~ You died last night — Part 6 || A Heroic Move: We are going to wrap up this story, You Died Last Night, in this episode. We’ll find out what Joe did exactly to save the day, or more literally, to save planet Earth — and all of us. Perhaps you can make a pretty good guess. A Second Chance: Joe comes up with a temporary fix for all the destruction Tony has caused. It explains why you are still here to hear Joe’s tale even though Tony just blew us up. Thanks to Joe, we have a second chance. But because the fix is just temporary, it comes with a stern warning. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet: Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL038 Keywords on Quizlet FREE MP3: Full Radio Play Review time: Listen to the whole play again, from beginning to end, Length: [Min:Sec]. What do you think? It was really important to Joe to tell this story and get his message across to us. It is only because of Joe that we … [Read more...]
DL037: This Calls for Drastic Measures
~ You Died Last Night — Part 5 || Whatever Happened to the Human Race? Joe continues his story of his encounter with the alien, Tony. In this part of the story, the two of them continue on with the tour of inspection — over New York, and then across the ocean to Europe and Russia. They see a puzzling mix of good and bad things about mankind. On the one hand, people are full of vitality, enjoying life. But on the other hand, people can be full of cruelty, taking life. Man's Cruelty to Man Seals our Fate They observe, and all the while, Tony records it as a movie for scientific analysis — the joy of celebration alongside the fear and cruelty of the Cold War. Suddenly, an event occurs that prompts Tony to take corrective measures without hesitation. He takes immediate action. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet: Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL037 Keywords on Quizlet What do you think? It looks like Russia … [Read more...]
DL036: Space Travel, Time Travel
You Died Last Night ~ Part 4 || Under Inspection In today’s episode, Tony begins his tour of inspection. He takes Joe along, so Joe is able to explain what is happening. Joe is hoping against hope that Tony likes what he sees. Knowledge is Power The episode starts off with Joe trying to get Tony talking so that he can hopefully find an angle. In other words, Joe is looking for information that Tony might be willing to share, unaware of it’s significance. Knowledge is power; it just might help Joe fight back.When you listen, try to find out if Tony reveals anything of use to Joe. Through Space and Time They get chatting about Tony’s space travel, and how long it took him to travel to Earth. Tony also used time travel to speed up the journey. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet: Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL036 Keywords on Quizlet What do you think? Did Joe get any useful information out of Tony, … [Read more...]
DL035: Population Control
You Died Last Night, Part 3: Population Control What kind of measures are needed? Tony tries to calm Joe’s fears. He tells Joe that it may not be so bad. He may not need to take drastic action. He needs to survey Earth and mankind first, and from this data, decide on whether mild, severe, or drastic preventive measures are needed. But what does Tony mean by each of these levels of action? Offensive or 'Nice': Tony takes offense at Joe for referring to population control as Tony's "dirty work". Tony prefers to call it "pruning", something which is good and necessary. But when you are the one who will be wiped out, it is hard to look on Tony's mission in a positive light. Euphemisms: Tony and the Thonians aren't the only ones who think reducing the population is the answer to the world's problems. World leaders, the very wealthy, military strategists are trying to find ways to drastically lower the population. They often use "nice" words to talk about killing people off. The … [Read more...]
DL034: We Know You Have the Bomb
You Died Last Night, Part 2 | First Impressions: Inside the flying saucer, Tony doesn't need his red teddy bear spacesuit. Now he looks like a rather short old man in flowing green robes. Joe's impression of him is that he seems friendly. Bomb Threat: Tony pressed Joe to confirm some information he had. The Thonians knew that mankind had nuclear power and that a large atom bomb had exploded 15 years before Tony's arrival. They had picked up the radioactivity coming from Earth, and sent Tony to investigate. You see, nuclear power makes us a threat to them. Tony's mission was to determine whether mankind truly was a threat or not. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet: Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL034 Keywords on Quizlet DL034 Supplementary Words on Quizlet What do you think? So, is Tony a friendly alien? And did Joe do the right thing when he stepped on the spark to prevent the dynamite from blowing up the … [Read more...]
