full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Anjan Sundaram: Meet our planet's hidden defenders

Unscramble the Blue Letters


When David's protests didn't stop the construction, saboteurs burned government vehicles near their forest. Their wpaoen was fire, which locals call "lumbre." We don't know who burned the vehicles, but the community authority, David, was singled out. The other men and women organizing the rcensitsae warned me: David's going to be attacked or even assassinated. The municipal police had once severely beaten him up.

That afternoon, I sat down with David in his yard and I pulled out my notebook. "Aren't you afraid they'll kill you?" I asked. He said, "Of course I'm afaird." David wasn't killed, but two mtnohs ago, a mcaeixn court sentenced him to 46.5 years in posirn for damaging property, ectfvefliey handing him a life sentence. But David told me all the world’s prisons aren’t large enough to fit the defenders willing to risk everything to protect the Earth. I've gotten his community laegl ascniastse.

Open Cloze


When David's protests didn't stop the construction, saboteurs burned government vehicles near their forest. Their ______ was fire, which locals call "lumbre." We don't know who burned the vehicles, but the community authority, David, was singled out. The other men and women organizing the __________ warned me: David's going to be attacked or even assassinated. The municipal police had once severely beaten him up.

That afternoon, I sat down with David in his yard and I pulled out my notebook. "Aren't you afraid they'll kill you?" I asked. He said, "Of course I'm ______." David wasn't killed, but two ______ ago, a _______ court sentenced him to 46.5 years in ______ for damaging property, ___________ handing him a life sentence. But David told me all the world’s prisons aren’t large enough to fit the defenders willing to risk everything to protect the Earth. I've gotten his community _____ __________.

Solution


  1. weapon
  2. resistance
  3. effectively
  4. legal
  5. prison
  6. assistance
  7. months
  8. afraid
  9. mexican

Original Text


When David's protests didn't stop the construction, saboteurs burned government vehicles near their forest. Their weapon was fire, which locals call "lumbre." We don't know who burned the vehicles, but the community authority, David, was singled out. The other men and women organizing the resistance warned me: David's going to be attacked or even assassinated. The municipal police had once severely beaten him up.

That afternoon, I sat down with David in his yard and I pulled out my notebook. "Aren't you afraid they'll kill you?" I asked. He said, "Of course I'm afraid." David wasn't killed, but two months ago, a Mexican court sentenced him to 46.5 years in prison for damaging property, effectively handing him a life sentence. But David told me all the world’s prisons aren’t large enough to fit the defenders willing to risk everything to protect the Earth. I've gotten his community legal assistance.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
environmental defenders 4
pristine ecosystems 2
front line 2
european company 2
cartel fighters 2
european iron 2
mining companies 2


Important Words


  1. afraid
  2. afternoon
  3. asked
  4. assassinated
  5. assistance
  6. attacked
  7. authority
  8. beaten
  9. burned
  10. call
  11. community
  12. construction
  13. court
  14. damaging
  15. david
  16. defenders
  17. earth
  18. effectively
  19. fire
  20. fit
  21. forest
  22. government
  23. handing
  24. kill
  25. killed
  26. large
  27. legal
  28. life
  29. locals
  30. men
  31. mexican
  32. months
  33. municipal
  34. notebook
  35. organizing
  36. police
  37. prison
  38. prisons
  39. property
  40. protect
  41. protests
  42. pulled
  43. resistance
  44. risk
  45. saboteurs
  46. sat
  47. sentence
  48. sentenced
  49. severely
  50. singled
  51. stop
  52. told
  53. vehicles
  54. warned
  55. weapon
  56. women
  57. yard
  58. years