Around the World in English: May 2014

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Bosnia and Serbia floods (video listening)

Residents face destroyed homes in Serbia's waterlogged Obrenovac

May 19 - Residents in Obrenovac, Serbia, examine the damage to their homes after devastating floods in the Balkans leave tens of thousands displaced and brace for more floodwaters. Mana Rabiee reports.

Vocabulary

If an area is waterlogged, it is filled or soaked with water. e.g. They couldn't play because the pitch was waterlogged.
If you are bracing for something, you are getting ready for something difficult or unpleasant. e.g. The town is bracing for a busy tourist season.
When people are evacuated, they are moved from a place of danger to a safer place. e.g. During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.
Displacement is the act of forcing people or animals to leave the area where they live. e.g. The war has caused the displacement of thousands of people.
A swollen river contains more water than normal as a result of heavy rain.

Now you can try the following quiz:

Bosnia and Serbia floods

SOURCE: Floods in the Balkans - in pictures

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Natural Disasters (Quizlet / Word Dynamo / Worksheet)

Fun games and activities to study or revise Natural Disasters vocabulary

Click View this study set if you prefer to do the activities on Quizlet

Alternatively, you can try the activities below.

http://dynamo.dictionary.com/495174/natural-disasters

Natural Disasters | Word Dynamo

Natural Disasters Crossword Puzzle Worksheet

To download the Natural Disasters worksheet click here .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/222337508/Natural-Disasters

Photos of Natural Disasters

National Disasters and Weather - National Geographic
Natural Disasters Pictures - Discovery Channel
20 Amazing Photos of Natural Disasters - ODDEE

Natural Disasters (crossword puzzle)

Look at these photos of natural disasters and solve the crossword puzzle.

If the crossword doesn't appear, you should configure Java to allow this application from http://icrossword.com

Monday, May 5, 2014

Natural Disasters: Afghan Landslide (video listening)

Afghan Landslide Site Declared Mass Grave By Authorities

May 3 - Afghan officials have declared the site where landslides buried thousands of people a mass grave, saying it's impossible to recover those trapped.

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

When did the tragic disaster occur?
What caused the landslide?
What happened to the villagers who rushed to the scene to help?
Why have rescuers given up hope of finding any more survivors?
How many people have been displaced by the disaster?

Vocabulary

to pummel (v): to cause a lot of damage to a place e.g. Hurricane Mitch is pummeling the Atlantic coast.
debris (n): the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed e.g. After the earthquake, rescuers began digging through the debris in search of survivors.
wreckage (n): the broken parts of a vehicle, building, etc., that has been badly damaged or destroyed e.g. The pilot was trapped in the wreckage for almost seven hours.
death toll (n): the number of people who die in an accident, disaster, war, etc. e.g. The death toll has now risen to 200.
to wreak havoc means to cause great damage e.g. The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.
rubble (n): broken pieces of stone, brick, etc., from walls or buildings that have fallen e.g.
Rescue workers managed to pull two injured people out of the rubble.