April 26, 2016. A rescued dog saves a baby hummingbird from death and the two become unlikely best friends. Task 1.
For full screen view click here.
Task 2.
Worksheet
Here is a worksheet based on the video above. There are two comprehension exercises (gap-fill and True/False) and a vocabulary exercise (crossword puzzle). Answer key included.
April 12, 2016. Inky the octopus has successfully escaped an aquarium and re-entered the ocean.
Task 1. For full screen view click here. To check your answers click here.
Task 2.
Worksheet Here is a worksheet based on a short BBC
video about the escape of an octopus from a New Zealand aquarium. There
is a vocabulary matching exercise as a pre-listening activity, a
True/False comprehension exercise, a grammar exercise (students are
given the transcript and are asked to put the verbs in brackets in the
correct tense, active or passive) and finally there is a trivia quiz
about octopuses. Answer key included.
April 06, 2016. Amnesty International says there were more executions worldwide in 2015 than in any year since 1990. Paul Chapman reports. (SOURCE: Reuters)
Here is a worksheet based on the video above. It contains a vocabulary gap-fill exercise as a pre-watching activity and a True/False comprehension exercise.
Caution is care that you take in order to avoid danger or mistakes. e.g. You should use cautionwhen operating the electric saw.
When you cast/throw caution to the wind(s), you stop being careful and do something that you know has risks. e.g. After thinking about it for years, he finally threw/cast caution to the wind, quit his job, and started his own company.
If you up something, you make it higher. e.g. The restaurant upped[=increased] its prices.
When you tackle something difficult, you deal with it. e.g. We found new ways to tacklethe problem.
A boundary is something (such as a river, a fence, or an imaginary line) that shows where an area ends and another area begins. e.g. Those two trees mark the boundaryof our property.
Here is a short video to help you revise some weather vocabulary.
Jan 17. A band of snow and ice brings freezing temperatures to Britain. Report by Conor Mcnally.
Keep your eyes on the skies during the full moon later this month -- because you could see something that hasn't happened for more than 30 years, and won't happen again for nearly 20 more. (Read more...)
Task 1
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
What event will you be able to see in the night sky on September 27th, 2015?
What is a supermoon?
What is a lunar eclipse?
How many times has a supermoon lunar eclipse happened since 1900?
When was the last time you could see this event?
When will you have the opportunity to see this event again in the future?
Before watching the video, read the comprehension questions and study the words in the vocabulary section below.
Comprehension Questions
Where was the teenager found?
How long had he been trapped in the ruins?
How many hours after the earthquake was the baby found?
What alerted the rescue teams to search for him?
How many people have been affected by the earthquake?
What dangers are the earthquake victims facing now?
Vocabulary
Rubble are 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.
When you assess something, you make a judgment about it. e.g. After the hurricane, officials assessed the town's need for aid.
When you alert someone, you give them important information about a possible problem, danger, etc., you warn them. e.g. Several neighbors alerted the authorities/police when they noticed strangers acting suspiciously.
A rural area is an area in the countryside. e.g. She lives in a rural area.
When you scramble for something, you try very hard to get it before someone else does. e.g. Both players scrambled for the ball.
Dec. 14, 2014. On behalf of a wealthy donor, police officers in Kansas City, Missouri, gave away money to unsuspecting drivers. Steve Hartman reports. (CBS News )
Watch the video and answer the questions. Alternatively you can watch the video here . (Click the CC button at the bottom of the video to turn on the captions but keep in mind they might contain a few errors.)
Comprehension Questions
Who is "Secret Santa"?
What does he do every year?
What has he changed this year?
What sort of people did the officers choose?
What were the people's reactions?
How did Jessica Rodriguez' initial attitude change through her encounter with the deputy?
What was the main objective of this operation?
What else did "Secret Santa" want to achieve this year?
Vocabulary
A sting (operation) is a clever secret plan by the police to catch criminals.
A deputy is a police officer in some parts of the US who does the sheriff's job when the sheriff is away.
When you deputize someone, you give them the power to do something in place of another person. e.g. The new system deputizesthe nurses to perform some of the doctors' duties.
"Benjamins" is a common word for the United States one hundred-dollar bills ($100), which have Benjamin Franklin's portrait on one side.
Bondo is a trademarkfor a variety of materialsused to repairautomobilebodies.
