George Orwell
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Description Info Download Parts (11) Audio Readings IPA Script
Welcome to this British English reading and listening comprehension exercise, designed to help you improve your English language reading and listening skills as well as your vocabulary and grammar. In this lesson, we will explore the topic of George Orwell. As you read the text, George Orwell, pay close attention to vocabulary and content as after reading or listening, you will test your understanding of George Orwell with multiple-choice questions. This exercise will not only enhance your reading and listening comprehension but also provide you with valuable knowledge about George Orwell. Good luck and enjoy the exercises!
The article provides an overview of the life and work of George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), a renowned writer and political activist. Orwell was born in India and grew up in England, where he worked as a police officer in Burma before becoming a writer. He is best known for his novels "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four," which explore the darker side of human nature and the dangers of totalitarianism. Orwell's political writing focused on the rise of totalitarianism in Europe and he was a committed socialist who fought in the Spanish Civil War. He died of tuberculosis in 1950, leaving behind a legacy as a writer who offered a powerful critique of authoritarianism and a warning of the dangers of a surveillance state.
George Orwell was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Born in India in 1903, he spent his early years in England before heading off to Burma as a young man to work as a police officer. After several years in Burma, Orwell returned to England and embarked on a writing career that would make him a household name.
Orwell's early life was marked by a sense of alienation and a deep mistrust of authority. These themes would play a major role in his writing, which often explored the darker side of human nature and the dangers of totalitarianism.
Orwell's first book, "Down and Out in Paris and London," was a non-fiction account of his experiences as a dishwasher and vagrant in two of Europe's great cities. The book was a critical success and helped establish Orwell as a writer of keen observation and brutal honesty.
But it was Orwell's political writing that would earn him lasting fame. In the years leading up to World War II, he became increasingly concerned about the rise of totalitarianism in Europe. His two most famous novels, "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four," were scathing critiques of Soviet-style communism and the dangers of a surveillance state.
"Animal Farm," published in 1945, tells the story of a group of farm animals who overthrow their human owner and attempt to create a utopian society. However, the pigs who take charge soon become corrupt and begin to resemble the humans they replaced. The book is a powerful allegory for the Soviet Union under Stalin and the dangers of unchecked power.
"Nineteen Eighty-Four," published in 1949, imagines a future world in which the government has total control over every aspect of citizens' lives. The book introduced concepts such as "Big Brother" and "thoughtcrime" into the cultural lexicon and has remained a seminal work of science fiction.
