FACTS OF THE WEEK
Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone in 1876, suggested answering calls with "ahoy." People walked differently in medieval times. They stepped with the ball of the foot first to check the ground for debris, perhaps because well-soled shoes were hard to come by. In the 1880s, a baboon worked as a signalman for nine years on a South African railroad. He was paid in brandy and never made a mistake. The metal bit at the end of a pencil that holds the eraser in place is called a ferrule.
GOOD WEEK FOR:
Chocoholics, as chocolate will soon be enjoyed like wine. An industry expert indicates that growers are now able to ferment chocolate to taste like berries, nuts or caramel without adding any extra ingredients.
15 July 2022
This weekend is the Tropical Summer Dance & Music festival in Plymouth. The event is considered
one of the best Latin Music and Dance festivals in the UK.
As usual, we have been looking through the British media this week and here are some of the
stranger stories we found:
News and homework:
15 July 2022
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Watch 2 paramedics attempting to promote
‘Paramedics Day’… if only they could stop
laughing - here.
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a
great way” ~ Napoleon Hill
Your homework this week is called Train Idioms.
Read the following text:
Trains run on railway tracks which are made up of rails. Trains cannot climb
hills easily, so in the past tunnels were built through hills and mountains. If a
train is derailed, it comes off the rails. At the end of the railway line, usually in
a
station are buffers. Sometimes, if a train does not stop in time, it hits the
buffers. The first trains were steam trains, but today they are more likely to be diesel or electric. Very
fast trains are called express trains.
PART A:
Use some of the words in the passage above to complete these idioms:
1.
light at the end of the ?????
2.
a one-???? mind
3.
under my own ?????
4.
hit the ?????
5.
ran out of ????
6.
right off the ????
7.
back on ?????
8.
let off ?????
9.
on the right ?????
10.
like an ???? train
PART B:
Use the idioms above in the following situations.
1. The Government's first 2 years were very successful, but then everything seemed to hit the ????.
2. I don't need a lift, thanks. I'll get there ?????.
3. We want to design a cheap, eco-friendly car. There are one or two problems but basically we're ????
4. Our business has had a difficult few years but things are starting to improve. There's ?????.
5. The Conserative Party lost the election. Their campaign started well but it just ???? a week before the
election.
6. Since his girlfriend left him, Paul's lost his job and is drinking heavily. He's really gone ????.
7. My boyfriend Tom just thinks about football all the time. He's so boring. He's got a ???? mind!
8.
James: Would you like a game of tennis tonight, Paul?
Paul: Yes, I'd love to. I've had a really stressful week at work. I need to ???
9.
Jill: How are things at work after the fire?
Paul: It's taken us 3 months to sort everything out but things are ???? now.
10.
Amanda: Did you see the football last night? What about Ronaldo's goal?
Paul: He's incredible. He's so fast, he's ?????. There's no stopping him.
And finally your weekly riddle:
A horse travels a certain distance each day. Strangely enough, two of its legs travel 30 miles each day
and the other two legs travel nearly 31 miles. It would seem that two of the horse's legs must be one
mile ahead of the other two legs, but of course this can't be true. Since the horse is normal, how is this
situation possible?
Have a great week and we look forward to writing to you next Friday.
An American tourist, who was rescued after
falling into Mount Vesuvius while trying to reach
his phone. Vesuvius in Italy is regarded as one
of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Luckily, guides abseiled into the crater to
rescue the man.
BAD WEEK FOR:
Penguins in a Japanese aquarium. Officials switched the penguins from their usual diet of aji to a cheaper variety of mackerel after the price of aji spiked. However, the penguins stubbornly refused to accept offerings of the cheaper fish from keepers.
Compassionate behaviour, as a mother eagle stole
a baby hawk and presented it to her eaglet for
dinner. The eaglet never showed any interest in
eating the hawk, and 32 hours later, both the eaglet
and the orphan hawk were observed sheltering
from the rain under the mother eagle’s wings.
