Around the World in English

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Bet You Didn't Know: Halloween (video)

It's one of America's favorite holidays, but what's the real story behind the tricks and treats of Halloween?

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

What do most people think of when they think of Halloween?
How far back can the origins of Halloween be traced?
What day was Samhain ( /ˈsɑːwɪn/, /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/) celebrated on?
What did the Celts believe happened on the night before Samhain?
What would people do to prevent spirits from harming them?
Why did they wear masks before they left the house?
When did the Christian Church turn Samhain into All Saints' Day?
What was the night before called?
In the medieval tradition of souling what would the needy do in return for the soul cakes?
In the tradition of guising what would young people do ?
Who brought these old traditions to America? When?
When did Halloween take on its current form?
What is the estimated cost of celebrating Halloween each year?

TRANSCRIPT
When most people think of Halloween, they think of trick-or-treating, parades, bobbing for apples and other family-friendly activities. But bet you didn't know the true story behind the ancient origins of Halloween. It all gets back some 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain celebrated on November 1st. On the night before Samhain people believed that the dead returned as ghosts. They would leave food and wine on their doorsteps to keep roaming spirits at bay and were masked when they left the house so they would be mistaken for fellow ghosts.
The Christian Church turned Samhain into All Saints' Day or All Hallows in the 8th century. The night before became All Hallows' Eve, later shortened to Halloween.
You've heard of trick-or-treating on Halloween but what about souling or guising? All three of these traditions originated in medieval Britain. On All Souls' Day, November 2nd, the needy would beg for pastries known as soul cakes. In return they would pray for people's dead relatives. This was called souling. In the medieval Halloween tradition of guising young people would dress up in costume and accept food, wine, money and other offerings in exchange for singing, reciting poetry or telling jokes.
In 19th century America Irish and Scottish immigrants revived these old traditions. The result was trick-or-treating. At first it was much more about the tricks in the form of pranks and hijinks than treats. It wasn't until the 1950s that the custom took on its current family-friendly, kid-centered form. Today Halloween is big business with US consumers spending more than $2.5 billion on costumes annually. Add in the candy and it's estimated that Americans spend $6 billion on Halloween each year making it the second most commercial holiday after Christmas. So whether you are a fun of tricks, treats or trivia, there's a bit of Halloween history. I bet you didn't know...

VOCABULARY

When you keep somebody or something at bay, you prevent someone or something unpleasant from harming you. e.g. The soldiers kept the attackers at bay. [=they did not allow the attackers to come closer]
Roaming means moving or travelling with no particular purpose. e.g. After the pubs close, gangs of youths roam the city streets.
A spirit is a ghost.
A prank is a trick that is done to someone usually as a joke.
High jinks (US hijinks) (plural noun, informal) = energetic and excited behaviour in which people do funny things or play tricks on someone

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Skydiver's edge-of-space dive breaks sound barrier (NBC News video)

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?

WATCH a related video and do some great interactive exercises:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/freetime/video-zone/record-breaking-skydive

Now try the following QUIZ: Skydiving the speed of sound

More resources
http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/news-lessons/weekly-topical-news-lessons/2012-weekly-news-lessons-archive/weekly-news-lesson-312-1st-november-2012-skydiver-lands-safely-on-earth-after-supersonic-record/552365.article

http://www.newsflashenglish.com/english-lessons/one-giant-leap