Possible speech unit boundaries are shown. These are used in the recording.
Ever since the industrial revolution// we have dumped waste// into the air.!/ Consequently,!/ atmospheric carbon dioxide levels// are now a third higher// than in pre-industrial time.!/ The process may,!/ it has to be said,!/ have started long before,!/ when we first burnt down trees// to make way for agriculture.!/ However,!/ over the last few decades// the rate of increase// has grown rapidly.!/ Although its precise nature is unclear// there is an obvious relationship// between levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere// and higher global surface temperatures.!/
The impact of higher temperatures/! is difficult to assess,!/ but there will certainly be a different worldl/ as humans and other living organisms// try to adapt to change.!/ These changes,!/ which will affect us all,!/ include drought and extreme weather.!/ Southern Europe,!/ for example,!/ already has long periods// without rainfall.!/ And in the Americas and Asia// powerful hurricanes// and typhoons// have recently killedl/ more people// than in severaV! decades.!/
Of course,!/ some scientists dispute the evidence.!/ But these people,!/ as we all know,!/ represent industries// having vested interests// - their business,!/ they believe,!/ would be damagedl/ by limits on carbon emissions.!/ But among the wider scientific community// the argument is about the speed of change,!/ not whether change is taking place.!/
U n it 56
1I n a number o f countries// New Zealand for instance// attempts are being made to harness geothermal energy.
2 The city of Chester// originally a Roman settlement// was a major military stronghold by the time of the English Civil War in the 1 7th century.
3At the top of the hill are the Three Witches// as they used to be calledl/ which is a curious rock formation.
4A large group of protestors// nearly three thousandl/ were in the audience when the president began his last speech.
5 Gregor's final noveV! by far his most entertaining// was written when he was in his nineties.
Prominent syllables in the inserts are in capital letters.
1 Karl Huzel - from our GERman SISter company - will be talking to us after my presentation. 2 The countries of the European Union - with the exCEPtion of FRANCE - have all approved
the new regulations on working conditions.
3 Our latest model - the Dc6 - was released in April this year.
4The new research and development unit - to be BASED in DUBlin - will be opened later this year.
Follow-up
Here are three examples, with inserts, from the field of astronomy.
1 The estimated total number of asteroids in the solar system - many of which are very small - is greater than half a million.
2The science of measuring the brightness of stars - known as photometry - dates back more than 2000 years.
3The generally accepted theory of sunspots - proposed by Babcock in 1961 - suggests that they are caused by changes in the sun's magnetic field.