FACTS OF THE WEEK
Pogonophobia is the fear of beards.
Each year, Americans eat enough burgers to
circle the earth more than 32 times.
If you open your eyes in a pitch-black room, the
colour you’ll see is called “eigengrau.”
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
GOOD WEEK FOR:
Lonely seniors, who are being taken out by volunteers
for free rides on bikes to enjoy the great outdoors.
Cycling Without Age (CWA) began in Denmark in
2012, when two good-hearted people wanted to help
the local elderly and less-able individuals get back on
their bicycles. They designed a ‘trishaw’ with a two-
person bench at the front where passengers could sit
and enjoy the view.
18 March 2022
This week many countries around the world celebrated St Patrick’s Day (17th March). Originally a day
to remember the missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland, it is now a global celebration of Irish
culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a lot of green (green was adopted as
the colour of the Irish rebellion).
And now, some light-hearted stories we have found for you in the British media this week.
News and homework:
18 March 2022
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Watch this incredible domino effect – created by
a landscape gardener, which shows bricks going
forward and then a chain reaction backwards –
geometry at it’s finest - here.
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
“By the time you’re 80 years old you’ve learned
everything. You only have to remember it”. ~ George
Burns
This week's homework is called "Driving Idioms":
PART A - Literal meanings
Complete the definitions below using these words:
LANES, CROSSROADS, COLLISION, GEAR, OVERTAKE, BEND, DEAD-END,
BACKSEAT, STEER, CRASH
1) When you pass another car (going in the same direction) you ?????? it.
2) You ?????? the car with the steering-wheel.
3) If you drive down a road and the road stops suddenly, it is a ???????.
4) You change ????? by first depressing the clutch pedal.
5) Motorways usually have three ??????.
6) A ?????? involves two or more vehicles.
7) A ????? usually involves more than one vehicle, but not necessarily.
8) Nobody likes a ?????? driver!
9) A curve in a road is called a ??????.
10) When you come to a ??????? you have to decide which direction to go in.
PART B
Match the idioms in CAPITALS with the meanings below:-
1) Bill used to be the boss, but his son is IN THE DRIVING SEAT now.
2) Italy has OVERTAKEN France as the number two holiday destination in Europe.
3) This new computer is DRIVING ME MAD !
4) Last year was very difficult but I think the company has TURNED THE CORNER now.
5) Come on, Paul, STEP ON IT ! We're going to be late!
6) I wonder if you could help me? We're IN A BIT OF A JAM.
7) I wish I could leave. This is a DEAD-END JOB.
8) I would STEER CLEAR of Diana today, if I were you. She's in a terrible mood.
9) The Lions rugby team wasn't too bad in the first half, but 10 minutes into the second half they
seemed to GO UP A GEAR. They won 25 nil!
10) Come on! It's time to HIT THE ROAD, Jill.
a) keep away from
b) in control
c) change for the better
d) leave
e) make someone angry
f) have a serious problem
g) replace
h) have no future
i) increase your effort
j) hurry
And your riddle this week:
Set beside your head,
In the cold it can get red.
Mine are normally pale,
On an elephant, a sail.
Have a good week we look forward to writing to you again next week with more news.
A mother who bought ‘washable bath crayons’
for her son to play with in the bath, but soon
discovered they could not be removed. The
crayon packet advertised “removed easily with
warm water” but despite hours of scrubbing,
her son’s artwork looks to be a permanent
feature!
BAD WEEK FOR:
A young boy on a zip line at an adventure park
in Costa Rica, who had an unexpected wildlife
encounter when he collided with a sloth
climbing on the cable.
An Egyptian woman, who made history by being
the first female judge to sit on the bench of the
country’s top court. Radwa Helmi’s appearance
at the courthouse in Cairo is seen as a significant
step on the long road to gender equality in Egypt.
© MAYFLOWER COLLEGE english@maycoll.co.uk
MEANING: To have a tendency to drop things
use: Our goalkeeper is rubbish today - he has real butterfingers
to have butterfingers
Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego, USA)
Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in Plymouth, UK)
1) When you pass another car (going in the same direction) you OVERTAKE it.
2) You STEER the car with the steering-wheel.
3) If you drive down a road and the road stops suddenly, it is a DEAD-END.
4) You change GEAR by first depressing the clutch pedal.
5) Motorways usually have three LANES.
6) A COLLISION involves two or more vehicles.
7) A CRASH usually involves more than one vehicle, but not necessarily.
8) Nobody likes a BACKSEAT driver!
9) A curve in a road is called a BEND.
10) When you come to a CROSSROADS you have to decide which direction to go in.
1) Bill used to be the boss, but his son is IN THE DRIVING SEAT (b - in control )
now.
2) Italy has OVERTAKEN (g - replace) France as the number two holiday
destination in Europe.
3) This new computer is DRIVING ME MAD ! (e - make someone angry)
4) Last year was very difficult but I think the company has TURNED THE CORNER
(c - change for the better now).
5) Come on, Paul, STEP ON IT ! (j - hurry ) We're going to be late!
6) I wonder if you could help me? We're IN A BIT OF A JAM (f - have a serious
problem)
7) I wish I could leave. This is a DEAD-END JOB (h - have no future)
8) I would STEER CLEAR (a - keep away from) of Diana today, if I were you. She's
in a terrible mood.
9) The Lions rugby team wasn't too bad in the first half, but 10 minutes into the
second half they seemed to GO UP A GEAR. (i- increase your effort) They won 25
nil!
10) Come on! It's time to HIT THE ROAD (d - leave), Jill.