Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the USA which is observed on the third Monday of January (the 18th of the current month in 2021), as Dr. King's birthday was on January 15th. His speech, "I Have a Dream" has inspired several generations of civil rights activists to fight peacefully but unyieldlingly for justice and against any kind of discrimination. American Rhetoric.com ranks "I Have a Dream" as number one in the list of the most influential speeches in the USA, it is powerful, moving, rich in literary and biblical references and very rhythmical -a well-crafted mixture of political speech and Baptist sermon. You can also watch the whole speech on the YouTube video below.
The text contains a lof of legal terms in American English. Some of the less frequent vocabulary students will come across is the following: facilities, [a court] to rule, literacy, to file a suit, a plaintiff, to overturn a decision/ a court ruling, a melting pot, to flirt, to dispose of, casket, to rally support, to acquit of a crime, double jeopardy, outrage, to spark, a standoff, a [lunch] counter, to pledge, bail, a restroom, to flee, to cram, turmoil, a stance, to enforce [a law], to skip school, restraint, upheaval, to gather, to fulfill [a requirement].
This is the glossary for the BBC Radio 5 Live interview, which is long enough to be used as a listening guide: a defining year, the paddock, a monumental moment, to cheer (for him), a standing ovation, achievement, colossal, realm, to witness history, the greatest ever, ultra succesful, a statesman, whole package, measured in his emotion and focused, a genious display, [last few] laps, that genious and brillance, so critical [in his career], to stay put, a leap of faith, to count my blessings, the right thing for me, to be aware of, surroundings, to match an icon, to dream big, plenty to pick, to take points away from him, cannot hold a candle to Lewis on Sunday, can't leave anything on the table, you scrap everything, tenacity, to pit, tyres, he had no right to win [the race], absolutely ridiculous, blown out of the water, absolutely ferocious, absolutely useless, slippery [pit lane], astonishing, acrobatics, do the Maths in your head, strands of information, he gets credit, to deserve, talent, to stay focused, to beat [Michael's] record, a fantastic achievement, to set up the car, the best ever, to be honest, his record surpassed, he would be OK, fair to compare, to exhibit, mastery, an outstanding [driver], win percentage, brilliant, rolled them into one, creeping up around 30%, [the car] they step into, these machines, the sum of all this, the current crop [of football players], facilities, data, magical vacuum, to set parameters, tiers, a like to like comparison, to read the stats, stunning, to take a bow, tributes, to reach out, biassed, based in [Britain], to be hailed as [the greatest sports person], the realm of, in his breadth, he has utterly dominated, Swedish domiciled, the key difference, the equipment, head-to-head, unique, the outright [best], to be knighted, they stand out, engaged, involved, charities, issues, using their platform, they gravitate to him, to step forward, to make his voice heard, charitable contibution, never swayed away from him, the stopwatch, the real world, he has a voice, utilize [his voice], more round up, there is purpose in [something], squeezed in a box, this deal [among us], to work out, to turn up, social intelligence, work ethic, inspirational, glamour, sustainablility, he has a spotlight on [him], to lead the way, to push forward, human rights record, his focus, to speak up, to dream big, not built into them, to deal with, to strengthen, to go through, to take with [him], makes people uncomfortable, there's much more to be done, to drive change, to race against, key points, meritocracy, a blinked view, not a bouncer, good enough, incredible, paddock, [no one] to look up to, to condemn [issues], his stature, to get enraged, to galvanize people behind him, rightly so, racist slurs, to preserve, to take on this mantra, quite clear, cash is king, he revels in this idea, foundations, to get heavily into, different irons in the fire, to ge a headline, he won't play ball, pretty impressive, he transcends sports, a headline generator, an incredible work ethic, quite unusual, aloof, moody, incredibly thoughful, to put a lot of effort, to speak for ten minutes on end, not waffle, underlying point, to quote, on black and white, incredibly softly spoken, glib, disingenious, weird lingering, misconceptions, in your copy, a nice bloke, baffling, post-race interview, he'll definitely be around, to check out 2020, he'll stick around, a decent chance of being in F1, to win all the Wallies around, getting the contracts down, not so straightforward, sponsorship deals, to walk away, he definitely is hungry, end on a high note, to ball out gracefully, to set the bar high, to move aside, to move on, our panel.
The vocabulary is not too difficult, you will find words like miracle, a rescue ship, to flee (fled, fled), to struggle [for your life], to bear [a name], to faint, to be in labour, to make it to Europe on a boat, to go through [something], to be in [somebody's] shoes, to be blessed.
Padma Lakshmi is an international model, the host and executive producer of the TV show "Top Chef" in USA, and now she is the host of the new food and travel programme, "Taste the Nation" on Hulu, a leading Disney video service, where she visits chefs in immigrant communities who have contributed to the American culinary heritage.
The interview lasts 41 minutes, so it can be used by C2 students and experts as background listening while you are doing something else, like walking, gardening or ironing. There is a full script which helps to pick up unintelligible words, or to do a reading and listening exercise with C1 students. You can also find a text that summirizes the highlights of the interview.
The interview contains many new words, including cooking ingredients: to acknowledge, cages, backbone, to pick up, to leave off, to be vilified, insight, a diner, to get heckled, [to sneak] snuck snuck, to take somebody to task, a rocking chair, dosa, lentil, crepe, batter, upma, sauteed, sooji, rava, couscous, quinoa, to streamline, carnivorousness, pepperoni, baloney, cold cuts, squeamish, tripe, offal, brewers, to be spotted, audition, legit, booker, mortified, a rocky start, outsider, appeal, scar, to dawn on me, cachet, S & M, pose, to squander, knickers, stockinged, cleavage, duster jacket, keloid, whole-hog, grunge, billboards, self-loathing, to admonish, to rear-end, embankment, jaws of life, windshield, ribs, home-bound, penance, secular, to have a career in [food], a major in theatre, to pay off, collage loans, premiere, cookbook, a spiral notebook, to jot down, splash, ploy, freak, compound, a knitted blanket, a crocheted blanket, to sling slung slung, a platter, gosh, to dress up, guilt, to make waves, sexually assaulted, op-ed, to be challenged [in court], unwillingness, it weighed on me, date rape, taxing, to rip off, to cherish, chronic pain, to crumple in bed, a heating pad, the period, to handle, to dispel, to wreak havoc, lining, leftover tissue, memoir, to instil in [somebody], cuddly, siblings, hem, sari, a well-read person, verbatim.
Morgan Bullock is a 20-year-old African American from Richmond, Virginia, who uploaded an Irish dance version of Beyoncé's "The Savage Remix" on Tik Tok, which went viral. Many people loved her artistic performance, but there were some who accused her of "cultural misappropriation". If you want to find out the end of the story you can click on the following BBC link to watch a 4:15 video of the story with subtitles, which could be accessible to B2 students: bbc.in/30p2Y6w
But if your level of English is higher, you can try the full BBC video report below, which is 10:51, and has no subtitles
