English Listening Practice: Is finding Lego on a beach a win for the environment or just more plastic pollution?
In today's English listening lesson we learn why ocean spills from 1997 are still washing up on beaches today!
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You'll discover new English vocabulary, like "whimsical" and "mishap," through an unusual but fascinating news story about a Lego spill in the ocean. You’ll see how listening to something interesting can help you easily remember and use new English words in your everyday conversations.
Don't forget! Stay until the end because there's a surprising twist that ties everything together, and you won’t want to miss the chance to add these fun, useful words to your vocabulary! Start now and take your English to the next level!
✔️ Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/english-listening-practice-vocabulary-lego-ocean-art/
It's not just about what we find; it's about what we learn from it.
⭐ Sylvia Earle
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More About This Lesson
Can you believe that a single shipping accident in 1997 still impacts beaches around the world today? Stay tuned to today's English listening lesson and learn how this event continues to affect marine life while your improve your English language skills.
Play is the highest form of research.
⭐ Albert Einstein
In this lesson:
- You learn new vocabulary like 'mishap', 'whimsical', and 'capsize' with clear examples.
- You practise pronunciation of tricky words like 'mishap' and 'capsize'.
- You improve listening comprehension through real-world context and storytelling.
- You reinforce memory by linking words to a memorable story about Lego and the ocean.
- You expand your environmental vocabulary by learning about ocean spills and art.
- You practice spelling with words like 'whimsical', 'roof', and 'current'.
- You hear British English pronunciation and phrasing in a natural setting.
- You get practical context for using new words in conversation.
- You enjoy a playful but informative story, keeping the learning engaging.
- You develop listening skills by following a story with varied vocabulary and pace.
You'll explore a true story where Lego bricks spilled into the sea, which scientists and artists used to study ocean currents and make art. Along the way, you'll pick up important English words like 'mishap' (meaning a small accident), 'whimsical' (meaning playful or fun), and 'capsize' (when something, like a boat, flips over). You'll learn how to use these words in everyday conversations.
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It's not about memorizing words—it's about hearing them in a real-world context. This method makes it easier for you to remember new words and feel confident when talking to native speakers. You'll also learn about ocean science and environmental art, which gives you more topics to talk about in English.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What new vocabulary will I learn in this English lesson? In this lesson, you'll learn words like 'mishap', 'whimsical', and 'capsize', all explained through an engaging story about Lego and ocean spills. These words will help you expand your vocabulary in real-world contexts.
- How will this lesson help me improve my British English fluency? By listening to the story, you'll hear authentic British English pronunciation, phrases, and grammar in action. It’s perfect for enhancing your listening skills and gaining confidence in conversation.
- Is this lesson suitable for beginners and advanced learners? Yes, the lesson is designed for all levels. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, you’ll find the vocabulary, pronunciation tips, and real-world examples helpful in improving your English fluency.
- Can I learn British English idioms and phrases from this lesson? Absolutely! This lesson covers useful phrases and idiomatic expressions, making it easier for you to speak British English naturally and fluently in everyday conversation.
- How does this lesson relate to environmental topics and learning English? The lesson uses a real-world story about environmental issues like ocean plastic to teach new vocabulary. This context makes the language more memorable and practical, helping you retain and use it in discussions about environmental topics.
Most Unusual Words:
- Whimsical: Playful, funny, and slightly strange.
- Mishap: An unlucky or small accident.
- Capsize: To tip over, usually referring to a boat.
- Spill: To accidentally pour or drop something out of its container.
- Canoe: A small, narrow boat that you paddle.
- Cove: A small, sheltered bay on a coastline.
- Oceanographer: A scientist who studies the ocean.
- Current: A strong flow of water in the ocean or a river.
- Floatee: A toy filled with air that floats on water.
- Intact: Whole or unbroken.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| Plastic | 10 |
| About | 9 |
| Which | 8 |
| People | 8 |
| Pieces | 7 |
| Shipping | 7 |
| Ducks | 7 |
| Means | 6 |
| English | 6 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Learn English-How Lego And Accidents Teach Us About the Sea
How has a Lego mishap from 1997 taught us about ocean currents and plastic pollution? A good story!
