#594 | Mohammed Bin Salman & The Rise of Saudi Arabia (English Listening Practice)
English Learning for Curious Minds | A More Interesting Way To Learn English

#594 | Mohammed Bin Salman & The Rise of Saudi Arabia (English Listening Practice)

B2Upper-intermediateFebruary 12, 202630 min

For decades, Saudi Arabia was ruled by ageing princes, until one young royal began changing the system from within. This episode tells the story of Mohammed bin Salman, and how he rose rapidly to become Saudi Arabia’s most powerful figure. Saudi royal family is huge; succession once moved between brothers.Pressure grew to pass power to a younger generation.Mohammed bin Salman’s early life, connections, and growing ambition.His father becomes king; MBS controls money and army.MBS replaces Mohammed bin Nayef as Crown Prince, 2017.Ritz-Carlton purge targets princes, businessmen; power and ass...

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 21%A2 40%B1 30%B2 9%C1 0%
  • 91% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 121 words a minute: slow, clear speech.
  • 167 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds by Leonardo English, the show where you can listen to fascinating stories and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English. I'm Alastair Budge and today it is the start of another three-part mini-series this

0:27

time on the making of modern Saudi Arabia. In part one, today's episode we'll be talking about the rise of the man behind it, Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is often known. In part two, we'll turn to one of the most ambitious, almost science fiction-like projects of the 21st century, a planned desert city of the

0:53

feature 500 meters high and 170 kilometers long called Neon. And in part 3 we are going to look at a somewhat darker chapter, the blood-curdling murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Like all of our miniseries, parts 2 and 3 will be member-only episodes, so now is my chance

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