This week we’ve been preparing for Easter, and all our students are ready to enjoy a lovely extended weekend!

Have you been doing anything fun this week Olga? As usual, if you have something interesting to share, do tell us on Facebook here


OK, let’s take a look at some of the more bizarre things that have been happening in the news:


GOOD WEEK FOR:

• Fans of the freakish, as a two-headed shark has been discovered.
  See it here
  
  
• Those who can cry on cue, as the UK is apparently seeing a huge uptick in the ‘professional mourning’ industry.
  Read the story here

BAD WEEK FOR:

• A drunk man in the UK, who woke up to find he had bought a massive stolen snake – and it was about to eat his friend!
  Read the ridiculous story here
  
  
• Cats who love their freedom, as one enterprising pet owner has developed his own ‘cat-nav’ system that tracks his pet’s whereabouts.
  Read all about it here

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

This week we have a hilarious advert that pokes fun at tablet owners. See ‘Ipad versus paper’ here


FACTS OF THE WEEK:

• Scotland has twice as many giant pandas as Conservative MPs.
• Cows carry cowpox, but chickens do not carry chickenpox.
• About half a million mice live in the London Underground.
• Per head of population, Britain has 13 times as many accountants as Germany.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein


HOMEWORK:

And how did you find the homework I sent you on last week?

GO: uses and expressions:

PART A:

Paul: What time are you GOING to Jim's party this evening?
Olga: I'm not sure because Christopher is COMING here first, and then we'll GO together.
Paul: Right. Do you know what's happening about the music?
Olga: Yeah. I'm going to TAKE some CD's, and Sue is TAKING her guitar. I'll probably leave quite early though, so do you think you could BRING my CD's back here tomorrow?
Paul: Yeah, sure. What time?
Olga: Well, I want to GO to the shops in the morning. Could you COME before ten?
Paul: No problem.

PART B:

1. It's hard to say exactly but I think the lorry was GOING (DOING) about 60kph.
2. Some people aren't interested in scuba diving but I've always wanted to HAVE A GO (TRY).
3. Come on, Olga. It's your GO (TURN).
4. Hi Sue. How'S IT GOING (HOW ARE YOU)?
5. Excuse me. Does this road GO (TAKE ME) to the bus station?
6. Paul: Hi Olga. How'S IT GOING (HOW ARE YOU GETTING ON)?
Olga: Not bad. We've nearly finished.

PART C:

1. I went SHOPPING this morning and bought some books and clothes.
2. We didn't have much food in the house so we decided to go out FOR A MEAL.
3. Why don't we go FOR A DRINK in that nice new pub near the train station?
4. I wanted to go SIGHTSEEING because I had never been to Venice before, but the others wanted to hire a car and go FOR A DRIVE in the countryside.
5. The pool was at the end of the road, so we decided to go FOR A SWIM.
6. There are some stables near where we live and we go RIDING most weekends.

PART D:

1. You can wear a hearing aid if you go DEAF.
2. If business doesn't improve we could go BANKRUPT.
3. You can dye your hair if you start going GREY.
4. And you can wear a wig if you go BALD.
5. If she sees the dog destroying her flowers, she'll go MAD.

And the riddle:

A wide expanse of green and brown
Do it with your car in town.

The answer is PARK


This week's homework is called "War and Peace":

PART A - War

Put the following words / phrases into the passage below:

• DETERIORATE
• MOBILISE
• HOSTILE ACTS
• DECLARE WAR
• CLASHES
• AGGRESSION
• OUTBREAK
• FORCES
• ULTIMATUM
• RETALIATE

For years there were border ????? between troops of country X and those of country Z. Then ????? from X attacked a village in Z. Z accused X of ????? and began to ????? in readiness for possible war. X warned Z: "If you carry out ????? against us, we will ?????". But there was more fighting on the border. The situation had begun to ?????. X delivered an ????? to Z. "If you do not promise to respect our borders, we will ?????". Finally came the ????? of war.


PART B - Peace

Put the following words / phrases into the passage below:

• WITHDRAW
• INTERMEDIARY
• TARGETS
• NEUTRAL
• PEACE TREATY
• GET INVOLVED
• INTERVENE
• CEASEFIRE
• CIVILIAN
• PEACE-KEEPING FORCE

After months of fighting, during which ????? as well as military ????? were bombed, country X asked country Y, which had remained ????? during the hostilities, to act as an ?????, but Y decided not to ?????. X then asked the United Nations to ?????. The U.N. managed to arrange a ????? and stationed a multi-national ????? between the two opposing armies. After weeks of talks, the two countries finally signed a ????? and the U.N. troops were able to ?????.

PART C

Complete the following sentences using:

• AS
• ON
• IN
• FOR
• OUT
• BETWEEN

1. X declared war ???? Z
2. Troops were moving ????? readiness ????? an attack
3. Y didn't want to get involved ????? the fighting.
4. The Second World War broke ????? in 1939.
5. Canada acted ????? an intermediary ????? the argument.
6. War planes carried ????? an attack.
7. The peace-keeping force remained ????? the two enemy armies during peace talks, then withdrew.


Have a good week and we will write again next Friday.
Paul & Jill

Paul Stevens - Director (based in San Diego, USA)
Jill Tyler - General Manager (based in Plymouth, UK)



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