Hi there. Today I've got a slightly odd, whimsical news story for you, which I read last week and which links to a childhood pastime, which you may well share with me. And it links to understanding the world's oceans and some artwork in Cornwall. How do you combine all that? Well here goes. Stay with me until the end to find out. Have you ever played with Lego? That's L-E-G-O. What do you remember building as a child with Lego? Keep listening and you'll hear about how a simple mishap with Lego in 1997 teaches us about today's oceans. That's 'ocean', O-C-E-A-N. And a 'mishap'? That's M-I-S-H-A-P. Notice it's pronounced 'mis-hap', not 'mishap'. And it means 'an unfortunate accident'. All the while you'll be practising your English language understanding and learning new vocabulary as you go. And that word 'whimsical' I used right at the start? That's W H I M S I C A L. It means 'playful, slightly humorous, but also slightly strange and freakish' perhaps. 'Whimsical'. There's a word to add to your vocabulary. And let's weave in playful but practical examples to help you learn words like 'mishap', 'whimsical' and 'capsize'. Learning new vocabulary is much easier if it's linked to memorable real world contexts so that you can recall these words and use them in conversation.
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A great toy, which maybe you enjoyed as much as I did?
So did you ever spend hours as a child playing with Lego? This toy is great for developing all kinds of skills and for using your imagination. My preference was always for building houses. I like to make them with proper pitched roofs. That's 'roof' R-O-O-F and that's the thing that goes on the top of your house to keep the rain out. And if it's a 'pitched' roof, that's P-I-T-C-H-E-D. That means it has a slope to keep the rain off. So that's a 'pitched roof' - at an angle. I enjoyed making houses with roofs and balconies and verandas and sometimes even a garden. I had Lego pieces that were trees and flowers as well. The other thing I like to make strange wheeled vehicles and cars. I think vehicle design is a bit beyond me, but I spent many happy hours as a child and then got a second opportunity with Lego, a second wind as an adult when my own children started to play with it. And we just added their collection of Lego to ours. So we have several big boxes of it now. And I confess as an adult to actually buying additional roof tile pieces so I could make better houses. I'm sure there are many adults who still enjoy building with Lego and see it as a hobby and a very valid pastime.
Anyway, I think that most people would agree that Lego is an engaging and constructive toy. It helps you appreciate maths and I'm sure it develops children's brains.
📷
A container cargo ship in a rough sea. Improve your English listening with fun, engaging news stories.
The Great Lego Spill of 1997
But this week I read an article from the New York Times which was talking about the 'Great Lego Spill of 1997'. A spill, S-P-I-L-L. That happens when you tip something out of a container. You 'spill' it. So it's a noun and a verb. Anyway, apparently in 1997 nearly 5 million Lego pieces were in a shipping container on a cargo ship called the Tokio Express when a freak wave nearly capsized the ship. The verb 'to capsize', C-A-P-S-I-Z-E means 'to tip over'. And it's usually used specifically to mean ships, boats, canoes. Tip over, they capsize and whatever's on board ends up in the water. The Tokio Express lost all of its shipping containers. 62 of them. 'Shipping containers' are those huge metal boxes that carry our goods on the seas. Presumably there must have been a lot of other things in those shipping containers as well as the Lego. But this event is known as The Great Lego Spill of 1997. And even now, 27 years later, Lego pieces are still washing up on the coast of Cornwall and much further afield. That means 'further away'. On beaches in places like Ireland, Belgium and France. And even as far as Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina in the United States.
An example of irony! And ‘Lego Lost at Sea’ - the power of social media
In a strange twist, this particular shipment of Lego lost in the shipping container was themed on the sea. So what is washing up on these shores and coasts? Octopuses. Sea dragons. Dinghies. Canoes. Scuba equipment. All sized for Lego people of course. Fishing spears. Sharks. So many people have found so much Lego in fact that it even has its own Facebook page called 'Lego Lost at Sea' as well as accounts on X and Instagram. And it's where people report and compare their Lego beach finds. There's even a bit of competition between people around the rarer items. Apparently there were over 33,000 black sea dragons but only 514 green sea dragons have been found. Making them more collectible. It seems that people will enjoy collecting anything doesn't it?