DL033: You Died Last Night ~ Part 1
Crazy Narrator “You Died Last Night” is another one of those sci-fi stories that takes place here on planet Earth. In today’s episode, we meet Joe. He’s our narrator, the guy telling the story. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether Joe is a believable, trustworthy narrator or a crazy, unreliable narrator you can ignore. Joe knows that his story sounds far-fetched, somewhat unbelievable, but he desperately wants you to believe him. The story begins with Joe out in the California desert prospecting. That means he’s looking for gold or some other precious stones. To Joe, this is just a fun thing to do for a holiday. So he hasn’t been out in the desert for years with no other human being to talk to. He doesn’t really seem crazy, but you might wonder if he's gotten just a little too much sun. Joe is risking his reputation to warn all of us -- all of mankind. It is important to him to get this message out. Will you take Joe seriously, or risk the … [Read more...]
DL029: The Rocket ~ Living the Dream
Ray Bradbury's 'The Rocket', Scenes 9 and 10: Being 'In The Moment': Fiorello Bodoni is taking his kids on a weeklong trip to Mars. They are going to be living the dream. When they get back, life will return to normal, but they will be changed. They will have experienced space travel and will have the memory of it for the rest of their lives. Fiorello wants that memory to be rich and vivid, so while they travel, it’s important that his kids to be “in the moment” — that they experience the ‘present’ with all their senses — not only with their eyes, but also with their ears and sense of smell as well. FREE PDF: Keywords & Transcript Quizlet: Have fun learning the keywords with English-Chinese Flashcards and Games. DL029 Keywords on Quizlet DL029 Supplementary Words on Quizlet FREE MP3: Full Radio Play Review time: Listen to the whole play again, from beginning to end, Length: [29:33]. What do you think? Fiorello hadn’t gone crazy after all. He manufactured … [Read more...]
DL028: The Rocket ~ A Dream Revisited
Clever Innovation and Elbow Grease In today’s episode, Fiorello Bodoni dares to dream again. And not only to dream, but to see his dream become a reality. Inspired by his original dream, he sees how he can make something of what he has. With some clever innovation （發明才能） and 'elbow grease' (hard work), he can give his wife and kids the experience of a lifetime. He gets the necessary supplies delivered— a space suit, food packaged for space travel, but he has a lot of work ahead of him too. His model rocket has to be transformed into a rocket that can really do something. Go It Alone Unfortunately, his wife has lost sight of his vision. Perhaps the problem is that he is being too secretive. He hasn't shared his new vision with her at all. How can he expect her to support him? She expects to be his partner, to have a say in the decision making. But this time, Fiorello wants to do something special for her. He wants it to be a surprise. The beauty in what he is trying to do for his … [Read more...]
DL027: The Rocket ~ Reality Doesn’t Measure Up
Ray Bradbury's sci-fi, The Rocket, scenes 5 and 6: In today’s episode, Fiorello Bodoni tries to get back to just living. He’s trying to forget about rockets and Mars so that he won’t have to face disappointment again. His reality is the small world of his junkyard, his broken down machinery, and a family that is relying on him to provide for them. Turning Down the Chance of a Lifetime: In our last episode, Fiorello was trying to choose who would get to go to Mars — his wife, one of his children, or himself. When logical reasoning couldn’t settle it, he turned to drawing straws. But even that failed. Of course, they all wanted to go, but what it came down to was a deep fear that their chance of a lifetime would make the others jealous and destroy their relationships. Feet on the Ground: With his hopes dashed, Fiorello returns to his work in the junkyard. He has some junk to recycle, but his machinery is getting old. He knows his money needs to be invested in new … [Read more...]
DL026: The Rocket ~ The Best-Laid Plans
A Friend Opposes His Best-Laid Plans Fiorello Bodoni has to decide who gets to go on the rocket trip to Mars. His friend, Bramante, warns him that no one could truly be happy for the one who gets to go. If Fiorello goes, his children would always think of the rocket and become sick with desire like their father is. According to Bramante, wanting something that is so unrealistic is unhealthy. Fiorello’s wife would become bitter over it. None of his family could just be happy for the one who has the opportunity. No matter who goes to Mars — him, his wife, or one of the children — it would just result in unfulfilled dreams and bitter jealousy that would eat away at the others. What a damper Bramante has put on Fiorello's best-laid plans! He really is a wet blanket! Who Qualifies? Bodoni chooses to ignore Bramante’s warning. That means he has a big decision to make. He lays out a plan for selecting who gets to go. What qualifications must the winner have? Or should it just be left up … [Read more...]