If something blows you away, it impresses you a lot and makes you very happy. e.g. I was really blown away by her latest movie.
If you are caught off guard, you are surprised by something unexpected. e.g. He was caught completely off guard by her questions.
Law enforcement is the job of making sure that people obey the law.
The law-abiders are the people who abide by (=obey) the law.
If you are assaulted, you are attacked violently. e.g. An elderly woman was assaulted and robbed.
You surrender when you admit that you have been defeated and you allow yourself to be caught, taken prisoner, etc. The enemy finally surrenderedafter three days of fighting.
Now watch the video again and try the following quiz.
At least 30 people are believed to have died near the peak of a volcano in central Japan that erupted without warning on Saturday, trapping scores of amateur climbers and covering a wide area with thick ash. (The Guardian , Sunday 28 September)
Study the vocabulary below and then watch the video.
Vocabulary
The peak of a mountain is the top of a mountain. e.g. snow-covered peaks
When a volcanoerupts, it explodes inside and flames, rocks, and lava come out of the top. e.g. The volcano eruptedwith tremendous force.
authorities[plural]:people who have power to make people obey rules and laws. e.g. Local authoritiesare investigating the accident.
If you are stranded somewhere, you are left in a place without a way of leaving it. e.g. Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the airport.
If you fling something, you throw it in a sudden and forceful way. (fling-flung-flung) e.g. They flung their hats into the air.
When you take shelter somewhere, you go to a place in which you are protected from bad weather or danger. e.g. They took shelter in a cave during the storm.
If you resumean activity, or if it resumes, it begins again or continues after stopping e.g. After the rain stopped, the teams resumedplay.
Now watch the video again and try the following quiz.
At least 30 hikers are feared dead in Japan after being found at a lifeless state near the peak of a volcano that erupted a day earlier.
Japanese authorities never confirm death until after a medical examination.
Others were injured or are missing.
This amateur video was taken inside a mountain hut as people took shelter from volcanic ash and rocks.
Hundreds of people including children were stranded on Mount Ontake,
some 200 kilometres west of Tokyo, after it suddenly erupted on
Saturday.
Smoke and ash was flung hundreds of metres into the sky, and several kilometres down the slope of the volcano.
More than 500 emergency staff including the military resumed their
work on Sunday morning, helping stranded victims and looking for those
still missing.
“The volcanic rocks fell like hailstones,” he says. “We couldn’t breathe so we
covered our mouths with towels. We couldn’t open our eyes either.”
At one stage on Saturday some 250 hikers were stranded on the mountain but most managed to make it down by nightfall.
More than 30 people spent the night in mountain huts, most of whom came down on Sunday morning.
Volcanoes erupt periodically in Japan but until this weekend no one had died for more than twenty years.
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 evacuatedfrom 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 displacementof thousands of people.
A swollen river contains more water than normal as a result of heavy rain.
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 debrisin 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 viruswreaked havocon 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.
Oct. 15 - Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner makes a record-breaking jump from 24 miles above Earth, leaping from the edge of space to the New Mexico desert at speeds averaging 833 mph. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
Watch the video and answer the following questions:
How many miles did Felix Baumgartner jump from?
What did he say he was most afraid of?
What records did he achieve?
Had he made a high altitude jump before?
Who held the previous highest free fall jump record?
How long did it take for the balloon to reach the altitude of 24 miles?
How long did Felix's free fall last?
Where did he land?
What will he do after this achievement?
TRANSCRIPT
TV PRESENTER: ...and now for a jump that is right out of the ages. Felix Baumgartner stepped out of a balloon more than 24 miles up on Sunday, and he stepped right into the record books. NBC's Tom Costello has more on fearless Felix's death-defying plunge. Say that three times fast. Tom, good morning.
REPORTER: Good for you. Good morning! Felix Baumgartner said he was most afraid of dying in front of his family and his girlfriend, considering that he jumped from an altitude three times higher than where jets fly. It was the highest jump ever. He broke the sound barrier as he fell 833 miles per hour, and he broke a youtube record for the most watched number of live views.
MISSION CONTROL: Felix, disconnect the oxygen hose. that a boy.
REPORTER: There he was at 128,000 feet standing quite literally on the edge of space, preparing to do what no one had done before, with his mom watching from mission control, 43-year-old Felix Baumgartner offered a few words most hard to understand.
