Recently a story began spreading via social media that knitters were needed to make sweaters for penguins hurt in an oil spill. Soon, some people claimed it was a hoax. In fact, it seems that the sweaters will not be worn by real penguins, but by toy penguins. However, these toys will be sold to raise funds for the penguin foundation. So if you really want to knit a penguin sweater, go ahead — but bear in mind that the cost of shipping it to Australia won’t be cheap. Alternatively, you might just want to donate some money directly to the Penguin Foundation or even adopt a penguin.By Gilad Rom from Israel (Chinstrap Penguin) [CC-BY-2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons
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Read by Tina (Australian accent)
Study the words
Spreading- being passed from person to person Sweaters- pullovers, jumpers Oil spill- accidental release of oil into the sea Claimed- said Hoax- a fraudulent story To raise funds- to collect money Go ahead- just do it Bear in mind- consider Cheap- inexpensive
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Do the takeaway test:Do Penguins Really Need Sweaters?
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Circus: tijgers (Photo credit: doenietzomoeilijk)
Circuses in England will be banned from using wild animals in their shows from 1 December 2015. Strict regulations have also been introduced to improve conditions of working animals until the law is changed. This means that if you go to the circus, you will no longer see lions, tigers or elephants performing for the crowd. Many people consider this to be cruel and have been campaigning against it for years. They argue that the animals spend too much time travelling in their cages and that brutal methods are used in training them. Sadly, the ban does not include domestic animals, like horses and dogs. This is apparently because they are used to conditions like travelling.
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Read by Annette (Scottish accent)
Study the words
Banned– prohibited Wild– undomesticated Strict regulations– severe rules Improve– make better No longer– no more Crowd– audience Cruel- causing pain and suffering Campaigning– protesting Argue– hold an opinion Cages– metal enclosures Brutal– hard and violent Sadly– unfortunately Apparently– it appears that Used to– accustmed to
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Do the takeaway test:Wild Animals to be Banned from Circus
Related articles
- Circuses to be banned from using wild animals (guardian.co.uk)
Shetland Ponies (Photo credit: Island Trails, Shetland.)
Shetland ponies have been recieving a lot of media attention recently and they certainly deserve it. First, they starred in a campaign to attract visitors to their native country, Scotland. They were photographed in a beautiful setting wearing wooly cardigans. More recently, a moonwalking pony was featured in a video ad for the mobile phone company ‘3’. The star of the video, called socks, only stops dancing when a farmer drives past in his tractor. Shetland ponies, which originate from the Shetland Isles, are hardy animals with heavy coats and short legs. They were originally used for pulling carts, but now it is more common to see them giving rides to children. They are occasionally used by blind people instead of guide dogs.
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Read by Annette Porte (Scottish accent)
Study the words
Deserve– are worthy of, merit Starred– were the protagonists Campaign– a drive to promote something Native– of origin Setting– location Wooly cardigans– sweaters with buttons made of wool Featured– placed in an important role Hardy– strong and resilient Carts– open farm vehicle with two or four wheels Rides– short trip Occasionally– sometimes Blind– visually impaired Instead of– rather than, in place of
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Do the takeaway test: Shetland Ponies Shoot to Fame
Related articles
- The Daily Beast – Shetland Ponies in Shetland Cardigans – January 24, 2013 (thestar.blogs.com)
- Want to see a Shetland pony called Socks do the moonwalk? (metro.co.uk)
English: Pancake in frying pan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Happy Egg Co, which specializes in free-range eggs, has invented an automatic pancake machine just in time for Shrove Tuesday. The device consists of a range of household objects including an old gramophone, an electric mixer and, of course, a frying pan. The process starts when the hen lays an egg. The egg is then carried along a conveyor belt. Next, it is cracked open and mixed with the other ingredients. Finally, the mixture is poured into the pan, cooked and flipped onto a plate. The device is not for sale: it’s going to be exhibited at London’s Design Museum in the near future. In any case, pancakes are fun and easy to make by hand.
Do you know how to make pancakes? You can find out here and download a recipe.
