Trending: Remembering David Bowie

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

confirm

Verb

kənˈfərm

to state or show that something is definitely true or correct, especially by providing evidence

He called the client to confirm the order details.

He is confirming which gate his flight leaves from.

Please call again to confirm your hotel reservation.

The meeting is confirmed for next Thursday.

He confirmed that the rumor was true.

courageous

Adjective

kəˈreɪdʒəs

showing courage; being very brave

It was very courageous of him to jump into the river and save the boy.

cancer

Noun

ˈkænsər

a disease in which growths of cells, called cancer cells, form in the body and kill normal body cells. The disease often causes death

Cancer is one of the world's leading causes of death.

Cigarettes are a leading cause of cancer.

There is a direct link between smoking and cancer.

Cancer is a very serious disease.

iconic

Adjective

aɪˈkɑːnɪk

very successful and admired

This is the iconic little black dress Audrey Hepburn wore.

The superhero wears his iconic golden mask.

The black dress that the actress was wearing became iconic.

describe

Verb

dɪˈskraɪb

to say what somebody/something is like

Love is a difficult emotion to describe.

The doctor is describing her condition.

This leaflet describes our new product.

Sometimes it's difficult to describe your feelings.

They described me as naive and childish.

She described the man who attacked her.

He described what the book looked like.

legend

Noun

ˈlɛdʒənd

(in this case) a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well

The statue illustrates a legend about the founding of Rome.

This movie is based on an ancient legend.

Winning three gold medals and breaking three world records, he became a legend as an athlete.

I have heard some legends about it.

Michael Jordan is considered a sports legend.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Trending: Remembering David Bowie

British rock star David Bowie has died. He was 69 years old.

His family confirmed his death on Bowie’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. They wrote that he died peacefully on Sunday “surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.”

Last Friday, the iconic singer turned 69. That same day, he released his album, Blackstar. Bowie mixed rock and jazz on the album. Critics have described Blackstar as his best work in years.

On social media, fellow musicians, fans and even astronauts mourned Bowie’s death. So far, more than 4 million Tweets worldwide have mentioned the music legend.

Madonna wrote several tweets about Bowie’s musical influence.

As news broke of his death on Monday, fans worldwide were in tears, as well.

Exercise 3

Questions

How old was David Bowie?

How many tweets were written about him after his death?

What was the name of his last album?

Exercise 4

Discussion

Do you like rock music?

Do you know of David Bowie?

Are you a fan of a particular artist/musician/band/actor/etc.?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.