FELIX: The whole world is watching us.
REPORTER: ...and then he was gone beginning a terrifying supersonic dive from 24 miles up. A white dot as he quickly passed 700 miles per hour.
MISSION CONTROL: speed 729.
REPORTER: The day began well before sunrise in Roswell, New Mexico as the Red Bull Stratos team laid out the paper-thin balloon and fearless Felix zipped into his high-tech spacesuit and capsule. Baumgartner is no novice. He's made harrowing jumps before in Brazil and Croatia from 15 and 18 miles high, but Sunday's mission was about breaking a free fall record that had stood since 1960 when Joe Kittinger jumped from 19.5 miles high and also breaking the sound barrier. If the suit tore, the former Australian military paratrooper faced instant death. He was a guest on the "Today" show earlier this year.
FELIX: I like the challenge...
REPORTER: Sunday, after a brief burst of wind Baumgartner's balloon got the green light. There's the release, and there's the applause.
REPORTER: Two and a half hours later he was standing where no man had stood before with Joe Kittinger on the radio.
JOE KITTINGER: And our guardian angel will take care of you.
REPORTER: Out of the capsule Felix was a bullet, 833 miles per hour, mach 1.24, exceeding the speed of sound, and then with his space mask fogging up what looked like a terrifying out-of-control flat spin before he stabilized. Finally four and a half minutes later Baumgartner pulled his chute and went to a gentle landing in the New Mexico desert.
FELIX: When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble you want to come back alive, you know, because you do not want to die in front of your parents, your girlfriend...
REPORTER: You want to come back alive... Nasa believes there could be real scientific value in this job, in the cutting edge spacesuit that he wore that allowed him to survive the jump and techniques that could be used in future commercial or Nasa space missions. What will he do after this? He's ready to settle down and fly rescue helicopters for a living. Matt?
Oct. 9 - Gunmen have wounded a 14-year-old rights activist who has campaigned for
girls' education in the Swat Valley in north-west Pakistan.
Watch the video and answer the questions. Click on the heading below to view the questions alongside the video. If you click on "flip", you can see the answer to each question.
Alternatively, you can click on the image below to watch the video. Then answer the following questions.
What happened to the teenage girl? Why?
Is her life still in danger?
What did the Taliban announce in 2009?
How old was Malala then?
What did she do in reaction to this announcement?
Did she use her real name?
How did she feel while getting ready for school?
What did the head teacher advise the girls to do?
How many girls attended school that day?
According to the family friend, what will Malala do if she gets well?
Where is her family tonight?
How common are Taliban attacks in the area?
What will happen to the people who speak out against the militants?
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Rushed away for treatment, the teenage girl who dared to defy the Taliban. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head. Doctors say the next few days will be critical. This was Malala in her beloved classroom. When the Taliban tried to take it from her, she spread the news around the world. It was 2009 and the militants controlling the Swat Valley decreed that girls' schools must close. Malala, then just 11, started a blog for the BBC Urdu Service written under a pen name. This was one of her entries.
MALALA: I was very scared getting ready for school today because the Taliban announced that the girls should stop going. Our head teacher told us at assembly we shouldn't wear a school uniform and just come in normal clothes. Out of 27 girls only 11 attended class today.
REPORTER: After the militants were driven out, Malala was an outspoken campaigner for education for girls winning recognition at home and abroad. A family friend told us she will fight on if she makes a good recovery.
FAMILY FRIEND: She will continue to educate herself, she will continue to inspire others also... I don't think they are going to chicken out, I don't think they are going to surrender.
REPORTER: But the Taliban have threatened to target her again. They said she is western-minded and will not be spared. Tonight Malala remains in intensive care with her family at her bedside. Brutal Taliban attacks are nothing new here but the shooting of a child has caused shock and revulsion. The militants have said anyone else who speaks out against them, as Malala did, will be silenced. Orla Guerin, BBC News, Islamabad
VOCABULARY
A militant is a person who is ready and willing to fight for a cause.
If a leader or government decrees something, they officially decide or order it. e.g. The City Council has decreedthat all dogs must be kept on a leash.
A pen name is a name used by a writer instead of their real name.
If you chicken out, you decide not to do something because you are afraid. (informal) e.g. He was going to ask her on a date, but he chickened out at the last minute.
