Vocabulary - NASA – Earth at Night

Task A
Task B
Task C
Task D
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A. Pre-viewing

Before watching a video about the night view of the earth, familiarize yourself with the following entries:

composite - a complex structure made up of distinct components
satellite - a man-made device orbiting around the earth, moon, or another planet transmitting to earth scientific information or it’s used for communication
the polar-orbiting Suomi NPP - a weather satellite which revolves around the polar (North or South Pole or the areas around them) to obtain information and images of the Earth
clusters - a combination of stars moving together through space.
galaxy - a massive system consisting of stars, gas and dust, etc.
Nile River - a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, mainly Egypt, and is regarded as the longest river in the world
gas flares - also known as flare stack, is a gas combustion device used in industrial plants for burning off flammable gas
byproduct - a secondary product derived from a manufacturing process or chemical reaction
exploration - an act of searching or traveling around a place for the purpose of discovery of resources (e.g. oil and gas) or information
Himalayas - a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau
human settlement - a community in which people live or have lived, without being specific as to its size, population or importance. The term may include hamlets, villages, towns and cities
wildfire - an uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness

B. Comprehension

Watch the video and answer the following questions or complete the sentences:

Click here to watch the video

Video ©NASA.gov

“In daylight, our big blue marble is all land, oceans and clouds, but the night is electric. Seen from space, our planet comes alive with light.”
What does ‘electric’ mean in the above context?

charged with electricity/ exciting
producing electricity/ bright
using electricity/ powerful
“In some places, city lights resemble solitary stars in the night sky; in other places, dense clusters of galaxies.”
What does ‘solitary’ mean?

hard and big
isolated, existing alone
electric

The NPP satellite can distinguish… (you may select more than one option)

brightly lit boats that line Egypt’s Nile River

the massive flames from gas flares

oil and gas resources in the middle east

Correct! Sorry!Try again!

The night view of the Himalayas shows how human settlement is bound by...

fishing borders
political borders
natural borders
“But not all light is electric. Glowing just as bright, flaming wildfire burn across Australia.”
What does ‘flaming’ mean in this context?

destructive
hurtful
burning fiercely

C. Synonyms

You can improve your memory of a word by associating it with its synonyms. A synonym is a word that has the same, or nearly the same meaning as another word.
In the exercise below, three synonyms are provided for each bolded word in the following sentences taken from the talk. Watch the video again and observe how these words are used in a larger context. Select the synonym that best fits that context. Consult a dictionary when necessary.

Seen from space, our planet comes alive with light.

put forward becomes lively turn on
This new view of the Earth’s night lights is a composite of data acquired by the polar orbiting Suomi NPP satellite.

understood obtained made
Aboard the satellite, a newly designed instrument called VIIRS is able to collect what scientists say is a remarkably detailed view of the Earth at night.

unmistakably signally exceptionally
In some places, city lights resemble solitary stars in the night sky; in other places, dense clusters of galaxies.

coincide approximate look alike
In some places, city lights resemble solitary stars in the night sky; in other places, dense clusters of galaxies.

overweight thick jammed
As the satellite passes over the darkness of the Himalayas, it shows how human settlement is bound by natural borders.

confined destined forced
Even political borders are starkly visible in this view of North and South Korea and in a line of fishing boats that dot the Yellow Sea.

sharply plainly completely
This new view of the Earth at night offers a unique perspective for exploring the many places in which we live.

angle disposition stance
This new view of the Earth at night offers a unique perspective for exploring the many places in which we live, and seeing the impact of human populations around the world, no matter how faint or how bright their lights shine.

weak delicate pale

D. Using Vocabulary

Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.

come alive
acquire
solitary
resemble
dense
bound
starkly
flaming
perspective
faint

The playground comes alive at four in the afternoon – when the kids finish school.
She has mastered English grammar and acquired a large vocabulary without the help of a teacher.
Kelly is very beautiful. She resembles the famous actress, Jessica Alba.
Traffic slowed down because the heavy rain and the dense fog made it difficult for drivers to see the road.
The company is bound by a special agreement to involve the union in important decisions.
My father is in a flaming temper because I broke his Rolex watch.
The author makes the choice starkly clear that she would not follow the trend but stay true to her own creativity and ideas.
He also argued that, from a technical perspective, the fixed interest market was sending out a strong buy signal for equities.
There's just a faint chance that the weather will improve by tomorrow, I guess we will eventually need to reschedule the picnic.
Peter is a solitary child who enjoys being alone and playing on his own.

Transcription

Transcription - NASA | Earth at Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3YYwIsMHzw
In daylight, our big blue marble is all land, oceans and clouds, but the night is electric. Seen from space, our planet comes alive with light. This new view of the Earth’s night lights is a composite of data acquired by the polar-orbiting Suomi NPP satellite.

Aboard the satellite, a newly designed instrument called VIIRS is able to collect what scientists say is a remarkably detailed view of the Earth at night. In some places, city lights resemble solitary stars in the night sky; in other places, dense clusters of galaxies. The satellite can even distinguish brightly lit boats that line Egypt’s Nile River, and the massive flames from gas flares produced as a byproduct of oil and gas exploration in the Middle East.

As the satellite passes over the darkness of the Himalayas, it shows how human settlement is bound by natural borders. Even political borders are starkly visible in this view of North and South Korea and in a line of fishing boats that dot the Yellow Sea. But not all light is electric. Glowing just as bright, flaming wildfire burn across Australia.

This new view of the Earth at night offers a unique perspective for exploring the many places in which we live, and seeing the impact of human populations around the world, no matter how faint or how bright their lights shine.