Robert Capa: The Soldier in the Water

Photographer: Robert Capa

A listening practice about this picture taken by Robert Capa during the D-Day Landings

I have chosen to do a listening about Robert Capa as he has been the subject of a TOEFL reading in the past so it would be useful to know a bit about him in case his work comes up again in a future TOEFL test.

First though, some camera vocabulary could be handy! In a TOEFL reading about Robert Capa, the text will focus on how he worked and the results he achieved. However, it would be good to learn photography vocabulary especially in relation to the history of photography and early camera equipment as these wider subjects can also be TOEFL topics.

Here's some to start you off:

Camera-angle - position of the camera relative to the subject
Lens --  a piece of optical glass used to form an image of a subject on sensitive material
Wide-angle -  a lens that includes a wider subject area than normal
Zoom - a lens that allows the focal range to be adjusted
Composition - the arrangement of the subject matter in the photograph 
Depth of field - points nearest to and farthest from the camera that are exceptionally sharp
Exposure - the length of time light of a given intensity is allowed to act on a sensitive emulsion

Now listen to this short video clip about the picture shown above and answer the questions below.

The Soldier in the Water

1 Complete this sentence:

« If your pictures aren't __________ enough, you weren't ___________ enough. »

2  Why are Robert Capa's pictures of D-Day particularly important?

3 How does the narrator describe the conditions Capa experienced while taking his photographs?

4 What is the name of the soldier in the photo? How old was he and how much did he weigh?

5 How was Ed feeling when the photo was taken?

6 Where did he find protection?

7 Why doesn't he want to forget?

8 What is the photograph taken to represent now?

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1 « If your pictures aren't good enough, you weren't close enough. »

2 No other photographer landed with the troops. Robert Capa was the only 

photographer that captured that initial landing on the beach.The first

confrontation with the enemy.

3 It's hard to imagine worse conditions for taking photographs. The unimaginable horror, confusion and fear - aside from just trying to survive.

4 Ed Regan, 22 years old and 120 pounds

5 Physically and emotionally spent (exhausted).

6 He got to the seawall after about 15 minutes in that position.

7 He sees his picture as representing all the GIs who landed on D-Day.

8  It symbolises the plight of any soldier in any water. One soldier against the enemy and the very real possibility of death. It's a powerful image of the experience of war.

Economics - The Invisible Hand

 Economics - The Invisible Hand

Here is a short Economics listening exercise I did my students a while back. Read through the list of words and guess where they go in the text first, then listen to the video and see if you were correct! If there are any words you don't know then look them up in www.reverso.net - this is a pretty good online dictionary and translation site.

Extra: Spot the phrasal verb that always comes up in a TOEFL exam!

Here is a link to the video clip:  The Invisible Hand

Use the words below to complete the text of the video clip.

economist	hands-off	stall	tricky	leave	free- marketeers	freely
positive	central	reach	traders	lower	enough	meantime
case	figure	compete	spoilt	charges	visible	equilibrium

An economy is a ______________________ thing to control and governments are always 

_______________________ out how to do it. Back in 1776, ____________________ 

Adam  Smith shocked everyone by saying that what governments should actually do is just 

leave everyone alone to buy and sell _________________ among themselves. He 

suggested that if they just _______________________  self-interested 

______________________ to ______________ with one another, markets are guided to 

_____________________ outcomes as if by an Invisible Hand. If someone 

_____________________ less than you, customers will buy from them instead so you'll 

have to ____________________ the price or offer something better. Whenever 

_____________________people demand something, they'll be supplied by the market like 

_____________________ children only in this _________________ everyone's happy. 

Later ____________________ like Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek argued that this 

"________________" approach actually works better than any _______________________

 plan. But the problem is, economies can take a long time to ____________________ their 

_____________________________ and may even ______________ along the way and in 

the ______________________ people can get a little frustrated which is why governments 

usually end up taking things into their own more __________________ hands instead.

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 Answers

An economy is a tricky thing to control and governments are always trying to figure out how to do it. Back in 1776, economist, Adam Smith shocked everyone by saying that what governments should actually do is leave just everyone alone to buy and sell freely among themselves. He suggested that if they just leave self-interested traders to compete with one another, markets are guided to positive outcomes as if by an Invisible Hand. If someone charges less than you, customers will buy from them instead so you'll have to lower the price or offer something better. Whenever enough people demand something, they'll be supplied by the market like spoilt children only in this case, everyone's happy. Later free-marketeers like Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek argued that this « hands-off » approach actually works better than any central plan. But the problem is, economies can take a long time to reach their equilibrium, and may even stall along the way and in the meantime, people can get a little frustrated which is why governments usually end up taking things into their own more visible hands instead.

And the phrasal verb?

to figure out - it's often in TOEFL conversations so a good one to learn! 

I appreciate feedback so let me know what else you want to see re TOEFL stuff!

Thanks and bye for now!