Dealing with the weather in London

Hi everyone!

Finally back after this forced break. But you know there's a period of frantic activity coming... exams are just round the corner so it's time for more frequent videos.

This is a short, funny guide on how to deal with the weather, whether (see what I did there?) you visit London in sunny summer or rainy autumn.

These are some expressions you may want to check before watching the video:

the odd ... ( = not usual)
spring has sprung
alfresco dining (yay! Our favourite word in action!)
unwind
thermals
duck into (the shops)
when the weather turns
to keep (the chills) at bay

The activity is a sentence completion. Disable closed captions (CC button) to do it, and then enable them to check your answers.

Careful in sentence 7, as it contains one feature of pronunciation we have only seen in the C1 course: the intrusive "r" (an "r" sound between one final vowel and one initial vowel).

Enjoy!

1. You must be ready to adapt, because the weather in London can be a little __________________.
2. Even if spring is mainly sunny, you might see the odd __________________.
3. If you get a bit hot under the collar, the best idea is to leave the bus and tube __________________ and hire a bike.
4. Don't forget a picnic! __________________ the blanket and enjoy some alfresco dining.
5. Even though the long summer days may be __________________, autumn is still a great time to be in London.
6. London is a top shopping destination, and some of its __________________ include Carnaby Street and Covent Garden.
7. As the nights __________________, find yourself a bar or go to a show.
8. During winter, there are many places that are __________________ from the cold outside.
9.A pub, in front of a roaring fire is a wonderful way to __________________ a winter's day.

Topic video: tourism and conservation

Hello everyone!

One of the widest topics that we can deal with, it also includes some vocabulary on cities and transport.

An old piece of news about an eternal debate: is Venice selling itself to tourist exploitation? Work on the vocabulary first (you can use the widget on the right to help you), then answer the questions as accurately as possible. You can find a lot of useful collocations in the answers provided in the key.

Enjoy!

VOCABULARY

dwarfing
to (bitterly) resent sth
liner
vessel
guidelines
tide

QUESTIONS

What do those people against large cruise ships argue?
What is the justification given by the cruise company?
How many people does the tourist traffic in Venice amount to?
Who argues that there are far too many tourists?
How is the debate summarized at the end?

Yosemite National Park - facts and figures

Here's a little video with facts and figures of Yosemite National Park, which contains some nice examples of collocations typically used in travel and tourism.

I propose the following:

Find these expressions in the video and complete the facts:

Located in…

It’s visited by…

It’s home to…

Some of the visitors look for…

It boasts …

Find the figures! For an extra challenge, try to use the same wording as in the video, with full compound adjectives. Careful with spelling! 

How high is Yosemite Falls?

How high is El Capitan?

What are the dimensions of the slab of granite beneath the surface to which El Capitan belongs?

How high are sequoias (include the comparison)? 

An extra question: why are researchers climbing the sequoias?


You can find the key here. Let's travel a bit!

The Short Transcript Challenge V: Desert Climates

Hello everyone!

As part of our long-forgotten Short Transcript Challenge, I propose this short video. It's a short description of desert climates and landscapes.

It's one minute long, but it's clear and the speed is quite reasonable. I would like to see your transcriptions in the comments, although I'll be posting a key soon (not too soon this time, though, to make sure you try!)

There are two words that you will need to know in advance, as they are very specific: erg and reg (better known as "desert pavement").


Go for it!

Lunar New Year traditions

China celebrates the end of the lunar New Year celebrations with the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first moon. That day is... tomorrow, February the 6th, the first full moon of their calendar.

This tradition is also held in other countries, but we're going to concentrate on China to watch again the video on New Year celebrations you received last month. By the way, in some regions this particular festival is also a lovers' day, a sort of St Valentine's Day!

Here are the comprehension questions:

1. Make a list of adverb + adjective collocations in the video.

2. How long have they been celebrating the lunar New Year?

3. What did they use the colour red, bright light and loud noise for?

4. Why did they fear the New Year?

5. What was the family reunion for?

6. When did the Chinese adopt the Gregorian calendar?

7. What's the traditional Chinese calendar?

8. What do they hang from windows? What for?

9. What do the fish and chicken stand for (represent)?

10. What's the origin of the Lantern Festival?

Enjoy the video and, if you get the chance, the lunar New Year too!

Treasures of Afghanistan

Hello!

Back again with one video that you may have probably enjoyed already as part of your daily videos. It's an introduction to a wonderful exhibition at the British Museum. Unfortunately, it was on show last year, so there is no way for us to fly to London and see it now... To make up for it, we do have the chance to watch a wealth of videos kindly uploaded by the British Museum.

Here are some comprehension questions for this video, which tells the story of the preservation of Afghan national treasures from the atrocities of war.

1. Who discovered the nomads’ graves?

2. When did they decide to hide the objects? Which objects were to be hidden? Where?

3. Why has Mr Omar Sultan supported the exhibition to be shown outside Afghanistan?

4. According to him, what do Afghans want to share with the world?


I hope you enjoy it very much! It's nice to be back, and I'd LOVE to see a bunch of comments for this video!

Visit Britain... with adjectives!

Hi everyone!

Oh, back to the hustle and bustle of everyday activity! This is exciting! Looking back at the latest entries I've noticed they're from the month of April! Shame on me!

Anyway, I hope we all get down to work again with as much enthusiasm as last year! Look at all those exclamation marks!

This is a video that should be familiar to you: the 60-second invitation to visit Britain. It features a number of adjectives that you have to find.

Transcript, as usual: in the comments, in a couple of days or three, to give you time to do the activity and comment if possible.

Visit Britain!

Inside the Great Mosque

Back from the break! I hope you had time to rest and got new batteries for the (short) rest of the year!

Again with the invaluable help of Encarna first, then Irene (I actually corrected some details from my own transcription, thank you to both!) we can give you this video with a full transcript in the comments. It's part of a series about art in the South of Spain. Some of you have already watched the video, but now it's time to enjoy it and work a little with it.

Gap-filling for the activities, with more than one word per gap. Answers, as usual, in the comments, although you can always check with the transcript.

Enjoy!

1. The effect of mirrored columns intends to make the visitor feel _______________ and _______________ .

2. The designers could only use architectural forms as Islam bans the _______________.

3. Islam being a religion without hierarchy, the architects could create a feeling of _______________ in those who entered and prayed.

4. Abd ar-Rahman considered that what the palm tree had in common with him was his condition as _______________.

5. The Catholic cathedral was built by dismantling _______________ of the Mosque.

6. The Emperor Charles V realised it had been a mistake, even though he had _______________ himself.

7. The historian believes that the Catholic cathedral represents how one set of religious values was _______________.

Travel Apps

Hi everyone!

A very short video but with a challenging activity, as some of the vocabulary used is very specific.

1. What cities does Zagat to Go cover?

2.What does Flight Track Pro offer?

3. Can you describe what Trip Journal offers?

Which of these apps is the most useful, do you think?

As usual, answers and doubts in the comments.

Enjoy!

Travelling to Japan

A kind look at Japan. The proposed exercised (which must be familiar to some of you) is

1. to list the many collocations with adjectives that appear in the video

2. to transcribe sentences that do not start with the subject

Answers in the comments, as usual. And the key in a week or so...

Enjoy!