Level4 Unit2 Part3 Listening 

Alcatraz

Alcatraz is a small island in San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles from San Francisco. From Alcatraz, you can see the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz is also famous and is now a major tourist attraction. Tourists can reach the island by boat from the city.

Alcatraz has often appeared in movies, including "Escape from Alcatraz" which was made in 1979. One reason it’s famous is because it used to be a prison, a very special prison. It was designed for prisoners who were causing trouble in other prisons, such as trying to escape. It was a maximum security prison, so escape was almost impossible. The waters around it are cold, and only very strong swimmers can swim from the island to San Francisco.

The first group of prisoners arrived in 1934. There were 137 prisoners, including bank robbers and murderers.They came by train from another prison in the state of Kansas. During that trip, there was heavy security. The prisoners were under guard and handcuffed. Nobody wanted them to escape.

The prison was designed to hold up to 336 prisoners. However, the average population was only about 270. Although there were several notorious inmates, such as Al Capone, most of the inmates were not well-known. Many had tried to escape from other prisons or were considered violent. If a man did not behave at another prison, he could be sent to Alcatraz. At Alcatraz there was just one inmate in each prison cell.

Prison life at Alcatraz was highly structured and boring. It was designed to teach prisoners to follow rules. They had four rights: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Everything else was a privilege that had to be earned. Privileges included working, visits from family members, and access to the prison library. There were also activities such as painting and music. Once a prisoner showed that he could follow the rules, he could be transferred back to another prison to finish his sentence.

Alcatraz was used as a prison for 29 years. During that time, no prisoner escaped successfully. There were 14 escape attempts, involving 36 prisoners. Twenty-three were caught alive, and six were shot and killed. Two men tried to escape twice. Two drowned and five were listed as missing and presumed drowned. The most violent escape attempt occurred on May 2, 1946 when six prisoners tried to escape. That event is called the "Battle of Alcatraz."

While it was in use, Alcatraz held some of the most notorious criminals in American history, such as Al Capone. Al Capone was a crime boss who built his career in Chicago. The prison was finally closed in 1963. It was closed because it was too expensive to operate.

Level4 Unit2 Part2 Vocabulary

Graphs & charts

A bar graph uses rectangular bars of different lengths to show and compare data. The lengths of the bars are proportional to the values they represent. The bars can be vertical, up and down, or horizontal.

A circle graph, often called a pie graph, is shaped like a circle. It is divided into segments that look like pieces of a pie. Percentages are used to compare the segments, which are ordered from biggest to smallest.

Line graphs are used to show the relationship between two variables, such as time and distance. These variables are plotted on 2 axes, the X axis and the Y axis. The X axis often shows time, while the Y axis shows how quantities, such as distance, temperature, or profits change with time.

A flowchart is a type of graph that shows how a process or a project flows from start to finish. A flow chart consists of start points, inputs, outputs and decision points.

An organizational chart or org chart show the structure of a company. It shows how people and departments within a company are connected. It defines the roles and responsibilities of people and departments within a company.

Legal Terms

Laws are rules that people are supposed to follow. A system of laws governs the behavior of people within a country. (An action that is against the law is an illegal action.) (An action that follows the law is a legal action.)

Criminals are people who break the law. People who commit a crime are called criminals. Some criminals are very dangerous and needed be put in jail. (Someone who commits a crime may be sent to prison.)

A jail or prison is a place where criminals are locked behind bars, sometimes for many years. Prisons are designed to keep criminals away from other people.

A courthouse is where someone charged with committing a crime goes on trial. In court, evidence is presented to show the guilt or innocence of a person on trial.

When someone breaks the law, they may be arrested by the police. To arrest someone means to take and hold them until they go on trial.(When a person is charged with breaking a law ,they are tried in a court of law.)

Level4 Unit2 Part3 Dialogue

Current Exchange

May I help you, sir?

I’d like to change some US dollars into Japanese yen, please.

Yes, certainly sir.

How much would you like to change?

I’d like to change 500 dollars.

May I see your passport please?

I don’t have it with me, but I do have my driver’s license.

Would that be OK?

No, I'm sorry, sir.

I need to see your passport, it’s the law.

Look, I’m not asking for a loan.

I just want to convert my dollars into yen.

Why do I need my passport?

I understand your frustration sir, but that’s the law.

I can not do something that is illegal.

OK, do you have any suggestions?

Sure, the easiest things for you to do is to use a machine in one of the hotels near here.

You can borrow someone’s passport and then do the conversion.

So the machine doesn’t check my fingerprints or anything like that?

No, sir. But there is a limit as to how much you can change at one time.

You also have to pay a higher fee.

Thanks for your help.

You’re welcome, sir.