Task 2 · Listening · Variant 14

Rose: Hey, Jack! How are you today?

Jack: Hi, Rosa! A bit overwhelmed, as we had four classes of astronomy today instead of the usual two.

Rose: How so?

Jack: We usually have two classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, but our teacher went to a conference on Monday and rescheduled all the classes for today.

Rose: Lucky you. We don't have astronomy yet — only physics and maths. But I love stars! Have you ever looked at the stars and wondered about the universe?

Jack: Yeah, all the time. It's amazing how vast and mysterious it is. Did you know that the sun is actually a star?

Rose: Are you kidding? Of course I know that. It's the closest star to Earth, and is only 93 million miles away from us.

Jack: You are right! And did you know that the universe is still expanding today?

Rose: Yeah, and scientists believe that there are billions of galaxies out there.

Jack: That's crazy, isn't it? And have you heard of the Big Bang theory?

Rose: I have, but I don't remember any facts. Can you remind me?

Jack: Sure. It's the idea that the universe started from a massive explosion about 13.8 billion years ago. And today at school we talked about black holes. These are regions in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing can escape from them, not even light.

Rose: Whoa, that's crazy! Have you studied stars today as well? By the way, what do you call a group of stars that forms a shape in the sky and has a name?

Jack: Oh, we call them constellations. No, we haven't studied constellations today, but my dad used to take me to the mountains and we would spend nights looking at them. He was the one who taught me about them. There's Orion, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and many others. Can you find any of them in the sky?

Rose: I think I can find the Big Dipper. It looks like a giant spoon.

Jack: Yeah, and it's part of the constellation Ursa Major, which means "Big Bear" in Latin.

Rose: Cool! Have you ever seen a shooting star?

Jack: I haven't, but my brother has. He says it's amazing. But it's not really a star. It's actually a meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating a bright streak of light.

Rose: That's so cool! I wish we could see one. Do you think there's life on other planets?

Jack: It's possible. Scientists are always searching for signs of life on other planets or moons in our solar system.

Rose: That would be amazing if we found life out there. I wonder what they would look like.

Jack: Yeah, it's hard to say. But it's exciting to think about the possibilities.

Rose: Definitely! I'd love to learn more about astronomy. It's so fascinating.

Jack: Me too. It's a never-ending journey of discovery and wonder.