© MAYFLOWER COLLEGE english@maycoll.co.uk
MEANING:
To lose control and start to behave abnormally
USE:
He was a promising student but he went off the rails after
he started taking drugs.
TO GO OFF THE RAILS
Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego, USA)
Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in Plymouth, UK)
1.
light at the end of the tunnel
2.
a one-track mind
3.
under my own steam
4.
hit the buffers
5.
ran out of steam
6.
right off the rails
7.
back on track
8.
let off steam
9.
on the right track
10.
like an express train
The horse operates a mill and travels in a circular clockwise direction. The two
outside legs will travel a greater distance than the two inside legs.
1. The Government's first 2 years were very successful, but then everything seemed to HIT THE
BUFFERS
2. I don't need a lift, thanks <<Greeting>>. I'll get there UNDER MY OWN STEAM
3. We want to design a cheap, eco-friendly car. There are one or two problems but basically we're
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
4. Our business has had a difficult few years but things are starting to improve. There's LIGHT AT
THE END OF THE TUNNEL
5. The Conserative Party lost the election. Their campaign started well but it just RAN OUT OF
STEAM a week before the election.
6. Since his girlfriend left him, Paul's lost his job and is drinking heavily. He's really gone RIGHT
OFF THE RAILS
7. My boyfriend Tom just thinks about football all the time. He's so boring. He's got a A ONE-
TRACK MIND mind!
8. James: Would you like a game of tennis tonight, Paul?
Paul: Yes, I'd love to. I've had a really stressful week at work. I need to LET OFF STEAM
9. Jill: How are things at work after the fire?
Paul: It's taken us 3 months to sort everything out but things are BACK ON TRACK now.
10. Amanda: Did you see the football last night? What about Ronaldo's goal?
Paul: He's incredible. He's so fast, he's LIKE AN EXPRESS TRAIN. There's no stopping him.
FACTS OF THE WEEK
Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone in 1876, suggested answering calls with "ahoy." People walked differently in medieval times. They stepped with the ball of the foot first to check the ground for debris, perhaps because well-soled shoes were hard to come by. In the 1880s, a baboon worked as a signalman for nine years on a South African railroad. He was paid in brandy and never made a mistake. The metal bit at the end of a pencil that holds the eraser in place is called a ferrule.
GOOD WEEK FOR:
Chocoholics, as chocolate will soon be enjoyed like wine. An industry expert indicates that growers are now able to ferment chocolate to taste like berries, nuts or caramel without adding any extra ingredients.
15 July 2022
This weekend is the Tropical Summer Dance &
Music festival in Plymouth. The event is
considered one of the best Latin Music and
Dance festivals in the UK.
As usual, we have been looking through the
British media this week and here are some of
the stranger stories we found:
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Watch 2 paramedics attempting to
promote ‘Paramedics Day’… if only they
could stop laughing - here.
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
“If you can’t do great things, do small things
in a great way” ~ Napoleon Hill
News and homework
22 July 2022
© MAYFLOWER COLLEGE english@maycoll.co.uk
Compassionate behaviour, as a mother
eagle stole a baby hawk and presented it
to her eaglet for dinner. The eaglet never
showed any interest in eating the hawk,
and 32 hours later, both the eaglet and
the orphan hawk were observed
sheltering from the rain under the mother
eagle’s wings.
BAD WEEK FOR:
Penguins in a Japanese aquarium. Officials switched the penguins from their usual diet of aji to a cheaper variety of mackerel after the price of aji spiked. However, the penguins stubbornly refused to accept offerings of the cheaper fish from keepers.
An American tourist, who was rescued
after falling into Mount Vesuvius while
trying to reach his phone. Vesuvius in Italy
is regarded as one of the most dangerous
volcanoes in the world. Luckily, guides
abseiled into the crater to rescue the man.
Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego,
USA)
Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in
Plymouth, UK)
Your homework this week is called Train
Idioms.