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Read by Elizabeth Wyke (English Accent)
Study the words
free-range– from animals which are not kept in cages household– domestic gramophone– old-fashioned record player mixer– machine used for combining ingredients frying pan– flat-bottomed pan used for frying food lays– produces carried– taken conveyor belt– moving platform cracked– broken poured– dispensed flipped– quickly thrown device– machine exhibited– displayed in the near future– soon
Do the takeaway test: The Automatic Pancake Machine
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A wild dolphin whose fin was tangled up in a fishing line ‘asked’ a diver for help. Mr Laros was enjoying a dive with friends in Hawii when suddenly he heard a dophin cry. The animal swam towards them and pushed his nose into the diver in an obvious plea for help. It took over eight minutes to remove the hook and cut away the line. The animal waited patiently while the diver worked to set him free. At one point the dolphin surfaced for air and then came back down to let his rescuer finish the job. The amazing scene was captured on video.
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Read by Kristin Walters (Australian accent)
Watch the video on Fox News
Study the words
Wild– not captive Fin– the part of the body the dolphin uses to swim Line– nylon wire Suddenly– unexpectedly Towards– in the direction of Plea– request Took– used to express the time necessary to complete an action Remove– take out Hook– sharp, curved piece of metal used to catch fish Patiently– without complaining, calmly Set free– liberate Surfaced– went to the surface of the water Rescuer– the diver who saved him Amazing– incredible Captured– filmed
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Do the takeaway test: Dolphin asks diver for Help
Dolphin asked help from Hawaii divers (bigpondnews.com)
The internet is rife with cat videos. Now another feline has become an internet sensation. This time, the amazing pet can do a typical magic trick – to guess which cup contains a bell, even after they are mixed up at top speed. We have seen cats that play the piano, surprised cats, fat cats, talking cats and even cats with i-pads. Dogs, however, are catching up. They can do tricks too, like walking on two legs and playing dead. The latest star is a clever dog that taught a puppy how to go safely down the stairs. There’s no doubt that both cats and dogs are clever and cute, and maybe sometimes we prefer them to people.
What’s your favourite cat or dog video?
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Read by Annette (Scottish Accent)
Study the words
Rife– very common, numerous Sensation– star Magic trick– playful deception Guess– deduce Mixed up– placed in a different order At top speed– very quickly Catching up– reaching the same level Playing dead– pretending to die Puppy– young dog Doubt– uncertainty Cute– sweet, adorable
Do the takeaway test: Cats and Dogs Online
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See more pet videos here: The Telegraph
If you ever find yourself in an Australian forest, don’t be surprised if a parrot swears at you. Across Australia, people are reporting that wild parrots are talking to them and that they are not always polite. In fact, some wild birds have learned to speak English and in particular, to use expletives. It is thought that the language skills have been learned from pet birds that escaped from their cages and returned to the wild. The wild birds have picked up the new sounds and have even taught them to their offspring. The result is a weird chorus of English nonsense high in the treetops.
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Read by Tina Williamson (Australian accent)
Study the words
Swears – uses bad language Polite- civil, well-mannered Expletives- bad language, vulgar expressions Pet- domestic (animal) Skills– abilities The wild- the natural habitat Offspring- babies Weird- strange Nonsense- language with no meaning Treetops- the highest branches of the trees
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Do the takeaway test: Wild Parrots Learn to Swear
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Escaped per birds are teaching wild birds to speak English
A new i-pad app specifically designed for cats, called ‘paint for cats’, allows your pet to chase a mouse and make a painting at the same time. The makers, Hiccup, recently got into trouble when cats playing with another app accidentally downloaded premium content without the consent of their owners. The firm was accused of tricking cats into making purchases. The problem was solved by introducing a function which requires owners to scan their hand on the i-pad screen for four seconds to prove that they are human. Apps for cats have more or less the same function as they have for humans: they stop cats from getting bored and make them look cool too!
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Read by Annette
Study the words
Pet– domestic animal
Chase- run after
Got into trouble– had problems
Accidentally– by mistake
Premium content– extra functions that you pay for
Consent– approval
Firm– company
Tricking…into– using an unfair method to persuade them to do something
Prove– demonstrate
Getting bored– feeling dissatisfied because you have nothing to do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_jPZXL_P6c&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Do the takeaway test: Does your cat need an ipad
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