Pokemon Go exploded in popularity last summer, and many are still playing. Today, we’ll study English with some entertainment news about this game.
I’ve already talked to you about using entertainment news for English reading practice. Entertainment news can also help you practice for other English skills too. In a recent post, I created a radio-style audio version of an entertainment news story about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Together, my audio and the article made for good TOEFL Reading and Listening practice. Now I’m going to do something similar — but not quite the same — for an entertainment news article about Pokemon Go.
English Pronunciation and English Reading Exercise Featuring Pokemon Go News
Today, we’re going to practice a different English skill alongside reading practice. I have once again made an audio read-aloud version of an entertainment article from CNN. This time, however, my audio isn’t read in the style of a radio announcement. Instead, I’ve read CNN’s article on Pokemon go very carefully and slowly. The purpose of the audio is to help you understand how the words in the story are pronounced. Listen to my speech and then try reading this article out loud by yourself. Imitate my pronunciation for a clear, native-English-like sound.
The article itself focuses on Pokemon Go in South Korea. I decided to look for this article after family members of mine in South Korea contacted me and told me something very strange. They told that Pokemon Go is banned in most of South Korea, and can only be played in one small town in the nation. To find out why, click on this CNN article: “Pokemon Go takes over town near North Korean border.”
After you read the article, listen to my audio for a pronunciation model. Then scroll down to see key terms from the article with definitions. How many of the key terms did you already know? Were you able to guess the meanings of any terms using vocabulary-in-context skills?
Audio Version of “Pokemon Go take over town near North Korean border.”
English Vocabulary: Key Terms from CNN’s Report on Pokemon Go
- bonding: creating emotional and social connections
- huddle: to be physically close to each other
- hunched: bent over (refers to people or other living things that are bent over)
- replicated: repeated, made into multiple similar things or made into multiple things that are exactly the same
- furrowed: folded, having wrinkles, or having grooves
- augmented reality: referring to video games, this describes games that use real world landscapes and places, but add interactive digital things to these real areas; most augmented reality games are created by using cell phones and other mobile technology
- grids: areas marked by straight, intersecting lines that form equal shapes (this term can also refer to the lines themselves instead of the areas between the lines)
- pilgrimage: travel to a very important place (this word has a religious connotation, suggesting that the place someone travels to is not just important, but holy)
- embraced: enthusiastically accepted
- discounts: lower prices
- on the map: significant, something people know about and pay attention to
- ministries: government offices that specialize in certain things
- blurred: made unclear or difficult to see
- holy grail: a thing that is very difficult to find but very important
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