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!

Protected area in Poland

Hello again!

A really good video to identify adjectives! Just that, write down the adjectives you understand, if possible, followed by their corresponding nouns.

Some of you have done this activity already, so I'll be posting your answers in the comments. I'll be posting the answers in a week or so, or when I consider you've participated enough. So, come on, don't just wait for the key, and write your exercise in the comments!

The video is on how a protected area in Poland threatened by the construction of a highway was saved by environmentalists.

Enjoy it!

Looking at the night sky

Hello everyone!

A sort of popular demand has triggered this post. The video on Orion and its legends!

Let's remember the questions to be answered here:

1. Check the pronunciation of "Orion" before you watch the video. My question here for the comments is going to be: where did you check that pronunciation? I hope you give different answers so we pool together a number of pronunciation resources.

2. Name an adverb+adjective collocation used in the video to describe Orion.

3. What are the legends of Orion according to a) the Egyptians, b) a native American tribe, and c) aborigines in Australia?

So, I'd be delighted to see your answers in the comments. Don't worry about being wrong or right, you're closer than you think to the right answer most of the time!

Enjoy the 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!

The Berlin Philharmonic

Here we go again with some activities that may ring a bell to some of you. I am posting it here to give you the transcript (in the comments). Thank you very much to Encarna for a transcription of part of the video, and to Irene for astonishing research work on the piece played by Anne-Sophie Mutter on the video.

Sorry for not having been able to subtitle it, I may try again one of these days!

So enjoy it as it is!

As activities, I propose answering the following questions:

1. How do the different people describe the sound of the orchestra from minute 1:30 to 2:00?

2. How does conducting compare to horseriding?

3. How many chief conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic has there been?

4. Where do the people who watch the Berlin Philharmonic come from?

5. Why does Simon Rattle fit in so well with this orchestra, according to the horn?

6. Throughout the 20th century, what has changed and what has remained in the orchestra?

7. Why wasn't this conductor very well received at the beginning?

8. Find an example of a second conditional.

9. What does Simon Rattle compare their work with at the end of the video?

Feel free to ask any questions of comprehension.

Good listening!