Read the following text:
Trains run on railway tracks which are made
up of rails. Trains cannot climb hills easily, so in
the past tunnels were built through hills and
mountains. If a train is derailed, it comes off
the rails. At the end of the railway line, usually
in a station are buffers. Sometimes, if a train
does not stop in time, it hits the buffers. The
first trains were steam trains, but today they
are more likely to be diesel or electric. Very fast
trains are called express trains.
PART A:
Use some of the words in the passage above to
complete these idioms:
1.
light at the end of the ?????
2.
a one-???? mind
3.
under my own ?????
4.
hit the ?????
5.
ran out of ????
6.
right off the ????
7.
back on ?????
8.
let off ?????
9.
on the right ?????
10.
like an ???? train
PART B:
Use the idioms above in the following
situations.
1. The Government's first 2 years were very
successful, but then everything seemed to hit
the ????.
2. I don't need a lift, thanks. I'll get there ?????.
3. We want to design a cheap, eco-friendly car.
There are one or two problems but basically
we're ????
4. Our business has had a difficult few years but
things are starting to improve. There's ?????.
5. The Conserative Party lost the election. Their
campaign started well but it just ???? a week
before the election.
6. Since his girlfriend left him, Paul's lost his job
and is drinking heavily. He's really gone ????.
7. My boyfriend Tom just thinks about football
all the time. He's so boring. He's got a ????
mind!
8.
James: Would you like a game of tennis
tonight, Paul?
Paul: Yes, I'd love to. I've had a really stressful
week at work. I need to ???
9.
Jill: How are things at work after the fire?
Paul: It's taken us 3 months to sort everything
out but things are ???? now.
10.
Amanda: Did you see the football last night?
What about Ronaldo's goal?
Paul: He's incredible. He's so fast, he's ?????.
There's no stopping him.
And finally your weekly riddle:
A horse travels a certain distance each day.
Strangely enough, two of its legs travel 30 miles
each day and the other two legs travel nearly 31
miles. It would seem that two of the horse's
legs must be one mile ahead of the other two
legs, but of course this can't be true. Since the
horse is normal, how is this situation possible?
Have a great week and we look forward to
writing to you next Friday.
TO GO OFF THE RAILS
MEANING:
To lose control and start to
behave abnormally
USE:
He was a
promising student but he
went off the rails after he
started taking drugs.
1.
light at the end of the tunnel
2.
a one-track mind
3.
under my own steam
4.
hit the buffers
5.
ran out of steam
6.
right off the rails
7.
back on track
8.
let off steam
9.
on the right track
10.
like an express train
The horse operates a mill and travels in a
circular clockwise direction. The two outside
legs will travel a greater distance than the
two inside legs.
1. The Government's first 2 years were very
successful, but then everything seemed to
HIT THE BUFFERS
2. I don't need a lift, thanks <<Greeting>>. I'll
get there UNDER MY OWN STEAM
3. We want to design a cheap, eco-friendly
car. There are one or two problems but
basically we're ON THE RIGHT TRACK
4. Our business has had a difficult few years
but things are starting to improve. There's
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
5. The Conserative Party lost the election.
Their campaign started well but it just RAN
OUT OF STEAM a week before the election.
6. Since his girlfriend left him, Paul's lost his
job and is drinking heavily. He's really gone
RIGHT OFF THE RAILS
7. My boyfriend Tom just thinks about football
all the time. He's so boring. He's got a A ONE-
TRACK MIND mind!
8. James: Would you like a game of tennis
tonight, Paul?
Paul: Yes, I'd love to. I've had a really stressful
week at work. I need to LET OFF STEAM
9. Jill: How are things at work after the fire?
Paul: It's taken us 3 months to sort everything
out but things are BACK ON TRACK now.
10. Amanda: Did you see the football last
night? What about Ronaldo's goal?
Paul: He's incredible. He's so fast, he's LIKE
AN EXPRESS TRAIN. There's no stopping him.
