Bono talks about how the sharing of facts and the use of technology can bring poverty to an end.
- Listening
- Previewing
- Comprehension
Previewing
Familiarize yourself with the following notes on cultural information and vocabulary before watching the video. This will help you understand the video better.
| jeopardy - | in danger of being damaged or destroyed. |
| inertia - | lack of activity or interest, or unwillingness to make an effort to do anything. |
| momentum - | the force that keeps an object moving or keeps an event developing after it has started. |
| Uganda - | is a landlocked country in East Africa. For decades, Uganda's economy suffered from devastating economic policies and instability, leaving Uganda as one of the world's poorest countries. |
| U-report - | a new communication technology developed by UNICEF Uganda and launched in May 2011. |
| The Global Fund - | an international financing organization that aims to attract and disburse additional resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. |
| Oslo - | the capital of and most populous city in Norway. |
| supplicant - | a person who asks for something in a humble way, especially from God or a powerful person. |
| Guinness - | a popular Irish dry stout, one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. |
| One Campaign - | a grassroots advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. |
| Nelson Mandela - | a South African anti-racism revolutionary and politician who calls on the world to overcome most awful offense to humanity and extreme poverty. |
| Wael Ghonim - | an Internet activist and computer engineer with an interest in social entrepreneurship. In 2010, Wael founded a Facebook page titled to support a young Egyptian who was tortured to death by police. His page moved and integrated anti-government protests which took place in different spots in Egypt, including the Tahrir Square in Cairo. |
| factivism - | evidence based activism. It also describes a new generation of such connected campaigners who are seizing the opportunity opened up by new technologies to turbo-charge transparency, reinvigorate institutions and transform their world. |
| a clarion call - | a strong and clear request for people to do something. |
Comprehension
Read the following questions and answers to have an idea of what to expect in the video. Then watch the video and select the most appropriate answer to the questions.
Video ©TED
Click here to watch the video
Video ©TED
Vocabulary in context
Read the following words and guess what they may possibly mean. Then watch the video and complete this matching task by referring to the context of the video.
Synonym
You can improve your memory of a word by associating it with its synonyms. A synonym is a word that has the same, or nearly the same meaning as another word.
In the exercise below, three synonyms are provided for each bolded word in the following sentences taken from the talk. Watch the video again and observe how these words are used in a larger context. Select the synonym that best fits that context. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
In the exercise below, three synonyms are provided for each bolded word in the following sentences taken from the talk. Watch the video again and observe how these words are used in a larger context. Select the synonym that best fits that context. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
Using Vocabulary
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box.
1. jeopardy
2. obstacle
3. entrepreneurs
4. clichéd
5. impoverished
6. rough
7. semblance
8. virtuous
9. contagious
10. Transparency
2. obstacle
3. entrepreneurs
4. clichéd
5. impoverished
6. rough
7. semblance
8. virtuous
9. contagious
10. Transparency
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