Vocabulary:
|
English |
Pronunciation |
Arabic |
|
compelling (adj) |
/kəmˈpelɪŋ/ |
مثير للإعجاب / مقنع |
|
disregard the possibility |
/ˌdɪsrɪˈɡɑːd ðə ˌpɒsəˈbɪləti/ |
تجاهل الاحتمال |
|
elaborate (adj) |
/ɪˈlæbərət/ |
مفصّل / معقد |
|
far-fetched (adj) |
/ˈfɑːˈfɛʧt/ |
بعيد عن الواقع / غير معقول |
|
have an open mind |
/hæv ən ˈəʊpɘn maɪnd/ |
أن تكون متفتح الذهن |
|
intriguing (adj) |
/ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ/ |
مثير للاهتمام / غامض وجذاب |
|
lay to rest |
/leɪ tuː rɛst/ |
وضع حد لـ / إنهاء الشكوك |
|
make detailed mention of |
/meɪk ˈdiːteɪld ˈmɛnʃɘn ɒv/ |
ذكر بالتفصيل |
|
open an investigation into something |
/ˈəʊpɘn ən ɪnˌvɛstɪˈɡeɪʃɘn ˈɪntuː ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ |
فتح تحقيق في شيء ما |
|
patronising (adj) |
/ˈpætrənaɪzɪŋ/ |
متعجرف / متكبر |
|
raise awareness of |
/reɪz əˈweənəs ɒv/ |
زيادة الوعي بـ |
|
raise doubts about |
/reɪz daʊts əˈbaʊt/ |
إثارة الشكوك حول |
|
raise eyebrows |
/reɪz ˈaɪbraʊz/ |
أثار الدهشة / الاستغراب |
|
raise hopes |
/reɪz həʊps/ |
رفع الآمال / منح الأمل |
|
raise questions about |
/reɪz ˈkwɛsʧənz əˈbaʊt/ |
إثارة تساؤلات حول |
|
raise somebody’s voice |
/reɪz ˈsʌmbədiz vɔɪs/ |
رفع الصوت على شخص ما |
|
reluctant (adj) |
/rɪˈlʌktənt/ |
متردد / ممانع |
|
reputable (adj) |
/ˈrɛpjətəbɘl/ |
ذو سمعة طيبة |
|
ridicule someone’s ideas |
/ˈrɪdɪkjuːl ˈsʌmwʌnz aɪˈdɪəz/ |
السخرية من أفكار شخص ما |
|
single-minded (adj) |
/ˌsɪŋɡlˈmaɪndɪd/ |
مُصمم / ذو هدف واحد |
|
underwhelmed (adj) |
/ˌʌndəˈwelmd/ |
غير متأثر / خائب الظن |
Solving the Mystery of Nature’s Illusions
9.15 The documentary on natural optical illusions was shown last Monday and provoked some different reactions. Our comments page today features some of them. Who do you agree with?
A Issa008
I have to say that I thought the documentary was far more intriguing than I was expecting it to be. I’ve had an interest in natural illusions for so long, that I feel as though I’ve seen most of them, but I still found the documentary fascinating. I love how optical illusions can be so different. My favourites are when your eyes are tricked into seeing something that’s not there, like when you place a stick in the water, and it looks like it is bending. The documentary had some great examples of those, such as the salt flats in Bolivia where the ground looks like an enormous mirror. I’d love to go and see it for myself with my wife, but she can be quite reluctant to travel so far from home.
B Kamal_79
I thought the documentary was quite informative about how the natural illusions can happen and it did give me some information that I wasn’t aware of from reputable sources, such as scientists and geologists. As a fan of natural illusions, I’ve spent a good amount of time reading about them and visiting the ones that I’ve been able to get to, so I know a fair amount about the subject. However, I did feel that they could have used better examples sometimes than the ones included in the documentary. For example, I’d love to have seen the underwater waterfall in Mauritius which I think is one of the most mind-boggling illusions in the world. So, in that respect, I think the documentary could have been better.
C Samia2532
There was a lot of hype about this documentary in the media using words like ‘exciting’ and ‘revealing’, and so it’s really no surprise that the viewing figures showed that vast numbers of people watched it. I think a lot of people are really interested in optical illusions. However, it left me feeling underwhelmed. As they had chosen the most famous ones, I’d already seen them numerous times. I mean, who hasn’t seen the Northern Lights in Iceland by now? I also felt that the elaborate explanations about how the illusions worked were a little patronising and treated the audience as if they were children. With the dramatic music and a presenter who seemed to act as though he was the most important part of the programme, they managed to make the illusions less interesting somehow.
