©University of Geneva via CNN
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Do lightning strikes often happen in your area? Please share some instances.
- When is the rainy season in your country?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- position /puh-ZISH-uhn/
- zone /zohn/
- harm /hahrm/
- transport /trans-POHRT/
- assessment /uh-SES-muhnt/
[verb] – to put something or someone in a particular place
They positioned themselves by the window to see the sunset better.
[noun] – an area, especially one that is different from the areas around it because it has different characteristics or is used for different purposes
Is this a no-parking zone?
[verb] – to hurt someone or damage something
Certain chemicals harm the water quality.
[verb] – to take goods or people from one place to another
We transport the materials by train.
[noun] – the act of judging or deciding the amount, value, quality, or importance of something, or the judgment or decision that is made
We’ll receive the results of the assessment next week.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Researchers from the University of Geneva positioned a giant laser on a mountaintop on July 12 to serve as a lightning rod. Jean-Pierre Wolf, a Swiss physicist who has been working with lasers for over 20 years and the study’s lead researcher, has shown interest in regulating lightning with laser. It shoots about 1,000 times per second and a no-fly zone within the laser’s five-kilometer radius will be declared once it is active. Lasers do not harm aircraft, but they can damage the human eyes, so the researchers will only activate the laser if an increase in lightning activity is detected.
According to Wolf, the laser was disassembled and transported to the mountaintop via cable cars and helicopters. His team used 18 tons of concrete blocks to anchor the laser array on its base and stabilize its structure. The assembly took two weeks and is now ready for assessment. The test will run until September 2021, and if it is successful, the next experiment will take place at an airport.
According to Wolf, the laser was disassembled and transported to the mountaintop via cable cars and helicopters. His team used 18 tons of concrete blocks to anchor the laser array on its base and stabilize its structure. The assembly took two weeks and is now ready for assessment. The test will run until September 2021, and if it is successful, the next experiment will take place at an airport.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- Who is Jean-Pierre Wolf?
- What will the researchers declare once the laser is active?
- According to the article, what can lasers harm?
- How many tons of concrete blocks were used to secure the laser array on the mountaintop?
- How long did it take to assemble the laser?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Are there any lightning rods in your area? Please tell me more about it.
- What methods does your country use to control lightning?
- If you were one of the researchers, what other methods would you suggest to improve the laser?
- Do you think the testing will be successful?
- Where else should the team place a laser-based lightning rod aside from an airport? Why?