Stanford University Tour

 

Vocabulary

junior	senior	sophomore
fan	tour	freshman
oval	major (3)	cardinal (4)
palm (2)	drive (3)	palm-lined
quad	pavilion	humanities
carve	dedicate	sandstone
unique	sunken	collegiate
aquatic	plaque	time capsule
varsity	capsule	column (2)
hub (2)	scholar	landmark
rank	tower	inter-disciplinarian
notable	standard	sustainable
plaza	alumni	Greek (2)
hop	heart (2)	fountain
display	foothill	sculpture

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Video

 

Transcript

Christian: “Hi. My name is Christian. I’m a junior, majoring in political science.”
Karen: “I’m Karen Scribner, a senior majoring in human biology
Christian: “Welcome to Stanford.”

Karen: “Our tour begins at Stanford Stadium, home to Cardinal Football. Stanford Stadium was completed in 2006, and holds 50,000 football fans.”

Christian: “This is The Oval, where you have the palm-lined street Palm Drive leading up into The Quad, culminating in the church. This is the Stanford Picture.

Welcome to the Main Quad everyone. This is where the School of Humanities and Sciences is located. The Quad has been here since the university opened in 1891.”

Karen: “Maple’s Pavilion is home to Stanford Volleyball and Basketball. Come out to Sunken Diamond to watch Cardinal Baseball.”

Christian: “The Quad is made primarily of sandstone. Each column is unique because each was carved by hand.”

Karen: “Avery Aquatic Center is one of the finest collegiate aquatic centers in the country.”

Christian: “Each graduating class gets a class plaque in the Main Quad. In it, class members create a time capsule.”

Karen: “Stanford Athletics support about 800 scholar-athletes in 35 varsity sports, and is winner of 100 NCAA championships and 18 Director’s Cups.”

Christian: “Dedicated in 1941, Hoover Tower is more than just a nice landmark on campus; it houses the Hoover Institute on War, Revolution and Peace.”

Karen: “The new Science and Engineering Quad at Stanford is a hub of inter-disciplinarian research and home to the School of Engineering.”

Christian: “This is the Graduate School of Business, ranked number one in the country. This is the newest part of campus.”

Karen: “The Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building is home to environmental science programs in the School of Earth Sciences.”

The Y2E2 Building sets a new standard for sustainable architecture on campus.”

Christian: “The Stanford Law School is the oldest professional school of the university. Notable alumni include three US Supreme Court justices.”

Karen: “The Stanford School of Medicine is a world leader in medical training and research.”

The Row offers student housing for Greek organizations, cultural and academic houses.

Christian: “Now we find ourselves in White Plaza, the center for student life on campus. At the heart of White Plaza, we have the Clock Fountain. Now one of the traditions that’s unique to Stanford is Fountain Hopping.

Karen: “The Stanford School of Education is the second oldest school of education in the United States: it offered its first Ph.D. in 1916.

The Cantor Art Center has a wonderful collection of works on display, and one of the largest collections of Rodin’s sculptures outside of Paris.

Christian: “At the end of day, come finish off your tour with a hike through the foothills to the Dish, for some nice views of campus.”

If you’re interested in taking the tour yourself, please come to Stanford Visitors’ Center. We offer guided tours daily.

For more information, please go to our website at www.stanford.edu.

Karen: “Thanks for watching; and we hope to see you here on The Farm.”

Questions

1. The tour guides on the video were professional journalists. True or false?

2. Is football and other sports an integral part of American universities?

3. Does Stanford have religious overtures?

4. The columns were mass produced in a factory. Is this correct or wrong?

5. “Each graduating class gets a class plaque in the Main Quad. In it, class members create a time capsule.” What does this mean? What is the purpose of a time capsule? What might be inside?

6. Stanford students only study and do homework. Yes or no?

7. Is the Hoover Institute similar to the Pentagon?

8. Electronics engineers only focus on electronics; mechanical engineers only focus on mechanics, and chemical engineers only focus on chemistry. Is this right or wrong?

9. Will Stanford students majoring in law, medicine and business become successful doctors, lawyers and business people?

10. Stanford is almost like a city. Yes or no?

 

A. What do you know about Stanford University? Is Stanford famous in your country?

B. Do many students want to attend Stanford? Would you like to study there?

C. What are the most prestigious universities in your country? Is it very competitive? Who goes there?

D. Is a university education essential for success?

E. Do you know of successful people who didn’t graduate from university? Do you know unsuccessful university graduates?