D JameelaB2B
I only really started watching this because my daughter was watching it. I had no idea most of these places existed, so I found it a lot more compelling than I thought it would be. I know the people explaining how the illusions happened were meant to be experts, but honestly, I found some of their explanations a bit far-fetched. I mean, how much can we really know about these natural wonders? Other than that, though, I thought it was fascinating. I particularly loved the mirages in Wadi Rum in southern Jordan. It made me want to watch more documentaries in the future.
Multiple Choice Questions: Solving the Mystery of Nature’s Illusions
1. When was the documentary about natural illusions shown?
A) Last Friday B) Last Monday C) Last Sunday D) Last Wednesday
2. What does Issa008 find most fascinating in optical illusions?
A) When mirrors are used
B) When your eyes are tricked into seeing something that’s not there
C) When the illusions are in movies
D) When illusions are explained scientifically
3. Which location did Issa008 mention as an example of a natural illusion?
A) Wadi Rum, Jordan B) Northern Lights, Iceland
C) Salt flats in Bolivia D) Underwater waterfall, Mauritius
4. Why does Issa008 hesitate to visit the salt flats in Bolivia?
A) He doesn’t like traveling B) His wife may be reluctant to travel far
C) It is too expensive D) He thinks it’s dangerous
5. According to Kamal_79, the documentary was:
A) Boring and repetitive B) Informative and based on reputable sources
C) Completely fictional D) Hard to understand
6. What did Kamal_79 wish the documentary included?
A) More dramatic music B) Underwater waterfall in Mauritius
C) Northern Lights in Iceland D) Wadi Rum in Jordan
7. How does Kamal_79 describe himself in relation to natural illusions?
A) A casual viewer B) A fan who reads about and visits them
C) A skeptic D) Someone who dislikes optical illusions
8. Samia2532 felt the documentary was:
A) Extremely exciting B) Underwhelming
C) Perfectly detailed D) Hard to watch
9. What reason does Samia2532 give for feeling underwhelmed?
A) The illusions were fake
B) The most famous illusions had been seen many times
C) The documentary was too short
D) The music was inappropriate
10. According to Samia2532, the explanations about illusions were:
A) Clear and helpful B) Confusing and incorrect
C) Patronising, treating the audience like children D) Too scientific
11. What effect did the presenter and music have, according to Samia2532?
A) Made the illusions more dramatic B) Made the illusions less interesting
C) Helped explain the illusions better D) Made the documentary educational
12. Why did JameelaB2B start watching the documentary?
A) She wanted to learn about optical illusions
B) Her daughter was watching it
C) She read a review D) She was studying for school
13. Which place did JameelaB2B particularly enjoy learning about?
A) Salt flats in Bolivia B) Northern Lights, Iceland
C) Wadi Rum in Jordan D) Underwater waterfall, Mauritius
14. How does JameelaB2B describe some of the explanations in the documentary?
A) Completely accurate B) Far-fetched C) Too simple D) Misleading
15. Overall, how does JameelaB2B feel about the documentary?
A) Fascinated and eager to watch more documentaries B) Bored and unimpressed
C) Angry and critical D) Confused and lost
16. Which person mentioned being a long-time fan of natural illusions?
A) Issa008 B) Kamal_79 C) Samia2532 D) JameelaB2B
17. Which opinion mentions skepticism about how much can truly be known about natural wonders?
A) Issa008 B) Kamal_79 C) Samia2532 D) JameelaB2B
18. Which comment talks about the popularity of the documentary based on media hype?
A) Issa008 B) Kamal_79 C) Samia2532 D) JameelaB2B
19. Which of the following did NOT appear in the text as an optical illusion location?
A) Bolivia B) Iceland C) Jordan D) Egypt
20. What general theme connects all four commenters’ opinions?
A) They all disliked the documentary
B) They all had prior knowledge of natural illusions
C) They all had different perspectives on how engaging or informative the documentary was
D) They all wanted to travel immediately to the locations
|
1.B 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. B 7. B 8. B 9. B 10. C 11. B 12. B 13. C 14. B 15. A 16. B 17. D 18. C 19. D 20. C |
