مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت الف

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

TURNING POINTS IN HISTORY

Sometimes the smallest of things can have the biggest impacts.

What can have the biggest impacts? The smallest of things can have the biggest impacts.

They become the turning points or the crossroads in the history of the world.

Do they become the crossroads in the history of the world? Yes, they become the crossroads in the history of the world. Do they also become the turning points in the history of the world? Yes, they also become the turning points in the history of the world.

In the early 1900s, a young aspiring artist from Linz, Austria was at a crossroads.

When did this happen? This happened in the early 1900s. Was he an aspiring artist? Yes, he was an aspiring artist. Was he a young aspiring artist or an old aspiring artist? He was a young aspiring artist. Where was the young aspiring artist from? The young aspiring artist was from Linz, Austria.

His father had dreamed of him following in his footsteps and becoming a civil servant, but the young man had bigger dreams.

What did the father want him to do? The father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a civil servant. Did the young man want to do that? No, the young man didn’t want to do that. He had bigger dreams.

He wanted to become a famous artist. After his father passed away, he was free to do as he chose.

What happened to his father? His father passed away. Was he free to do as he chose after his father passed away? Yes, he was free to do as he chose after his father passed away.

He soon dropped out of school and after a few years moved to Vienna, one of the world’s centers for art and culture.

Did he finish school? No, he didn’t finish school. He dropped out of school. Where did he move? He moved to Vienna. Was this one of the world’s centers for art and culture? Yes, this was one of the world’s centers for art and culture.

He lived off of a small inheritance from his father and lived a life of leisure.

What kind of lifestyle did he have? He lived a life of leisure. Where did he get his money?

He got his money from a small inheritance from his father. Do you live a life of leisure?

He slept late and spent his days and nights reading, drawing, and visiting museums and operas.

Did he wake early? No, he didn’t wake early. He slept late. What did he do with his time?

He spent his days and nights reading, drawing, and visiting museums, and operas. What about you? Do you wake early or sleep late?

Twice he applied for a prestigious art school, and twice he was rejected.

What did he apply for? He applied for a prestigious art school. Was he accepted? No, he wasn’t accepted. He was rejected twice.

They told him his drawings were unsatisfactory and he didn’t have a talent for painting. He was devastated by the rejection.

What did they say about his drawing? They said his drawings were unsatisfactory. What did they say about his paintings? They said he didn’t have a talent for painting. How did he feel? He was devastated.

Not long after he became destitute.

What happened after he was rejected from school? He became destitute after he was rejected from school.

Although he was from a middle-class family, his inheritance eventually ran out, and he became one of the city’s many poor.

What kind of family was he from? He was from a middle-class family. What happened to his inheritance? His inheritance eventually ran out.

He slept in homeless shelters, on park benches and under city bridges, but he still had big dreams and even greater ambition.

Where did he sleep? He slept in homeless shelters, on park benches and under city bridges. Did he still have big dreams? Yes, he still had big dreams.

This young man was Adolf Hitler.

Who was this young man? This young man was Adolf Hitler.

As the world knows, he went on to kill close to 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

How many Jews lost their lives during the Holocaust? Six million Jews lost their lives during the Holocaust.

And when you include other World War II civilian deaths across Europe due to famine and disease, the number is much higher.

Did Hitler also cause the deaths of civilians due to famine and disease? Yes, Hitler also caused the deaths of civilians due to famine and disease.

Some historians estimate that Hitler was responsible for 17 million civilian deaths.

How many civilian deaths was Hitler responsible for? Some historians estimate that Hitler was responsible for 17 million civilian deaths.

Could all of that suffering and death been avoided? People presented with a hypothetical time machine always seem to have killing Hitler on their bucket list, but maybe time traveling murder isn’t the only answer.

Do people presented with a hypothetical time machine often say they would kill Hitler?

Yes, people presented with a hypothetical time machine often say they would kill Hitler.

What would you do with a time machine?

Perhaps persuading an examiner at the Vienna Academy of the Arts to let one more student slide through could have made all the difference.

Do you think that Hitler getting into art school could have stopped WWII?