When you surrender, you stop fighting because you know that you will not win.
A brutal attack is a violent and cruel attack.
Revulsion is a very strong feeling of dislike or disgust.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: She arrived in a plane bearing the flags of two countries that are uncomfortably bound together by the crisis in the Eurozone. Angela Merkel's visit shows solidarity from the economic powerhouse of Europe to its weakest link and her host Antonis Samaras and his Greek government are desperately grateful for it.
From the streets a different mood. These hospital workers tried to block her convoy but were forced back by police. And in central Athens outside parliament many thousands came to protest despite police restrictions. Amongst them the leader of the Greek Left, Alexis Tsipras, who says austerity policies have been dictated to Greece by Mrs Merkel and have ruined this country. They came from all parts of society including reserves from the army who chanted that Nazis should leave the country.
PROTESTER: Mrs Merkel, hear the people of Greece. We are here. We are fighting for our rights and not for our country but for the whole Europe, for the people of Europe.
REPORTER: Many of the people who have come here to protest have seen their living standards fall dramatically in recent years but it's important to remember that Greek society is now very divided and there are others who are not protesting, who will welcome a visit, they will see it as a gesture of support from the most poerful politician in Europe.
MRS MERKEL: Much success has been achieved by the Greek government between 2009 and 2011. The deficit went down. Many other factors say a lot of work was done. It was not easy for the people but I am convinced these difficult ways are worth trying and Germany wants to be a good partner and friend for Greece at these difficult times.
REPORTER: On the streets things turned ugly. Eventually the police made a determined effort to disperse the crowds. Germans watching these scenes will wonder whether Greece is worth saving just as Greeks will wonder if they can take more pain. Mrs Merkel belatedly has acknowledged Greek sacrifices but the economy here will continue to shrink. Barnaby Phillips, Al Jazeera, Athens
VOCABULARY -If a crowd of people disperses, or if someone disperses it, the people separate and go in different directions. -When a group of people storms something, they attack it suddenly with a lot of force. -A barricade is a temporary wall, fence, or similar structure that is built to prevent people from entering a place or area.
-If you show solidarity with someone, you support them because you have the same opinions, aims, etc.
-A powerhouse is a group of people or an organization that has a lot of power. -Austerity is an economic policy by which a government reduces the amount of money it spends by a large amount.
-A deficit is the total amount by which money spent is more than money received. -When something happens belatedly, it happens very late or too late. -When you acknowledge something, you accept that it is true.
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19787240
Oct. 1 - For many people in China, the mid-autumn festival and
National Day holiday, falling within days of each other this year, means
a week off work and a chance to spend time with friends and family.
But for millions of China's migrant workers, this is a working week like any other.
Many of them have young children back in their villages and do not see them for months or even years on end.
One Beijing organisation, the All China Women's Federation, estimates there are some 58m of these "left behind children".
This is the story of just one girl, Tang Xiaoqian from Anhui province in central China.
Click on the picture above to watch the video and answer the following questions.
How old is Tang Xiaoqian?
How long has it been since she last saw her mum and dad?
What do she and her classmates have in common?
How old was she when her parents left home?
Where did they go? Why?
What does she do when she misses them?
Why does she cry when she talks about the speaking competition?
What are her plans for the future regarding her parents and her village?
TRANSCRIPT
My name is Tang Xiaoqian. I'm eleven years old. I study at ... (name of village) primary school. And it's been eight years since I last saw my mum and dad. Almost all of my classmates are growing up without our parents. They are not at home for us. We are called 'left behind' children. When I was eight months old, my parents left home for Shanghai to find jobs. I live with my grandparents in the mountains. Every time it's New Year my parents say they are too busy to come home. When I miss them, I write a letter, fold it into a boat shape, put it in the river hoping it will reach my mum and dad. Once I represented my school in a public speaking competition in a nearby city. Other children had parents cheering for them. I was just by myself. I want to study hard and go to university one day. I will make a lot of money and buy a big house for my parents. Then we can be together every day. Although the mountains and rivers are beautiful, we can only be farmers here. That's why our parents have to leave to find jobs in big cities, like Shanghai and Beijing. They work very hard in the factories so we can go to school at home. When I grow up, I want to help turn my village into a city with big roads everywhere. I will open a big company and all the parents can come and work here. Then the children won't be separated from their mums and dads any more.