Thousands of rubber ducks sail the world’s oceans
A similar sort of incident occurred in 1992 when thousands of rubber ducks and other bath toys were lost in the Pacific Ocean. This one is called 'The Friendly Floatees Spill'. That's F-L-O-A-T-E-E. That's an American word for 'toys which are full of air and designed to float on the surface of water'. And the effect of The Friendly Floatees Spill? Well it's even been studied by an oceanographer. That's a scientist interested in the oceans. Dr Curtis Ebbesmeyer was able to learn a lot about ocean currents. A current, C-U-R-R-E-N-T, is a flow of water within the sea or a river. We might talk about 'strong currents' being dangerous for swimmers. Don't get that word mixed up with 'currant' C-U-R-R-A-N-T. That's a little fruit. Like a blackcurrant. Anyway, 28,000 of these rubber ducks were lost from a ship travelling from China to Seattle. Some of these rubber ducks were over 10 years voyaging, floating on the sea before they made landfall, before they arrived on a coast somewhere. Confirmed sightings of these rubber ducks continued until the mid 2000s and they travelled amazingly far. The ducks turned up on the coasts of Europe as well as far away coasts like Hawaii. The Friendly Floatees Spill has helped oceanographers study currents and realise that floating objects take much longer to travel between continents than they'd realised before.
And similarly, Professor Andrew Turner of the University of Plymouth in the UK said that the Lego Spill had been interesting and a lot had been learned from it, partly because of the interest of the general public and the online reporting of where pieces were found. It would have cost a lot of money to do that as a research project, to do it intentionally. So there is a small upside of it happening as an accident.
What’s more harmful—plastic from a freak accident or the plastic we knowingly dispose of daily?
Now given that I've talked before about the evils of plastic in the oceans and the seas, I'm not making light of plastic lost at sea but the rubber ducks and the Lego are but a fraction, a tiny part of the plastic that enters our seas every year. And they're one-off accidents, probably doing much less damage than an oil spill let's say. But the issue of lost shipping containers may be bigger than we think. A survey in 2014 by the World Shipping Council found that 2,683 containers were lost between 2011 and 2013 alone. Many don't get reported so the actual number could be much higher. And of course plastic items last much longer than other types of item. Even false teeth have shown up on beaches around the world.
Art in Cornwall. Should companies be accountable if their packaging shows up in the sea years it’s used?
And for every plastic item that shows up intact, that's I-N-T-A-C-T, it means 'whole, not broken up', that's at least one plastic item that hasn't degraded into the dreaded microplastics. And if people like to collect them then at least they're being removed. So not only is there a community of people who found Lego on Facebook, scientists using these plastic items to help their studies and to learn more, but there's also an artist who makes his work from found items like the Lego on the beach. Rob Arnold is an artist from Cornwall in the UK and he creates his artwork from plastics that he's recovered from the English coast. Part of his purpose is to do his bit removing plastic from the environment while spreading awareness of the problem. Rob has learned over the years where on the beaches and coves near his home waste plastic from the sea piles up, brought by different currents of course.
English Listening Practice The London Underground Map V2
He collects the pieces including Lego pieces from The Great Lego Spill and uses it to make his artwork. Rob Arnold has also featured in a BBC news item where he'd made a piece of artwork which was the Nescafé logo all made from bits of plastic packaging from Nescafé products which had washed up on the Cornish beaches. His purpose? To shame Nescafé and other big companies into thinking more about the type of packaging they use. Good for Rob Arnold.
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So that was a bit of a story! From Lego to rubber ducks to spills and shipping containers through oceanography ending at Cornish artwork which challenges the big corporates about the environment. I hope you followed all of that and if you didn't please listen again. There's some great vocabulary in this podcast.
Goodbye
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
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Links
- The Great Lego Spill
- Ahoy, Friendly Floatees
- Lego figures and rubber ducks reveal ocean
- Plastic waste sculptor
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