ESL Podcast 605 - Talking About Astronomy
honey - sweetheart; a word used when talking to loved ones to show them that one cares
Honey, could you please take out the garbage?
project - assignment; the study of a particular subject for a period of time, usually resulting in a report or other product that will be evaluated by the teacher or boss
Sally had to draw a map of the world as part of her geography project.
Earth - the planet that humans live on
Do you think there is life on other planets, or only on Earth?
universe - the entire world, including all planets, stars, suns, moons, galaxies, and the space between them
How many planets are in the universe?
report - a written document with information about a particular topic
Each sales manager has to write a monthly report that explains why sales are increasing or decreasing in his or her region.
model - a small copy of something that looks just like the real, much larger thing
Architects often build models of their new buildings for clients to look at before their final designs are approved.
telescope - a long, cylindrical object that one looks through at one end, used to see the details of objects that are very far away in outer space
This telescope lets us see faraway stars that are invisible to the naked eye.
space - outer space; all of the universe except for Earth; the area around planet Earth, including all other planets, stars, suns, moons, galaxies, and more
Lex wants to become an astronaut so that he can travel through space.
astronomy - the study of the universe; the study of outer space; the study of planets, stars, suns, moons, galaxies, and more.
We're studying black holes in our astronomy class.
planet - a very big, round object like Earth, Mars, or Venus that moves around a sun
When I was a kid, we were taught that Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were the only planets in our solar system, but it seems like scientists have discovered many other planets since then.
solar system - the part of outer space that we are most familiar with, including the Sun and the planets that move around it
How long would it take a spaceship to travel outside of our solar system?
Big Bang - Big Bang theory; the idea that everything in the universe was created with one large explosion and that small pieces are still moving away from each other as a result of that explosion
Do you think that the Big Bang theory can account for life on Earth?
light years - the distance traveled by light in one year
How many light years would be needed to travel to Saturn?
star - one of many small points of light in the nighttime sky, actually a very large ball of burning gas
Have you ever tried to count all the stars in the sky?
asteroid - a rock that moves around the sun, smaller than a planet
This science fiction movie is about a large asteroid that threatens to hit the Earth and move our planet out of orbit.
galaxy - a large group of stars
How many galaxies are in the universe?
to set (something) apart from (something) - to make something different or better than other, similar things; to differentiate something from something else
Some people print their résumés on very expensive paper, hoping to set their application apart from the others.
out of this world - very cool; awesome; extraordinary and very interesting
Seeing that band perform live would be out of this world!