Orwell's writing was deeply informed by his own experiences. He fought in the Spanish Civil War and was wounded while fighting against the fascist forces of General Franco. He was a committed socialist, but was deeply sceptical of the Soviet Union and its brand of communism.
In the final years of his life, Orwell was plagued by poor health and died of tuberculosis in 1950, at the age of just 46. But his writing continues to be studied and celebrated to this day, and his warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism remain as relevant as ever.
/ dʒɔːdʒ ˈɔˌrwel wəz wʌn əv ðə məʊst ˌɪn.flʊ.ˈen.ʃl̩ ˈraɪt.əz əv ðə ˈtwen.tɪəθ ˈsen.tʃə.ri / bɔːn ɪn ˈɪn.dɪər ɪn wʌn ˈθaʊz.n̩d naɪn ˈhʌn.drəd ənd θriː / hi spent ɪz ˈɜː.li ˈjiəz ɪn ˈɪŋ.ɡlənd bɪ.ˈfɔː ˈhed.ɪŋ ɒf tə ˈbɜː.mə əz ə jʌŋ mæn tə ˈwɜːk əz ə pə.ˈliːs ˈɒf.ɪs.ə / ˈɑːf.tə ˈse.vrəl ˈjiəz ɪn ˈbɜː.mə / ˈɔˌrwel rɪ.ˈtɜːnd tu ˈɪŋ.ɡlənd ənd ɪm.ˈbɑːkt ɒn ə ˈraɪt.ɪŋ kə.ˈrɪə ðət wʊd ˈmeɪk ɪm ə ˈhaʊs.həʊld ˈneɪm /
/ ˈɔˌrwelz ˈɜː.li laɪf wəz mɑːkt baɪ ə sens əv ˌeɪ.liə.ˈneɪ.tʃn̩ ənd ə diːp ˌmɪs.ˈtrʌst əv ɔː.ˈθɒ.rə.ti / ðiːz θiːmz wʊd ˈpleɪ ə ˈmeɪ.dʒə rəʊl ɪn ɪz ˈraɪt.ɪŋ / wɪtʃ ˈɒf.n̩ ɪk.ˈsplɔːd ðə ˈdɑːkə saɪd əv ˈhjuː.mən ˈneɪ.tʃər ənd ðə ˈdeɪn.dʒəz əv ˌtəʊ.tæ.lɪ.ˈteə.rɪə.nɪ.zəm /
/ ˈɔˌrwelz ˈfɜːst bʊk / daʊn ən ˈaʊt ɪn ˈpæ.rɪs ənd ˈlʌn.dən / wəz ə nɒn.ˈfɪk.ʃn̩ əˈk.aʊnt əv ɪz ɪk.ˈspɪə.rɪən.sɪz əz ə ˈdɪ.ʃwɒ.ʃər ənd ˈveɪ.ɡrənt ɪn ˈtuː əv ˈjʊ.rəps ˈɡreɪt ˈsɪ.tɪz / ðə bʊk wəz ə ˈkrɪ.tɪk.l̩ sək.ˈses ənd helpt ɪ.ˈstæ.blɪʃ ˈɔˌrwel əz ə ˈraɪt.ər əv kiːn ˌɒb.zə.ˈveɪʃ.n̩ ənd ˈbruːt.l̩ ˈɒ.nɪ.sti /
/ bət ˈɪt wəz ˈɔˌrwelz pə.ˈlɪ.tɪk.l̩ ˈraɪt.ɪŋ ðət wʊd ɜːn ɪm ˈlɑːst.ɪŋ feɪm / ɪn ðə ˈjiəz ˈliːd.ɪŋ ʌp tə wɜːld wɔː tuː / hi bɪˈk.eɪm ɪn.ˈkriː.sɪŋ.li kən.ˈsɜːnd ə.ˈbaʊt ðə raɪz əv ˌtəʊ.tæ.lɪ.ˈteə.rɪə.nɪ.zəm ɪn ˈjʊə.rəp / hɪz ˈtuː məʊst ˈfeɪ.məs ˈnɒv.l̩z / ˈæ.nɪm.l̩ fɑːm ənd ˌnaɪn.ˈtiːn ˈeɪ.ti fɔː / wə ˈskeɪ.ðɪŋ krɪ.ˈtiːks əv ˈsəʊ.vɪət staɪl ˈkɒ.mjʊ.nɪ.zəm ənd ðə ˈdeɪn.dʒəz əv ə sɜː.ˈveɪ.ləns steɪt /
/ ˈæ.nɪm.l̩ fɑːm / ˈpʌ.blɪʃt ɪn wʌn ˈθaʊz.n̩d naɪn ˈhʌn.drəd ənd ˈfɔː.ti faɪv / telz ðə ˈstɔː.ri əv ə ɡruːp əv fɑːm ˈæ.nɪm.l̩z ˈhuː ˌəʊv.ə.ˈθrəʊ ðeə ˈhjuː.mən ˈəʊ.nər ənd ə.ˈtempt tə kriː.ˈeɪt ə juː.ˈtəʊ.pɪən sə.ˈsaɪə.ti / haʊ.ˈe.və / ðə pɪɡz ˈhuː ˈteɪk tʃɑːdʒ suːn bɪˈkʌm kə.ˈrʌpt ənd bɪ.ˈɡɪn tə rɪ.ˈzem.bl̩ ðə ˈhjuː.mənz ˈðeɪ rɪ.ˈpleɪst / ðə bʊk s ə ˈpaʊə.fəl ˈæ.lə.ɡə.ri fə ðə ˈsəʊ.vɪət ˈjuː.nɪən ˈʌnd.ə ˈstɑː.lən ənd ðə ˈdeɪn.dʒəz əv ˌʌn.ˈtʃekt ˈpaʊə /
/ ˌnaɪn.ˈtiːn ˈeɪ.ti fɔː / ˈpʌ.blɪʃt ɪn wʌn ˈθaʊz.n̩d naɪn ˈhʌn.drəd ənd ˈfɔː.ti naɪn / ɪ.ˈmæ.dʒɪnz ə ˈfjuː.tʃə wɜːld ɪn wɪtʃ ðə ˈɡʌ.vən.mənt həz ˈtəʊt.l̩ kən.ˈtrəʊl ˈəʊv.ər ˈev.ri ˈæ.spekt əv ˈsɪ.tɪ.zənz laɪvz / ðə bʊk ˌɪn.trə.ˈdjuːst ˈkɒn.septs sʌtʃ əz bɪɡ ˈbrʌð.ər ənd ˈθɔːt.ˌkraɪm ˈɪn.tə ðə ˈkʌl.tʃə.rəl ˈlek.sɪkən ənd həz rɪ.ˈmeɪnd ə ˈse.mɪn.l̩ ˈwɜːk əv ˈsaɪəns ˈfɪk.ʃn̩ /
/ ˈɔˌrwelz ˈraɪt.ɪŋ wəz ˈdiː.pli ɪn.ˈfɔːmd baɪ ɪz əʊn ɪk.ˈspɪə.rɪən.sɪz / hi ˈfɔːt ɪn ðə ˈspæ.nɪʃ ˈsɪ.vəl wɔːr ənd wəz ˈwuːn.dɪd waɪl ˈfaɪt.ɪŋ ə.ˈɡenst ðə ˈfæ.ʃɪst ˈfɔː.sɪz əv ˈdʒen.r̩əl ˈfræŋk.əʊ / hi wəz ə kə.ˈmɪ.tɪd ˈsəʊ.ʃə.lɪst / bət wəz ˈdiː.pli ˈskep.tɪk.l̩ əv ðə ˈsəʊ.vɪət ˈjuː.nɪən ənd ɪts brænd əv ˈkɒ.mjʊ.nɪ.zəm /
/ ɪn ðə ˈfaɪn.l̩ ˈjiəz əv ɪz laɪf / ˈɔˌrwel wəz pleɪɡd baɪ pʊə helθ ənd daɪd əv tju:.ˌbɜː.kjʊ.ˈləʊ.sɪs ɪn wʌn ˈθaʊz.n̩d naɪn ˈhʌn.drəd ənd ˈfɪf.ti / ət ði eɪdʒ əv dʒəst ˈfɔː.ti sɪks / bət ɪz ˈraɪt.ɪŋ kən.ˈtɪ.njuːz tə bi ˈstʌ.dɪd ənd ˈse.lɪ.breɪ.tɪd tə ðɪs ˈdeɪ / ənd ɪz ˈwɔː.nɪŋz ə.ˈbaʊt ðə ˈdeɪn.dʒəz əv ˌtəʊ.tæ.lɪ.ˈteə.rɪə.nɪ.zəm rɪ.ˈmeɪn əz ˈre.lə.vənt əz ˈev.ə /
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George Orwell Comprehension Questions
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